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

- they were a crimson-red color. 

These rats stain my land and now threaten my people? He thought in his head as he approached a flanking demon attacking a door to a one-story hut. The inhabitants screamed their heads off for help. Fortunately, Roosevelt was there for them. He sprinted towards the flanking demon with the tip of the blade pointed at it. He neared the demon, thrusting forward but missing due to the demon noticing him and moving out of the way. 

Roosevelt fell back a few steps, facing the now angered demon. He held the sword horizontally in front of his chest. “Come get me, you rat!” He mocked the demon, angering it further. The low-level demons weren’t very intelligent, but they could tell when somebody was mocking them - and it angered them so. 

The demon charged towards him, brandishing its sharp claws to strike at him. Though they had a human-like appearance and stood on two feet instead of four like an animal, most of them, especially the lower leveled ones, couldn’t use weapons. Instead, they were forced to rely on their claws, which was similar to cat claws as they were retractable.

The strikes that the demon made were parried by Roosevelt’s saber. He parried every blow, being forced back inches. He looked for an opportunity as lower-level demons worked mostly on primal instincts rather than intelligence, with a few exceptions; this primal instinct allowed them to throw as many blows as they could and as quickly as they could rather than throw out blows strategically.

Suffering under so many random blows for a minute straight, Roosevelt darted to his right as the demon swung in the opposite direction and swung horizontally at it. The strike cut the demon in half, killing it instantly. The low-leveled demons were weak to experienced swordsmen and mages but weak to the common folk. 

With the demon dead, Roosevelt turned towards the door that it was attacking. “The demon’s dead. Stay inside and do not come out unless explicitly told so.” He ordered. He got a quick response from the owner of the house before moving forward. He saw another demon fighting with a farmer armed with a pitchfork. The farmer struck at the demon but missed. The demon counterattacked with a slash that broke the skin on his chest. The farmer fell to the ground, placing his hand on the slash wounds in hopes of stopping the blood from spilling out.

Roosevelt sprinted forward as quickly as he could, pointing the tip of the blade behind him. “Damn you rats if you think you will spill the blood of my people on this land!” He shouted as he neared the demon. However, he was too late as the demon, who shot a creepy grin at him, penetrated the farmer’s head with his claws. The farmer went limp, signaling his death. 

“To hell with you rats!” He shouted, filled with anger that threatened to burst. He closed his eyes and pointed his head downward, ramming into the demon and throwing it off-balance. It collapsed to the ground but wasn’t dead yet. Fortunately, Roosevelt corrected this injustice, raising the saber high into the air before digging the blade through the demon’s forehead. The demon squirmed and growled as if to say, Let me go! You’re killing me! However, Roosevelt granted the demon no mercy. He pierced the demon’s brain and killed it instantly. 

Once the demon was dead, he brought the saber out of the demon’s head and, with one action, threw the blue blood of the demon at the ground. Most of the blood transferred from the blade to the dirt.

He turned away from the demon and faced the farmer’s corpse. He bowed his head in respect. “Let the Gods aid you to Heaven, my poor child. I have avenged you… but I don’t deserve praise for it. I have sinned and will continue to, but the blood… the blood will never leave my hands. Cez.” He turned away from the corpse, sprinting towards the next scream. He had on a glare that refused to leave his sight; at least until the demons were killed. 

Unfortunately, neither Roosevelt nor his guards could stop the demons. They were flooding the town in large numbers. The casualty rate grew no matter how much blood, sweat, and tears Roosevelt put in. He couldn’t be everywhere.

***

Before the fighting started, Austin had slipped out of the house armed with the two-pound Yellowfin. He brought the fish to a house a few miles away from his house, a small two-story house. Once he arrived, he was greeted by the owner of the house. “Good evening, Austin. What did you bring today?” He asked.

“Good evening, Mr. Santiago. It isn’t a lot, but I brought a two-pound Yellowfin.” He said before showing off the fish. “I caught it today.”

Mr. Santiago, a well-built father of one, looked into the bucket before smiling. “What a good fish, thanks for it Austin.” He said before turning around. His wife was sitting on the porch, staring at them. “We’re eating Yellowfin tomorrow.”

His wife smiled. “Thanks, Austin. It’s the perfect season for Yellowfin.” She said loud enough for them to hear her.

“Of course, Mrs. Santiago.” He responded. He then handed the bucket to Mr. Santiago who graciously accepted it.

“At this point, Austin, with all of these gifts, you might as well as marry my daughter.” He joked. His wife, who heard him, nodded in agreement. 

“I would love Austin as a son-in-law.” She added.

Austin sheepishly shook his head while blushing. “U-Uh… I… Y-You, don’t… No, i-it’s…” 

“Breathe Austin, it’s just a joke.” He said before turning around. “Unless you want to make it a reality - neither my wife nor I would mind.” He said, teasing him.

