HoB Halloween Contest
Fear
“Fear has a lot of flavors and textures. There's a sharp, silver fear that runs like lightning through your arms and legs, galvanizes you into action, power, motion. There's heavy, leaden fear that comes in ingots, piling up in your belly during the empty hours between midnight and morning, when everything is dark, every problem grows larger, and every wound and illness grows worse.
And there is coppery fear, drawn tight as the strings of a violin, quavering on one single note that cannot possibly be sustained for a single second longer—but goes on and on and on, the tension before the crash of cymbals, the brassy challenge of the horns, the threatening rumble of the kettle drums.
That's the kind of fear I felt. Horrible, clutching tension that left the coppery flavor of blood on my tongue. Fear of the creatures in the darkness around me, of my own weakness…
And fear for those around me, for the folk who didn't have the power I had.”~Jim Butcher, Dresden Files: Grave Peril
“It wasn’t the kind of fear that makes you scream and run. That’s fairly mild, as fear goes. That’s Scooby Doo fear. …(It was) fear that you had just become a casualty of evolution—that you were watching something far larger and infinitely more dangerous than yourself, and that your only chance of survival was to kill it, immediately, before you were crushed beneath a power greater than you would ever know.”
~Jim Butcher, Dresden Files: Side Jobs, Aftermath
Halloween. All Hallows Eve. I find it ironic that we, the people of Remnant, celebrate this Holiday. In ancient times, it was believed that the as fall turned to winter, the realm of the dead grew closer to the realm of the living. and the spirits of those who died could meet once more with those who still lived. Including the spirits of the Grimm. Hunters and Huntresses slain by the Grimm, and the ghosts of the defeated Grimm themselves would rise and do battle once more. The Grimm, to do what the Grimm do: kill and destroy. The Hunters to guard both living and dead on their journeys. It was a day of fear.
Fire was believed to have great significance to the dead. It’s light and warmth would remind the Departed of the life they once had and provide a beacon to rally them to the dwellings of the living they are to protect. Upon the Grimm, it was said to have much the opposite effect. The fire’s heat and brilliance would burn them and weaken them. But the fires alone were not enough. Some crafty Grimm would take on monstrous, but somewhat human forms to lure the living away from fire and safety. To go about their business in safety away from the fire, both the spirits and the humans would put on masks and costumes so that the spirits of the Grimm could not be sure if they are attacking a vulnerable human or a powerful Hunter in disguise or even one of their own. To tell each other apart, the humans and spirits would go about begging boons of those they met, with the threat of attacking if they failed on the theory that Grimm were incapable of basic goodness. These legends were flanderized and built upon until Halloween as we know it came to be.
Which still doesn’t adequately explain why I’m wearing this bloody costume.
“Feeeerriiiisssss!” Called a female voice all the way from downstairs. “Hurry up! We’re gonna be laaaaaate!”
“Yeah yeah, hold your horses, sis.” I muttered, not bothering to yell back. I took one last look at myself in the large, vertical mirror hanging up on my bedroom wall. Staring back was a reflection I didn’t quite recognize. Me, but not me. I tugged (gently) at the ridiculous collar. “I cannot believe I let myself get talked into this.” I grumbled, not the first time. And not the last either. I worked my jaw, feeling with my tongue the strange obstructions in my mouth. I made faces at myself at myself and amused myself practicing getting an accent down. “…I
want…No, not quite…I
vant…Hm…I
vunt…too much?”
“FEEEEERRRRRRRISSSSSSS!!!” Came the cry again, so loud I fancied it shook the very walls.
“ALL VIGHT, ALL VIGHT!” I yelled back, finally provoked into answering, but unintentionally doing so in the cheesy accent. Woops. Hopefully the walls would muffle and distort the sound enough that it wouldn’t be noticed. Otherwise I’d never live it down. I flourished the dreadful costume one last time in the mirror before grabbing my now empty coffee mug, sitting on a dresser, and venturing out to placate an impatient sibling.
I stepped carefully down the broad staircase, getting a good view of the commotion going on in common room as I did. Three creatures had taken over the place and made it their den. A bleached white ghost stood nearby the door, looking quite cross, a small, ginning witch ran around, giggling madly, and a great, black Nevermore with folded wings lounged on the couch. A fire that occasionally turned various colors crackled in the hearth and spiderwebs hung everywhere, spiders included, amid décor that leaned toward the black and orange and featured many spooky decorations. A grinning skull hung, sat, or peered out everywhere you looked, a few with the rest of the bones included. Incongruously, one appeared to be playing the trumpet. Some of the skulls were even Grimm-like in shape, including a whopper over the mantel that was life-sized. Other decorations included grinning pumpkins, miniature Grimm, and a fog-belching humidifier shaped like a witch’s cauldron, cackling, stirring witch included. The windows were open and clear, but I knew they were set up to project holographic images of ghosts, ghouls, and other nasties that go bump in the night when darkness fell. The whole effect seemed garish to me, but tis the season, I guess.
“
There you are.” The Ghost snapped, watching me duck a low-hanging web on my way down. “Honestly, we were ready to leave without you.”
What a shame that would be.
The Nevermore on the couch leaned back to look at me and grinned. “I told her if she kept looking so cross, she’d ward you off.”
