Leaving Level Five

by L. S. O'Dea

  She dropped the stick as she scrambled backward out of the water and sat panting on shore. It was alive. She was such an idiot to get so close. It lay half-in and half-out of the water, its head angled in an uncomfortable looking position. Was it in pain? She shook her head. What did that matter? She needed to go and this thing was not her problem. She stood and started to walk away. She sighed. If it was a bird or squirrel, even a mouse or rat, she’d help it without thinking twice. It wasn’t the creature’s fault that it was hairless and nasty looking and stinky.

  She turned around and trudged over to it. If it were going to attack her it would have done it by now. She studied it closely. Two of the four slits on its side were moving a little. It was more of a slight tremble than an actual movement. The other two were stuck firmly together. As the side slits shivered, the creature’s bottom jaw moved forward and back. It was like the face Adam, her baby brother, had made once when he’d swallowed too much bread. That was it! The creature was choking. She quickly filled her bottle from the river. A fish couldn’t breathe air. She dumped the water over its head and chest.

  The fish-man made a slight coughing sound. She jerked upright but forced herself to stay put. It still was not moving. She wasn’t in any danger. She filled up her jug again and poured it on the creature. It made another gasping sound.

  She had to get it back into the water. She wrinkled her nose and placed both hands on its torso and shoved, trying to push it into the river without going any deeper into the water herself. It was cold to the touch and heavy. She tried again but it didn’t budge. Maybe, she could give it enough water so that it could get a deep breath and move itself. She filled up her bottle again, emptying the contents over the gills. She continued this for several minutes, but the creature remained still. This obviously wasn’t working.

  The creature raised its arm, hitting her thigh. She flew out of the water, screeching. She shivered as she stood on the shore wiping at her leg to remove the memory of its clammy touch. Then its arm flapped again landing on its neck. Her face heated in embarrassment. It hadn’t been reaching for her. She straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath and tromped back into the river. No matter what, she was going to help this thing.

  The hand that had landed on its neck moved in a grasping fashion. She bit her lip and cautiously lifted the flipper between the tips of her fingers and moved it out of the way. There were two slashes on the creature’s neck. They looked like the ones on its side except these were clogged full of...something. She grimaced as she dug her finger into a slit, pulling out mud and gunk. The foul stench of rotten vegetation and feces seeped out from the slime. She flung it into the water. She turned her head to the side, took a deep breath and held it. She dug into the second slit. When it was cleared a sharp intake of raspy breath came from the fish-man and then another.

  She frowned. It was breathing air, but that didn’t make sense. Fish breathed underwater. She dumped water on the two slits that she’d cleared. The creature choked and gasped. It rolled away from her and clambered onto its knees. It seemed larger and more dangerous now that it was mobile. She scurried back to the safety of the shore. The fish-man took several deep breaths and then slowly dragged itself back into the water, disappearing under the waves.

  She stared at the surface, her heart racing. There was no sign of it. The river flowed without a ripple of disturbance aside from the motion of the water itself. The fish-man was gone. She smiled and began to walk again, her step a little lighter. She had saved its life. She glanced warily back at the water. She and Travis used to play in the river. She wouldn’t be doing that again. If there were one of those things in there, there were more.

  There was a slight rustle in the brush to her left. She jumped, turning to face the forest when a splash from the river drew her gaze. A flipper dipped under the water. Her shoulders sagged. Great. Now, I’m being hunted by land and sea. She moved a little away from the river but not too close to the forest. It was the best that she could do.

  She continued on for another hour without a sound from the river or forest, which was encouraging. It was getting late. She was going to have to find somewhere to camp for the night. She shaded her eyes from the setting sun and groaned. She was an idiot. She’d been heading west. She should have been heading east. She must have gotten turned around in the thick underbrush. She started back the way she’d come. All this time had been wasted. An entire day was gone.

