Flesh

Just a sack of flesh.

With the blood that flowed gently out of its various wounds, with it's mangled limbs splayed awkwardly at odd angles, what else could it have possibly been? Why else would there be bite marks around the neck, or at the breast, or at it's cheek, unless it had just been…

A sack of flesh.

The child, no older than 12, swallowed, trying in vain to rid his mouth of the sticky, metallic taste. That was odd, he thought. Why'd his mouth taste like that? Odd.

Odd, that he couldn't take his eyes off of it. It seemed to move and writhe before his eyes, the strange twists not quite being understood by his mind. His mind. Where was his mind? Was it in his hand, his hand clenched tight to the point of pain, his hand trembling in its tension? Was it in his skin, his skin covered in blotches of strange crimson, his skin clinging suffocatingly tight to his body?

Was it in his heart? That was also odd ; he couldn't quite locate it. It was thumping, of that much he was sure. But where exactly was it? Was it in the thumping in the raucous cheers of the figures around him? How about in his head, where there was a horrible, throbbing headache from the foul stench of raw flesh.

Raw flesh.

He tore his eyes away from the dead woman, from the ragged hole in her chest, and to his right hand. The stink of the dead, the wet weight of the flesh, the deafening yells of those around him all appeared to him in an instant.

He sunk his teeth once more into the pulsing heart in his hand.

As if by some terrible compulsion, he tore and devoured, his face lathered in her blood and his tears. The warm flesh slid down his throat, the salty, sour taste of blood filling his head. His legs collapsed beneath him, his fingers digging into the heart. He gasped, gulping down air before sinking his teeth into it once more.

"I-I'm sorry…"

As if by some terrible compulsion, he ate. Heavy sobs shook his body as he chewed and chewed.

I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I can't help it. I can't help it. I'm sorry…

**********************************

But I did mean to. I'm not sorry. I won't be ashamed of what I am.

Delphi Kendan stepped forward, his body glowing gently in the darkness of the Forest. A candle-light.

I won't sacrifice myself for others, for people that hate me.

The grass was soft and solid under his feet. The trees' shrill shrieking died out, leaving the world calm. The world was still.

He walked forward towards those that were left with gentle, soft steps.

Tired…need to save energy…need to eat.

Another arrow whizzed past his head, missing him. He ignored the anger bubbling in his stomach.

Need to be calm. Need to heal my hands…

The spearman walked forward too, stone-faced and stoic, flanking him from his left, while the swordman flanked him from his right. His grip on the sword was tight, unsteady.

…Swordman's about to shit himself…easy pickings…

The one-armed man was somehow steady enough to help the girl. Their torn off limbs had been tied off harshly with ragged bits of clothing to stem the blood flow. The man staggered, trying awkwardly to lift the girl up so they could escape. Weak, pale, scared.

No one survives…

Delphi stopped, straining his ears to catch the sound of any arrows. He felt faint, his heart thumping slowly in his head. He wouldn't last much longer, but he had to be patient. They had to come closer…

He raised a stump and pointed it at Swordman, who continued to tread towards him.

"You." He said, softly. "I'm going to kill you first. I'm going to tear out your guts and wrap them around your neck."

Spearman spat on the ground, sneering at him. "A corpse talks."

Delphi's eye twitched. A corpse?

A thin whistle cut through the silence, and Delphi jerked backwards. With a thud, the arrow embedded itself in the floor. Taking the opportunity, the spearman leaped to action, thrusting forward-

But Delphi had already darted to the right, to the swordman who was still lagging behind. He opened his maw and roared, eyes furious in their malice as he bolted towards the swordman. The man yelled, eyes wide in his terror, swinging his sword in wild arcs.

Wild, looping, telegraphed arcs. Easy to see through, and easy to slip past.

He sprinted past him, pushing forward desperately towards the two cripples. His mind was blank. His jaw hung open, loose in his desperate hunger. He charged right into the one-armed man.