Groan. Oh Li.
I had a feeling he was going to keep this up all day, then get worse during the night.
As I bottomed out from the stairs, I was abruptly tackled by the little witch. Although, considering she was no taller than my waist, the effect was somewhat diminished. “Fen!” She shouted with glee, then squealing in delight as I picked her up and swung her about. “Hiya, Del.” I laughed, setting her down. Delany, my youngest sibling, looked ready to burst from joy. Despite being eight, she either refused to or was unable to pronounce my name properly, so I generally got called some odd abbreviated version. “Look! Look!” She laughed, bouncing backwards and a twirling a bit. “I got a costume, Imma which!” She somehow made it sound like the wrong homonym. “You look…” I searched for a word. “…Fantastic.” I finished, unable to find one that properly conveyed what I wanted. Indeed, she did. The little witch had on a great, big, black pointed hat that dominated her little frame, and might have been a size too big. It kept slipping down, causing her to push it up again. Her little black curls just barely escaped the rim to poke out but were nearly lost in that great black expanse. Beneath it, she wore a long dress so black it seemed a shadow with shiny silver buttons and a cape that that hung all the way to the floor, shortened just a tad so that it wasn’t in danger of being stepped upon. It had big, poofy shoulders and was closed in at the wrists, covering her faunus feathers. Her face and neck where done in light green paint that matched the gloves over her feathery hands. And, of course, it came with a genuine wood and twig broom, taller than her. It was simplistic, but convincing. The dress was of a high-quality fabric and the paint was meticulously done in an even shade that didn’t show fingerprints or brushstokes. Her costume reminded me of something, but I couldn’t quite place it.
Del looked puzzled. “What do fans have to do with it?” She asked. Groan, again. Li’s bad influence I bet.
I bent down and booped her on the nose. “You’ve been hanging around Li too long.” I accused, attempting to sound somber, but my voice was colored with laughter anyway. She was too gosh darn cute.
“Ah-hem.” The impatient poltergeist by the door faux coughed. “Come on!” She demanded. I exchanged a long-suffering glance with Li. This was going to be a long night. The raven-faunus carefully got to his feet, and I got a good look at his costume. It, like Del’s, was fabulously made. It took advantage of his natural faunus wings to create a disturbingly convincing Nevermore. He wore a cloak, black, with a carpet of hanging feathers and a long, sweeping tail that hung down and back. His legs were covered in pants that were patterned to give the illusion of more feathers, and his feet ended in white talons that clacked softly on the wood floor. His very real black wings were folded behind him currently, but, when spread, they created an ominous shadow. On his hands were gloves with white fingers, obviously imitating claws. But the real shocking part of his costume was the mask he was donning: Bone-white and patterned with red, the long top part had four red-orange eyes and painted with the ominous signature red design of mankind’s greatest enemy. It angled forward and ended in a terrifying black beak. I say mask, but it was really almost a full helmet, part of it went over his head and down his back, true to form as the jagged protrusions on a real Nevermore. Even knowing it wasn’t real, having face one before, his costume made me uneasy.
Fear. A gallium kind, that bypasses rational thought and appeals to the instincts, but disappears when you stir it up and take a close look.
“You look like an overgrown dyed chicken.” I told him, ignoring the increasingly impatient ghost.
“And you look like you stepped out of a B-rate novel. At least I’m actually frightening.”
“To whom? Children? Babies? Chiefs? The Fashion Police?”
Before he could get a word in edgewise, the ghost shouted, “Guys!”
We turned to her, Li putting a hand on his chest and feigning surprise with his body language. “Oh! So sorry, little ghost. I didn’t see you there. I thought I heard a rush of air, though.”
I lifted a hand chuckled softly into it. Unfortunately, she noticed.
“You are so mean and- and rude! Rude rude rude rude Rude!” She gestured angrily and stomped. I fancied I could see steam coming off her. Winding Rosa up was Li’s favorite pastime. She has a hair-trigger temper and gets frustrated easily. That combined with her obstinate dislike of wordplay, often lead to the two of them clashing. How she didn’t inherit our mother’s fondness for them, I’ll never know. Li’s love of it, despite not being directly related, was just as much a mystery to me. Despite being sixteen, she could be more childish than Del sometimes. Then again, those ‘sometimes’ tended to coincide with Li’s teasing and my, occasional (er, maybe frequent) joining in. But hey. Siblings.
Her costume, and the source of Li’s current jibs, was just as quality as the rest of ours. She wore a white dress that was artfully sewn to look torn and ragged, trailing lace from her arms and body. Wrapped about her was a light, silvery chain that connected to an iron-colored, realistic-looking lantern. It even glowed, not with fire though, but a little lightbulb on the inside. Her natural white hair merged seamlessly with extenders that fell about her, giving her an ethereal appearance. Her face, arms, and nearly every bit of skin was a faded white with what must have taken a massive amount of paint and work to cover. Her face was a few shades paler than the rest, and she had dark circles painted around her amber eyes that she and I shared with our mother. Her lips were a glossy silvery, just enough to give them distinction, and were currently set somewhere between a pout and a scowl. A dark colored amulet gave a spot of color to break the monotone.
