The Quiet One

2 | Day of the Great Devourer

This is one of my favorite scenes! Well, this is when all the Underworld goes down. Harumi is so funny :D enjoy!!

In the afternoon of that fateful day, Mama took me and Papa to Mr. Chen's Noodle House, the best noodles in Ninjago. Despite reports of snake tribes terrorizing villages around the island, the noodles didn't cease in deliciousness. We forgot our troubles and ate all that we could. They were the best noodles in Ninjago.

When I found out they used slaves to make them, I was slightly discouraged from eating them, but I still ate them. If I wasn't dead, I'd eat them now.

Don't tell me you've never eaten noodles!

Oh yeah. You were dead. My bad.

Sorry, tangent.

We had gotten home to our apartment on the top floor an hour ago. While Mama was watching TV, I was lying on my stomach in the living room, reenacting Kai saving Lloyd in the lava. The news had spread of Kai's true potential along with rumors of the snake tribes and some sort of teeth... no, fang blades.

"'No, I'll save you!' " I cried. Kai swooped down and said, "'Gotcha!' " I held Lloyd and Kai figurines together in one hand, squishing Lloyd in half and bending Kai's knees backwards as I tried to fit them in my hand. "FWOOOOOOO...... Kai has reached his true potent-"

Papa burst into the room. "Turn on the TV now!" In my surprise I dropped my figurines, then grabbed them up again.

"Didn't you say we shouldn't use the TV-"

"Kokoro! Be quiet!" His voice was harsh and cold, yet it shook a bit.

Was he... afraid?

I sat upright. Something was wrong.

Mama fumbled the remote, but before she could even click a button the TV automatically switched to the news. "This is Gayle Gossip, here with Ninjago's breaking news. The Great Devourer is back, making its way into the heart of the city! Known for its fearsome jaws, it can swallow a person whole. Stay indoors until we can ensure that everything is safe!"

News footage showed the Great Devourer slithering between the buildings in the city. People were screaming and fleeing. My heart pounded as I saw the mailman, my teacher from school, the sushi chef down the street, the neighbor upstairs that was often beating out his drums. They were all normal like me, and they were at risk of getting crushed or eaten.

I looked at my figurines. Would the ninja come to our rescue?

Ahahah that's funny.

BAM!

With a loud crunch of noise, the building shook. My breath caught, Mama and Papa looking around in terror. I dashed to the window and looked outside, trying to see what had made our building shake, and let out a piercing scream. An enormous dark green snake slithered down the block, its scaly body reflecting light across the metropolis. Lime green scales lined its back, and with every piece of debris, couch, or door it ate it grew even bigger.

As the building continued to shake, my drawings scattered off the tables and I dropped my figurines. I stumbled backwards, crashing into my dad. This wasn't real.

💮

"We have to go!" Papa grabbed my arm, Mama's hand, and together we ran to the stairwell.

When we opened the door, I screamed again. The stairs crumbled away, leaving us standing three stories in the air on a small elevated square of concrete. My vision swirled.

"The elevator!" Papa shouted and pulled us towards it. Splotches of blue sky could be seen in the crumbling roof.

Everyone in the complex had thought ahead of us and was already stuffing into the elevator. It must have taken a few trips down already, and the remainder of residents crowded around the closed doors.

The split second they opened, people shoved inside, trying to escape. They were about to close the doors when Papa stuck his foot between them.

"Kokoro, go inside!" he yelled over the rumbling of the ceiling. He pushed me in. I grabbed Mama's hand.

"Hurry up!" someone screamed from inside the elevator.

"I'm not going without you!" I cried to my parents.

"Go!" Papa shouted.

I pleaded with them. "Don't leave me here!"

"We'll meet you outside when we get out," Mama said soothingly. Reluctantly I let go of her hand, trusting that I'd see her after all of this was over. The door closed, and suddenly the building rumbled and the ceiling caved in.