Run,James Run!
My father's voice cuts through the chaos like lightning.
Everything is burning,beasts are everywhere.Screams fill the air.I don't look back.I'm running just like he told me to.The air is thick with smoke.My eyes burn.My legs are trembling but they don't stop.A roar echoes behind me.The ground shakes with each heavy step that follows.Its getting closer.I saw it,I wish I hadn't but I saw it.An orc bigger than any man grabbed uncle Sam by the head and-tore it off.
No hesitation,No mercy
I want to scream.I want to stop.I want to turn back and find my father but I can't.He told me to run so I run.This was supposed to be a peaceful border town.We were under Valdorian protection.Soldiers were coming here every week to check it.
Why is this happening to us? How did monsters get there? And why is there no one here to save us?
Everything turned black...and after a while light appeared,it was our fireplace.Winter hit hard that year too.It was freezing,but there was still peace until my father began to speak.
"I was a famous adventurer once" he said,poking the fire with an old iron rod."I travelled the world.I've seen the Drazkul Mountains where dwarves live also The woods of Elves and I even stepped foot in the Cursed Lands before.
"Are you trying to fool us again,dad?" I asked half laughing.
"I'm completely serious!Let's ask your mother,Emily!Honey kids don't believe me!"
My mom walked over,patting our heads with a warm smile."Oh Richard are you still telling those stories? She chucled.
Then she looked at us and said,"But Yes your father is telling the truth.We actually met because of his adventuring."
Days passed like that.Being a farmer wasn't easy and we weren't so wealthy.But we had something else-love.We kept going even in the harshest winters or hottest summers.Holding each other close in that little wooden house at the edge of the valley.
One night,I went to bed and fell asleep like any other day.But that night I had a nightmare.The moon was red and I was completely alone.A man dressed in black walked toward me through a horde of monsters,a sword in his hand.As he reached out and touched me,I suddenly woke up.
"Are you okay?" My brother Cedric asked."I'm fine just a bad dream"I replied.
The next morning,Uncle Sam-my father's best friend-came to visit.
He was still single but he always talked about wanting to find someone to marry.
My father laughed and said:"If you stay single a few more years,James and Cedric will get married before you!"
Later in the day, we went to the lakeside for fishing. Uncle Sam and Father were talking about life, while Cedric and I were running around. Cedric tried to push me into the lake, but I dodged, and he fell into his own trap. We went home as the sun was setting. There was a feast waiting for us. We ate, laughed, and at the end of the day, Uncle Sam prepared to leave. These were the last peaceful moments before experiencing hell.
I woke up with a scream in the middle of the night. My mind was totally confused. I couldn't understand what was happening outside — until the roof was torn off. The men of the village were fighting to buy time for their families to escape. They knew they had no chance against those massive monsters.
The moon was shining red, like in my dream. Was it a warning? I asked myself, but there was no time to dwell on it. I began to run. The smell of smoke filled my lungs. I searched for my brother and saw him near our mother, who was helping evacuate the villagers. Cedric was in shock.
Mom said, "Take Cedric with you." She tried to hide her fear, but it was a hopeless attempt. I grabbed Cedric's hand, and we started running. We headed into the forest — but a group of Ravagers, brutal mutant creatures that destroy everything in their path, locked onto us.
Just when I thought it was the end, my father appeared and saved us. I'll never forget his last words:
"Run, James! Run!"
We reached the forest, but the Hellmaws — beasts that look like dogs with sword-sized teeth and crimson eyes — were now chasing us. Cedric turned to me and said, "I can't do it anymore. Go without me. I'll distract them."
He was just five. His small body couldn't keep up. But I refused. I told him to hide in the rocks.
One of the Hellmaws lunged at me and tore my shirt. Its teeth were bigger than any sword I'd ever seen. I bit its nose, just to create an opening to escape. Moments later, I hid inside a tree hole.
That night, the child in me died.