Damn, Mom
really came through and went all out on our costumes this year.
“She’s a ghost all right.” I leaned in and said to Li in a sotto voce that was clearly meant to carry. “Our own, private poltergeist.”
Li grinned and nodded, playing along. “She certainly has the loud and obnoxious part down.”
Del giggled.
“Uuuugh. You two! Mrrrhgrrrgrr.” Rosa growled, words failing her.
Li and I laughed, Del joined in, and after a few seconds of irritation, Rosa did too. Until a voice from the kitchen made us jump.
“Li! Ferris! Quit pestering your sister and get going!”
“Okay Mom.” Li and I called back at the same time. Ritual ribbing done, the four of us gathered our props and things and were out the door.
In the little town near by our current house, Halloween was a major all-day festival. It was, in part, dedicated to a successful harvest and one good day of fun before the long winter. Winters in Atlas could be brutal, with Christmas being the only real pleasantry throughout. It was a time to enjoy ourselves and ward off the fear of a longer-or-colder-than-usual winter, which rarely happened, but could be devastating. Grimm seemed to like the dark, winter days and it was often hard to keep one’s hopes up. So, in typical human fashion, we throw a big party to spit in the face of what we fear.
This kind of fear is an Aluminum fear: shiny and useful, but weak, insubstantial, and buried everywhere. But, despite being malleable, it’s enduring.
As we walked the distance from our house, our shoes left imprints on the freshly fallen snow and crunched softly. Mom really knew her stuff. Despite the mild chill in the air, we were warm in our costumes. I kept an eye on Del, being the youngest and most susceptible to the cold, but I didn’t need to worry. She was skipping and laughing and running around without a care in the world. This Halloween was mostly for her, Li and I were a bit old for Trick or Treating, being eighteen and seventeen, respectively. We were mostly around for chaperoning. Rosa was getting there, but she could have one last year of fun being a kid on Halloween.
“Man, these costumes are amazing.” Li said, interrupting my thoughts. “Mom really out did herself.” Despite not being related, he still called his stepmother “Mom”. I think it’s a sign of respect. They get along famously. Which, considering their shared interests, isn’t surprising.
“Agreed.” I said, looking down at myself. His next words made me freeze in my tracks.
“They are also excellent for hiding weapons.”
Rosa looked aghast. “Li, you didn’t.”
He reached beneath his cloak and pulled out a familiar long, metal pole.
“Highwind, eh?” I said, recognizing his gunlance. “I thought Mom forbade us from carrying weapons to Trick or Treating.”
“Oh yeah? Is that Damocles in your pocket or do you just like candy that much?”
“Huh?” Delaney tilted her head, looking at Li.
Rosa sighed. “Del, please forget what your brother just said.”
I placed my hand on Damocles, tucked in my belt, hidden beneath the cape. “I couldn’t leave it. I’d feel naked without it.”
Li gave a ‘well-there-you-go’ gesture. “Ditto here.”
I eyed him. “A pistol is one thing. A rifle-cum-spear is another.”
Highwind somehow disappeared beneath his cloak. “What spear?” He asked, innocently, holding out his hands, showing that they were empty.
I raised an eyebrow. “You missed your calling as a stage magician.”
As we walked, Li and I fell back a little, behind Rosa and Del, who had grabbed her sister’s hand and was talking animatedly. “Jokes aside,” He said in a rare moment of seriousness, “I think your costume is the best.”
I blink at the unexpected complement. “Really? I think it looks rather…showy.”
He clapped me on the back, driving me forward a stumbling step. Hunter training had really built him up and he had some serious strength. “That’s because you have the fashion sense of a rock: you wear nothing but boring, plain gray.”
“I like it.” I said defensively. “And rocks can be colorful.”
“Not the ones in your head.” He laughed, all seriousness gone. I growled and bent down to scoop up a snowball, but he skipped away, still laughing. I straightened and bounced the snowball in my hand, scowling after my elder brother. “One of these days…Pow!” I grumbled, tossing the ball with a flick into a distant pine tree. It soared true, splattering against the trunk and leaving a white smear.
I checked my costume again. Was it really stylish? For me, Mom had chosen a vampire theme: The outfit consisted of a lavish cape, royal purple on the inside and a much darker purple on the outside. It flared up at the collar, forming a pair of crisp triangles that flared outward. Beneath them on the mantel part was embroidered in gold thread designs reminiscent of bat wings. It hung down my chest ending in a zig-zag of knife-like geometric strips. Over my right shoulder was a throw of black feathers with gold decorations. Its purpose was beyond me. The whole cape was bound together and held by a spindle of golden thread across my throat. Underneath the ostentatious cape I wore a vest the same shade as the inside of the cape, edged in gold, over a stiff, light grey shirt whose collar mimicked the cape’s by flaring up and out at my throat. Around my neck and tucked into the vest was a black tie embroidered in silver with my Hunter’s symbol. Fortunately, the silken pants were much less showy and much more comfortable, being unremarkable other than being the same shade of purple as the outside of my cape. Heavy, black boots and white gloves with gold cuffs completed the ensemble. And of course, not one to miss small details, and being supremely multi-talented, Mom had somehow crafted fake but super realistic fangs and pointed ears, which I had ruefully put on.
