Me and willow were doing repairs on the house....or shack by the looks of it. Nothing matches, the boards are rotten and are being slowly replaced, everything is held together by rusty nails, bolts, or screws, and everything is done with scrap metal and wood. Makes me so glad that it's not raining.
I was nailing some boards to form a roof out of scrap and willow was on the top floor passing me screws and nails through the nonexistent roof we're making.
"Willow, pass me some screws." I said, holding out my hand towards her.
There was no reply or screws in my hand.
"Willow! Screws!" I said a bit louder.
No reply or screws, and my patience was wearing thin.
I growled and put my head over the edge and looked at her.
"Son of a bitch, willow! Pass me some fucking-" i shouted, before i seen a look of terror on her face.
She was frozen still as she slowly pointed at an unnatural light on the horizon. It started as a glimmer, then grew as a long line that stretched as far as the eye can see. There was a faint rumbling that grew more and more violent.
"GET TO THE BUNKERS!! HURRY!!" Shouted Sullivan.
The denizens started panicking and screaming as they hurried inside his bunker.
"Shit! We gotta go!" I said as i hopped down and to willow.
She jolted when i landed.
"What??" She said in a daze.
"Come on!" I said as i grabbed her hand and ran with her down the stairs.
We grabbed our bags and necessities and ran for the bunker.
"ZEUS!! WILLOW!! GET IN!!" sullivan shouted.
The rumbling was almost unbearable as the ground shook violently and the sky turning bright pink.
We ran inside and sullivan slammed the door shut. Him and two other strong men pressed against the door as it shook the bunker violently.
This lasted for around ten or so minutes, before it calmed down.
"C....can we go outside now?" I asked.
"No, the ground is hot like molten lava." He said.
"So we lost everything?!" I exclaimed.
"No! The heat only applies to living things!" He said.
"That doesn't make any sense!" I exclaimed.
"Nothing makes sense on the voided earth! It simply replaces what was taken from their original locations and moves the anomalies and mutants around!....ayayaey...." he said as he walked to his chair behind the counter and lights a cigar.
The bunker was just a staircase and a small room. It was cramped and stuffy, but at least Sullivan had central heat and air. If he didn't, it might would trigger the explosives he has stashed in the back. I'm assuming he has them in case of a raider....er....raid.
Hours would pass as we became increasingly uncomfortable, especially willow, who was dealing with her own set of issues that i bet is uncomfortable or painful.
"Let's break up the silence." Sullivan said as he turned on the radio.
Willow stared at the radio and started hyperventilating.
"What's wrong with ya, willow?" I asked.
She slowly started hyperventilating and reached for her shotgun with a panicked look on her face.
"MOVE FROM THE RADIO!!" I screamed.
Sullivan was nearly hit by Willow's shotgun blast as he ducked behind the counter. Everyone screamed when she done it with some even drawing their weapons on her.
"It's alright, it wasn't out of malicious intent!" Sullivan said from behind the counter, waving his hands as he stood up.
"That crazy bitch almost took all our heads off!!" Said one of the denizens.
"It's fine.....see how she shot the radio?.....she's encounter....the static anomaly." Sullivan said.
The denizens started to mumble amongst themselves.
Willow looked down, shaking in fear.
"Willow....you encountered one....didn't you?" He asked.
Her reaction and silence spoke volumes.
"What's a static anomaly?" I asked.
"The static anomaly gets it's name from how it tries to mimic the human language through tracing radio signals and broadcasts through the air and splicing them into semi coherent sentences. They come in the form of a semi transparent mass that resembles that of television static. It will possess any non-living object that is humanoid in shape and will move around like a humanoid, abliet in a creepy, unnatural fashion. That means they can possess statues, mannequins, and so on. They're violent as they are cunning, using radio splices to either unnerve their prey or lure them out. They don't even benefit from killing, they just do it." Sullivan explained.
"Wow, no wonder she shot your radio." I said sympathetically.
"No...." willow uttered.
I looked at her.
"One of those nightmares butchered my friends...this one was unlike anything we've ever encountered. It was intelligent as the devil and cruel as him too. It mimicked our voices and toyed with us, along with the radio splice talk. It butchered and killed my friends with razor sharp, spikey teeth and a paper lathe. We couldn't hit it for shit!" Willow said, before sitting down, hugging her knees.
Sullivan nodded and walked behind a counter, then returned to her with a bottle with liquid inside and a cloth hanging out of it.
"Next time you come into contact with one, throw these at em. It'll immobilize it for a while, long enough to shoot its core and kill it." he said, giving her the bottle.
He then sat at his chair again.
"For a hermit grump, he has taken alot of young ones under his wing, even a woman!" He said.
"How is that unbelievable?" I said, knowing he was referring to San.
".....how about a story?" He said.
The denizens didn't seem to care, but i was curious.
"A long time ago, there was a demon. The demon was always accompanied by a phantom that adored him always. The demon was cruel and deemed the worst, because he would gain the trust of of his prey, then lead them to cruel and painful ends for satisfaction. The phantom usually would end the lives that tried to run away or survive. One day however, the demon came across a woman who was pregnant. Nothing out of the ordinary, just another prey. He did his usual routine, until the mother went into labor out of the blue and he helped her give birth. He brought forth life instead of ending one, he didn't know how to feel....so he ran. He ran knowing his brethren were the wrong crowd to be in and even left the phantom behind to live a life in solitude to seek redemption." Sullivan said.
I knew who he was talking about. The demon was San and the phantom had to have been Karma.
"He's a great man, San Manfred...even though he's rough and rugged on the outside. You three have given him something incredible. What it feels to be alive and to be human." He said, smiling at me and willow.
Me and willow both looked at him.
Did we really make that much of an impact on his life?
YOU ARE READING
The Lantern Bearers
Ужасыwhen the god eye fell; 60% of the human population was wiped out 50% of the vegetation destroyed 70% of wildlife, gone but things....became 300% worse when it rose back up and blocked out the sun. the darkness eats you alive monsters and mutants lu...
