Wreaking Havoc

A small excerpt from the 9 book fantasy series I have yet to write.

                Roger stared at his little brother, shouting for the kid to move out the way.  If he didn't move, he was about to get burned more than badly�"the house was about to collapse at any minute.  It'd only been minutes, but the spark had grown into a monster, and that monster was about to engulf his little brother in flames.  He would've gone back to save him, he would've sprinted across anything in his way to save his little brother, but something held him to the ground.  He couldn't move.  The front wall of the house blew out, and the monster ate his brother, absolutely whole.  With more food and plenty of oxygen, it grew and embraced the sides of the neighboring houses.  If the wind didn't die down, this whole city would be burned to the ground.

 

0~0~0~0

 

                Zack darted out of the kitchen before his brother could catch him, clutching a small cardboard box tight in his palm.  When he reached the corner of the house where he'd hidden the torch, he quickly dropped to his knees, lit a match, and set the top ablaze.  He ran back towards his brother, intent on getting him out of the way.  That car was going to get torched no matter what.

                At the sight of the flame licking the night sky, Roger jumped back.  Zack gave him a satisfied smirk and took off down the street.  A bout a half mile or so out, he slowed and crept behind a row of bushes.  It was hard to make sure the torch didn't set anything else on fire�"he wasn't here to leave a trail of blazing glory, although he liked the idea.  This was a matter of vengeance, and that's why he used fire.  Fire and revenge were synonyms in his dictionary.  After making sure he would be absolutely unexpected and quick as a bullet, he checked the torch one more time.  It still blazed, eating at the oily rags. 

                A savage cry tore out of his throat as he parted the bushes and headed straight towards the crowd of teens admiring Snake's new car.  Nobody dared to touch it, but they all stared and admired for all they were worth.  Which, in Zack's opinion, wasn't much.  He vaulted the car but dropped the torch in the back seat, which had been soaked in gasoline and covered with nail polish remover and perfume.  He let the scream die away when he'd disappeared in the night, as if he'd never came.  About fifty feet away, he turned and doubled back to Snake's house.  Everyone was shaken up by the ghost that had come by.  Snake was freaking out, which is just what needed to happen to distract them.

                "What the�"I f****n swore I shouldn't have bought it!  You f****t, why the hell did you�""

                Too enraged to waste time on yelling, he pulled the pistol from his belt and shot Diamond three times, once through the head, once through the heart, and once through the mouth.  It's never worth it, he remembered his youth pastor saying once, talking about drugs and popularity.  For once, the man seemed to have said something right.  A sinister smile curled his lips.  They were so distracted that his plan was going perfectly.  Any minute now, the car would�"

                The blast of heat seared his face in warmth, but didn't burn it.  His hair singed to a darker shade of black than it already was, if that was possible.  A blast of power surged over him, and he bellowed,

                "This vengeance will you always remember?  Do you dare to forget?  Look the fire in its eye and remember, always remember!"

                They didn't realize the emblem that had been etched into the pavement.  No one would, until the police came to investigate the scene of the accident.  This was an accident, because only one would survive, however much they wouldn't want to.  Snake had lifetimes of more torture to fulfill than this.

 

0~0~0~0

 

                "I think a man lucky who could count you as a friend," Snake said, eyes darting up to him and then back down to the floor.

                "And am I your friend?" Ember asked.

                "No.  You're not my friend."

                "Good.  So are you a lucky man?"

                "No."

                Snake was whimpering now, tears leaking out of his eyes and snot covering his face.  He hated to see men in such ruined states, but loved reducing them to shells.  The way they broke down simply made the whole human race pathetic.

                "Am I your friend?" he asked again.

                "No."

                Another whimpery sob, and this from a man who had wealth and power beyond his wildest dreams.  But every wild dream came with its share of terror, and Snake had dreamed more than he'd bargained for. 

                "Why do you think that is?"

                Snake thought for several moments, but he was taking too long.  Ember slammed his blade against the table, broadside. 

                "Do you know what I am, you filthy leech?  Do you know what I can control?  Do you know what will happen if you enrage me by failing?"

                Snake cowered from his hurled questions and insults, curling into a ball.  It brought a satisfaction to him, unique and not quite like other things he knew.  Ember picked up his sword and stood it on its flat edge, leaning on it.  The gdar was sharper than anything this world had to offer, close to steel but much more durable.  The rugged look and edges on each side made this his favorite sword.  It wasn't as sharp as some of his others, but then again, he liked to take time with his prey, torture it a little before leaving it to die.  The rough blade was five inches wide, three less thick, and three feet long.  The handle alone weighed a gnos, about seven pounds here.  No mortal could ever swing these swords, though. 

                "What are you?"

                He asked the question casually to ease some pressure off the boy.  He was only nineteen, which was a younger age in this world's eyes, a fact Ember often forgot.  If he'd been an immortal, he'd already have fought a few battles by now.

                "You are what we kill.  Aren't you?"

                A nod. 

                "What do we kill?"

                "Humans," the whisper came.

                "Yes, humans.  And why do we kill humans?"

                "Because you hate us."

                "We do more than hate you. Haven't you figured that out yet?"

                Snake opened his mouth to say yes, but he earned a backhand across the face and flew across the room.  Oops.  Maybe he'd hit the kid a little too hard.  Calm, Ember.  Remember Omri.  The name brought a taste to his mouth no word of this world could describe, but needless to say it was worse than bitter and anything but pleasant. 

                "It would be a favor to hate you," Ember said, a hard edge in his voice now.  "You mortals don't even know the meaning of hatred.  So sophomoric, the race of human mortals are."

                Snake sat patiently in the corner, expecting there to be more.  When no words came, he dared looking up at Ember.  He was rewarded with a kick in the gut as Ember walked by, blade swinging by his side.  Scared of getting cut, the worm shrank back even further into his corner; Ember couldn't help but let out a cackle.  Just for fun, he squat down, pulled up the filth's shirt, and ran his blade along the top layer of skin.  He didn't draw blood, but cut deep enough for him to feel pain for a few days.  He unleashed a fiery gaze on his object of torture, and whispered in a low, harsh tone,

                "Let it be a reminder to you, or do you dare to forget?"

                Snake shook his head furiously, wiping his filthy face with his sleeve.  His hot breath smelled of sulfur, a scent sweet smelling in his mind.  He'd learned early on that it repulsed those of this world. 

                "Good."

                Ember left the stone cave, then.  The slime could find its own way home, after it became unparalyzed by fear.  He had business to do.

 

0~0~0~0

 

                We never die, for we are immortals.  We are humankind's greatest enemy, but they don't realize their fear of us.  We are the rebels uprising in our world while we wreak havoc in theirs.  Soon we will take out the human race and take over the worlds.  We are BladeRunners.

Author's Note

Honest opinion on rhetoric and content is appreciated.