Two Page Shorts - Nick Venom (big ebook reader txt) 📗

burned the flesh a bit. Anyways, let’s go already.” He said as he dumped the fish into a wooden bucket with water in it. He grabbed the bucket and went up a small hill and crossed over the main dirt road before reaching his family’s property - sixty acres of land. A decent-sized mansion was planted in the middle of the land with a smaller dirt road connecting the house and the main room.

Austin and Penelope traveled down the smaller dirt road towards their home, the Shield House. They reached the door, wiping their feet on a bearskin rug before entering the building. They took off their shoes, exposing their wool socks, and placed them beside the door. 

“Mom, we’re home!” Penelope shouted after she dropped her shoes off. She stood in the well-furnished living room, looking around for her mother. She found her sitting on a couch facing away from the front door and towards a wall of windows that looked out into their backyard garden area. “Austin got another fish.” She reported.

Their mother stood up from the couch, rubbing her overly large stomach. She was expecting a third child in a matter of a few months. Her first two children were ecstatic at the announcement.

“I see that you finally brought him inside.” She said while letting out a small smile. “How was fishing?”

Austin brought the bucket close to his mother, wary to not let the water slouch out. He then lowered the bucket on the floor before looking up at his mother and her fiery red hair. He had the same type of hair, except that his was a lot shorter than hers (barely touching his eyebrows) and it was a shade darker. He also had the same color eyes as her, being a jade green shade. 

In contrast to him, Penelope didn’t share as many traits; she had brownish-red hair, charcoal eyes, pale skin, and sharper features. Both her mother and her brother were tanned skin and had duller features - a slightly round nose, a less-defined jawline, and puffy cheeks. Penelope and her father, on the other hand, have a pointy nose, high cheekbones, and a well-defined jawline. It was as if the family was a ying-yang in genetics.

“Well… not the best,” Austin said, showing off his catch - a ten-pound Blackfin and a small two-pound Yellowfin. “I lost most of the bites, so it’s nothing extravagant as usual.” He said with a sad tone.

His mother shook her head before opening her arms. She embraced Austin. “It’s more than enough, honey. Keep your head up or others will drown you.” She told him.

He nodded. “You’re right, Mom.” 

She nodded, smiling at him. She then released him and turned away, facing a door on their left. It was the entrance to the dining room and, deeper into the house, the kitchen where the chief and his assistants prepared food. “Let’s go before the food runs cold.” She said as she moved towards the door with Penelope by her side in case something happened. Austin followed them with the bucket. 

They headed into the dining room, two of them stopping there while the third continued forward. Austin handed the fish off to the chiefs, asking them to let him cook the fish the next day, which they agreed to quickly. However, the head chef made sure that they would prepare a replacement in case Austin burned the fish.

With the preparations for today’s feast prepared, the few servants that the Shield family could afford, brought the food out in silver platters. They laid them on the well-crafted rectangular round table and took off the lids, showcasing the food - steaks with a side of veggies grown from the backyard garden. 

“Thank you, men.” Austin’s mother said to their servants. They bowed their heads before retreating to the back of the kitchen, standing straight and attentively.

Meanwhile, the door to the dining room opened and a man dressed in a black coat entered the room. As he entered, the room went silent, all eyes focused on the man. He wore heavy black boots with black wool socks that ran up past his ankles, greenish-black trousers, and a decorated sombrero. His coat covered the pieces of iron strung together to protect his vitals as well as his black tee shirt. 

“Lord Roosevelt Shield.” The servants remarked as the man approached the table, sitting down at the head of the table. His chair had sporadic patches of green, white, and red - as well as a large skull at the top of his chair. 

The man ignored the chair, instead, glancing around his surroundings, at his family and the servants, before intertwining his fingers and placing them softly on the table. “Let the Gods bless our meal. May we take a hint of their mercy and pray for the prosperity of our land and our futures. Cez.” He remarked, being joined by his family. Once they reached the final word of “Cez” (their version of Amen), they began to feast on their food. 

During their feasting, Roosevelt bit off a piece of the steak before stopping. “I heard you've been catching a lot of fish, Austin.”

Austin, who had been caught while in the middle of a bite, quickly gulped what was in his mouth and nodded his head. “Yes, I have… S-Should I not be?” He asked.

“Nonsense!” His voice echoed off the walls before being followed by laughter. “Toughen up, Austin. I meant nothing against you. I only had been hearing your good deeds from the citizens. You’ve been sharing the fish with some of the less fortunate.” He said.

Austin nodded with a small smile. “Thank you, Father.”

Roosevelt nodded, grinning with delight. “You have grown up well, son. It was only yesterday that you were born.”

Austin blushed, shaking his head playfully. “Father… that was fifteen years ago.”

“You’re right.” He said before turning his head to face the servants. “Two mugs of alcohol.” He demanded. 

They nodded, being dispatched to the kitchen to grab the alcohol and fill two mugs. They brought the mugs out and handed them to him. “My Lord, here they are.” One of the servants, an older man nearing his expiration date, said. 

