Hiding
1916 Words
The heat of the sun woke me up. It flashed at me angrily, almost burning my pale skin. I laid flat, staring at the cloudless sky. I could see the moon in the opposite direction, faintly visible and reduced in size. I wonder if I only dreamed what happened yesterday.
I sat up and grabbed a crumbling paper behind my pants. The words Calamar Sibilus spread across the golden paper. It illustrated a sea creature with three long arms and a pointed head. Below, were indications of specific points where it could be found.
“Calamar Sibilus, huh?” Kun was suddenly on my right shoulder.
“Geez, you are going to give me a heart attack!”
“Are you going on a hunt?”
“I am not sure. But what I am sure of is that this can be found somewhere in the ocean.”
“Do you have a fishing pole with you?”
“Making one is easy.”
“I don’t think so. If you want to catch that big guy, you need something complicated.”
“Complications are costly, you know.”
“Exactly. So, what is your plan?”
“Our plan is to find Keita. We cannot push forward without him. He has the map, remember?” Girly cut in.
“Yo Ghorl, I thought you were polishing your weapon for a moment there,” Kun squeaked.
“And now I am here. When do you plan on finding Keita?” Her eyes bore through us.
“C-can you chill out for a moment? Actually, we were just getting ready to set off,” I raised my hands.
“Oh? Set off where, exactly?”
“We can ask around.”
“But no one is around, man,” Kun interrupted.
“I’m not so sure about that. I heard someone nearby yesterday while you trailed off.”
“I thought it was funny seeing you there out cold.”
“You are such a cold-hearted brat.”
“Where did you hear this person?” Girly asked.
“Across the river. We will need Bugseye to get there.”
“He is still resting after that three-day trip. We can fell down a tree.”
“I think I have a better idea. Come with me.”
I led them to the riverside. I looked for a flat rock and marked it on both sides. I flipped it across the water. Then an angry roar sounded from the other side. That doesn’t sound human, I realized.
Behind the enormous boulder, a hunched creature with crimson eyes showed up. He greeted us with its sharp teeth, shining brightly against the sun. In one leap, it reached the other side. My heart stopped for a few moments.
“Run, you i***t!” Kun screamed.
“You moron, if you run, he will start to pursue us, which is even worse.”
“You better think fast, he doesn’t look friendly.”
“Hey buddy, my compadre! How are you?” I took small steps towards it.
“Roar!” It replied with high intensity.
“Okay, screw this. I say we run.”
I got to my feet, Girly and Kun followed after. Behind us was the grizzly creature. I ran my hands to the first tree I could find. It appeared to stop in its tracks. Suddenly, the tree shook. I jumped to the next tree and hid myself under the thick pointed leaves.
Then an explosion roared louder than the monster’s rampage.
“Nuclear Diffusion!” Girly and Kun shouted in unison.
The monster looked dazed and confused. It looked around to find the source. When he failed, he roared loudly in frustration before running off. With a sigh of relief, I skidded down the tree. Girly and Kun joined me soon after.
“You should have seen your face, Vampire,” Kun squealed in laughter.
“You sound like you are suffocating,” I looked sternly at him.
“Your face looked like an egg that is going to pop,” Kun’s voice pitched higher like inhaled helium.
“Laugh all you want. But when the time comes, prepare to count your remaining days of joy.”
“Ooh, the reaper is going to take my soul. I would rather watch that haunted tape and die a week after than wait for you to come.”
“Oh, but I will be much faster than that. Come here and I will show you.”
“Want to catch me again, grandpa?”
“Enough of this nonsense. Do you guys even know where we are?” Girly stood between us.
I stopped and looked around. I rushed to the center of the trees, but the hole was gone. I stared at the sky, but I could see no cloud. I must have been dreaming yesterday. I walked back to my team as if nothing happened.
“Did you find something, Vampire?” Girly asked.
“My hands are empty,” I replied.
“We can bomb this entire forest to clear the way,” Kun suggested.
“It will be a waste of ammo. We should think of something else,” Girly answered.
Suddenly, the net came out of her pocket. It glowed with energy, then let out Grumpy. He pointed his head toward the east side before rushing towards that direction. I heard footsteps dash away, followed by a heavy thud. Grumpy roared behind the trees.
We followed the direction of the sound. The trees became thicker and mossier the deeper we ventured. We found Grumpy dropping his weight on his catch. It was a young boy of about seven wearing leaf and bark clothing. Some big bandages covered the back of his head.
“Get off me, you monster!” The boy tried to wiggle his way out.
“Who might you be?” I asked.
“Huh? It’s you! You big meanie!”
“How dare you accuse me? I haven’t done anything to you.”
“You are right kid, he is a big meanie,” Kun interjected.
“Stay out of this brat. I am not surprised that your growth spurt has abandoned you.”
“Pick on someone your own size, you big meanie.”
“Grumpy, you can get off him now. Poor kid, what happened to your head?” Girly clasped the kid to her chest.
“Can’t… breathe… dying…”
“Ah, sorry.”
“You have some deadly breasts, lady. I almost died.”
“She has a built in boobie trap, careful kid,” Kun warned.