  A mournful howling broke the silence of the forest. A shiver danced down her spine, raising the hair on her back. A cacophony of screeches and chirps echoed from the brush. Then there was silence, not a chirp or rustle to be heard. She swallowed around a lump in her throat. Whatever made that sound was close.

  There was no movement or eyes shining back at her from the brush. She hurried along. A sharp yell pierced the air. She stumbled to a halt, tipping her head to better catch the sound. There was another shout. Guards on scent. Had the Almightys discovered her escape? No, that was impossible. It was probably just some Guards out hunting, but that didn’t solve her problem. If she were caught, she would be in deep trouble.

  She had to get out of there, but which way? To her left was the river. She swallowed. She hadn’t seen the fish-man for a while, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t lurking nearby. To her right were the woods. If something were following her, it was hiding in there. She glanced back and forth, undecided. The Guards might scare away the forest predator. She bolted into the trees. There was no way she was going to outrun them, so she had to hide.

  She ran blindly away from the sound of the Guards, her backpack slamming against her spine with each stride. If they catch my scent, they will find me. She skidded to a stop. The forest had ended. A rock wall loomed in front of her, stretching to both sides as far as she could see. Little crevices and divots peppered the wall, but it was too steep to climb. She had to make a choice. The wrong one would cost her freedom, maybe her life.

  The trees rustled behind her. Too late. They found me. This had all been for nothing. Now, the best she could hope for was to be taken with the others. Her chest tightened. She had to make sure that her mom and Remy weren’t punished because she escaped. She raised her hands to her shoulders and slowly turned. Her breath caught in her throat. A Tracker, the deadliest of predators, stood on its back two legs, towering above her, front legs hanging down like arms. Brindle fur covered its body and its eyes glowed yellow in the shadowed forest. Its tongue lolled out the side of its mouth, exposing a row of sharp teeth on the other side. Someone should tell it that they no longer exist in the wild.

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  A Demon’s Gift

  CHAPTER 1

  Every inch of Iatee’s body pressed against something soft and fuzzy. He tried to wiggle but his limbs didn’t obey. That could mean only one thing, the gods had not been satisfied with the progress he’d made in his last life and he was once again inanimate. Whatever type of container his new body was stuffed into lifted off the ground, causing him to shift but not enough to enable him to see. Footsteps plodded on something hard, transporting him somewhere.

  “You. What’s your name?”

  There was no sound but Iatee heard the question. Another spirit was here. He’d encountered others like him several times in the years of his imprisonment but not in a long, long time. “I am Iatee. Who are you?”

  “Nongulous. How long have you been a prisoner?”

  “Forever.” At least, it felt like that.

  “Forever? Now, that is a long time.” Nongulous laughed, the sound rich and melodious.

  “It is if one is a toy. Animal is not so bad, but a toy is...excruciating.” The endless days of nothing grated on his soul but even that was better than being played with—mauled by sticky fingers and snotty faces. He would’ve shivered if he’d had any muscles.

  “You were an animal? What kind? I’d love to be a monkey or a squirrel.”

 
; “I was many.” The memories flickered through his mind—the freedom, the hunger, the hunt.

  “Like what?”

  “A seal. Penguin. Buffalo. A lion.” It’d gone downhill from there. The gods were disgusted with his refusal to conform and each iteration of life became a lower and lower form.

  “You got to swim in the ocean? That’d be so amazing. What was it like?”

  “It was good. Vast open waters. Swimming for hours and hours.” He’d loved the freedom and the hunt, chasing the fish, catching them with his teeth and tearing into them. It’d been glorious, except for the young. The mating had been grand but he hadn’t liked going back to land to care for his offspring. So, he hadn’t. The gods had not liked that.

  “And a lion. Did you kill a lot?” Envy and longing filled Nongulous’ voice.

  “I killed everything I found.” Including his own kind and their young—again, behavior no longer pleasing to the gods.

  “I wish they would’ve let me be an animal instead of sticking me right into toy-terror.”