“I… I should go.” He said, about to turn around when something caught his eye. It was Mr. and Mrs. Santiago’s only child--- fifteen-year-old Alice Santiago. She was a brown-haired beauty with tan skin, sharp features, and a lovely voice. She was always in his thoughts. 

She was in the second-floor window, staring at him. When he looked up at her, their eyes meeting, she smiled and waved. He waved back, glancing at her parents who smiled and teased him, before looking away. “I-I’ll s-s-see you tomorrow.” He whispered before hightailing it away. Mr. Santiago watched him, laughing to himself. 

I would love you as a son-in-law as well, Austin. But take your time, I’m sure I can expect a marriage proposal to Alice soon. Well, maybe we’ll have to step in and push it forward if he acts like this. Oh, the sweetness of youth. He thought to himself before turning towards his house and wife with the bucket in his hand. “We’re eating well tomorrow.” He declared.

***

Austin headed back home, ignorant of the fighting. It was happening on the other side of town and the news of the demons was slow to travel. Unfortunately, the demons moved faster than the news. 

As he walked down the main dirt road of Creek, he heard shuffling and growling around him. It was coming from the trees and some distance in front of him. “What the hell?” He thought out loud. He brandished a hunting knife from his pocket, bringing it close to his chest. His eyes darted around in search of the cause of the sounds. It didn’t sound like normal animals to him, but something demonic; he got chills because of that thought.

No way it’s demons… they should only be on the mainland. We’re safe here… plus why would one spawn next to a small town like Creek? Yeah, I’m sure it’s just a… wounded animal? He thought to himself. Unfortunately, his thoughts weren’t reassuring him as the sounds grew closer and closer to him. Eventually, the cause of the sounds showed themselves. It was demons who had been traveling through the trees, their sights set on Austin.

Austin, whose eyes were widened and his mouth gaped, took several steps back before turning tail and running. He hoped to arrive at the Santiagos’ house before ht demons could reach him. Although a good plan initially, the demons’ smaller and more agile bodies ruined it. They were quicker on their feet than Austin, easily catching up to him and clawing into his back.

He collapsed to the ground, moving one hand to his back to feel the new wounds. The slashes weren’t deep, but they stung with intense pain. And they were quickly followed by more wounds as the demons slashed into his back, tearing at his skin and leaking out blood.

Austin couldn’t do anything, paralyzed by fear and shock. He gripped onto the hunting knife with all of his might, but couldn’t move his body to attack. It was as if he had no control over his own body and was now a passenger in it. 

Seconds after paralyzing him, they struck at his head. One of them managed to pierce his head within seconds and kill him instantly. His life flashed in front of his eyes, replaying every memory of the past, present, and future. Even his death was being replayed to him. He, the son of Warrior Lord Roosevelt, had been slain by demons in a stretch of the road where many rarely lingered. He lost his life with very little resistance, his dreams, and aspirations leaking out of the hole in his head like gas. He was now nothing more than a corpse - his eyes remained open and analyzing while his body went limp. Austin was dead… and nobody could reverse it… unless a Godly Being intervened.

***

“W-W-Where am I?” Austin muttered, looking up at his surroundings. He laid on his stomach, his head darting to every inch around him. He wasn’t laying on the dirt road, surrounded by trees, but on a brick path with fire on all sides of him. 

“What the-?” He muttered as he cautiously rose to his feet. He looked around to see that the layers of fire consumed the entirety of the landscape. The red flames licked at everything, now inching towards him. He stood within a three-foot circle, which was the only thing in view that hadn’t been consumed by the fire. 

“Where am I? I’m not… This isn’t Creek.” He heard the cackles of the fires around him, threatening to consume him. He shifted to his tiptoes as the fire broke into his personal space. Soon, he’ll be consumed entirely.

“You? You are in Hell’s Graveyard.” A voice grumbled behind him. He turned to face the person, finding a man waiting for him. The man was six feet tall and was skinny. His entire body was masked in black, obscuring most of his noticeable features. His eyes were the only thing Austin could make out, being a hungry blood-red color. The man stood some distance away from him, his shins and below hidden by the flames. Everything above was visible to Austin, but the majority of it couldn’t be seen through the blackness. It was as if his body had been consumed by the darkness, swelling over him like armor. 

“W-Who are you?” Austin asked. “Why am I here? I-I was in Creek when-” He stopped talking, feeling some warmth in his lungs. He was then hit with pain as the oxygen within him was sucked out of him. He glanced at the man while grabbing at his throat. The man had a fist pointed towards him, squeezing his fingers tightly. The tighter he squeezed, the less oxygen Austin took in. He collapsed as the fire that had been surrounding him now rescinded, desperately gasping for air. However, air refused to enter him, leaving him at a loss.

“I could suffocate you to death at any moment I wish… However, that won’t be any fun. Instead… Do you want this power? Oh… You can’t speak, right?” The man said before chuckling menacingly to himself. He released his fingers, showing Austin his palm. “See… Now you can breathe.”

Austin gasped for air, gulping down the air that had refused him moments ago. He took several minutes