17: The Festival

James decided to walk back to the city. In his mind, the task is finished. Mission accomplished.

"So now, how do I walk back?" asked James.

…..

…..

…..

It was morning and the festival has begun. At first, they were a parade. Then, later on, people singing. Their voice was angelic. After that, there was the speech by the city leader. He spoke something about being grateful to God and also to all the residents. The residents all cheers as he spoke. After the end of his speech, people started having fun around the carnival that they have set up.

Around midday, James finally arrived at the city, tired and worn out. He has spent more than the usual time to find the way back. The first thing he went was to the city leader's office. He walked past the crowd, the atmosphere was exhausting to his worn-out state. He could not bring himself to enjoy the atmosphere because he just wants to sleep. And the noise. The noise was unbearable and annoying in his current state.

"James, you are back!" said the city leader. "Thank the Gods, you are back."

"Yes, I am…"

"So, is everything settled?"

"Yes, the demon is gone."

The city leader sighed.

"If you will pardon me, I need to get some sleep…"

"Sure, sure, go to the inn and show them this. This is for all the hard work you have done." The city leader passed him a pass with his seal on it.

"Thanks."

James left and found a nearby inn. On his way, he met Linda.

"James, you are back!" said Linda.

"Yes, I am…."

"Are you okay? Is everything good?" asked her.

"Yes, everything is fine…"

"Alright, alright. Go get some rest. After that, you can come out here and join us," said Linda.

"Yea, sure." But James wasn't sure of that. As for the moment, he just wants to sleep. He found it surprising that he didn't doze off on his way back but as soon as he stepped into the city's gate, he felt all of a sudden so tired. All the fatigue he has been carried suddenly came crashing down on him.

He showed the innkeeper the pass and was shown to the room. Then without even taking a bath, he crashed onto the bed and closed his eyes. The clock hanging on the wall showed 12pm.

"Eduardo, we must retreat!"

"You guys leave first; I will deal with the Demon Lord."

"Foolish humans…."

"Sister Maria, Sister Maria."

"Yes, Stephanie."

"What are we eating today?"

"Guess."

"Okay, is it a hamburger?"

"No."

"Is it chicken chop?"

"No, John."

"Oh, I know, I know, it must be our favorite, human intestine!"

"You are correct!"

"Yippee, we are eating human intestine for lunch!"

"Alright, Stephanie. Why not you wake up James so that we can start having lunch soon."

"Alright, alright. Time to go wake Brother James up from his sweet dreams."

Thud…thud…. thud.

"Brother James, Brother James, Brother James…."

"Urgh…. what is it, Stephanie?"

"Wake up, wake up, its lunchtime."

"Urgh…. let me sleep a bit more….."

"Wake up, you sleepy head or else we will eat all the lunch before you can."

"Urgh…. I don't mind…just let me sleep, Stephanie. I am tired."

"No, wake up!"

James opened his eyes. It was 12.10 pm.

"Huh, what the hell was that dream?"

James looked out from the window and the weather was cloudy.

"This is not a good sign for the festival," commented James.

He looked at the clock.

"I wonder how long did I sleep? All the tiredness is gone now and I am so fresh."

James did some light stretches and made his bed so that everything was tidy.

James walked down the stairs and left the inn.

He opened the door and a long caterpillar looking thingy was in front of him eating a body right in front of him.

"Eh?" the long caterpillar looking thingy stopped its food to look at James.

James was also looking at the long caterpillar looking thingy. Its body was long and has many legs around it. Just like a caterpillar. But its legs weren't those small little legs. It was actually human legs. And the caterpillar's head was a man with a mustache.

James rubbed his eyes and slapped his cheeks and pinched it.

Two antennas of the caterpillar was flickering in the air.

"Is the festival isn't it?" asked James to himself. "Then why are the streets so quiet?" asked him again.

James took a deep breath. A smell of so horrendous filled his lungs that almost made him choked.