I will admit, the look strongly appealed to my dramatic nature. But to be wearing it myself?
“Hurry up, Count
Weiser!” Li called. “We’re leaving you behind.” I grumbled at my brother’s cursed sense of humour and spend up.
* * *
The town was only a brief walk away, taking us mere minutes. We could hear the merrymaking and see the light from the bonfires long before we arrived. Decorations abounded, from the silly to the downright morbid. Someone had hung a stuffed dummy from a tall oak tree in the middle of the town square. Graves, skeletons, zombies, pumpkins, reapers, and Grimmwards, carvings containing symbols that supposedly warded off the Grimm abounded. Nearly everyone we passed wore a costume of variating quality. Some were elaborate (like ours), others were merely bedsheets and rags draped on. There were wagons and carts of goodies, stalls and games and things to do or eat everywhere. After warming ourselves by one of the enormous bonfires, we immediately made a break for the sweets. Li, Rosa, and especially Del, love caramel apples. I didn’t take one. I’m not fond of caramel. True to form, Li ribbed me about it. I did, however, partake in the chocolates, nuts, and
oh gods the
coffee!!!. Being stuck out in the cold made a hot drink even better, as if that was possible for coffee. I was sure to sample every coffee stand I could drag my siblings to and even a few I didn’t. We all had a stipend of Lien for spending and I blew most of mine on coffee, coffee, COFFEE!
…ahem.
Besides the food and drink, there was a costume judging which all four of us entered. We stood around for what felt like hours as people came in to enter and show off. In the end, I won third, second went to a couple who looked like a pair of animated skeletons and Li, of all people, was voted first. Apparently, not many had the gall to show up dressed as a creature of Grimm and the judges loved him for that. Del won first in the kid’s division. Did I mention Mom’s sewing skills and creativity are top-notch? She proudly displayed her Skull-shaped trophy to everyone. I thought the thing was a bit morbid for a kid, and I wondered if the same person who had designed it was also in charge of the decorations. I’d bet Lien it was so.
Later in the evening, we went by the usual haunted house, which Del begged to go in, and Rosa tried valiantly to refuse. She failed, in the end. Del had the most fun, shrieking and giggling at the jumpscares and gasping in horror at the morbid décor.
I reflected, once more on fear. This was an interesting concept: the illusion of fear without any of the actual danger. Quicksliver fear: a flash and then it’s gone. Somehow this is entertainment?
Being a Hunter, well, one in training, I wasn’t impressed at the false fear. How can I, when I had felt true fear? Fear with genuine danger and no guarantee of safety? That kind of fear is a coppery fear. You taste blood and tremble, your nerves drawn tight as the strings of a violin, quavering on one single note that cannot possibly be sustained for a single second longer, but it does and grows more until you think you might die just from the fear itself. It closes your throat and clouds your mind until it’s nothing more than a whimpering animal that chooses between fight or flight.
Li seemed to not share my, as he called it, morose, attitude. He played along like a champ for his younger sister, jumping with her, intensifying the mood when he could, then cracking a joke when the tension got too thick, sending her into fits of quaking laughter. Poor Rosa actually seemed frightened. She turned pale as a, well, ghost, and clung to my arm the whole time. I just soldiered on. I think the expression on my face was scarier than the house itself, because one look and the actors left us alone. Which was fine with both of us. Rosa and I emerged long after Li and Del, having been separated along the way. Rosa has slowed our progress to a crawl.
Li, never one to miss a beat, called out when he saw us. “Hey, Rosa! You look like you’ve seen a ghost! Were there mirrors?”
“Rust off jackass.” She snarled. Well then. Li was probably ginning like a fool, but I couldn’t see it underneath his mask.
“Aww, come on. Just trying to lift your spirits!”
“Li.” I drawled slowly, holding up as fist. “You crack one more pun and I’ll crack that stupid mask and your face behind it.”
“Looks like you’re the one who’s cracked.”
I smiled at him. Nice and wide, fangs on display. I took a step toward him and raised my fist.
He backed away a bit.
“H-hey, look! A coffee stand we haven’t been to.”
That’s cheating. But it worked. Right up until I later pegged him with a snowball when he wasn’t looking.
“Oh that’s it.” He shouted, scooping up a fistfull of snow himself.
Which rightfully kicked off a snowball free-for-all. It was getting late and sometime during the day, he snow had started falling again, giving plenty of ammunition for all. Some other kids even joined in until our section of town was a blizzard of flying snow, more flying through the air then lying on the ground. You couldn’t stand up without getting hit at least three times. Li had set aside his mask at some point, and I showed my gratitude by a very well-aimed three pointer curve ball in his obnoxious mouth. He repaid the favor by getting innocent Del to scoop snow down my back. Cheeky bastard.
Eventually, an ice ball flew into a window breaking it, causing a chain reaction. Someone got mad and every one of us made ourselves scarce, zipping off in every direction with the practiced speed of mischievous children who know they didn’t do it.
Puffing and giddy with adrenaline, I stopped underneath the eaves a house. In the confusion, I lost track of my siblings. But, I wasn’t too worried. All of us had our Scrolls, and I immediately popped mine out to call Li.
