Malum Part One

Malum

--Malum. The worst shithole of a planet this universe has known, and living here is paramount to living in hell. Thieves, cut-throats, and other criminals built a stronghold against would-be law enforcement and those insane enough to jeopardize their lives to collect a high bounty. Living here never meant security; there was a price for everything, a fair exchange, and honoring that one law was vital to Malum's success. That was...until Thamas appeared.

Thamas Duncan laid in bed late at night, reading a textbook and taking various notes. Though summer just started, Thamas bought all required text for his fall classes and wanted to get a jumpstart on his final year in college. Mythology and writing always fascinated Thamas, seeking out the nuggets of truth behind the myths and conducting thorough research about the possible origins of humanity. As a kid, Thamas saw something in the night sky he could not explain; a light reflected off its surface, revealing a small craft, but he did not recognize the design. But as he studied this strange sight, Thamas noticed an emblem on the side that became an obsession and drove him to this point. At only twenty, Thamas became knowledgeable with most of Earth's mythology.

Thamas set the book aside and sighed. Though he lived in an apartment off-campus, Thamas promised his mother to take summers off and have some fun. But, conducting research was fun, at least to Thamas. Two and a half months seemed daunting without the constant schedule of studying. Thamas landed a scholarship to Yale University and loved the atmosphere in New Haven, knowing he studied hard to be here. Thamas stood up and gazed at himself in the dresser mirror. A thin man with blond hair and blue eyes stared back at Thamas with an equally thin face. Even though blessed with a high metabolism, Thamas wished he could bulk up the same way his friends could, but even with lifting weights, he stayed the same.

"Damn it," Thamas groaned as he tried flexing in different poses before giving up. He laughs a bit until a loud BOOM resonated from outside, cracking the windows of his apartment and the mirror. He rushed out to his bedroom balcony and looked around, straining his eyes to catch whatever made the noise.

For a moment, Thamas looked down the street but did not see a soul. However, something in the sky flashed, catching his eye. To Thamas' horror, the flash expanded outward as a loud BANG rocked the sleepy neighborhood. In the distance, Thamas could hear the sirens from emergency responders blaring and saw debris fall from the night sky in fireballs. As he looked, Thamas realized one of the fireballs sped towards his apartment at blinding speeds. He barely had enough time to jump from the balcony as the apartment exploded, sending firelit debris everywhere as Thamas scrambled for cover. The pain in Thamas' leg indicated a broken bone, but adrenaline kept most of the pain at bay.

"Damn it! What's going on," Thamas asked as he saw something jump from the apartment but could not make out what it was. After rising to his feet, Thamas leaned against a tree for support, feeling blood running down from a cut on his forehead. Suddenly, a colossal figure stepped out of the shadows, and Thamas had to do a double-take. Before Thamas stood a reptilian man with green horns, blue scales, and yellow running down the front into his shirt. A black leather jacket adorned this creature's massive body, reminding Thamas of a biker. In fact, his entire outfit was black. By Thamas' estimate, the creature was well over seven and a half feet tall with his width able to accommodate two full-grown men as his tail swished back and forth with a mind of its own.

The creature turned around and looked at Thamas with a dead stare, his eyes a piercing emerald radiated with some power that Thamas did not understand. Thamas did not move, fearing any action would provoke an attack. For a while, they stared at each other, estimating each other's strengths and weaknesses. After a few long moments, the creature spoke in a deep baritone, "Quis es, homo? Ubi est largitas mea?"

Thamas heard him speak, but the language was unfamiliar. "I'm sorry, I don't understand," Thamas said as the creature radiated with power.

The creature tapped the side of his head and said, "Mea largitas! Ubi est illa creatura? Do tibi... understand?"

"I understood that last word. Are you speaking Latin?" Thamas asked, curiosity overriding his better judgment.

"No, it is from the Five Prime Races. They created that language, but never mind that. Where is my bounty?" Asked the creature as Thamas shrugged.

"How am I supposed to know? You recked my apartment for which I barely managed to escape, no thanks to you," Thamas said loathsomely.

"Do not get an attitude with me, human. My bounty is the only thing that matters to me, and if you get in my way, I'll kill you where you stand," said the creature.

Thamas hesitated for a moment. The prospect of dying did not appeal to him, but letting this creature get away with trashing his apartment was not going to happen. The question was, who the hell was he? What the hell was he? Thamas did not like this scenario, and it seemed to only add to his growing anxiety.

Suddenly, a figure jumped out from behind the tree, grabbing Thamas in the process. Thamas thrashed and tried to break free, but the figure had him in a death grip. "What the hell is this? Am I going to die?" Thamas thought as the creature laughed in a high raspy voice.

"Well, well, what do we have here. A little human for me to feast on, and there's nothing you can do to stop me, Ryax," said the creature as the other figure, Ryax, spat on the ground.

"Like I fucking care what you do to that human, you are on my bounty list. Nothing more, nothing less. Now hand yourself over because I am about to reign hell down around you," Ryax said as he pulled out what appeared to be a revolver.

"What the fuck is a revolver going to do, and besides, he's going to kill me anyway. I'm done for," Thamas thought as he watched Ryax spin the revolver housing, and suddenly, something unbelievable happened. Seven different lights replaced the would-be bullet chambers with all six colors of the rainbow, plus an additional chamber appeared bright white. Ryax locked the chamber on yellow and aimed at Thamas and the creature.

"No, wait! Don't shoot!" Thamas said as he struggled to break free.

"I told you, kid. You get in my way, and you die too," Ryax said as he fired.

Time slowed down, and as Ryax pulled a trigger, a lightning bolt shot forth from the revolver, hitting both Thamas and the creature who let go. Thamas seized as pain ripped through his body and thought, "Oh, God! I'm dying!"

Thamas fell to his knees, darkness threatening to take him. As he looked up, Thamas saw a massive craft with blinding lights settling down over them. Thamas slipped into delirium and felt a pull on his body before blacking out completely, his thoughts fleeing from his mind, and he could not think anymore.

...To be continued.