"You!" said the long caterpillar looking thingy. "Ho-"

Its head was gone. Its entire train-like body was wriggling from the pain.

James' medallion was not ringing. But he knew for sure the "thing" in front of him is definitely a monster. So he cut its disgusting head off.

He looked down at the mush of the corpses. Barely recognizable. The sight of it was so horrendous that it would make anybody who has no seen a corpse before vomit their insides out but James felt no emotions at the sight of it. He didn't even know what he was feeling at the moment. Lost? Confused? Empty?

James looked around the city. He remembered it used to be so vibrant with color but with the cloudy weather, everything looked so dull and grey.

James took a deep breath and sensed his surroundings.

One,two,three,four…..ten…

"Just how many are there here. Why are the demons still here?" asked James.

"What happened to the city? What happened to the festival" asked James.

He walked around the city. Void of life. But there was a lot of blood stains around the ground and the metallic smell of blood. But no corpses or bodies were to be seen.

The stall was abandoned. The canvas was stained with blood. The apples and oranges that were left in the open to sell were untouched.

Then he heard it.

A sound of many people eating and laughing. All he has to do was to turn a corner and he will meet people. And he will ask what is happening around here. Was everything here just a dream?

So he walked to the junction and took a left turn.

And there it was before his very eyes.

3 abominations squatted around a mountain of bodies, gorging themselves with the flesh of the bodies. Their mouth stained with fresh blood and they looked at James who was looking back at them with a blank look.

James could feel reasoning and logic slowly escaped out from his mind.

It wasn't a dream. James knew pretty well. How he hoped it was all a dream. But it wasn't. It was just like how he saw the bodies of Sister Maria and the kids, barely recognizable who have their upper half of their bodies hanging onto the branches of those trees and their intestines being whirled around the branches like a rope to keep them from dropping.

There it was 3 demons feasting on a pile of bodies where all of which James didn't recognize unlike for one, which was Linda's. James saw as one of the demons was eating out her insides before it stopped to look at James.

Both sides were in shock. The demons didn't expect to see James. James had all of his reasoning and logic slowly escaping his brain.

Then, the temperature started to drop rapidly around the city. The demon felt it. It was a coldness unlike any they have experienced before. The demons are cold-blooded. They strike fear in the hearts of the people. They are symbols or entities to be feared by most people. That's how terrifying they are. They were known to be scary and they themselves are not afraid of anything because they are the scariest thing in existence in the world. But now, at this moment, these monsters felt goosebumps raising around their skins. They felt cold and was actually sweating. It was a strange sensation that they have never felt before. To them, fear was a foreign emotion to them. They have longed abandoned those weaknesses when they shed away their humanity but now it was slowly returning back to them.

They all felt that because of the presence they felt. It was like a prey detecting a predator.

Then they looked into James's eye. Those unblinking eyes who was affixed to their horrendous stature and figures.

For them, they always knew. When you looked deep into someone's eyes, you could see your own reflection from it. But as they looked deep into James' eyes, they could see nothing at all. It was just pitched black. Like by looking into his eyes, they have fallen into a bottomless pit, doom to never able to get out from it. They have never seen such a pair of eyes before and the unknown began to frighten them. Perhaps for the first time in their lives, they started to fear for their lives.

James was seen to be calm. Unfazed by their appearances. James has actually stopped thinking and find logic around his surroundings.

Screw it if it is a dream or not. Whether if everything is true or false, there's only one thing I am sure I would do now. And that is to purge every single one of these demons.

"I will not let you demons penetrate into my mind and disturb me from within. Not so fast, you filthy beings," said James to himself.

Then the demons started to hear a word of prayers being said and two blades being unsheathed. They wanted to flee but they couldn't. They were paralyzed from fear on the spot.

"Oh Lord, hear my prayer. I pray to you to please grant me the strength to purge away the demons from this land. For I am the messenger you have sent to purge them away, and I will carry out the duty that I have promised you I will fulfill."

He ended his prayers and the purge begins.