Chapter Seven: Where Have All The Humans Gone?

It took a week of rest to recover from the two weeks of demon assaults. The Master behind them didn't approach. He could've sensed our progress, or he wasn't interested in us. I couldn't help but feel miffed. Hekin wasn't bothered by it. Sometimes I envied his ability to move on quickly.

Tark and Penny Lee observed the outside world while we rested. They came back with interesting news. Human civilization was no more. They had visited the closest town to the east, and it had been reduced to rubble. Human blood coated the streets, but none of their bodies had been found.

Was that why the demon shadows had been so delicious? They had already fed on human flesh and absorbed their souls.

Tark had lost most of his body weight from no food for two weeks, but his spirit was high with Penny Lee by his side. He grabbed useful supplies from the rubble and continued to cultivate the farm that was west of the house. He was aiming to be more self-sufficient, for this world was no longer easy.

With the demon hordes, the only meat available was fish. The creek north of his home ran red for a week before the water finally cleared. He survived on canned goods and water from the town until the contamination passed. The fish and plants were unaffected since water was the bane of demon existence. Well, most demons. I hadn't told anyone that water didn't affect me because of my forest origins. My demonic brothers would only use that information against me.

With every passing day, Hekin and Tark became more tolerable of each other. Hekin didn't seem to notice that he was becoming more human-like. I had asked him about his past once, but he remained tight-lipped. He refused to speak to me after what I had done, but he was a different person with Tark.

Tark taught him how to fish with a spear at the edge of the deepest part of the creek. On slow days, they used fishing rods to talk and relax. Penny Lee joined them and meowed her interest in the fresh fish.

Hordes of demons came again, bringing dark clouds with them. They were much bigger and stronger, towering over the forest. Hekin and I prepared barriers and summoned our minions. At this point, the hungry flowers towered like skyscrapers, the scorched trees' bark was impenetrable, and the vines had needles the size of a cruise ship. Hekin's fiery minions swept along the ground like a volcanic serpent, melting any metal armor and weapons the hordes donned.

With every battle, our minions absorbed spiritual energy with us. We had to win every time to be successful. I had a feeling that one day will be different.

That day was today.

A lost human approached us, her body covered in blood and dust. She was weak and thin, nigh the height of my waist. Tark ran to her on the forest trail and kneeled before her.

"Hey, kid!" he blurted as he held her steady by the shoulders. "Are you all right? What happened?"

Her eyes were devoid of emotion, but her tears flowed. "Everyone's gone," she whispered. "The shadow things ate everybody. I was on a boat in the lake, and they didn't attack me."

Tark nodded. "I'm sorry for your loss, kid. You look famished. Here, I've got water and dried fish."

Hekin growled. "Why are you helping her?"

Tark shot him a daring glare. Hekin looked away and huffed.

"Whatever you do, don't tell us your name," Tark warned. "I have . . . hungry friends and they'll eat you if you tell them." The child trembled before nodding. "Is it all right if I give you a name?" She stared at him with curious eyes as she drank the water and bit into the dried fish. She nodded again. "All right. We'll call you Teffa Lou." Her eyes widened with surprise, and she grunted in agreement.

Hekin frowned. "That's a dumb name."

"I like it," the girl admitted and smiled.

Tark beamed as he wiped her tears. "Can you think of anyone that might still be alive?"

Teffa Lou took another swig of water and bit her lip. "The last I heard, there are pockets of people alive in the wilderness northwest of where I started. The shadows have been moving across the land before huge monsters gobble them up. That's when I realized the monsters are eating the shadows, and I've been heading northwest ever since."

"You're very brave if you think the monsters won't eat you," Tark mused.

"I like monsters," she confessed in a soft voice. "They're often misunderstood. I'm sure that if I get to know them, they won't want to hurt me."

Her words cut through my soul. The real monsters were humans. They're the ones that killed Alaris.

Tark seemed to sense my uneasiness and urged Penny Lee closer. "What do you think, Penny Lee?"

Penny Lee gazed at Teffa Lou for a long time. She sniffed her feet and rubbed against her legs.

"Good enough for me," Tark agreed. "Come on, kid. I'll show you where the nice monsters live."