Flames swirled around the lone boy as he walked his way through a burning town. The town gave off what could be called a medieval sort of vibe, but with a few major differences. He ran his hand through his brown hair, his matching eyes closing in thought.
First off, it seemed to be much more neat and tidy than a regular medieval setup would be, though that's what Josh inferred while staring at the scorched ruins, so he figured it was possible he was overthinking things. But overthinking had lost any and all definition when Josh looked at his situation.
He had been submerged in a river, and when he crawled out, he had ended up here. But where 'here' was he wasn't sure. His clothes were strangely dry, and he doubted the warm air had contributed much to that mystery.
*Where am I? Why is everything on fire? Where's Ash, my family? Audrey and Arthur? Are they okay? Why are my clothes dry? Where can I find a phone?*
Josh's thoughts came together in a jumbled mess as he pondered his situation. *Stop it!!! Focus! Not like I've ever managed to do that before, but now it's absolutely necessary!!! A phone...locate a phone, that's what you need to do. Call someone's number, maybe 911? Take note of your surroundings...hmmm, I'll also have to report the fire. Come to think of it... shouldn't there be emergency services out here already? Why don't I hear the sirens? And where are the roads?! Calm down you idiot!!! Head towards the screaming!!! Forget the phone!!! Ugh. I can't focus!!!*
Plagued with conflicting thoughts and the inability to make a lasting decision, Josh looked around and found a rock. It was a small enough rock where the boy could easily toss it, and flat enough to land on a certain side.
The youth took note of a mark that had suddenly formed and smiled, *Perfect, I can flip it like a coin.* He dubbed the side of the rock with markings 'Phone', and the other one 'Screams'. He only found it a little strange that the markings had formed just then.
During this time he had spent pondering and wandering, multiple screams had been coming from the center of the town, and Josh had been curious to see what the commotion was about.
Obviously he had already deduced that it likely had something to do with the fire or someone's injuries, but running directly into the middle of a burning town on instinct was certainly not one of the best courses of action he could think of. He wasn't an altruist, so rushing towards a person in pain wasn't at the top of his priority list. Sure, he would help someone for free, but if it required the possibility of him dying, he absolutely refused.
It wasn't like he believed his life was worth more than the other person's. If someone with the ability to cure cancer and solve world hunger required his life to save theirs... Josh would still say no, even though he knew that person would be of more value than him. The reason why...was...well Josh couldn't exactly figure that out.
He had been ready to let his life go to waste through his lack of discipline and focus, and had been perfectly fine with that. Was it because he had had others to fall back on, people to push him forward and allow his idle behavior to continue? He didn't know exactly why, but he was absolutely certain he wasn't ready to die.
*Yeah, I'll leave it at that. I'm not cut out for this existential stuff. Is that even what that word is supposed to mean?*
"Okay... time to flip it!" The youth said in a cheerful voice, trying to keep his morale up. The sounds of the flames had increased, and what had captured the boy's attention was the fall of a wooden support beam. "We're either scouting for a phone on the outskirts or heading to the center to find the screams."
He flipped the rock up in the air and watched it hit the ground.
"No markings...guess we're heading towards the screams."
*If I'm going to actually do something stupid like this then I should probably be realistic. If it seems like I can't find a way to progress farther into the town and get to the screams, I should look for a phone or whatever emergency equipment I can find. I should also be on the lookout for emergency services as well. Then I can figure out where the hell I am. And if it starts getting hard to breathe, I should abandon finding the people, that seems like the best option.*
Laying down his ground rules for himself to ensure his survival, Josh let out a small nod. Not doing anything stupid was his best option here. Even if he was already going to do something stupid, there was no reason for him to be suicidal. After all, who wanted to die?
It appeared that the time was deep in the throes of the night with how dark it was outside, but the flames lit up the surrounding area.
*Isn't it strange that there's no street lights out? This whole situation is just completely bizarre. Am I like...lucid dreaming or something?*
Looking up at the night sky, Josh found that he could mostly make out stars, but for some reason, there were some blotches of black that almost looked like large birds. *You sound absolutely delusional. No birds are that big.*
*But then why are they moving?*
Josh decided to ignore the thoughts racing through his head and walk forward. It had become excruciatingly obvious that Josh would be unable to keep up his facade of calm much longer, and that his panic would soon overtake him if he didn't ignore them, so he shoved his thoughts to the back of his mind.
He walked towards the center of the city, following the sounds of shrill screams. Every time he encountered a turn, Josh would find a rock and place one before he made his turn, so he knew his way back. He kept the rock with the strange markings on it in his pocket, though. He didn't know exactly why, he just felt it would be important later on. Call it instinct.
The youth stopped dead in his tracks when he passed an unburned sign. The design and shape of the sign weren't what caught his eye at all. In fact, the shape could be considered unoriginal and dull, as it was a mere rectangle. What actually caught his eye were the markings.
*These look like hieroglyphics... who uses these nowadays? A sign I can't read? Egyptian? No...even Egyptians don't use hieroglyphs anymore. Ugh, there's too many weird things happening right now.*
Putting the strange symbols out of mind, Josh continued his walk. *Isn't it strange that you haven't seen another person...? Like at all?*
That thought hated him. It was strange, wasn't it? No emergency services, no people running away, no dead bodies or lost children. There was absolutely no one around.
Finally facing the ugly truth that something beyond his comprehension had occurred, Josh began to walk a little faster.
He needed to find another living being. Someone, anyone, to answer his questions and satiate the burning curiosity deep in his bones.
He broke into a full on sprint, booking through the turns and looking in every direction.
Not a single body.
He heard the screams again and jolted toward the sound. He lamented his lack of physical activity back in school and cursed himself for his low levels of stamina.
Out of breath and weary, he was forced to take several walking breaks, and his cheeks heated from a combination of exhaustion, the flames, and his own embarrassment. Sweat stuck his shirt to his back, making him uncomfortable.
*I'm almost there. Just a little bit more.*
True to his own words, after about another five minutes of running, the exhausted youth found himself in a town square.
At least eight buildings surrounded the square and a fountain with the top smashed off stood in the very middle.
Josh heard a scream, but this time, it was directed at him.
"Dear God, please... HELP ME!!!"
*Wha...?*
Expecting someone to be trapped under wreckage or be wreathed with burns, the boy turned his head to face a lone woman.
She had black hair, an indecipherable eye color, and pale skin. Her clothes were singed, but for the most part fine. She looked to be in her late teens or twenties, and she was screaming her throat out.
"They killed my sister!!! They...they killed my sister!!!"
"I—I, calm down! Who killed your sister?! Are they coming for you?! Do we need to leave?!"
Josh instantly went on guard. Was this a terrorist attack? Did the people have guns? He needed to grab her and run.
But before he could think even another thought, a building was bulldozed and a creature that had an unobtainable size showed it's face.
It was a creature that shouldn't exist.
A creature so bizarre and disgusting that words couldn't do it justice. It was too fast, too fast for a creature of such a build. Too big, too big to be a creature. It was a monster.
A monster, plain and simple.