Chapter 4- Chaos Ensues
The voice spoke tauntingly inside my mind as I continued on the path to home. Whispers floated inside my head every so often, speaking of sating my thirst with something more delicious then home made brew.
It should take a whole days journey to reach the village and at the pace I was walking I might be able to make it before dawn. I could not help but to wonder about the voice and why it seemed so... ominous. I knew that I shouldn't trust it, I shouldn't listen to anything it has to say and I shouldn't give into the need to quench my thirst; which was becoming increasingly difficult to control. I had no provisions, no back up if I were to happen upon trouble, and if the worst should happen and I — God forbid — die in the wilderness, it would crush my mother and my baby sister. No, I needed to keep a clear head about me and not think so negatively.
The wind whistling in the trees grew louder, and Owls and other nightlife suddenly became very alive. The owls hooted in what I could describe as fear it sounded like to me, and the deer and other nightlife creatures I stumbled upon began to flee away from me with haste. It was so very strange. Never before have I ever seen creatures screech out in fear or scatter away from me unless I was hunting them and I clearly was not hunting.
It baffled me to no end that I had completely forgot about the voice for the time being. I was hopeful that I wasn't disfigured and that was why the animals were so skittish of my presence, but then again, I knew I didn't look disfigured on the outside. I seen my arms and torso and they looked perfectly normal besides the paleness of my skin and the hardness it had to the touch. Still, that nagging feeling lingered in the back of my mind that something about myself or my appearance is the cause for their sudden disappearance.
"You are no longer the same as you once were. You have transformed into something much more than any mere mortal could ever comprehend."
Creasing my brows in confusion, I debated asking that which was on the tip of my tongue even though I knew better than to entertain the voice. "What do you mean I am no longer the same?" Even though I spoke aloud, I knew the voice could hear me as plain as I could hear it.
"You have become something no mortal on earth will ever be able to take away from you. By stepping into the cave you fulfilled the prophecy that was written down before your time. You are the future. You will change the course of history and make a new one in its wake. You are the new future that was foretold of centuries ago."
"Nonsense! I am not the future of anything, I will not changed the course of history and I am most definitely not part of some... prophecy!"
I could feel my anger boiling on the inside of me. I could feel my cheeks heating with the fires of rage. What the voice was saying just struck the wrong chord with me. It was poppycock. It was completely ridiculous to think that I, a nobody, would ever be able to alter history. I would be a fool to even entertain this moronic notion.
I was so lost in the anger and confusion that I'd lost track of time and somehow I had finally made it home with the moon still shining just as bright as it was when I started on my way towards the village. I knew I made good time on the way back to the village, I just didn't know that more time had passed than I previously suspected. I no longer carried my axe and spear and I did not bring back the deer or wild boar I originally set out to hunt. Mother might be extremely upset with me for that.
My mother, Shaina, has probably worried about my safe return home, and yet, I still have no idea as to how long I had been unconscious in the cave in the first place. It could've been a few hours or a few days, and the way my body felt after coming to again, it felt more like days. The village finally came into my vision and immediately, I saw every villager gathered around, even those from nearby villages were there in the sea of faces.
What was happening? Was my mother or sister hurt? Was there an attack on the village? I began to feel the unease of panic settle in my chest. What if something happened while I was away? I'd never be able to forgive myself if I left my family and the villagers vulnerable to attack.
I exited the shadows and walked slowly up behind a man I knew as Kerny Mods. He lived in one of the nearby villages. His sandy blonde hair looked tussled and dirty as did his dirt-covered clothing. He looked like he'd been rolling around in the mud, as did the other male villagers in the crowd. All of them looked tired and dirty. What have they been doing? Something was wrong and I was going to find out what.
I pushed my way through the crowd and saw my mother in the middle of the gathered villagers. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, she was sobbing hard, heartbreakingly so. I heard a man speaking to her, trying to soothe her crying in the process by rubbing her back in a friendly way.
"I'm sorry, Shaina Tomes, we could not find your son. I fear the worst has happened."