  “Toy-terror?” Iatee chuckled. “That’s an apt description of this torture.” It was also an accurate account of his first time as a toy.

  His spirit had been imprisoned inside a board game. He’d despised it—the pounding of the pieces as they moved over his body and the grubby little hands, pressing down on him—until he’d learned to control his wheel. He’d made sure the snot-faced boy who’d owned him had never won again.

  No one owned Iatee. He was a Punishment Spirit. Born when the earth was fresh and the gods were hungry. He’d been created to hunt and to punish. He’d been celebrated, feared and revered. His victories were legends remembered through song, but no one would be singing about his triumph over the child. The boy had tired of losing and had quit playing with him. His life as a toy had never been better until he’d been given away like trash. He’d lingered on a shelf, being mauled and molested—pieces falling out and getting lost—losing himself bit by bit until he’d been incinerated.

  “This is my third time,” said Nongulous. “What about you?”

  “More than I can count.” He’d been trapped in one form or another for so long that his real life seemed only a dream.

  “Oh Iatee, what did you do to deserve a punishment like that? Even one lifetime as a toy feels like eternity.”

  “I did nothing except what I was created to do. I hunted. I punished. I killed.”

  “That’s not good. The gods don’t like that anymore.”

  “The gods cannot change. It’s not right.”

  “Right or not...there’s no room for a demon in this world. The gods know that and adjusted. We either change with them or suffer.”

  “I am not a demon.” He almost spat the word. “That’s a human term. I’m a Punishment Spirit. The gods created me as I am. I did their bidding. No matter what they asked. Punishment. Plague. Slaughter. I did what they told me and they...they turned me into this.” He couldn’t hide his vehemence. It was a fast, hot feeling that burned through him. He’d killed many over the years but he’d never hated until his imprisonment.

  The person carrying the box stilled as if feeling Iatee’s rage.

  “Shhh. You must be quiet. Humans cannot know we exist. It’s against the rules.” Nongulous’ thoughts whispered through Iatee’s head.

  “They aren’t my rules. They’ve never been my rules and Iatee will not change.” But he did stop talking. If they were discovered, it’d mean another transformation. Since the gods would blame them, it meant the next form would be worse than whatever this one was.

  “Everything okay?” yelled a man from a distance.

  “I think there’s something in here.” The man carrying them shook the box.

  “Are you sure?” The other man walked toward them. “And listen very closely before you answer.” His footsteps stopped nearby. “If there are rats or mice in these boxes we’re going to have to search them. Every stinking one of them. You know what that means? To make our quota we’ll have to stay late.”

  “I can’t stay tonight. I have to pick up my kid.”

  “Then, you get fired but only if there’s something in there.” The man tapped the box. “Understand?”

  “Ah...yes, sir.”

  “So, is there anything wrong?”

  “No, sir. Nothing.” The man took a few steps and the box flew through the air, dropping onto something solid.

  Iatee fell forward. Great. Now, he was almost upside down.

  “Thanks, so much,” whispered Nongulous. “My face is in some stuffed animal’s ass.”

  “Stuffed animal? We’re stuffed animals?”

  “Yes and shut up,” Nongulous whispered. “We can’t talk now.”

  That was fine with him. His dream had finally been answered. He was a stuffed animal. The gods were giving him another chance.

  Find out what happens next.

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  ALL Characters From the Series

  Ableson: An Almighty scientist who worked for Professor Conguise on Level Five. He was a friend of McBrid’s and worked with the River Man (Chimera Chronicles: Rise of the River Man)

  Almightys: The ruling class. They are between five and six feet tall. Generally, have dark hair and white skin.

  Araldo: Their god.

  Aranea18: Creature created on Level Five. Spider-like creature. Female. Deadly.

  Avions: Small, winged creatures about the size of a loaf of bread. They have feathers and beak but can speak. They are typically very gossipy.