“Thank you for reminding me,” he recovered his breath. “Anyway, that big guy tossed a stone at me yesterday. It bled like tap water. So, I ran to mommy to stop the hurting.”
“Vampire, come here!” Girly roared.
“It was an accident,” my feet turned towards the opposite direction.
“Vampire, come right here this instant!”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Kneel and apologize to this kid. What is your name again?”
“Akachi.”
“Do it now before I eat your head,” her eyes had souls cycling continuously.
“S-so scary.”
“Now, Vampire!”
“I’m sorry, Akachi!” I instantly got to my knees.
“Was that so hard?”
This chick is scary. It was like the devil has come to reclaim my soul, but changed her mind. She looked more terrifying than the mana sucker back at the castle. At the corner of my eye, I thought I saw the boy grin impishly.
“It is getting dark now, I have to get back to mommy,” Akachi got to his feet.
“Can you take us with you?” Girly pleaded.
“Does the big meanie have to come with you?”
“Don’t mind him, you have my protection.”
“Do you promise?”
“Pinky promise.”
The look of joy on Girly’s face was refreshing. Her electric smile restarted my heart to beat again. I don’t know how long I have been holding my breath when I looked at her pure face. Her eyes twinkled before the setting sun. No wonder Keita looked at her differently.
Akachi led the way through the thick trees. I kept my distance as Girly ordered. She skipped along with him until they both fell face down on the solid ground. Beyond the trees, people appeared like raindrops. Akachi’s house rested on the highest tree. If not for the wooden stairs, we would have waited for someone to drop some hair.
“Mommy, I am home! What is for dinner?”
“It is not ready yet. Play with your toys for a bit while I finish this up.”
“But mommy, I have brought my friends with me.”
“You should have told me earlier that they are coming. I am afraid dinner will take much longer.”
“Can’t we order out?”
“Sigh, okay. Order some pizza and root beer from our neighbor. Tell him to list it down for now.”
“Okay. Girly, you and your friends play with my toys while I get us some dinner.”
“Take care,” Girly waved at him.
The house had Akachi’s drawings painted on the walls. It mostly had birds, stars and trees. The ceiling had the view of the night sky. A number of toys littered across the floor. Some time has passed, Akachi has not returned yet.
“Akachi! Dinner is ready!” a thick female voice called out.
“Uhm, your son has not returned yet,” I replied.
“That’s odd. He is never late for dinner,” a youthful woman peered out of the leaf curtain.
“We should check out what happened,” Kun suggested.
“How nice of you, but I believe he will be back in a few moments.”
“I have a bad feeling about this. A kid wandering this late at night doesn’t sound right,” Girly looked worried.
“I don’t want to bother my son’s guests, but could you check him for me?”
“We are on our heels, Akachi’s mom.”
“Thank you. Please, call me Maneta.”
We ran down the spiral staircase. Magpies flew past us as we made our descent. The stores have closed at this time of night, but Akachi was not in sight. The streetlights guided our way around town. Then a trashcan fell behind us. My heart stopped when I saw a black cat.
“Goodness, it was only a cat,” I sighed.
“What else scares you, Vampire?” Kun joshed.
“Shut up and focus on finding Akachi.”
“Alright, gramps.”
My thoughts threw negative possibilities at me. Then I heard a muffled scream. It must be Akachi! The screams led us to a rotting tree. A dark opening reverberated. I pushed the claws out from my fingers before venturing inside. Hot air blew across my face. Beads of sweat formed instantly on my forehead.
“Girly! Help me!” Akachi’s voice resonated.
“Hush child, no one can save you,” a shallow voice laughed darkly.
“Who is this wicked beast talking?” Kun taunted.
“Who dares come forth in my abode?”
“Your words are ancient. Can’t you speak twentieth century?”
“Silence! Your mockery equates to your demise.”
“Try me.”
Out of nowhere, something fine and sharp shot through my chest. Shock waves flowed through them. Akachi kept calling for Girly. Kun randomly threw bombs at the source of the sound. Girly followed with her missiles. The menace started laughing as if something tickled it.
“Is that the best you can do? After all, you haven’t scratched me yet. Thankfully, you have silenced this noisy brat.”
“Why are you doing this to him?”
“You want to know why? Oh right, the kid cannot speak for himself. Then I will tell you why. Everything started with a single item on my list. The mother said that she would pay it back soon enough. I kept on listing whatever food he took from me until it filled the book from cover to cover.”
“You waited until it filled up a single book? How stupid can you be?” Kun interjected.
“That is why it is my time to collect what is due to me.”
“Why bring the kid into this? He has nothing to do with this,” Girly countered.
“He is directly responsible for he takes whatever he wants. The mother does nothing about this son of hers. I have not even seen her come down from her tree in ages.”
“Surrender the kid to us. We can talk this out.”
“Talk? Her mother does not even show up whenever I file a complaint.”
“We can do it this way. We all know where they live. We can mediate between two parties,” I suggested.
“And what if she does not comply?”
“She will still be held accountable. Do we have a deal?”
He did not say anything. Suddenly, the sharp things that struck us pulled out like a reversed bullet. Complete silence filled the hot atmosphere. I felt something heavy impact my chest.
“Do not try anything. I have filled his lips with poison as insurance.”
- Writer