Delphi's body slackened in its pleasure, his body glowing brighter and brighter as more warm flesh slid down his throat. His heart throbbed and pumped, red-hot euphoria rushing through his arteries. The salty, sour taste of blood filled his mind once more, his legs bucking and falling in relief. His arm-stumps shook in scalding, burning pain as mounds of flesh bubbled and grew like cancerous growths. He cried out with muffled, strangled screams, biting and tearing deeper and deeper into the man's chest.

I won't be sorry for what I am…I deserve to live as much as anyone else…I won't sacrifice myself…

Delphi staggered to his feet, blood dripping down his face onto the corpse. He gasped with ragged breathing, eyes burning as he stared down at it. He looked down at the man who'd tried to kill him, at the man with a gaping hole where his heart had been, a man pitiful and ugly in death.

He turned his head towards the girl, who shook uncontrollably with her hands clasped around her ears. He bared his bloodstained teeth in a wild grin.

"You know, the heart's always been my favourite part of a-"

A sharp pain in back knocked him forward, taking the breath from his lungs. He looked down, fury bubbling up at the sight of a bloody spear-tip through his chest. Delphi roared out again, whipping his head back to see the spearman sprinting at him. With a half formed hook of a hand, he gripped the shaft. With a gasp, he pulled out the wet spear, and tossed it to the side, where it fell with a clatter.

His glowing form cast an eerie, flickering light across the blood-soaked ground. He steeled his trembling legs, lowering his hips to better prepare himself.

The first blow came fast and hard, a jab aimed straight at Delphi's face. Delphi pivoted, letting the blow graze his shoulder, and snapped his head forward like a battering ram. His forehead collided with the spearman's nose with a sickening crunch, sending blood spraying in a crimson arc.

He stumbled back, cursing through broken teeth, but Delphi didn't let him retreat. Surging forward, he drove his knee into the man's stomach, making him gag and double over. The spearman's fists flailed wildly, clipping Delphi's jaw and snapping his head to the side.

Fury bloomed and grew.

"You're nothing." Delphi spat, blood mixed with saliva. "I'll eat you alive, just like your faggot friend over there-"

The spearman roared, swinging in wide, predictable arcs. Delphi ducked under, ramming his shoulder into the man's ribs. They hit the ground in a tangled heap, snarling and writhing around each other.

Before Delphi could follow up, a wild slash of the swordman's blade sliced through the air, forcing him to roll to the side. He hissed as the screaming swordman pressed his advantage, stabbing downward with all his strength. Delphi lashed out with his foot, his heel smashing into the swordman's wrist. The blade flew from his hands and clattered into the dirt. Clutching his wrist in pain, the man yelped and fell backwards.

Delphi burst out laughing, jumping to his feet and screaming in euphoric rage. "NEVER BEEN HURT BEFORE? SHOULD I SHOW YOU WHAT IT'S LIKE?"

But the spearman was back, having retrieved his bloody spear. He lunged towards Delphi, stabbing at him with rapid, sharp movements. Delphi lurched and twisted around the man, trying to get past the spear-tip, but was unable to.

"I'll show you what it's like-" To the left, the swordman had retrieved his blade. "-when I hack you to fucking bits."

Delphi laughed manically, stepping back away from the two warriors.

Can't get past spear, can't take more blood loss, hands are fucked, need to heal, recover more. I can take the swordman…

"That girl over there-" He stared at the swordman, leering cruelly. "Once I've killed you, I'm going to fuck her corpse."

"YOU-"

With his face contorted, the swordman charged, swinging at Delphi furiously. He had stepped in front of the spearman in his blind rage. Delphi twisted his body, avoiding the blade, and threw his foot forward, smashing it into the man's kneecap. The swordman screamed, collapsing to one knee.

Now!

Delphi straightened, his body pulsing brighter and brighter, glowing like an evil star. His malevolent light filled the clearing, blinding and searing. The two men shielded their eyes, screaming out in desperation.