“Good! What could I do without you, Frederick, my good friend.” He asked playfully.

Frederick bowed his head, hiding a tear of joy. “It’s the other way, my Lord. My family would be suffering and I’ll be on my deathbed without your assistance. Thank you so much, Lord Shield.”

Roosevelt turned towards Austin. “Remember to take good care of Frederick’s family after both of our departures. He’s been a fine man who has served us well. Remember not to disgrace those who have shown their loyalty to you.” He said while patting Frederick’s shoulder. 

Austin stood up, bowing his head to Frederick, who now looked up. “Thank you for everything you have done, Mister Frederick.”

Frederick smiled, now on the verge of tears. “T-Thank you… I will serve you all until my final breath. I will promise you that.”

“Good man. Now go and retire for the night. Make sure you take your medication.” Roosevelt said. Frederick nodded, thanking them again before taking his leave. Once he was out of the room, everybody continued eating. Austin sat back down in his seat, feasting on the steak in front of him. 

After several tens of minutes, the food was finished and the scraps were given to the horses living in a stable towards the back of the property. Everybody except for Roosevelt retired to their quarters. Roosevelt, instead, headed outside and did a perimeter check - he brought his trusted saber in case he needed to deal with an enemy. He did this even though he had assigned guards that did the job; he enjoyed joining them on the walks. It was some exercise and a good reminder about his property’s boundaries. As he was walking with the guards this night, a man rushed towards him, one of his citizens.

“Lord, I have news.”

Roosevelt turned to face the sweating frail man. “What is it? Spit it out quickly!”

“A dungeon full of demons has appeared outside the town. They’re charging towards us. We need your help.”

Roosevelt turned towards his guards. “Prepare the militia and attack the demons. Defend the land as if it was your family.” He demanded. The guards nodded, rushing off to fulfill their orders. Roosevelt, meanwhile, dismissed the man and headed inside. 

“It looks like it started.” He thought out loud. He had heard about demon dungeons sprouting all over the world but never expected that his small town of Creek would be affected. However, he was proved wrong. The demons were on their way and stampeding through the town. 

Creek was on its way to destruction.

***

“Lise, where are the children?” Roosevelt shouted as he entered the house to see his wife laying on the couch. She strained her neck to stare at her husband.

“In their quarters… What’s wrong?” She asked before waving her hand at a servant. The servant, who had been standing by a back wall on her right, noticed the movement and approached her, helping her stand. She then waved him away, walking towards her husband. “What happened?”

“Demons are here.” He whispered into her ear. “A dungeon appeared outside of Creek.”

She let out a gasp, taking a step back. “W-What should we do?”

“I’ll take care of it, just get downstairs and wait for me.” He told her. He turned towards the servant. “Round up everybody and get downstairs. Make sure everybody, and I mean everybody, gets downstairs. Is that clear?”

“Yes, my Lord.” The servant said, rushing to pass along the orders. 

While he ran around, Roosevelt turned around and faced the door. His wife stood behind him with an expression of worry on her face. “Where are you going?” She asked.

“Out.”

“You can’t… You’ll be killed out there!” She shouted.

Roosevelt shook his head before turning around. He approached his wife, planting a firm kiss on her forehead. He looked into her eyes, being memorized by them and nearly escaping reality… for a few seconds. He was quickly brought back into reality however by the screams of his citizens. “As their lord, it is my responsibility to protect my citizens. Even if it costs me my life… I have to do it.”

Lise shook her head, tears bubbling in the corner of her eyes. “B-But… our baby.” She rubbed her stomach in hopes of stopping him, but she couldn’t stop him. He shook his head before turning around.

“Don’t worry, Lise. I will come back alive if God allows it. Don’t cry… You’re too strong for that.” He went to the door, opening it and closing it behind him. His wife collapsed to her knees, sobbing. Nearby servants helped her up and took her downstairs and she was quickly followed by Penelope. However, Austin was nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, Roosevelt traveled to the frontlines. Once there, he found his soldiers dueling with the low-level demons that threatened the town’s safety. He approached them, gritting his teeth as the first drop of blood was shed. “How dare you!” He shouted, attracting the attention of his soldiers and the demons. “You dare to stain my land? You rat bastards! Men! Raise your weapons high and your spirits higher! Kill these rats and protect Creek! Protect our families and our homes!” His boisterous voice echoed off the walls and motivated his men. They fought more intensely with the invaders, cutting as many as they could. However, they were being overwhelmed and, soon, surrounded. The demons were mostly charging the front where the soldiers were, but a few went around. These flanking demons quickly proved to be a large issue as they attacked defenseless citizens. These citizens flocked into their homes, but a few were broken into by demons and all were killed. These demons caused more chaos and killed tens of people within a few minutes.

Roosevelt, who had been fighting on the frontlines, heard the cries of his citizens and sprinted towards the sounds. The flanking demons were a different shade than the ones being massacred at the frontlines