Apodidraskinda

The General

We both looked around for the source of the sound. The winds brushed past our faces-past Willow's beautiful face-and the leaves on the surrounding plants ruffled. Not too far away, there was smoke coming out. Where exactly, though? 

"What's that?" Willow whispered to me.

"I have no idea...should we check it out?" I looked at the rising smoke through the trees. There was more and more smoke rising into the sky.

"Yeah, I think it's a good idea," she said. "Maybe it's something good? Plus, if it's something bad we can know what it is. For preparations, is what I'm trying to say."

You're so smart, I thought. "That's a great idea!" I tried to not be loud as I expressed my enthusiasm. "Let's go now, before it gets too dark or something." Willow nodded, and we headed towards the direction of the smoke. 

We made sure to stay silent as we crept through the trees, stepping around sticks and leaves. Eventually, we got to where the smoke was rising from. It was an old building, or maybe that was just the feel of this place. Either way, the fire crackled while zombie things grunted and sniffed for food and flesh.

What made the explosion? Something big? Or just old firecrackers? Or fire itself? Did some fire touch gas? That's gotta be impossible...especially here. I looked at Willow, confused, and she looked at me with the same expression. I could tell what she was thinking. What caused it?

Well, as our luck would have it, a giant figure rose out of the mess and roared. My eyes got as wide as plates when I saw it. Its skin was a dark brownish black, blood dripped down its sides, down its arms and legs, which were rotting flesh. That's not what made it different, not even its size. What made it different were the eyes. 

Thousands of eyes. They covered its face, some bulging out, some popped out of their sockets, some still intact while others had deep scars running along them. The zombies whined when it came out hearing it rise out of the rubble. Or maybe they sensed it. it had to be about fifty feet tall. We practically flew to go behind trees as it rose.

The eyes flitted around. Some landed on the ground, on the rubble, on other zombie creatures, but some landed on where we were hiding. They must have not heard us. This was good. the only thing that was not good, was everything else. I looked at Willow. She looked at me. She must be so scared...I wish I could protect you.

She looked back at the thing, which when I saw it, I immediately named it General. I don't know why. I just had a feeling this thing wasn't the leader. Something much worse and much bigger was out there commanding an army-no, a country, of these things.