n

n

nJake couldn’t stop trembling.

nHis body violently spasmed as his teeth were clenched and his eyes shut tight. He tried breathing as well as he could, but something choked him so much that he began finding it harder and harder to take in air.

nJake knew what it was very well… it was fear. He, just like everyone in the room, was frightened.

nWhile he and the other kids were having fun, as usual, enjoying the evening ambiance that radiated pure delight, a loud sound shook everywhere. The adults quickly gathered and sent the young ones, him being no exception, to the largest hut in their entire community.

nIt was usually used for welcoming visitors or discussing town matters. It was large enough for the whole village to fit in since group discussions were usually held there.

nThe weak and elderly also stayed with them, since they would be liabilities to the strong adults. Jake knew this quite well since he was very clever for his young age of eleven.

n“Please be back safe and sound, mom… dad…” He had told his parents tearfully.

nThey only looked at him as though he was silly and patted his head.

n“It’s probably nothing. Maybe a fallen sky rock.” They said casually.

nIf it was no big deal, why were so many adults gathered? Why were the children hidden in a place to hide, why did the ground tremble so hard?

nWhatever this disturbance was… Jake knew it wasn’t anything ordinary.

nStill, he chose to trust in the words of his parents. His father was one of the strongest men in the village, having the ideal body any man would kill for. His mother was hardworking as well, almost as dexterous as most men.

nIn such an equalitarian society, both men and women worked and respected each other in whatever they did. That was why the adults who were going to investigate the source of the quake and rising smoke consisted of both genders.

nJake let them go, withdrawing into the house where everyone who couldn’t fight was. He had hoped to see his parents soon. He hopefully looked at the door, patiently awaiting the moment they would show up once more.

nBut, who could have expected the next sound that he and everyone else heard?

n“ARGHHHHH!!!”

nScreams of pain and fear!

nPanic spread to everyone in the room and the children nearly flipped and gave in to their childish inclinations. The grown-ups controlled the young ones and ensured order, but even their faces showed uncertainty.

nJake hears noises of countless footsteps. It felt like the charge of a group of people no less than the group that went out before his eyes.

nJake wondered what was going on. Were they running because they missed the children already and simply wanted to assure them that everything was fine?

nNo, this sound was different. Jake didn’t know why he felt that way, he just knew it. The footsteps were so incoherent and rushed, a trait unknown to the village. It was almost as though… the people were running away from something.

nSuddenly, the sounds ceased. It was amazing!

nAfter a brief ‘WHOOSH” that echoed to where the kids were, nothing else could be heard. Silence enveloped the area.

nAt this point, Jake was curious and impatient. What was going on outside? Why were his parents taking so long? He had no idea about the slaughter that had just happened.

nAfter waiting a few moments for some glad tidings, nothing came. Jake moved close to the door of the thatched hut, expecting to be among the first to greet his parents as soon as the door was flung open.

nHe couldn’t hear anything that sounded like footsteps though.

nFinally, after waiting for what seemed like forever to the child, even though it was only a few seconds, Jake decided to peek through one of the thin lines that exposed fresh air and light into the room everyone was in.

nIf he could place his head on the dry wooden wall and strain his eyes, he could see the happenings of the outside world.

nSatisfied with this logic, the young eleven-year-old, flattened his face on the wooden layer and placed his eyes closer to the slit on the wooden structure.

nJake certainly wasn’t expecting what he saw next!

nHe had seen their pictures in the few storybooks he was privileged to have read. He had also heard of their description from the music sung by a couple of bards who visited their village once in a while.

nThere was no way Jake wouldn’t know it, the creature that came into view and seemed to eye the village.

n‘A Demon!’

nFor a child, this was plenty overwhelming.

nNot only did he see the Demon, Jake felt an instant chill on his body that caused him to remain petrified by the monster that stood a few meters from him. With nothing but a wooden construction and a short distance separating the two of them, of course, Jake felt like he couldn’t breathe.

nEveryone else in the room felt that way, though. The Demon’s pressure gave them all the chills.

nJake quickly removed his eyes as the scared boy felt he saw the monster look in his direction.

nHowever, to his surprise… no, to everyone’s surprise, the enormous pressure that seemed to crush them was lowly lifted, as though whatever angel of death passing by had completely walked away from them, taking the fear with it.

nJake slowly began to revert to his original self. He found the courage to look through the hole again and found out there was no Demon there anymore. The monster he saw may have been real, but it was no longer there.

nHis parents were also most likely safe, same as the other villagers.

nWith the fear of Seth completely gone, everyone in the room relaxed.

nThe eldest in the room, an old man of about eighty-five years, made a wry smile with his bony body.

n“It’s fine, kids. Everything is fine.”

nJake nodded his head, same as the others in the room. The worst was over. All that was calm. Relief permeated the room.

nGiving a short smile, the youngster, Jake, made a thought of encouragement, reassurance, and confidence to himself.

n“It’s going to be o—”

nHe never got to finish it, though.

n