"LOOK AT ME!" Delphi roared, voice echoing across the clearing. "LOOK AT WHAT I'LL DO TO YOU."

As they flailed in confusion, clutching at their eyes, Delphi sunk his teeth into the swordsman's exposed throat. The intoxicating taste of iron flooded his senses as his jaw locked, breaking through flesh and cartilage. The man's gurgled screams faded into nothing as he collapsed.

The glowing light pulsed brighter and brighter, pain shooting across every nerve as bones cracked and reformed, muscles knitting themselves together.

He threw his head back and bellowed, shaking the very air of the forest. Breathing heavily, he looked down. He clenched his newly formed hands.

Delphi smiled, cruelly, slowly, and turned towards the trembling spearman. His eyes were glazed in despair, the grip on his spear loose and weak. His chest heaved with his heavy breaths, blood streaking down his face.

Delphi stepped forward slowly, his tender hands twitching as the last vestiges of pain faded away.

"You shouldn't have come." Delphi's voice was low and soft. "You should have left me alone. Look where this has got you."

"We had… no choice."

"You were forced to?"

"A monster appears. Do you wait for it to come to your home to fight it?" A hoarse laugh. "Lucifer…A demon wrapped in light…an undying corpse… I didn't think it'd happen in my lifetime."

"What…do you know about me?"

The man raised his spear, gathering what remained of his resolve. "Your name…Delphi Kendan…That we have to kill you."

The man lunged with the spear. Clumsy, desperate. Delphi stepped to the side, answering with a sharp elbow to the man's jaw. The crack of bone echoed in the still air. The man staggered, but did not fall.

He stabbed at Delphi again, and Delphi caught the spear with one hand, twisting it to the side. He pulled him closer, driving his knee into the man's stomach. He folded like a ragdoll. The warrior collapsed, coughing, gagging, retching, but still tried to rise.

What is this…? He looks pathetic.

He brought his foot down on the man's neck, snapping it cleanly in half. The warrior's body twitched weakly, before going limp. He glanced around the clearing, realising that the archer that had shot at him had escaped somewhere else.

He'll be getting help, won't he?

He was tired. So, so, tired.

His gaze shifted to the legless girl. She lay on the ground, her sword trembling in her hands as she pointed it at him, slowly shuffling away from him. Tears streamed down her face, her wretched sobs shaking her body. The horror on her face grew and grew with every step forward he took, clutching her bloodied sword, as if it could save her.

"Stay back!" she screamed, her voice breaking. "Don't- come…"

Delphi stood over her, the light radiating off his body illuminating her frail figure.

She shook her head violently, gasping desperately through her weeping. "No…please…"

Delphi reached down, his hand wrapping around the hilt of her sword. She cried and cried, holding on with all the little strength she had. He wrenched it from her grip, tossing her backward onto the blood soaked ground.

"I'm sorry…" she whimpered, crawling backward as he raised the blade. "Please… please…"

The sword came down once, twice, thrice, over and over. Her sobs faded with the blood that soaked into the dirty ground. Her organs spilt out of her opened flesh. Her face was ravaged, deformed, destroyed. Before long, the living, breathing girl had become a tangle of weeping flesh.

Just a sack of flesh.

The sword was slick with blood in his hands, shimmering an evil crimson in his light. He let it drop to the ground, the clang ringing out in the silence. His hands fell to his side, trembling gently.

The stink of death was thick in the clearing.

He was alone.

He covered his face with his hand, breathing slowly, deliberately.

I won…I killed because I had to live. They attacked me first. They wouldn't stop.

He peered through his hands at Mira's corpse. Unrecognisable.

I had no… choice…

You have to go. There'll be more coming.

He pulled at his face, wiping his wet eyes. He turned and walked, stepping around the corpses laid across the ground. He took good care to avoid looking at their faces, to avoid the vacant stare of the dead.