by Will Wallner
As Hunter crawled towards the capsized vehicle, the black crow patiently stalked him. The crushed body of the MAW soldier lay in Hunter's path. It was collateral damage after Simon had ploughed the truck into Hunter. Hunter didn’t have enough energy to go around this obstacle. He simply crawled right over the corpse so he could continue towards his goal with the quickest possible route. It took him what felt like an eternity, but he finally reached the wrecked vehicle. It felt like escaping from the depths of hell, as he crossed from the bare open heat, into the dark shade. The shadow cast by the vehicle was just wide enough to hide Hunter's body from the burning eyes of the sun. Now that he was out of the heat, he used the final bit of his strength to lift his body off the ground. As he let out a painful groan, he leaned back against the vehicle, relying on the metallic structure to prop up his body. He could now take a moment to rest. Being out of the direct sunlight allowed him to think clearly about what to do next.
Hunter sat against the MAW vehicle, barely conscious. He panted and tried to catch his breath. Just crawling that short distance had taken an incredible toll on his body. He looked down at his hands, focusing on the dusty residue. Was this how he was going to die? He never discovered the secrets to his past. Perhaps he would fade away without ever knowing. Before he could think deeply about what the end of his life would mean, he was interrupted. Something caught his attention. While he rested in the shadows, hidden from the sun, another shadow appeared on the ground directly in front of him. He didn’t need to lift his head to see what cast this new shadow. He knew from instinct what this was.
"Have you come to watch me die?" Hunter spoke without lifting his head.
"Death comes for us all. It is the one fate you can’t escape." The shadow spoke with a deep ominous voice, almost like god himself was speaking to Hunter.
"Why are you following me?" Hunter coughed in agony. "I don't want to speak to you." He motioned with hand for the figure to stay away.
"Don’t be mistaken. It is you who summons me." The voice spoke with authority.
"How could I possible summon you?" He looked up at his tormenter. The dark figure stood, towering above him, shrouded in red mist.
"Can’t you feel it? There's a connection between us." Beneath the black cloak that covers the lower part of his face, his two burning red eyes focus on Hunter.
"I'm sick of all these vague answers. Just tell me who you are and what you want with me?" Hunter tried to raise his voice, but it only caused him more pain.
"I wish I could tell you, but it would seem we are both suffering from the same condition." Hunter understood, at least this part, of what the figure was saying. "I'm merely acting on impulse. It is a strange sensation. I am unable to regain control of my physical body, but I am somehow aware of my surroundings. Even now, I can feel them poking and prodding me."
"I have no idea what you’re talking about." The dark figure's word's only confused and antagonized Hunter even more.
"I am not from this world. I do not know this place or how I came to be here. But make no mistake, when the time comes, I will consume your soul. I know that is my purpose."
"Where do you come from?" Hunter asked.
"Allow me to show you." Red mist drifted from the figure and crept towards Hunter. He could do nothing to prevent it from surrounding and engulfing him. Hunter's vision was clouded by the mist and its dark red hue. He could still see the figure, towering above his prone body. The figure stood against fiery backdrop of the desert sun, burning the ground around him. As this dark creature spread its arms, summoning flames of darkness which shot up from the ground, the world around Hunter vanished. "This is where I come from."
~
It was pitch black with infinite darkness. The first moments of life were the awakening of consciousness. Hunter found himself standing in a dark space. There was nothing around him. All he could feel was a solid surface beneath his feet. He took a step and realized he was in fact standing on a surface made of gravel and dirt. With each step he heard the rocks grinding beneath him. Within minutes, a slight illumination appeared around him. A weak purple light shone in all directions. It was now apparent that Hunter was standing in the middle of a desert. This was not the same place he had just been. It was different. Even though the sun had disappeared from the sky, it wasn't night time. It was as if no sun existed in this place.
As Hunter stood in this barren desert, the ground shook, and a large meteor like object broke from the heavens and descended towards the planet beneath. It looked like it fell in slow motion, but for Hunter, there was no sense of depth or distance. It was almost as if he could have reached out and touched it if he wanted too. The objects mass was gigantic, and as it neared the planet, lightning exploded from the surface of each object, connecting the two, and pulling each closer together. As the distance between the two shortened, the magnetic field forced the planet to violently tremor and ground began to crack in every direction. Even though Hunter should have been swallowed by the impact, he simply observed the phenomenon like it was nothing more than a science presentation. When the meteor like object finally made contact, a huge explosion caused the ground to crumble into the planets core. Mountains fell into the abyss. It was an earthquake so strong it would have shaken the planet out of its gravitational alignment. When it was finally over, there was nothing, but a cloud of dust slowly dissipated into the dark sky. As Hunter watched the carnage come to a standstill, he noticed slight movements coming from cracks on the planet's surface. It was like thousands of ants emerging from the ground, but these were not ants, they were humans!
