Seconds stretched into minutes, and minutes outlived hours. I sat with my knees drawn to my chest as a sharp, unbearable ache jabbed my stomach.
If only I had some bread…
I wanted water; even the muddy liquid I consumed daily would've sufficed. A few drops of a cold liquid dripped from above. I widened my jaw and received the offerings. However, it barely quenched the drought thriving in my mouth.
Something nibbled at my toes. I squirmed slightly, withdrawing my feet. Thoughts swarmed in my mind, and reality haunted me like a curse.
You'd better suck the blood. Chow down on some limbs while you're at it.
I couldn't shake the words from my mind.
What's he thinking?
But the grumbling in my stomach corrupted my conscience. The throat was drying up, and pain pierced through my abdomen. I brought my palms near my nose and sniffed them. The stench was strong, with the smell of iron. My tongue crawled out, closing in on having a lick.
"I can't do this!"
I steeled my heart and waged a war against my needs. Shortly, I yawned, stretching my hands. It was an arduous task to prevent my head from nodding forward, and my heavy eyelids drooped frequently. Laying down in the damp cell among the corpses was more than just a nightmare come true. As I turned right and left, I'd make contact with a mutilated limb or a massacred body. At times, maybe a rat or something would scurry above my chest as I lay flat on my back.
…
I woke up to the roar of thunder. The sky was tainted in ominous gray, summoning clouds that fulfilled its promise of a threatening downpour.
Where am I?
An earthy scent reigned in the area, digging back an obscure memory. A turbid, moist coat cocooned me while a cold hand as heavy as a large snake wrapped around me, nullifying my movements.
What! Why is this so heavy?
A shock jolted through me when I looked at my fingers and the head buried in the mud. I had shrunk! This is impossible!
Rapid hoofbeats emerged from the distance, diminishing into softer clip clops. They were slow and deliberate, the thud of each step growing louder as they drew closer until they ceased in a trice. A figure hooded in brown appeared before me. He had a clean, shaven face, with a strange warmth in his red eyes.
The man crouched and pushed the arm aside. He lifted me, securing me in his arms. As he turned the body over, he put his fingers near the nose and then pressed them on the neck. He exhaled a deep sigh.
I tried to utter words, but only indecipherable noises shook the air. I burst into a bawl, and he cradled me, humming a soft tune to calm me down. My wailing was reduced to sobs; the warmth of the stranger's kindness had sealed my faith in him.
"Whatcha got there, Gaven?"
Pa? He's way younger!
He rose and presented me to his comrade.
"Throw that devil away! Purple eyes! That thing's an Anomaly!"
"Hold your horses; his eyes don't mean a thing! How can I leave such a bundle of joy to starve to death?"
His tone betrayed his words.
"He's gonna walk us to the gallows, that's what I know!"
"Wait, he's gonna be worth more than what we might think."
"Whaddya mean?" the fellow horsemen asked, raising his brow.
Gaven laughed; however, it was a devious cackle.
"Haven't known me in and out in all these years, huh, ol' pal?"
"Get to the point!"
"The cult's lookin' for one, and they said they'd take me in if..."
"That's worse than lettin' that devil die. Leave him."
"But think about it!"
"Look, Gaven, I don't wanna get involved in this cult crap! If you wanna keep that damn little critter, keep him, just don't get that thing near me."
"Sure, he'll make a fine trade."
Damn this wretch! He's a freak!
I loathed myself for calling that monster my own father. As he rode off with me in the pouring rain, my vision surrendered to the blurriness, and the sounds of the galloping horseshoes faded away.
…
My eyes flung open as I gasped.
"Oh, it was a dream!"
Rather a nightmare. The sequence of events defied its status of being a mere shred of a vision and was elevated to be a solid segment of my memory—one lost in oblivion.