They have been out searching for me and now they all think I'm dead. By my mothers reaction to his omission she believed him, she believed I had perished. The entire crowd began to whisper as her sorrowful, haunting cries soared through the air. It hit me hard, it coiled around my heart. No longer was I going to stand there and let them all believe I was gone. I was just as dirty as they all were and I was sure that's why no one noticed I had walked right by them.
Pushed my way through the rest of the villagers, I made it to my mother who was laying on her arms and knees with her face pressed into the dirt as if she were praying to any God that would listen, in hopes of a miracle. I bent down and cupped her cheeks, lifting her face up so that her eyes met mine and when our eyes locked on one another, she let out a joyful cry.
"My son! Oh, my son has returned!" She yelled out for all the villagers to hear and when they registered what she said was true, they all came up and patted my back and wished me a greeting of "glad your safe" "it's good to see your are okay" things along those lines. The night went on like that for a long while, the men wishing me a restful night and wishing me a happy return. Soon enough, I had forgot all about what had really happened to me while I was away and I wasn't so sure if I should tell my mother or anyone for that matter... they might think me insane.
It continued that way for a few hours, the villagers greeting me and my mother and wishing us a safe night. Soon enough it was just me and my mother. My sister was already asleep when I made my return home. Our home wasn't much, but it was built by my father when my mother learned that she was with child and I was proud to call it home, I still cherished it. He built it out of wood from the trees and even though it only had the one room inside of it, I loved it more because it was my father who built it. Three hand made cots were laid side by side on the floor and the place where my mother cooks was on the left. She could cook so many things with only a single flame and I admired that about her. She had it rough and she never once complained, she simply made due with what we were given.
Our home wasn't like others around us but it was all we had. It kept the rain and insects out and kept us warm in the winter months. If my father were still alive he would be able to do so much more with it... but he isn't, and I didn't want to dwell on the past, not right now anyway.
"My son, where were you?"
My mothers tone came out soft and light, a little rasp to her words from crying so hard. The way her eyes looked me over I knew she was searching for wounds from a fight perhaps, or from a fall, it was hard to know for sure with her. She wouldn't find any.
I didn't want to tell her about the incident inside the cave, and even though she was my mother, I didn't want word getting out and staining her good name. The people would reject her. They would call her a practitioner of dark magic and would be burned on a pyre. I couldn't let my mother and my sister suffer for what happened to me.
"I honestly have no idea, mother. I veered off my path and lost my way. I'm so sorry to have worried you and the others. It was an honest mistake on my part. I should have been paying attention to the paths I was taking. Forgive me, mother?"
"It's not like you to get lost, my son. You know this place like the back of your hand and I think that's why I fear the worst had came to fruition. I will always forgive you, my baby boy. As for the others, they will be rewarded for their time and efforts for the searches they did." She lips tilted down on one side as her eyes raked over my face. I swallowed nervously. She knows. "Have you eaten, Caen? You are looking a little pale." She said touching my cheek with motherly affection. I relaxed slightly before answering.
"No. I did not get a chance to hunt as I was supposed to. I apologize, mother."
How long has it been since I have eaten? Why wasn't I hungry after days of being unconscious? All these thoughts whirled inside of my skull like a maelstrom in the ocean.
"It is a miracle, Caen, that you survived. A true miracle. I don't know how you did but I am thankful you survived the winter months."
My eyes widened in shock and my jaw probably looked like it was about to hit the floor, "Wait, what? The winter months? How is that possible?" I whispered the last question to myself. I was utterly and completely confused and yet, astonished. It was summer when I left for my hunt, what was she talking about winter months?
"Mother... how long was I gone for?"
Her face turned solemn and her lips pressed into a thin line before she replied, "One year."
I gasped. Obviously, that couldn't be true. How could I have been unconscious for an entire year?? And not only that, but how could I have survived an entire year without food or water?
The voice whispered once again and this time I listened.
"You will no longer require human food and you will not find water satiable anymore. I told you that you are the future, Caen. You will bring a change that this world has never seen nor will ever see again."
For some reason, I believed what he said. I was not hungry, but I was really thirsty.
