Blood Red Moon I fall to the ground, screaming in pain from the gaping wound in my lower abdomen. Mud slowly sinks into my wounds, and the rain pours down my back. The sky is gray and the clouds are dark, like the color of my wife's cruel heart. The heart of that woman turned foul as I drew my blade and swore to my country. I recall the days of war, as if only a dream had gone by. It was Mid-October, and my superior officer had informed me of a mission I would need to perform to redeem myself. I was to go on a Search-and-Rescue mission for a young woman who was captured by "Wolves." I did not know whether to consider this a joke or if he was serious. He had assigned me to a squad of three other men. There was a somewhat tall, fancy looking man who didn't seem to be fit to be in the war. He came from a rich family and fancied money and power. The next man was shorter than the other man but seemed to be much more intelligent, maybe because he was said to study the most historical objects and scientific studies. The last man was shorter than me, but I never got to see his face. Not much was said about this man so he was proclaimed a mystery. Hours afterwards, we were sent out on the mission, sent out into the deep woods, which were forbidden for any man or living creature to enter. The great wall of trees towered above us as we gathered closer to the woods. We walked through, introducing ourselves. My name was Vex, not that it really matters at this point. The man who fancied riches and power was named James. The man who was most intelligent was named Christopher. As for the mysterious man, we never heard him speak. After hours of silence, we gathered close to a clearing. The clearing was circular and was just a large plain. We stood in the far back, while on the opposite side was a tunnel through the trees. "Captain," James spoke,"Who exactly are we looking for?" He asked. I felt like punching him straight after. It was a stupid question, he didn't have to worry about who the person was, as long as the mission was completed. "James, don't talk, just follow." Christopher warned, obviously seeing the stress getting to me. The sounds of crickets and birds filled the air, making this place feel ever so peaceful. How could this place be considered forbidden? We walked forward, almost seeming like we weren't moving at all. "Captain, I think we should set up camp here." Christopher suggested, seeing the sun set. We set up camp on the direct middle of the field. Twilight grew ever closer and our camp was set up. We needed a way to pass the time, so we decided to tell stories until nightfall. James wanted to go first, so we allowed this. Nightfall wasn't close yet, so we didn't light a fire. "Are you ready for a tale of mystery, riches, adventure, and power?" James had asked. Everyone remained quiet. "There once was a young man by the name of Joseph, and he had everything that a man wanted; Riches, Women, and Power. Joseph was only around the age of 17, and was very adventurous. HIs father had gone on vacation, and his mother was deceased, so Joseph had decided to go on a trip to the woods in his backyard, he had never explored there before. Joseph packed the things he was sure he would need for a little exploring, and ventured off into the woods. He arrived in the deep part of the woods and heard a mysterious growling from the left. There was a cave, and slight smoke emitting from the large entrance. Of course Joseph was curious and stumbled inside. He tripped over a few rocks, catching himself to try and maintain his manly figure. The deeper Joseph ventured in, the darker, creepier, and louder the growling had become. Joseph grew hungry and stopped to eat a snack. Joseph brought out a Golden Apple from his backpack and devoured the fruit. The taste of the apple was sweet, so sweet the taste of it melted in his mouth, causing him to fall asleep. Joseph had slept a dreamless dream, but ever so peacefully, but was awoken by the trickle of a sticky liquid flowing down his back. Joseph looked up in fear, only to find a winged demon, or a dragon. Joseph panicked and reached for his dagger on his left thigh... nothing there. He quickly looked down to see that he hadn't packed his dagger. The dragon roared in a righteous fury. Joseph wittily tried to bribe the dragon, but alas, the dragon sent out a flame so menacing, it melted the ground Joseph stood." James finished. "What was the moral of that story? Don't go into a cave or you'll be killed by a dragon?" I laughed. James grew angry. "The moral, idiot, is to make sure you have everything accounted for or you will regret it." James snarled. Twilight had come, and it was Christopher's turn to tell the next story. Now that we have mediocrity out of the way," Christopher glanced at James,"We can now enjoy a real tale. This tale is true, as my god as my witness. There were once three young men by the names of Christian, Blake, and Emile. These three young men were proclaimed to be the smartest in all of ancient Greece. But there was one answer none of them knew... the meaning of life. These three men met and decided to have a competition, and whoever discovered the meaning of life would be proclaimed the smartest in the world. The three men went in three different directions. The first of the men, Emile, travelled to the famous Mount Olympus, home of the gods. Emile had confronted the Almighty Zeus and informed him of the competition. Zeus was intrigued, but did not know the meaning of life himself. Emile threw a fit and struck the god. Zeus howled in righteous fury, and cursed Emile with Immortality and Regeneration, Zeus then chained him to a giant stone slab, condemning him to a tall mountain where he would be eaten by a starving Griffin for all eternity. The second man, Blake, travelled to the underworld, where the Lord of Death reside... Hades. 'Who better than the Lord of Death to know the Meaning of Life?' Blake asked himself. Blake had approached the monstrous god, and informed Hades of the Competition, Hades cackled and called forth his beast, Cerberus. Blake panicked and attacked the god. Hades became furious and ripped Blake's soul from his body, condemning him to a mountain to suffer for all eternity. The last of the men, Christian, climbed the famed Mount Everest, hoping to find the answers very soon. Approaching the top, Christian stopped to see a giant stone slab, holding a man being eaten by a large griffin. He moved closer to see a wandering lost soul that took the form of Blake. All three men met once again. Christian thought for a moment, then realized something... "I got it! I know the meaning of life!" Christian exclaimed. All the sounds in the world went silent to listen to the answer, including the Gods. 'The Meaning of life... Do not piss off the gods.'" Christopher had finished his story with a hearty laugh. We laughed and I asked, "Ok, so who is next?" Everyone looked at the man with no name. He hadn't spoken, or even looked up at any one of us. We all gathered closer to him slowly. James had poked him, hoping to get a response. Nothing. Christopher poked him. Nothing. I poked him hesitantly, he quickly looked up, eyes glowing a deep red. The young man howled and his teeth grew to grotesque fangs. He looked at us in a blood-thirsty rage. I looked up to see a full moon. The man had been a demon we'd never thought to exist! A werewolf! Our only option was to run, run back to our superior officer back at the camp. The werewolf chased us and leaped at James first, lunging his claws into the back of James' throat. Christopher and I looked back, "Well, at least he killed the worst story teller first." Christopher laughed. I chuckled too, but continued running. We soon heard the screams of agony fade away, and Christopher slowed down to catch his breath. The werewolf dove into the heart and eyes of Christopher. Eyes gouged out and Heart ripped from its position. I heard the blood-curdling screams that quickly went silent. I looked back and pulled my silver dagger from my left thigh pocket, praying that I live through this. The werewolf lunged at me and clawed into my lower abdomen and through to my back. I impaled the Werewolf in it's heart as it struck me. The dagger had killed the werewolf. I shoved the werewolf's unconscious body off of me, and rolled over onto my stomach. Rain began to pour, and the mud dug into my wounds. I crawl as much as I can, feeling the embrace of death call to me. I collapsed, looking up at the full moon. The moon was a blood-red... The last thing I would see was a Blood-Red Moon. "James... your turn..." I smiled, eyes turning red.
Copyright © 2011 Alexander Ray Saldana |