It was nearly dark, even later then I had thought, the twilight closing in like a curtain being drawn on a play. But these actors weren’t finished. Around town, the bonfires were being stoked in preparation for the night’s revelry. Trick or Treating, dancing, songs and tales told around the fire by gleemen and minstrels.
Li picked up in a single ring. “Epicenter of the Universe, God Speaking…”
Yes. I swear. He answered the phone like that. I wish I was joking.
I couldn’t help myself. I facepalmed. “Goddammit, Li.”
“Nnnnope, sorry. I don’t do that anymore. Would you like to be transferred to the department downbelow?”
I grunted. “Quit messing around, Li. I lost Del and Rosa in the confusion, are they with you.”
His voice suddenly went completely serious. “No. I lost them too. I was about to ask you.”
“Great. Ring Del, and I’ll do Rosa. Call back when I get ahold of her.”
“Roger Roger.”
Oh Li.
I hung up and pulled up Rosa’s number.
It rang.
And rang.
And rang.
And rang.
Click Voicemail.
Fear. This was a different fear. Lead fear, piling up in my stomach. Heavy. Hard. I told myself that there was nothing to be afraid of, she probably left it on silent or, worse case, dropped it. But all the same, I had an uneasy sensation in the bit of my stomach that I couldn’t explain. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and a shiver passed through me.
My phone suddenly rang in my hand, making me jump.
Silvery fear, a flash that ran like lightning through me, setting my heart pounding and my adrenaline pumping. Cursing softly, I answered, knowing who it was from caller id.
“I can’t get a hold of her.”
All business. Serious tone.
I felt my blood freeze. Something wasn't right.
Iron Fear. The kind of absolute certainty that something bad has or will happen.
“Li.”
“I feel it too.”
There was a tension in the air and it was suddenly deathly quiet.
And that’s when the screams started.
Punctuated by the roars of the creatures of Grimm.
Silver and Copper played a medley on my nerves. I had to move. I had to find my sister.
I was trembling. I was running. But I was also frozen in place. WhatdoIdowhatdoIdosomanyplacestogosomanytolook!
I heard Li take a deep breath. “Listen little brother. We divide the town. I’m on the north side and those screams sounded like they came from the south.”
Following his example, I took a deep breath too, strangling my panic and dumping it into a river. “I-I heard it from the east.” I looked around and consulted my mental map. I’m near the center of town.”
“Right. I’ll head east, you go southeast. Check in a clockwise circle, if you meet Grimm try to put them down but don’t get tangled up fighting. You are on search and rescue, find and protect the people, take them somewhere safe, if possible.”
“B-but Rosa! Delaney!”
“I know. But don’t let your concern for them stop you from helping others who are in danger. Remember your semblance and use it wisely. There are groups of seasoned Hunters stationed nearby for just this occasion. They will head for the Grimm, so the best way we can help is to protect and rescue. The Shield to their Sword, understand?”
“Yes.” I managed, the familiar call of battle sequences helping me calm my nerves as discipline took over.
“Good. We will meet back at the house. If you find them, go there.”
“Got it.”
“Good luck.” He said softly.
“D-don’t need it.” I grinned, trying to muster some bravado.
The line went dead.
“Southeast.” I pulled out a coin, always kept on me, dropped it and stomped on it to keep it from rolling. “Hold on. I’m coming for you.” Activating my semblance, I shot up into the air on lines of blue and flew across town.
* * *
From my vantage point in the air, I could see fires breaking out along the east side, already the air was full of the smell of smoke. Alarms, wailed, the universal alarm for a Grimm attack. But something confused me, how had they gotten this close? Scouts and Sentries were posted all around towns like this one. Especially this one. The alarm should have already been raised, or even not at all once the Hunters moved in and eliminated the Grimm without a ruckus. But here they were and that was all that mattered now. I bounced from rooftop to rooftop, Pushing off the convenient metals abundant in construction. I angled my flight in the desired direction. The snow was falling even more heavily now, swirling about in my wake and getting in my eyes. The temperature was rapidly dropping as well, as if nature itself was reacting to the presence of the Grimm.
There! Between the buildings. I spotted a black, fast shape I identified quickly as a Creep. I alighted on the nearest building and sighted down Damocles (When did I even draw it?) The air was still and the street straight. I could make the shot.
Bang! One. It dropped and rolled. I made sure it was dissolving as I moved in. The town had really cleared fast. This wasn’t the first attack, so people were used to the protocols and procedure. Most of them were probably huddled in bunkers and cellars underground. Still, I need to sweep for any that didn’t make it. Nothing here, moving on. Please let them be safe oh please let them be safe. My worry for Del and Rosa gnawed at my nerves.
This fear was Magnesium. It burned quick, it burned bright, and it burned hot.
I kept this fear. It warmed me, gave me strength through anger. Anger and Hate go hand-in-hand-in-hand with Fear. When you are afraid, you instinctively
hate the source of your fear. You want to either lash out or flee. Anger is more of the long term. How
dare these
filthy fucking bastards come to our festival and ruin our day?! How
dare they come here and threaten us in our own homes and our own towns?! How dare they threaten my sisters.
