This chapter may be a little upsetting for some, idk, be warned.
Song: Muse - Madness
[Near's POV]
Reports of deaths from the inside were popping up all around the city, but that wasn't what purplexed me. They weren't from any mob I know.
What made me doubt the possibility of it being any kind of mob we know was the wounds.
They were ghastly, it was like some creature was killing for the sake of mutilating the body afterwards, the first victim was impaled through the stomach multiple times before a stab through the eye into the brain ended their life. The second victim was decapitated, their head was crushed like a melon on one side and the body covered in deep gouges, notch only knows where the flesh that used to fill in the gaps was. The third was littered with some sort of stab wound, everywhere. Chunks of flesh hung off of their body which was covered in blood.
But the fourth...
We were called from the headquarters to the center of town where a large crowd gathered, barely being kept back by guards. The noise was unreal. Somewhere through the conundrum I heard a broken shriek.
"MY BABY!"
We sped up our pace and tried to get through the crowd, already half knowing what we'd find in the middle. But the people were too tightly packed together. I grabbed a random person and flung them out of my way, and did so with anyone else until I got into the middle.
I couldn't look away at the sight before me, not even when the rest of us burst through the crowd.
There was a sobbing mother laying by her mutilated son, he was still bleeding but he was obviously dead, a bag was clutched in his little pale hand, it was full of groceries spilling out of the huge rips slashed into the side, but none of that seemed to register properly.
On every available surface of his body, his face, his tongue, even the ground, draw in blood, was a crudely gouged name.
My name.
I stared at it blankly, unable to comprehend exactly what I was seeing.
There was a disinct ringing in my ears, a dull voice. Something was grabbing my arms. Something tried to move me away from the poor child but I didn't budge. The ringing got louder in my ears. Louder still.
"Near? Near!"
"NEAR!"
Suddenly everything hit me.
The noise, the heat.
The smell.
Adam was in front of me, shaking me hard.
"Near!"
I dragged my head back towards him, my eyes staying on the body.
"I'm here." I answered distractedly, hearing my own voice muffled by my jacket.
"Near- Near look at me." He ordered. I felt like a child, but I couldn't look away. I felt how wide my eyes were held open. I barely heard some words being exchanged before my jacket was ripped off my body and the cool air hit my bare, sweaty face. I felt the sun beat down on my white hair and a cold blast of wind rip my thoughts out of my childish haze.
Yes, Near. Look at your oh-so glorious leader. A harsh voice whispered.
I jerked out of Adam's grip and looked around, but no one was behind me. The crowd backed away slightly at my quick movements, like I was some sort of dangerous animal. I heard a fading laugh before the raspy voice disappeared. I turned back to the group slowly, most of which were looking at the body on the floor. Hope had buried her head into Jerome's chest and squeezed her eyes shut, Jerome had his furry hand resting on her bubblegum hair in a comforting way, looking over at Mitch with a pained expression on his face which his friend returned. Mitch and Lauren were attached firmly at the hand, Mitch was now scanning the crowd surrounding us and Lauren was staring at the body with a hard expression on her face. Jason exchanged some words with Husky and Ian before taking off with his jetpack and flying into the sky, probably searching for anything suspicious, Ian took off back through the crowd into the city on foot and Husky jumped into the stream that laced its way all around the city. Jade and Meadow were helping the guards keep the civilians back while Ty and Twilia were talking to the guards. Alex and Seto were inspecting the body using their magic, and Luna, Finn and Adam we're looking at me.
"Go home Near." Finn said softly, resting her hand on my shoulder in the same place as Adam's was before.
I didn't speak in fear my voice would betray me. My tongue felt like it was covered in glue and too big for my mouth. I just nodded and turned around, walking straight through the crowd which parted immediately like water.
Your fault.
I trudged through the near empty streets. There were no guards at the gate. Someone should fix that.
I carried on walking aimlessly until I reached my home. I climbed up the vines, not even feeling that satisfying burn I usually did when I climbed. I reached the top and put my bow back in its rightful place. I opened my chest and picked up my iron pickaxe, the weight feeling almost nothing in my hands.
You killed him
I slid back down the vines and made my way to a nearby mine, and I dug.
An hour into the mining I heard a gurgling groan behind me, I whirled around to see a zombie hobbling towards me, a deep and unquenchable hunger in its dead eyes. It neared closer and I watched it come. It was within an arms reach of me when something inside of me snapped.
I hefted my pick over my shoulder and swung it sideways with enough brute force and accuracy to hack its arm right off. It kept coming. Rage sparked inside of me and I launched forward bare handed, disregarding any thought of being bitten I grabbed the other arm and kept running, making the slow creature twist around to follow, when it did I kicked it in the chest and yanked. With a wet rip the arm came off, I ran back and swiped my legs out to catch the monster. It went down quickly and I slowly walked over to it.
"Not even a challenge." I spoke with a shaking voice, feeling an inextinguishable anger burn deep inside me. I lifted my foot and brought it down quickly, stamping down on the zombie's head, crushing it quickly and killing it quickly. Too quickly.
I clenched my shaking fists and left the mine quickly, the sun was setting but I didn't care. I needed a challenge, and I needed it quickly. I needed to kill something.
Loosing you temper, are you Near?
I spun around quickly and saw only surrounding landscape.
Too slow dear.
"Show yourself." I called into the cooling air. I heard the same breathy laugh that had brushed my ear in the city. "Or are you too weak?"
The laugh stopped abruptly stopped and was replaced with a demented snarl.
I felt a sudden breeze behind me and I turned around to see a mess of glossy brown hair and those painfully white eyes. The burning behind my eyes flared up violently as I stared at her.
There was a long silence, I tried to keep eye contact as we stared at each other, both sizing the other up. With a rush of adrenaline I realised this was the girl from the announcement.
Suddenly it all clicked.
The monsters.
Lauren.
That little boy.
Somehow she was all to blame.
Slowly, a red mist clouded my vision.
"I'm going to kill you." I said slowly, my voice sounding eerily calm to my own ears, ignoring the pain vibrating through my skull. "I'm going to cut off your head and take your eyes, and I'm going to enjoy it."
--
I finially updated holy crap
I'd like to thank Fall Out Boy for being my writing music
Maybe that's why this chapter is so dark
More to come.
