hungry homicidal horrors

I hear a scream. A cry, really. And hear the banging at the gate. Whatever that thing was I just saw, it's trying to get in. 

Adma rushes off to the wall, and I follow her. Is this what she's doing here? Defending the wall from...that?

We run up the battlements and get on top of the wall, looking down over the edge. I'm able to get a better look at this thing. It really does look human - it's even wearing clothes. Blue overalls, and shoes. But it's monstrous - its skin is tight over bone, almost skeletal. It's making a hideous sound, a mix of cackling and sobbing, as it beats its arms against the heavy gate to no avail. Its jaw, fully unhinged, looks like one of those lantern fish I learned about in school. 

And its hands - no, claws. Those hands are twice the size of any human's, and the fingers are long and come to sharp points. The better to eat you with, I suppose?

Its head shoots up, looking straight at me as I stare at it from atop the wall. It points at me, directly at me, shaking its long finger...

And it screams. A blood-curdling scream that hits me so deeply I start crouching and holding the sides of my head. I'm just glad to be out of that thing's sightlines. It's still screaming, louder and louder, like the sight of me drove it completely insane.

"Tough luck, kid. Seems those things don't like you either." Rav lands on the wall platform next to me, stepping off from a magical cloud. "Bree did say these fellas were hungry. Hoo boy."

He turns to Adma, clicking his long nails together as he searches for the right question.

"Do we kill it, or...?"

Adma turns her head down, looking at the abomination below. It's tired itself out from screaming, and it's now laying on the ground, thrashing about. Throwing a tantrum.

"We tried detaining them. They go insane, and if not left in complete isolation, they begin to eat each other."

Oh, goodie. Cannibal monster humans.

"Once they are so far gone, once their bodies begin to change, I believe they are beyond help. This is the work of the famine."

Adma shakes her head. "Those living in the affected areas must continue eating and eating and eating. If they don't, this is what they become."

Adma raises her hand in the air and then projects it forward. A military signal. I hear the whizz of an arrow from one of the tower marksmen, and the creature is no more. 

"Hungry homicidal horrors. How lovely. Do you have a name for them? Chompers? Crazies?"

"We simply call them 'The Hungry'. When they first began to show up, most were nonviolent. They were arriving in droves, hundreds a day. But then, the crowds grew larger. Full of dissidents. We had to begin restricting passage..."

So that's what happened, huh? I feel like an idiot. When I first learned about this, I assumed the people coming from the northern country were just, you know...regular hungry. I didn't realize they were having an outright invasion on their hands. 

"If you truly intend to journey north, you'd best get used to seeing them around. Just remember - if they're as transformed as this one was, there is no helping them. You must kill them, or they will kill others."

I shift my weight uncomfortably. Of course, helping them would be a preferred option. I would get no pleasure in killing one of them, no matter how far gone they are. They were a person once, after all. But if they are truly beyond help...

The gate begins to open again, and a team rushes out to dispose of the body. I see a familiar streak of blue as Bree lands at the front of the gate. She notices the body, but doesn't pay it any mind. She knew this could happen. 

Rav rushes to her, and I take a step down as well. Kieran, my constant partner, hovers nearby. He's quiet, but I know his wheels are turning. Absorbing everything we're learning.

"It was good to see you both," Adma nods. "Please, if you run into any trouble out there, return immediately."

"Don't worry, Adma. This isn't going to be the last time you see me!"

She can't help but smile, even if it's only for an instant. I notice and stick my tongue out at her before catching up with my companions.

"I presume I don't have to tell you about them." Bree ushers to the body with her wingtips as it is dragged off. "There are more and more every day. The famine is getting worse."

Rav crosses his arms and looks dutiful for once. "Alright, Bree. Where do we begin?"

"The famine can be traced back to one farm not far from here," Bree informs us. "It was the first to be stricken. Others have come and gone, but perhaps we can find a clue there. Come. Follow me."

On those words, she rockets into the air, leaving a flurry of blue feathers behind. Rav looks up, using his hand to block the light of the sun as he watches Bree fly north. "She keeps a good watch from up there," Rav says. "We won't have to worry about getting ambushed. Alright, let's go, boys."

Rav leads us through the gate and we walk into the spotty forest. These trees are either out of season or dead, because precious few have any greenery left. Not even the sound of animals can be heard - most have abandoned the area.

The forest is silent, save for the crunch of brittle twigs beneath our boots. The air is thick with brown fog, leaving an acidic burn that clings to my nostrils. The knotted trees grow haphazardly into the road, as if the trees themselves have been driven mad by this famine.

I look up, but I've lost sight of Bree. She's flying so high up, and the sky is so bright. Rav seems to be able to track her, though, so we're following Rav.

We walk through the gnarled path and I'm scared by a mound on the side of the row. I jump back, thinking it's going to attack, but then I see it is long dead. Another of the 'Hungry', left on the side of the road for the flies to feast. 

The buzzing and decomposition around the body tells me it couldn't be a fresh kill - this thing's been here for days. How horrible.

Rav shakes his head. "This is some shit, my guys." He's staring at the half-eaten corpse. "Evil, evil magic. This is no a power play. This is suffering for the sake of suffering."

Rav takes one final sigh and begins walking again. "Come along, now. No time to gawk. We'll be at the farm soon!"

Kieran and I hurry after him. This is no place to linger.