See. Kinda like that.
I lowered myself to the ground and walked cautiously down the street. Creeps didn’t travel alone where there was one, you could find more.
Just as I finished this thought, a line in my aura-sight danced and a split second later, a second Crawler crashed through a window to my right, leaping straight for me.
How nice of it.
I sidestepped out of its way with a pair of dance-like steps, drawing Damocles across my body as I did, triggering sword form. It unfolded mid swing and left a long, deep, gash in the side of the Crawler. It went sprawling and I wasted no time. I drew back and shot it in the head with gunform. A third Crawler attempted to blindside me, but I knew it was there. I dropped flat, it went sailing over my head. I stood as it attempted to rush me head on. Dumb brute. Damocles laughed as it dropped with a bullet in its chest.
Two. Three. The area seemed clear of people, so I moved on. I was drawing near to the main body of Grimm, I could hear their screeches along with gunshots and the clash of metal on metal. I crested a building to get a look at what type or types of grim we were dealing with.
I couldn’t tell.
Below me was a screeching, wriggling mass of black, carpeting the ground. Hunters equipped with defensive gear barricaded alleyways, while those with guns stood on buildings, firing into the mass. But their individual bullets, even though most were creating little explosions of fire, were doing little. There were so many.
“Dust.” I breathed as a curse.
A few hunters were equipped for mass clean up. I saw one with a flamethrower mow his way through the black carpet, his flanks protected by teammates and buildings.
Eventually, I began to pick out individual Grimm. There were Creeps, Ratatosks, and Scavangers. A whole flood of them. They appeared to have erupted from this point and were pouring in hundreds of them at a time. I squinted and thought I saw a hole near the center. Maybe they burrowed or that was a nest somebody disturbed. Either way, there was a whole lot of Grimm down there. I grew conscious of my little handgun and the few bullets I had on me. I could use ten times what I had on me and not make a dent in that tide. My little sword would be no avail against so many. So, I did what my brother sent me to do and the best way I could help: look for those in need.
I cut back across the town, moving clockwise in a circle, checking roads and alleyways from above. So far, I didn’t see any more Grimm, but there could be Ratatosks and Scavengers anywhere, hundreds lurking in every shadow. I felt a drop of sweat drip down my back.
Just copper fear now. Long, drawn out tension.
Dark, true dark was falling. Nothing. I repeat, nothing is worse than fighting the creatures of Grimm in the dark.
Eventually, I smelled blood.
It was cloying, sticky. It wafted in the air, causing me to gag and retch. Undercutting the blood was a different smell. It was sticky sweet of rotting meat and fetid earth. Of things better left unmoved, dark places best left unchecked. I swallowed my fear and followed the smell.
It lead me to an alley, a small gap between buildings. I alighted to the ground, and immediately, the stench magnified tenfold. I held my hand over my mouth and tried to control my stomach. What was that? I had a feeling I didn’t want to know. The mouth of the alley was blocked by a big wagon of metal and wood, tipped on its side blocked the entrance, as if someone had tried to barricade themselves in. Drawn by an almost morbid fascination, I Pushed myself over the wagon and lifted my Scroll to used it as a light.
What I saw I will always remember. Blood. Red Blood everywhere. The floor, the walls, the eaves, nothing wasn’t painted red. It dripped from the eaves in a stream of droplets. There were scraps of cloth and bits everywhere, but nothing was in a big enough piece to identify.
I was abruptly and disturbingly reminded of what happens when you throw fruit in a blender and hit “smoothie” and leave the lid off.
I’m not really sure how I avoided losing my lunch. Maybe it was fear that kept the nausea at bay. Maybe it was shock. I’m not sure. Numbly, I Pushed myself to the tops of the buildings and walked along the roofs around the mess. Blood had even gotten up here. Like someone dropped a hundred tomatoes off an airship and they all landed in one spot. I’m not sure what happened, but I knew that this was beyond me. My shaking fingers somehow brought up Li’s contact. I hadn’t found Rosa or Del yet, but somebody else needed to know about this. If he was near some veteran hunters, maybe they could send help. I tapped call.
It buzzed
And buzzed
And buzzed
And buzz—
Next thing I knew, I was flying through the air, the breath crushed from my lungs. Then I saw a building and my next thought really didn’t matter because it was smashed out of my head. I hit the ground in a heap, dazed, but not actually harmed thanks to my aura. I had time to think ‘What fresh Hell was that?’ Before my unasked question was answered. It was barely lit by distant flame, a soft orange glow that did little to provide light, but enough to give me an outline. It stalked up, close to seven feet, massive claws to bladed back. Counting the blades added another three feet. Nose to tail it was nine feet long and the long, sinuous tail behind it added—god knows how many more feet. I knew what I was seeing. I had seen depictions of it in textbooks before. I’d had lesson after lesson drilling its strengths, weaknesses, and characteristics into my mind.
They were coming back to me now.
I giggled in terror.
What Fiend almost always accompanies large groups of Scavangers? It had been multiple choice. Easy. I got it right. I always got them right.
Before me, in the darkness, was a Vermin God.
And I was alone.
In the dark.
Help me.
“HEY STUPID! CLAWS OFF MY BROTHER!”