"How about I fix you something to eat, my son, while you go rest up a bit? Maybe after some good rest your color will return some." My mother smiled sweetly at me. I knew she was trying to get my mind off of the topic at hand and with me being a respectful young man who always did what his parents asked of him, I could not refuse. But before I went to rest, one thing had been on my mind since I had awoken inside that cave and now that I could find out from my mother I decided now was the best time to ask.
"Mother, do I look the same to you? What I mean is, beyond being a year older, has my features or anything else..." I trailed off trying to find the right way to word it, "changed significantly?"
Her face scrunched up in confusion.
"Has my appearance changed? Do I look different then before I left here, beyond adding a year to my age?"
She stared at me a moment and I was starting to think she thought I was nuts, but then her eyes roamed over my body from head to toe, examining every inch that she possibly could before her eyes landed on mine once more.
"You're very pale, Caen, like you haven't eaten or seen sunlight the entire year you were away. and your skin looks severely dehydrated which could account for your red eyes, they look dull and glassy too, like you haven't slept in ages." She spoke with concern. "Why don't you go rest up now and when the food is ready I will call you."
I did as I was told and went to my bed and laid down. Soon, I fell asleep with the scent of fresh bread and beans wafting through the air. When I woke, the plate of food was right beside me with a cup of water. I forgot about the voice telling me that I would no longer need to eat human food, so when I tore a piece of bread off and dipped it in the bean sauce and was putting it into my mouth, the voice responded with an urgency.
"Do not eat that." It hissed before continuing, "You will become very ill if you eat human food."
I dropped the delicious looking bread back onto the plate with a sigh and then I reach for the water and drank it greedily, and this time the voice did not stop me but only said what it has always spoken.
"Water will never quench that thirst your feeling deep down in the pit of your stomach."
He was right, in fact, I felt even more thirsty than I had before I drank it. I rubbed my eyes and stood up, trying to gather my thoughts. Why couldn't I eat food and why couldn't water satisfy my thirst? I had no idea what to think or what to do. All I knew at that moment was the thirst was growing increasingly worse. I looked over to see both my mother and sister sleeping peacefully which brought a smile to my face. It has probably been quite awhile since either of them have slept so soundly.
I quietly walked outside to get some fresh air when all at once it hit me like a ton of bricks. The smell was overwhelming. The rhythmic beating of the villagers hearts, the smell of fresh pumping blood.
I couldn't stop myself as I began to follow the smell. I unconsciously I kept to the shadows and happened to find the source of the most delectable scent I'd ever had the pleasure of smelling. An older gentleman in his fifties stood cradling his hand carefully to his chest. He had apparently sliced his palm open with a knife trying to gut a fish. The smell was so intoxicating and before I even realized what I was doing, I walked up directly to the man.
"Here, let me take care of that." I insisted, reaching out my hand for his. The look in my eyes must've told him something was really wrong because he instantly recoiled and began to back away from me. Fear was evident in his eyes, his heart was beating frantically. And in that moment, I lost who I truly was and was devoured by the raging hunger that clawed at my insides. My lips curled into a wide grin. The predator in me was officially taking over.
The man turned and started to run at a full sprint whimpering and gasping for breath and within seconds, he was tackled to the ground and forcibly held down. My palm roughly ground the side of his head into the dirt, holding him firmly in place so that the mans heart would thrash hard and fast, so fear and adrenaline would sweeten the blood and it did. I could hear the blood pouring out of his palm and it smelled so sweet.
Before I had time to realize what I was doing, I struck fast like lightning and sank my teeth into his neck. The man screamed in agony and it only made me drink that much more quickly.
"Do you feel it, Caen? Do you feel the man's life essence changing your body?" The voice spoke excitedly.
I did feel it. My teeth dug deeper with a renewed excitement. The taste was exquisite not like anything I've ever tasted before in my life. My body began to harden even more than it already was, and my teeth began to lengthen into the man's very neck causing more blood to pour out in a rich velvety gush. My senses sharpened. I could feel the parasites moving excitedly around my heart.
"You are no longer human, Caen Tomes, and there is no going back now."
I pulled my teeth out of the mans neck, feeling much more aware of everything around me, including the person standing behind me.