The agony lodged in my belly burgeoned. I couldn't stand it anymore. Something had to be done! I abandoned my rationale and licked my palms. Initially, the revolting flavor threatened to make me vomit; however, nothing came out. The taste scorched my tongue, as if a flame had paraded on it. Cruelly, an insurmountable urge consolidated by the pangs overwhelmed my conscience. I licked on, till the stickiness dissolved from my scrawny paws.
Maybe he was right after all. It's not that bad!
Inhaling a deep breath, I foraged the floor.
There it is!
I grabbed a limb and sunk my fangs deep into the flesh, tearing off more than I could chew on. Blood oozed from it and trickled down my chin as I devoured the putrid chunk. A feast it was, indeed. I haven't gorged on something so satisfying. The taste of raw flesh is outstanding! It dethroned the rank lamb secured in my heart.
But with the first mouthful I swallowed, I choked. Blood rushed to my head like the flow of a raging river. My eyes stung, and tears streamed down my cheeks. Yet I ignored the signs, resuming the banquet I had indulged in. The blood coursing in my veins grew warmer, and with each pulse, I felt an unprecedented sensation. This feeling dismissed the fatigue, the hunger, and the pain that tormented my body. Before awareness stepped in, I'd binged on countless chopped-off parts to the bone.
…
"Agh!"
A beam of light penetrated through the darkness. I'd grown rather comfortable in the pitch-black environment. Footfalls emerged, disturbing the serene silence that blessed me.
"It looks like someone had quite a feast."
It was the short gray cultist.
"What's your problem?"
"Nothing. Nevermind."
I crept back into the dark cell as he unlocked the gate.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Get moving!"
"No!" I snapped. "Not while I'm alive."
"Kid, don't test my patience!"
He tramped towards me and grabbed my collar. I responded with a rabid bite, but he shook me off with ease in a moment.
"Hey! Watch it!" he said, but there was an unsettling absence of anger in his voice.
I crawled back into a corner, refusing to surrender.
"You leave me no choice."
The man lunged forward, grabbing my forelock, and lifted me. I sent a flurry of kicks to his abdomen—it was as hard as stone!
He plodded and flung me out of the cell, locking the gates. Before I could stand up and retaliate, he grabbed my neck.
"Let's get going," he said as he dragged me to the circular platform.
""Let… me… go!" I hissed.
He let out a quick chuckle and nodded his head. When I expected him to hurl me onto the stone disc, he stopped and let the lantern down beside his feet.
I poured in all my strength to escape his clutch, yet it couldn't set me free. He shoved his hand into that gray cloak and extracted a vial, one with a fine needle attached to its end. The cultist shifted his grip within a mere lapse of breath and grasped my right arm.
"Stay still. This won't hurt a bit."
He plunged the needle into the flesh. I burst into a series of spasms, my limbs flailing like an animal that had just been slaughtered, its life clinging onto its very final moments. Despite the frenzy, an unimaginable blast of vitality surged through my soul. It was truly refreshing for the first few moments, but all of it changed as images stained pale red flashed through my mind.
Flames, everywhere. I could feel them burning through my skin. Hooded figures, like cultists, encircled me and were chanting verses in an unknown tongue, and manic laughter until all I encountered faded to black.
"Ah, those cultists! When will they ever learn?"
I spoke those words, but not in my own voice, as if I were possessed! Those memories, seared into my mind, fuelled my vengeance further, but I couldn't comprehend them all.
"Looks like it worked. Now let's hope for the flames to do their trick."
"Forget the flames," the voice echoed. "It won't help them achieve their delusions."
"Well, that's their concern, not mine."
I broke free of the annoying clutch and cracked my neck.
Hey! Get the hell out! This body's mine!
It's not a mere toy for these memories and powers to be here, child. Consider them a privilege, and use them wisely.
The voice in my head petered out.
"Let's get you burned and end this quickly. I'm sick of being here," the cultist groaned.
An involuntary smile was carved into my face.
"Let's transcend." I said, with the strange, gruff voice returning.