A light flickered into existence. Or had it always been there? Something bright flew, smacking into the Vermin God’s head. It squealed in pain and clawed at its face. Fire. I see fire.
Out of the corner of my eye. Fire. I turn my head to see Rosa bearing a torch alight. Tears of terror in her eyes, but her face set in determination. Lying on the ground, was another flaming length of wood, sputtering in the soil near my feet. Eyes back on the Grimm, I lifted Damocles and fired.
No wait. No I didn’t. It wasn’t in my hand. I stared numbly at my empty hand. Huh? My brain took that moment to jumpstart itself. It’s tail. It waited until I was distracted, snuck up and smacked me with its whip-like tail. I must have dropped both my Scroll and Damocles in the impact. I glanced around, trying to locate it with my aura-sight. But all lines lead out of my sight. Finding it would be needle, haystack. Haystack with a very big, very angry, man-eating rat. Speaking of.
My attention snapped back to the Vermin God. It had turned it’s bready, hate-filled eyes on my sister, who was swinging her torch about to discourage it. Its eyes tracked the bright flaming orb that was all between it and its prey. Such a pitiful weapon. Why did it hesitate? I was a still a little brain scrambled, but I reached for the only weapon I had at hand, the guttering torch.
The Vermin God hissed as it crept closer to Rosa. She, brave girl, swung the torch, knowing that she couldn’t run, she couldn’t flee, if she turned her back she was dead. If she got so much as a scratch from its toxic claws or teeth, she was dead. Unlike me, she had no aura, no power, just a little training and a whole lotta guts.
My sister was in danger. The thought galvanized me, electricity shooting through my brain, shaking off any fear. I pulled a handful of coins and threw them, Pushing with all my might. They zipped and whistled through the air.
Only to plunk quite ineffectually against the Vermin God’s outer shell. It looked over what might pass for its shoulder, grunted and swung its tail. I realized in that moment that in the darkness and uncertain light, I had underestimated the length of its tail. It must have been twenty or more feet long. I saw it flick a moment in the firelight before it hit me full on in a—dammit—familiar sensation. I was flicked away like a ragdoll into the side of yet another building.
Ow. This time, though I hung on to the torch and my wits. I wasn’t hurt again, but my aura had taken two devastating blows, and I wasn’t sure it could take another. Me dealt with, it turned back to the more vulnerable prey. Rosa made a lunge for its eyes, as if to poke them out, but the Grimm was done playing games. It snatched the wood out of the air with its mighty jaws and crunched down, the wood shattered.
Now there was nothing left. I flung coins after coins, Pushing them, then pulling them back in pure desperation. But I just wasn’t strong enough. A few lodged into chinks and soft parts of the Vermin God, but they were not enough to distract it from its prey.
It pounced and my sister screamed.
I had nothing in my head, no thought, no wish. Just pure rage. I would do anything, no matter the cost.
I screamed, feral and loud full of rage and terror, burning my semblance like it had never burned before. I ran forward. I didn’t really have a plan in mind. Or maybe I had a plan all along and just lacked the strength and conscious know-how to pull it off. But where intellect failed, instinct ventured. I Pulled as I ran. I Pulled on the upturned wagon, digging my heels into the mud, then I Pulled on the houses in front of me, taking the threads together like puppet stings and yanking with all my might. Torn between forces, I could feel my aura drop at a prodigious rate, both from Pulling and keeping me from tearing myself apart. But the wagon began to tip and tip it did, then roll and it kept rolling, building up momentum as it moved it was rolling toward me, and the Grimm beyond. Then what I did was all instinct. I pivoted as I Pulled, keeping the Pull tight while Pushing on the other end of the wagon. As the it swung forward and around, my push and its own momentum preventing it from slamming into me, as if it were a ball on a sting. Then, as it passed me, and with the last of my aura, I ‘let go’ of the Push, ‘string’, and then slammed the airborne wagon with a Push off the buildings behind me. It hurtled through the air and slammed into the Vermin God—the Grimm who
dared to attack my sister!—with all the force of a full speed train. The wagon went flying and the Fiend with it, flicked off neatly as if with a broom. Wagon and Grimm hit a building and went
through the wall, into the house, and out of sight. I sagged, emptied and spend. My Aura completely burned in that last move of desperation. But I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t rest.
My sister.
Dying torch in hand, I staggered on weak knees and dragging a heavy heart to where my sister had fallen.
Fear like none other had burrowed into my heart and dug through my veins. Poisoning my reason and killing me slowly. Mercurial Fear.
The light fell across her, revealing clawed earth, a broken arm, torn clothing and blood.
Very little blood. She was breathing.
She was breathing. The blood was slight. I saw a few mild scrapes but nothing like what that Grimm could inflict. What. How. Then I saw a little translucent glow rising off her and understood. “Aura.” I breathed, my throat ragged and sore. My little sister had thrown up her Aura against the Grimm, and it held out long enough for me to smash it.
“Aura!” I croaked, dropping the torch in one of the terrible rends the massive Grimm had inflicted on the earth. “But not on my little sister.” I grabbed her in a hug as tight as I could manage. Tears streaming down my face. “Not my sister.”