They emanated out from the cracks in the ground and continuously poured out, spreading all over the surface of the planet. From Hunter's perspective, they were nothing more than tiny fragments, each moving so fast they looked like a sea of flesh. It was impossible to see them individually, but the sum of their work began to show as they developed into a civilization. Structures appeared, growing larger and more complex, as each second past. Before long, an entire city had been constructed in this once empty space. It wasn't like any city Hunter had ever seen. The sun had risen, and the dark skies were now the clearest blue. The surrounding desert was now covered with thick green vegetation. The city and nature appeared to coexist in perfect harmony. What could be seen could only be described as a utopia, the pinnacle of mankind.
Hunter watched the city flourish as the human inhabitants lived generation after generation. With each new crop of flesh, the city only grew more beautiful. From the many fragments, one broke free and came into view. A young child stepped outside of the vision and approached Hunter. While millions of people moved so fast that they blurred together like a single stroke of a paint brush, this one child walked slowly.
"Join us." The child held out its hand. Hunter, who had witnessed the creation of this civilization as an abstract observer, was hesitant. "Come, see what is was like." The child had the voice of innocence. There was no malice. Hunter reached out and accepted the invitation. He was now standing on the streets of this utopian city, watching the humans, up close, live out their lives. He now existed at the same speed and could see them all clearly. He held onto the child's hand, who guided him on this journey. The city was even more magnificent up close. Hunter didn't speak a word. He just followed the child as they walked amongst the people. Everyone looked so happy and friendly, smiling and full of joy. The city streets were crowded and yet it was incredibly calm and peaceful. When they reached a large intersection, what was similar to a town square, the child stopped to speak to Hunter.
"Isn’t it beautiful?" The child spoke softly. "This was our finest achievement."
"Where are we?" He looked at the city around him, trying to imagine if he had ever seen this place or could recognize any part of it. It was completely foreign to him.
"This world doesn’t exist anymore. It vanished long ago." The child looked away from Hunter and faced the crowds of people.
"What happened?" Hunter asked.
"You will see. It will happen soon." The child pointed up to the sky. The once clear blue skies turned grey. Dark clouds blocked the sun's rays and an ominous shadow fell upon the city. The child turned back to face Hunter. "This place was a paradise enjoyed for many years. Then the calamity appeared, and all was lost." The child's face turned pale, and appeared to wither slightly, almost like the child was suffering from malnutrition. "At first we didn’t know what was happening." All around Hunter, the once happy people faded into darkness. "Our streets became full of despair and sorrow." There were woman and children begging for food. "Our soil became infertile." The streets were filthy and the lush vegetation that grew in perfect harmony with the city structures wilted and died. "Like a disease, it spread across the land, infecting us all."
The child was now too weak to stand and fell to her knees. Hunter tried to help her back onto her feet, but it was no use. The child would be dead soon. Hunter lay her gently on the ground and knelt by her side. He held the child's tiny hands as she struggled with every breath, until finally, there was no life left within her. A cold wind blew through the city, and along with it, a deathly shadow crept up on Hunter. Along with the wind, the faint sound of laughter could be heard, echoing through desolate city streets.
"You…" A single tear fell down Hunters cheek. He looked around, and everyone, every single person, who just moments ago had been living in paradise, lay dead. The sound of laughter intensified and grew louder. Hunter angrily stood up to face the dark menace who tormented his existence. "Why are you laughing? You did this, didn’t you?!? Show yourself!"
The dark shadow materialized in front of Hunter, towering above him. The ominous cloaked figure didn't speak. It simply continued to cackle with a demonic laughter that served only to mock Hunter. The sight of the dead child and the sound of this demon's laughter drove Hunter into an uncontrollable rage.
"Stop hiding in the shadows and face me!" Hunter lunged towards the dark figure and ripped away the cloak that concealed his true appearance. Now Hunter could see the demon's true appearance. It had the face of a man, but there was nothing except darkness that existed within him. Its cold lifeless eyes peered directly into Hunter's soul. "Answer me, damn you!" Hunter yelled aggressively, clenching his fists, prepared to unleash the full might of his wrath. The dark figure still refused to respond. It simply grinned at Hunter in a condescending manner. Just then, Hunter felt something pulling at this arm. When he looked down, he was shocked to see the child had been brought back to life.
"It will happen to you too." The child spoke, but not with same innocence she once had, there was another presence, speaking within her. Hunter reached out and touched her check with the palm of his hand. Almost as if he was checking to see if she was real. Her skin was warm but felt harsh and brittle. When he removed his hand, her young face had aged and deformed into something unhuman. It was then that Hunter realized all of the other dead bodies which filled the streets had begun to resurrect. They were coming back to life, but not as humans, as grotesque monsters. There something else about them which caught Hunters attention. They all emitted a slight red glow. This was the curse of Alizarin Crimson. Finally, the dark figure spoke.
