Mystical One-Shots

Desert of Blood

There is a myth. A myth of the desert. That a huge blood-red monster pops up from the sand and kills everyone in sight. It called the Red Demon of the Blood Desert. Very few, almost no one has survived the encounter, one of them being me.

I was too little at the time to remember everything. But I did remember the moment the beast attacked. We were having dinner, my family and I. There was also some other people that joined us during our journey through the desert. I was the only child, so I was laying down on the still-warm sand star gazing.

My eyelids were closing and opening on their own. A whole day of walking on a scorching desert is very exhausting. The sky was very bright that night; even the moon shone brightly. But that calm, relaxing moment came to an end very quickly.

A dark, thick cloud came out of nowhere and covered the glowing moon. The adults took no notice of it, but I was cautious. There had been no clouds the entire day and night up until that time.

The camels began to make noises as if something was coming. Some even stood up and ran. We should've gone with them.

And out of nowhere sand shot from the ground, and from there the said Red Demon appeared. Everyone screamed in terror as the beast roared. It's mouth opened to reveal three sets of jaws, one on the top as the bottom one split in two.

After that, all I could remember were small moments. The beast would smack a camel hard, ripping it in two. It would eat people or rip them apart. My parents... They were swallowed by the whole the beast made in the sand.

As it continued its massacre, I was left unseen, only to witness the bloodbath. Two days later after hiding under a self-made hut, drinking and eating the small amount of and water, an old man found me. He took me to his village which wasn't too far and took care of me.

I was now eighteen years old. I stayed with the old man for over five years, until the day he passed away. He was a father to me. Weirdly I miss him more than I do my parents.

"Can I please get two evocans?" I ask the old lady, the owner of the small stand of fruits. Evocans are pink, juicy fruits that I rarely have the chance to eat them, but this month the village is full of them, with their inside green colored.

"Here you go sweetie," The old lady hands me the fruits and I pay her.

"Thank you, mam," I then make my way over to my hut. After the old man died, they took down his house. But before they did that, I took everything he cared about and now have it with me.

I lived a little far away from the village as I enjoyed the sound of the wind rather of people talking. After the old man died, I was left alone to fend for myself. I never had any friends; there are only old people in the small town. The ones that do show up leave the next morning.

I cut up one of the medium-sized fruits and ate half. The sun was already setting, taking the warmth with it. Deserts are cold at night, having no moisture to hold the heat.

The night was calm like any other night. The sky was clear, the moon and stars shone brightly, lightening up the empty desert. Sometimes I wished I could just stand up and walk into the desert. No more village, just me and the quiet night.

I laid down on the soft yet hard bed on the floor tired of the hot day. Not much happened but this had to be the hottest day of the year. My back aches from walking around the village helping people, mostly the elderly. Thankfully for all that work, I got some silver coins and bottles of water.

We had a well in the center of the small town, but we could only get water from there once a week, and I already did yesterday. My eyes closed on their own and sleep consumed my body.