She stirred. “Bro…ther?” She whispered. “Not my sister. Not my sister. You’re okay. You’re okay.” I repeated as if it were a prayer of thanks to whatever god was out there.
Then a large crunch. Followed by another one. And some crashing.
No.
The building with a big, gaping hole shuddered.
No.
The Vermin God, injured and trailing smoke, but still very much alive, crawled out of the wreckage of the house.
No! It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair! I had hit it with all I had and a wagon that had to weigh a thousand pounds through a building and it was getting back up?!
No.
I was out of fear. I was emotionally wrung out. We were going to die. Nothing came but a weak protest. I pulled Rosa close to me. Neither of us were going to live through this night. It squealed long and loud. And in answer, Scavangers bubbled out of the darkness, summoned by their foul god’s cry. We huddled together her and I in a puddle of torchlight as the Creatures of Grimm closed in.
Then I heard something unearthly. A hollow cry. A human cry, like the whisper of the wind over water. Empty, but physical. I looked up. And saw nothing. But the Grimm recoiled. The Vermin God screeched as if it had been hurt. The little Scavangers started twitching and crying in pain, then to fall motionless and dissolve into darkness. Every now and then, I thought I’d see movement in the corner of my eye. Or hear a ghostly gunshot. But nothing was there?
I felt my consciousness slipping. I was too exhausted to focus as my adrenaline faded, stealing what last strength I had. I saw the Vermin God rear up, then falter and collapse, and in turn, dissolve into the darkness. The last thing I saw before I faded completely was a half-imagined face and a strange symbol ripping in a ghostly wind.
The darkness finally took me.
I woke up. You know.
Just in case you were wondering.
I woke in the hospital. Not terribly physically injured, all things considered. Some strain, like that of trying to lift a weight too heavy for my body, but my strong aura took the brunt of the force and when it returned, I healed quickly. It would be a week or more until my aura was back in fighting shape though. The Doctors discharged me in less than a week. Rosa spent a little longer. She had a fractured arm, mild concussion, and several broken ribs, but with her newfound aura, she should heal back good as new in two weeks. A normal person might need a month or more. Del, the silly girl, had gotten distracted by a fire show when the Grimm attacked. She had ended up crammed in a solid titanium bunker, safer than the rest of us combined. Her Scroll had died. She had forgotten to charge it the night before. She got a chewing out from Mom, then Dan, then a few puns and jokes from Li, then a hug from me and everything was all right.
No one really knew why the Grimm attacked. We did, however, figure out how. They dug. The hole lead outside the normal patrol and scouting range of the Hunters. It had probably taken months and they theorized the horde had been lead by a superior high-intelligence Grimm, such as a Vermin God, but they were unable to find any trace beyond the battlefield where I had been found. When questioned, I claimed to not remember anything, as I wasn’t sure of the truth myself, and telling them what I thought I saw would put me in a mental hospital for sure. Rosa recounted how she had saved me by distracting the Vermin God, but after that, she couldn’t remember. Eventually, the best those investigating came up with is that Rosa’s yet-unknown semblance had somehow killed the Grimm. That was better than a ghost story, so I let it be. She was hailed as a hero while I recovered quietly in a hospital bed with a good book and a strong cup of coffee. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
After I was deemed well enough to move around, the first thing I did was visit Rosa. It was a bit of a trek, but I was up for it, wanting to stretch my legs a little. I found her, reading a book of her own. She looked up and smiled weakly at me as I staggered to a chair and sat. “Heya Sprout.” I used a nickname Li had come up with. “How are you feeling?”
She rolled her eyes. “Like I was run over by a truck. Then backed up on.”
“That good, eh?”
“Better even.”
We lapsed into a comfortable silence, just enjoying each other’s company and the fact that we were still alive.
“Hey. Brother.” She broke the silence in an uncharacteristically small voice.
I blinked. “Yeah?”
“Back there… That night…” She shuddered. “I was weak. Useless. Worse, a liability.”
Tears started leading down her face as she started to sniffle. I wrapped my hand around hers.
“I saw what you did. You moved that heavy wagon and flung that enormous Grimm through a house like it was nothing.”
Well...I wouldn’t say nothing, but I didn’t interrupt.
“I want…” She tightened her hand around mind in a white-knuckle grip. Ow, the kid had some strength.
“I want to be stronger. Like you, like Li.” She sniffed. “I never again want to feel that way ever again. Afraid. I want to be strong enough to protect you, Li, Del. Us.”
What could I say? I knew exactly what she meant. I wanted exactly the same thing. I looked into her amber eyes, reflecting my own and I saw the fire lit in there, reflecting my own.
“I know. So do I.” I said solemnly.
She nodded then the fire died and she stared down listlessly at her book.
“Hey, sis?”
“Hm?”
“Do you mind loosening up on my hand? You’ve got quite the strong grip now.”
“Oh, sorry.”
* * *
In the end, I’m not sure what happened. Is this a ghost story? Were those Grimm killed by Rosa’s semblance? Or were those just Hunters who happened to be nearby?
It may be silly, but I’m starting to believe there is truth to those old legends. And if they are true, what else could be true? Everything. Everything could be true.
Fin
Happy Halloween!
Member
Danyel