"I am the harvester of death. Destroyer of worlds. My pleasure is in the corruption of innocence. I consume the souls of damned and you will join them." The dark figure raised its hand and pointed at Hunter. "Bring me his corpse!" The dark figure screamed like a general commanding an army of death. Every reanimated monster made a demonic howl in unison. They faced Hunter and one by one, began moving towards him, closing in on him, until he was trapped. Hunter looked in every direction. He was surrounded by a swarm of hideous creatures.
"Why couldn’t you save me, Hunter?" The demonic child spoke to Hunter. Its childlike voice was so haunting and disturbing. The shock caused Hunter to lose his balance and fall to the ground. He lay stunned while the child crept on him, crawling over his frozen body, like a spider. "You won't be able to save them either." She smiled at him with a demonic grin. Hunter gasped in fear, as more human monsters crowded around him, ready to devour his defenseless body. The child continued to taunt him. "Taz and Nakita, they'll burn, just like you." She giggled psychotically like a puppet. Standing behind the child, the dark figure could be seen laughing hysterically along with her. Hunter realized the sound of her voice was actually the voice of the dark figure, speaking through her. The child opened her mouth, revealing razor sharp fangs, and tore into Hunters flesh. Despite the pain, Hunter didn't scream. He couldn’t make a sound. He was completely frozen with absolute terror. The child smiled as she licked her blood covered lips and then continued to tear more flesh from Hunters body.
"That's it. Devour him." The dark figure watched, in approval, as the child feasted on Hunter. Several more human monsters took it in turns to rip mouthfuls of flesh from Hunter's body. "To think you thought you could defeat me, pathetic." The figure looked up and screamed with pleasure as Hunter was devoured by the army of the damned. Hunter could feel the life fading away from his body, as swarms of monsters crushed his bones. All he could see were countless grotesque beasts in every direction, shrouded in a thick red mist. The child plunged her fist into Hunter's chest and ripped out his heart. She held it in front of Hunter, who could see it still beating. "Your soul is now mine. Finish him."
Out of the darkness, a blue light pierced through the shadows of death. The child, poised to feast on Hunter's still beating heart, found herself cut in half. A blade sliced through the monster with a single stroke. Hunter watched as one by one, the monsters around him were cut to pieces. A knight, wielding a blade as large as a human, slay every monster who got in his way. When he was finished, the knight stood over Hunter and offered his hand. Hunter didn't recognize him, but he did recognize the soft blue glow which emitted from the knight's armor and sword. It was the power of Phthalo Blue. Hunter knew he could trust him and accepted the knight's hand. The wounds on his body had already begun to heal, as the knight pulled him to his feet.
"I was wondering when you'd show up. You always ruin all my fun." The dark figure cursed at the knight. "You’re too late. Soon I'll awaken and this world will be mine!"
"I won’t let you escape, not this time." The knight pointed his blade at the evil creature.
"I've killed you once before. There's nothing you can do stop me. I've already won." The dark figure raised its arms to the sky and summoned a fierce thunderstorm. Lightning struck the ground around him. "I'm going to enjoy ruling this new world. I can feel them all now, ready to do my bidding. They'll worship me as I corrupt their very existence."
"Silence!" The knight swung his blade with all his might. It left his hands, spinning through, directly towards the dark figure, who didn't try to avoid it. It sliced through him, and at that very instance, the dark figure burst into a flock of crows, which scattered in every direction. Hunter stood next to the knight and looked around at what was now the ruins of the city which had been called paradise. There was just the two of them, standing completely alone in the abandoned wasteland. The monsters had all vanished, as had the wounds on Hunter's body.
"Thank you." Hunter spoke to the knight, who stood covered in mystical armor. Its design was intricate and expertly crafted. Every interlocking piece was adorned with other stunning decorations that evoked a sense that they were not from this world. Every edge was razor sharp and emitted a soft blue glow. It looked dangerous to the touch and yet also beautiful. The knight removed his helmet and revealed his face to Hunter. The knight had long dark hair and a face that showed the worn contours of a warrior. Of course, Hunter didn’t recognize him.
"He was almost inside you. You must be more careful." The knight spoke with a soft yet assertive voice.
"He's been following me. Appearing in my dreams. I don’t know how to make it go away." Hunter struggled to find the right words to describe his relationship with the dark figure.
"He is a master of manipulation and deception. His wo
rds cannot be trusted. If he has chosen you, then you must have something that he desires. Don’t let your guard down." For some reason the knight couldn't understand, the dark figure was attracted to Hunter.
"What is he?" Hunter asked.
"He was once human, like you and me, but now he has transformed into something else, something unnatural. He is an enemy of mankind, my one true nemesis. I fought him long ago, but somehow, he managed to escape and has found his way to your world. He will be the death and destruction that annihilates your planets existence. You must defeat him. Once and for all." The knight was sincere in his words.
