Flash Fiction: Fear (Blood)
I have a new flash fiction piece! it was inspired by Breaking Benjamin's 'Blood' (listen here). I'm feeling pretty good about it, even if it is kinda dark.
This is something I've had in my head for a long time, basically since I heard this song for the first time.
Blood
Year 6405 AC
Aeppia, the Realm of the Gods
A canyon outside Nillioth's village
Ras ran, tugging his wife, Eae, behind him. The dead of the night was the perfect time for the creature to strike and strike it had.
They'd been sleeping peacefully in their home when the creature had broken in and started trying to hurt him. Deep purple flesh followed by black bat-like wings had broken down the door of their home. It had smashed their living room before he'd been able to get to it and start fighting it.
He was bleeding from a cut above his eye where he'd been too slow. The creature had gotten in one good hit before he'd managed to grab Eae and whisk her through the back door of their home.
Eae was shouting something at him. The hand that he wasn't holding was scrabbling at his fingers which were wrapped around her wrist. He couldn't hear her over the fear, over the blood rushing in his ears. He hated pulling her along like this, but what choice did he have? The creature was out to get him, and there was no way it would stop with his death.
Eae tugged her hand free and he turned around with a growl. Why didn't she understand they were in danger? He was just trying to keep her safe. They were both going to perish in this canyon if he didn't save them.
Blood obscured his vision and the world swam for a moment.
When it righted itself, and he could see again, he realized the creature had followed them and was now standing in front of him.
It was speaking, a low rumble he couldn't make heads or tails of. Its mouth was moving, black spittle dripping. A ringing started in Ras' mind, blocking out the low rumble of the creature.
It was just standing there, mouth still moving. All Ras' weapons were still at home, but he had never been the kind of man to run from a fight. His wings burst from his back and he flew at the creature just in time to hear Eae scream.
He stopped and turned as if a thread had been pulled tight. There was a second creature in the place where Eae had been standing. This one was brown with the same black bat wings as the other.
He saw red, his blood mixing with his rage, and flew at that creature instead.
His fist cracked against the side of the creature's face. He felt pain radiate from his wrist, but he ignored it; He had to protect his wife. Hopefully, she had run and was hidden somewhere as he couldn't see her anywhere now.
The first creature had reached him and roughly pulled him away from the second creature, which was now bloody on the ground, unmoving.
Ras' fist was covered in blood.
A heavy blow to the back of his head from the first creature sent him sprawling. His head cracked against the ground, and for a moment, his vision cleared as he rolled onto his back.
The creature had been replaced with a form he recognized.
"Canaan," he croaked. Awareness trickled into his brain and he felt dread pool in his stomach as he turned his head to see Eae lying on the ground.
"No…" he trailed off, unable to tear his eyes from her unmoving body.
"She will be fine," Canaan's voice was steady and cold.
Ras tried to will his body to move toward Eae, his bloody hand reaching out to her.
Canaan stepped on his arm, boot heavy, stopping his arm from reaching any further.
Ras sighed and, with difficulty, turned his head to stare at the night sky. "I'm done, aren't I?" he asked.
Canaan said nothing. He just pulled his sword off his back and let the cloth it was wrapped in flutter to the ground.
Ras turned his head again to his wife, who was slowly pushing herself off the ground.
He tried to focus on her, his vision blurring slightly. He could feel tears dripping from his cheeks into the dirt below.
"Forgive me…" he whispered to Eae.
There was a moment of silence and the whistle of a sword cutting air, then silence.
Everything went dark.