  Barney: An elderly, male House Servant. He works for Professor Conguise

  Beth McBrid: McBrid’s mother, deceased.

  Bing: A scientist on Level Five in Professor Conguise’s laboratory.

  Bob: A partially transformed Slug-Mug

  Butchie: A male Guard who had been involved with Prin.

  Brush-Men: Common name for Phasmatodea. Mutations created on Level Five. They vary in size from several inches to around four feet tall. They are thin, stick-like creatures with long claws and sharp teeth. Their eyes are brilliant blue or green and the larger ones sprout leaves from their bodies to help them blend in with the bushes and grasses where they hide.

  Bumpers: A young, male Brush-Man

  Cal: A young, male Servant. A stray who is taken to Level Five

  Charlie: A young, male Guard who works on Level Five with his older brother Louis.

  Cold Creepers: Reptilian-like creatures, about three feet tall and over six feet long, walk on all fours. They are green, gray or brown in color. They generally hunt in packs.

  Conguise, Peter, alias the professor: A geneticist. Used to be Hugh Truent’s mentor. Daughter was Viola. See also: Professor Peter Conguise.

  Council, the: A group of Almightys appointed to rule by the Supreme Almighty and the public.

  Crackderr: An older scientist who works on Level Five in Professor Conguise’s lab.

  Crochimorea: Common name is River-Men. Mutations created on Level Five that are human-fish-crocodile like creatures. They can live in or out of water but prefer to be in the water. They can breathe both above and below water. They have scales for skin, sharp teeth. Hunt from below the water and drag their prey under to drown it. Also called Fish-Men. (Rise of the River-Men: Chimera Chronicles Volume 1).Flea: A young, female Brush-Man. (Rise of the River-Man: Chimera Chronicles Volume One and Lake of Sins series)

  Dee: A young, male Guard. Pepper and Jimbo’s offspring.

  Fersia: A House Servant. Matilda’s daughter.

  Flea: A female Brush-Man hatchling who survived the poison.

  Fuzz: A House Servant who’d escaped being eaten by Aranea18 (Feeding Fersia) and was now on the run on Level Five

  Gastropodas: Common name is Slug-Mugs. Mutations created on Level Five that are large snail-like creatures that secrete a paralyzing goo. (Rise of the River-Man: Chimera Chronicles Volume One, Lake of Sins series)

  Glick also called Glassick: A young, male Brush
-Man.

  Gruder, Jonathon: A scientist on Level Five in Professor Conguise’s laboratory.

  Grunts: Are large and strong. They are bigger than Producers. They walk on all fours and do not speak. Their purpose is to haul things for the Almightys.

  Great Death: The illness that swept over the earth, killing most humans, all domestic animals and all wild animals larger than a wild turkey.

  Grunts: Are large and strong. They are bigger than Producers. They walk on all fours and do not speak. Their purpose is to haul things for the Almightys.

  Guards: Belong to the Almightys. They hunt for the Almightys and protect the Almightys. They vary in size and hair color. Their eyes are usually brown. They have large canine teeth and an enhanced sense of smell and hearing. The males generally wear facial hair.

  House Servants: Belong to Almightys. They manage the households and businesses of the Almightys. They are slender in build and short, between four and five feet tall. They have fangs and claws and their eyes are a vibrant hue.

  Hugh Truent: A male Almighty. The youngest Almighty to ever be bestowed the title of High. Son of Sarah Truent. (Lake of Sins: Secrets In Blood)

  Jimbo: A large, male Guard. Pepper’s mate. Belongs to Dr. Kalper

  Jocko: A young, male House Servant who is very attractive.

  Jorge: A male Guard. Belongs to Professor Conguise.

  Kalper, Dr.: An Almighty. He is Sarah Truent’s doctor.

  Laddie: A male Guard. Belongs to Professor Conguise.

  Lake of Sins: A village near a lake and forest. One of the most ancient communities.