Chapter 5: The Withered Vines

Chapter 5: The Withered Vines

Andrew O'Kelley

andrewokelley.com

The change in the atmosphere was sudden and caused my heart to drop in my chest as the temperature within the courtyard rapidly chilled to what felt like sub-zero. An even thicker mist began to fill the courtyard as all of our collective breath started showing in the air. This doesn't feel right. I thought sensing the dark magic. The air grew deadly cold, but none of us seemed to be directly harmed by it, except for the young man in the tracksuit. I watched as the man's skin began to blacken and turn blue. The restraints that had been keeping the man in place snapped like frozen twigs, and Johnathon Gordon started to run, screaming at us to help him, but I could only look away and say nothing. Though from what I could see, there was no escape for him.

The ground started to shift and squirm as the rotted skeletal hands of the undead pressed and pushed through the Earth, pulling skeletal bodies free. Within seconds, grinning ravenous skulls of the hungry dead filled the courtyard, the sound of their clicking hungry jaws was terrifying to everyone who heard it.

"Stay still you lot and be calm." The Dark God's voice bombed, yelling commands at us. "These cursed undead I have unleashed have eyes only for that fool. Should he escape this place, he'll live, and I will return him to his home, whole and unharmed. If he should escape." I looked and saw that the man in the tracksuit appeared to have frozen in place mid-run, parts of his flesh breaking off as he desperately struggled, looking for a way to escape, but despite my efforts, there was no way to safety. I knew the man had no way out alive.

Unflinching, the Dark God watched, and with a flick of his wrist, the undead slowly advanced on the frozen man. He started to beg through cracking lips, crying as he did, "Please! Forgive me. I didn't know any better. I don't want this. I don't want to die. Please! I'll play along! I'll listen. I was only kidding before", The man yelled desperately towards the Dark God. Still, the only response was the sound of mocking laughter floating on the wind in return as the first of the undead got on all fours and began running towards the man like some sort of carrion beast. The ranks of the hungry arisen dead followed after in a similar manner. All of them crashed into Johnathon, who had fallen to his knees sobbing as a wave of rotting flesh and death by this time.

I had to look away as bony talons cut into the frozen skin and yellowed fangs sank into the soft flesh underneath. It was terrible to hear, and more terrible to see. The screaming lasted far longer than even the Dark God had imagined, something I was positive of when I saw a look of annoyance flash across the Dark Lord's face that it was taking too long as he whispered a command for the undead to finish the job.

The man's death hadn't been instant, and he lingered in pain and agony as the undead tore apart and rent him limb from limb as he was consumed by the hungry dead. Everyone stared in stunned silence as one of the undead extended its jaw and bit down, severing Johnathon's head from his body. As soon as he died, the mass of undead fell to the ground around him in a mass of bones that buried themselves into the dirt. Of the grisly scene, only a few disturbing patches of dirt remained, and the sounds of retching as some of the others began to cry and vomit.

!Alert!

//A Player (Johnathon Gordon) Has Been Eliminated//

//Error - Not enough playtime to be granted the status of "Undead" //

For those who will fall, the only thing that awaits you is the dark of the abyss.

"Back to it then," Commented the Dark God as if nothing had happened, "As I was saying, I'll go ahead and teach you the rules now."

Everyone was shaking, well almost everyone I thought to myself as I glanced over at Atticus, who seemed to be unphased and unsurprised by what had happened. He still had the same hardened expression on his face, and sheer determination etched into his brow. He was one of the few, myself included, who noticed that the withered vines that had restrained us all had retreated back into the dirt. Whether it was because the time had run out, or the Dark God had released the spell to summon the undead, I wasn't sure.

The Dark God looked at me with a terrible smile on his face as if pointing out that most of the others were still rooted in place, not because of his spell, but because of their fear. He laughed in delight at the notion, and his voice crackled with horrible madness as the very sky sparked with crooked lightning in response.

"All of you listen to me. As you have seen just now with this demonstration, I hold absolute power here, and this was just a fraction of my power, I do not tolerate dissension or disrespect. To the one among you who first chose, you Christopher Settlemire," The Dark God said as he pointed me out in the crowd, "You have done well to choose. At a time of my desire, I will grant to you one boon, a chance not given to others that will assist you in winning my game should you prove worthy. A chance to live when otherwise you would surely die."

I knew without even needing to look around that the Dark God had made me an enemy of every other person there. I could feel the hate and envy of the group. A hate that radiated off of me from all the hateful stares aimed my way as that resentment and anger grew thick in the air, all because the Dark God had said he'd grant a boon to me.

More than once, I heard a hostile promise aimed in my direction, "Just you wait, once we're out of here, I'm coming for you." It was the same story I'd known all life was on repeat here. Once again, I was an outsider, and that made me nervous, I'd learned first hand too many times how people treated outsiders. These people were just as dangerous as anything else I might run into. Feeling a sense of panic, I had the briefest thought to just take off and run. To quit now and not look back.

As if in response to my impulse to run, withered vines began to crepe up out of the ground and encircled me in a vicelike grip that started to pull and tug tightly choking me.

Get control of yourself, control your anxiety, dismiss this notion of running away, you can't run from this, and accept your fate, only then with the vines retreat. The Wisp commanded me forcefully, and I complied as the vines released their hold on my legs and retreated off of my chest, sinking back beneath the ground.

The Wisp was right. It's not like I haven't been dealing with this all my life. Angry people lashing at me, jealous, bitter, petty. It's nothing new. Literally, the same things just a different place and time. Bullies stay bullies, I can do this. I told myself as a sense of resigned calm came over my body. If there is a chance to become stronger here, I'm going to take it, and no one will ever be able to threaten or hurt me again.