บท 4: Chaos
Muscles tightened as the man fought the urge to break free of the chains and hunt down those men. His heart that had been slowed down for the last couple of weeks to better sustain his deteriorating condition, started unintentionally beating rapidly again. He was livid and strained to repress a growl.
'No, I need to calm down. I may be able to break through the collar, chains and even the cell gate, but I don't think that I'd be able to chase in case the men start running off. Well, at least in this depraved state. I will have to bide my time and wait for the men to come nearer.'
Giving a long and slow exhale, the prisoner focused on calming down his adrenaline and heart beats. Just then, he could see a lit torch in the distance as the three men approached his cell. Wanting the men to think that he was still in a sort of hibernation state due to starvation to the point of nearly dying, the prisoner closed his eyes and allowed his body to go completely limp against the chains .
"G-guys, I don't… feel so well…" Tommy stammered.
"Ah, poor baby. Whatever can we do? You are the one who is going to feed the monster~" Andy teased.
"F-feed?!"
"Yes. What did you think that bowl was for? Decoration?" Howard asked sarcastically.
It was then that the prisoner detected the iron-like scent in the air. It was blood. 'So, they are going to keep feeding me human blood', he thought darkly. Despite his aversions, his body trembled ever-so-slightly and his mouth watered at the thought of the rich, dark liquid flowing down his throat. 'Ah, how despicable.'
When the cell gate was unlocked, a loud 'clank' echoed throughout the darkness. 'Yes, just a bit closer', the prisoner thought and nearly smirked.
"Oh my God. What if he heard you?" Tommy's whisper was filled with fear. The frightened guard was trembling so hard that the bowl started slipping from his grasp but before it fell, Howard's quick reflexes caught it in time.
"If I knew you were going to wet yourself, I would not have brought you along. Look at it. It's practically dead. That's nothing it can do to you. Here, I'll show you." Andy said as he unsheathed his sword and thrusted the steel into the prisoner's side. Not even a groan or whimper was heard as blood began to stain the dirty, worn out clothes. It was as if the prisoner was unconscious and unable to feel the pain.
"Huh", Andy tilted his head. "I expected at least a twitch from the pain. Is it already dead? No, I can hear its slow breathing. Hm... Should we even bother feeding it when it is this unentertaining?"
"Why must you do that?!" Tommy exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "You didn't have to hurt it to prove a point. What if it dies?!"
"Whoa. There's a monster lover here~" Andy gave a low whistle as he kept away his sword and turned his back to the prisoner to face his fellow guards.
"You don't have to worry, Tommy. Unless we decapitate it, that thing will not die from a wound like this", Howard replied as he passed the bowl of blood to Andy's waiting hand.
"Exactly. There is nothing to worry a--" but Andy never got to finish the rest of his sentence.
It all happened in a split second. One moment, the prisoner was immobile and all chained up to the solid stone building. The next, the prisoner had grabbed Andy in a deadly grip. There was utter fear in Andy's eyes but he was unable to scream as the prisoner ripped into the guard's neck. Blood gushed out and the bowl that Andy had been holding fell onto the floor.
"Shit!" Howard exclaimed as he drew out his sword. "Let him go, monster!"
Bright scarlet eyes looked up at Howard and the lifeless body of Andy fell to the floor with a loud thud. Not knowing what to do, Tommy could only stare in horror as things played out.
"Tommy! What are you doing?! Grab your sword!" Howard yelled at Tommy as he continued to maintain eye contact with the prisoner who was still approaching, unafraid that Howard was armed.
Quivering in fear, Tommy took slow, staggering steps away from the prisoner. Unfortunately, the floor was slippery due to all the spilled blood and Tommy slipped. Fearing that his clumsiness had drawn the prisoner's attention, Tommy immediately looked up. But to his relief, his minor accident had gone unnoticed. It was a good chance to escape but Tommy no longer had the strength to lift himself up.
Tommy looked over to Andy's body which laid only a couple of feet away. Andy's once lively brown eyes were now glazed and clouded as blood seeped out from the deep wound in his neck. Andy paled, lifeless body stared back at Tommy. 'I am really going to die here' Tommy thought to himself as tears started to stream down his face.
A loud sound of metal falling onto the hard floor broke the trance-like spell Tommy was in. Looking up, he saw that Howard's bloodied body lay sprawled on the floor. Both of his companions were dead. 'I am next', petrified with fear, Tommy squeezed his eyes shut as he saw the prisoner approaching him.
A deep voice was heard, "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you."
Surprised, Tommy opened his eyes to see the prisoner dressing up in the clothes and armour from his fallen comrades. The prisoner's face was no longer splattered with blood; as if he had wiped it all off. Turning to look at Tommy, the prisoner flashed a smile that looked somewhat predatory.
"I mean, why would I kill the person who is going to help fix this armour I'm to wear and then lead me out of this place?"
***
[Present time]
It was utter chaos.
People were screaming and fleeing for their lives. There was no real way of knowing in which direction the monster was coming from. Precious items and decorations fell onto the floor and many were hurt as they rushed past and shoved at everything and everyone that were in their way.
Sir Ethan and James led the way to protect the Empress as they continued their way down the main corridor. Although the passing faces did show recognition that they knew it was the Empress, none of them stopped to greet Her Majesty nor did they attempt to prevent the monarch from going further into the main palace. It was indeed a time of madness and desperation but there was no stopping the Empress' unfaltering strides.
'I should have kept the ceremonial sword with me. It is the only missing item for the spell', the Empress thought to herself as she felt her heart beating frantically against her chest. Taking a quick glance at Sir Ethan, James and Lucy, the Empress bit on her lip. It was a bad habit that she unconsciously did when she was terribly upset. No matter how many years have passed and how much she had managed to curb the habit, it was something she ultimately could not stop from doing.
'This is dangerous. They don't actually know the full extent of the spell yet they are risking their lives over a fancy steel. By the Gods, I hope that this spell works and that this nation would be saved', the Empress thought as they neared the throne room.
They were right at the door in the midst of all the chaos when a booming roar was heard. The servants and visiting nobles who were screaming and yelling stopped and turned towards the direction of the sound. It was coming from the east wing of the castle-- where the main palace's kitchen was.
For a few moments, the feeling of curiosity was more overwhelming than their sense of survival. Everyone held their breath as they waited to see the monster's appearance. The pin drop silence was broken when a bloodcurdling scream was heard. Moments later a young girl came limping from the corner of the corridor.
From the way she was dressed, she was part of the kitchen staff-- where the roar was heard. She had splatters of blood on her and her pale face was stained with tears.
"P-please.. h-help me…" the girl pleaded as a huge, dark figure loomed behind her. It stalked slowly as if it knew that the girl was too weak to run now.
What played out next felt like it happened in slow motion. The onlookers gasped in horror and were unable to yell out to the girl as the grotesque figure which towered at a height of approximately eight feet lunged at her from behind. It was a scene that no novelist could ever imagine-- not even in their dreams.
The monster had pierced its hand through the girl's torso and held onto her heart that was still beating. The girl never had a chance to scream. Only a gurgle was heard as blood poured out of her mouth and chest. Then, like a doll, the girl's lifeless body was tossed aside. The monster looked up from the body and saw the onlookers. With a roar, it started charging towards the crowd-- the nearest to it being the Empress.
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