The Rift Walker

I Did Warn You...

Chapter 7

Killian

Just as he had thought, the village was a blackened mess when he found it. A few people stumbled past him and one came over begging for his help. He ignored him and continued on his way- he had to hurry and he could tell at a glance that this man wouldn't be able to help him. 

His face had been ravaged and many of the stragglers appeared barely capable of walking. Some weren't- their legs were missing. Only mangled stumps remained. They could only weep and scream amongst themselves, begging for mercy. From who, he did not know.

In the centre of the town slumped a few burnt corpses. Their bodies had blackened and blistered, their skin stuck slightly to the ground. Some still smoked slightly. He turned away and almost vomited when the smell of burnt flesh caught up to him.

"It's all necessary. . . I promise. . ." he muttered to himself. A couple of the uninjured villagers gave him an odd look as they passed him by. He noted that they had stopped tending to the injured, realising it was futile. They were beyond help now.

She wouldn't like this . . .

That's why he needed to find the girl Kaelyn quickly. He had to get her back, and in order to do that he had to find the girl.

A small child wandered past him. He watched as she called to her parents, over and over but nobody came to her aid. She continued calling, her voice becoming more urgent as time passed, but eventually she lapsed into silence and made her way through a narrow alley in the direction of a small hill. He followed silently and felt his heart begin to quicken.
She wouldn't like this . . . but he had no choice.

Kaelyn

They rushed back together and emerged from the trees upon a scene of total devastation. Two of the three villagers were already dead and the third stood paralysed. Kaelyn gaped at the man with the blood pouring from the stump which was all that remained of his leg, feeling sickened. Some of the trees were burning; the limbs began to crack and fall.

"Kaelyn! Move!"

She snapped her head up at the last moment and jumped aside, gasping when she felt the skin at her elbows scrape away. She heard the sound of nails skittering on the ground and quickly jumped to her feet when she heard steel whispering through leather; James had drawn his sword.

They were surrounded by. . . What the fuck are they?! They were tall as men but stood on all fours, they were smaller than Kaelyn. The one that had lunged at Kaelyn skittered across the ground slightly and wheeled back around, preparing for a second attack.

Their eyes were pure black, save for an orange slit which dilated as they became more excited at the prospect of new prey. Steam hissed off their bodies as it reacted with the cold air. The closest was salivating but became distracted when it smelt the meat of the ones they had left behind, sleeping. It leaned down and wrapped its claws around the paralysed woman and opened its mouth wide.

 A black tongue flicked out momentarily, tasting, and then its mouth stretched impossibly wide, lined by long yellowed teeth and wrapped whole around her head. It bit. She heard the sickening crunch as it ripped through flesh and bone and it flicked its head away, ripping the remaining strands of muscle. The woman didn't even have a chance to scream.

It was still holding her body when a few of the others fell on it, fighting and clawing at each other, each wanting to claim a piece of the prize.

Three others were circling her and James, eyeing his sword with a mixture of interest and weariness. One growled and she knew it would be the next to attack; it rippled slightly, its muscles bunching, the skin the colour of obsidian. Its head dipped low, close towards its forelegs and then it sprung towards her.

Kaelyn raised her hands towards her head and felt something hot brush against her shoulder. She opened her eyes to find it twitching on the floor- a section of its head was missing. Her right shoulder was covered in black gore which burned slightly and smoked. The smell was foul. James hefted his sword again when the others shrieked at him, driven mad by fury. Their lips curled back from their teeth and they circled him.

And then Kaelyn knew exactly how the fires had started. She could see the underside of their claws and legs glowing red and then white hot and as they paced and snarled; the ground beneath them began to smoke. One raced up a tree, clawing through the branches so it could attack James from above. The branches caught fire and it leapt, aiming for his head as another lunged for his back.

James spun and grabbed the one that had jumped for his back and smashed it into the one flying from the tree. She heard a crack and a keening scream as the two beasts were flung away. The third jumped on the screaming beasts and began to devour them, ripping into their scaly bellies.

"Kaelyn, run! They're distracted!"

When she didn't move, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the trees. But before they managed barely a few steps, the ground shook suddenly and they fell.

A rumbling sounded from deep within the earth and the earth beneath them began to grow hot and shake violently. She tried to lift her head, but a blast of hot air met her face and she dropped it again, terrified. She felt something dragging her and realised it was James just as the ground began to tear apart. 

He let go when another wave of heat struck them and from within the forming chasm, something roiled slowly at first and then faster. Something was crawling inside and rising, up along the walls of the great opening. A light was emerging from within the chasm which slowly darkened and she felt herself drawn towards it. She had to touch it; the pull was so strong. . . She took one step forward. And then another.

"Kaelyn. . ."

Some part of her knew that she shouldn't approach this rift, but it ached to be away from it.

"Kaelyn. . ."

It was even calling to her. How could she deny it?

"Kaelyn!" She snapped out of it when James grabbed her shoulder and she realised it was him who had been calling her name. His expression was bewildered and she realised why- she was barely a metre from the rift and one foot was still pointing towards it. She looked at the roiling mass in horror when she saw a dozen of the beasts beginning to crawl out of the depths, each trying to crawl over the other, desperate for release. 

"Argh, shit!" she screamed, wheeling around.

They dove into the trees, away from the still feasting beasts, away from the ones still spilling from the giant chasm. As they ran, they heard a low growl and a rustle as one of the things which had emerged first followed them and lunged. James cut it down before it could take a chunk from his shoulder and they continued running. Nothing else followed them then. The only sound they heard was from their own feet pounding on the ground as they crashed through the trees.

Behind them in the distance, she heard a shriek and a snarl and Kaelyn knew their feast was over.