Page 40 of Marked By Feral Monsters
Raising my hands, I call out, "I mean no harm!" but they keep shouting and waving their sticks. One guard moves in close with his spear. I snatch it and snap it in half.
Another, emboldened by his friend's loss, moves in behind him, then another, and before I know it, a crowd is on me. I try not to hurt them, but they keep poking, their rage building from angry shouts to fearful, guttural screams.
One spear pierces my abdomen, high enough to catch my ribs. It hit bone, and hurts, but thankfully, doesn't dig any deeper.
But I'm down, and bleeding, and the humans keep coming. Like ants on a carcass.
I can't get away.
I could kill them all. It would take a little effort, but I could do it.
But what would that do to Eden? Would I be killing her friends? Her family?
I could run away, but I don't want to leave her here, not now, not with these blood-thirsty humans.
For Eden, I let them bring me down. Another stab in my side makes me grunt. I snap another spear, but there are too many. I hold up my arms and try to block the attacks.
And I kept thinking of Eden.
I may die here, at their hands. And I'd never get to see her again.
That's the real tragedy.
Eden
Since returning to camp, I've felt like a different person. Skyler kept her mouth shut about Ulack, but she treats me like a pariah. I sleep alone outside.
I don't know why she thinks I like to listen to Ergo and the other men fuck her. I don't. It's not like I can turn off my ears. Sharing tents is common in our village, I'm not doing anything wrong by staying to sleep beside them. She does the same when I take someone into my furs.
It's like she knows I'm a freak, even though I've never really told her the depth of my depravity—she can see it in my eyes, smell it on me. And use it against me. She made me sound so nefarious. So wrong.
And now, my only friend has turned on me.
And I still miss Ulack.
They put me back on foraging duty, but told me I can't leave the village alone. I don't know anyone else who has ever been under such restrictions before. Perhaps Skyler told on me after all, and the elders don't trust me to leave by myself, afraid I'll lead a horde of orcs back here.
The uncharitable thoughts kick in again.Would serve them right, I muse.
It doesn't matter, though. Nothing has changed, and no orcs are coming. So, I forage. I pick berries and herbs and other vegetables and mushrooms that grow in the wild. I behave, following the new trail south. I sleep alone at the edge of the woods, and each day that passes like this chips away at my soul.
Until one day, on our way back from picking, we reach the village and there's a commotion right at the guard's entrance.
And that's where I see him.
He's not ugly at all. He's perfect. Hideously monstrous, beautifully warm and kind. And… bleeding?
I scream and race forward, and without thinking, I toss my full basket of berries onto the ground, then jump and tackle the first person I see. Ulack, his voice a deep octave below the rest, calls out my name.
"What are you doing to him?!" I screech, pounding my fists on the next guard. They surround Ulack with spears. He's bleeding near his ribcage, where they already stabbed him once.
Annoying little gnats indeed.
"Eden, I came to see you," Ulack explains in a hurry. Then he looks down at the humans, with some fear in his eyes. Alone, they are no match for him. But together…
One guard tries to pull me back by the waist, but I kick and flail until he lets me go, and I land by Ulack's feet.
"What is the meaning of this!" Devis shouts, his voice ringing out, making all the patrol guards stand at attention. I look over and watch Devis with the other elders trailing behind him, thunderous steps and rageful sneers. Skyler comes up behind us from the trail, with Tika in tow. Even Ergo is here to watch, picking up a spare stick and joining the guardsmen.
