IN NIGHT COMES TEETH

“IN NIGHT COMES TEETH"

“Are you sure it’s this way?” Remina questioned their older brother, Ichen. “Because if it’s not, you’ll be the one on cleaning duty when we return home,” she snickers as she brushes away a hanging branch. It had been hours since the trio of Samuel, Remina, and Ichen had come across treasure of any true value. Only following dead leads and rumors, they traverse through these quiet woods to see if they can find their mark.

“Patience, Remina. Give the boy a chance.” Ichen surveys the forest and its sea of curling trees. Each branch resembling that of a serpent. All various curves and twines. Samuel gradually feels the sweat drench his cold back. He was but eighteen, and his siblings were expecting him to pick up the slack. Wanting to prove himself, he holds his torch in hand and leads them down the path he’s learned.

“Yes! I’m sure, about this.” Samuel swats a bug that lands onto his right cheek “I know where we’re going. I saw this estranged temple when I was scouting a day ago. We’re close.”

Ichen presses his strong hand onto Samuel’s right shoulder, halting the both of them. He raises his fist. Before them, a slight dip towards a pond, and beyond it, a dilapidated church. Covered in moss and vines stained with red. “Does it not bother you two at all,” Ichen turns around as he glares down the singular dirt road they took. “We’ve walked the path for what appears to have been hours, and yet not a single chirp or snarl in this forest. Samuel, you’re certain this is the right place for goods? Looks as though hardly anyone has lived here. Ichen tightens his grip on his axe. “There is something off about this place,” his eyes continue to search.

Samuel hears a whisper – like a worm slithering within the channel of his ear. He faintly touches the edge of his earlobe. Come to me, the voice commands. A creeping chill crawls through his bones as he shivers. “Maybe we should turn back.” as they walk around the pond and hear the shushing sounds of the trees in the forest. “Doesn’t seem to be anything here except that church.”

Remy presses her boot against the wooden door. “No thank you. I have a BETTER idea.” With one kick, the door bursts open. What they see, is beyond anything they have witnessed. Chests of human bodies completely ripped bare and open. Their viscera staining the sporadic pews that face the peculiar statue up ahead.

The boy stands paralyzed. His heart jumping up his throat. Sweat singing his eye, yet he’s too afraid to blink. Ichen’s hand pats him onto the back. “Let’s hurry. Grab what we need. The longer we stay, the more difficult the path towards home.”

Samuel didn’t want to search for any treasure within such a horrid place. One where gore practically is used as a display. Headless corpses laying in wait. Not moving, but placed almost as though they are to witness something. He takes sweeter steps within this unfamiliar Hell. His breath shudders as he looks around.

“Hey! Sammie! Itchy! I found something!” Samuel hears his sister calling his name. He follows past the headless statue. It was a statue with a female silhouette and what was placed on top was something akin to the moon. “Hurry it up!” Remina commands from below.

Downstairs behind the statue is a basement. Within it, the most radiant thing that the troupe could discover happens to be a coffin donned in silver. Silver as bright as the moon and its gleam.

“This’ll have to do.” Ichen nods as he claps, “Okay everyone let’s get it and go!”

In touching the silver coffin, Samuel feels a cold presence emanating from it. Come to me, boy. His head throbs as his heart pounds within his chest. Samuel drops the torch. Remina snatches him by his sleeve and yanks him up.

“What’s wrong with you? Let’s get moving already.”

“You’re not worried if whether or not there’s someone in here?”

“ No, and I don’t really care, Sammie. Its shiny and therefore will cost a pretty coin when we sell it. Its all ours!” She snickers.

After dragging the eerie coffin by its chain, they follow the trail back to the high road. Come here, Samuel. Come to me. The whisper continues to scratch in the corners of Samuel’s mind. He resists humoring it.

He smacks his ears, “stop it!”

Ichen and Remina both cease movement. His older brother steps to him. “Are you alright, Sam?”

“Yes, I’m fine. That place was just...” Samuel frowns as he averts his eyes from Ichen.

His brother presses his fist against Samuel’s chest. “You remember what you told me, right? What you promised?”

“Yes...yes, I remember, Ichen.” Samuel nods with a smirk.

Ichen plants both hands onto Samuel’s arms. “What did you promise?”

“That I wouldn’t run away.”

“Good, man. Now, let’s keep going.”

Time has passed and the moon has fully conquered the night sky. As the trio continue to drag the coffin across the path of mud, downhill was an upcoming wagon. Looks to be an easier way to travel to their next dropoff.

Remina exclaims, “I have an idea”, and punches Samuel in the gut. He falls to his knees, gasping for air as she pushes him down the hill. Finally stopping, he ends up in front of the oncoming traveler.

“WHOA!” he pulls the reins as the horse whinnies.

The hill was slanted enough to where Remina could shove the coffin down with ease. As the massive object follows, Samuel groans as he coughs up. Pressing his hand against his mouth, he shouts at Remina, “What is wrong with you?!”

“Young man,” a baritone rasps from the rider. He descends to check on him. Leaning over, he places both hands onto the boy’s shoulders. “Are you alright? Where’d you even come from?”

Samuel whispers, “run away.”

The old man stares in confusion, but not quite at Samuel’s words, but the item behind him. He releases his grip on Samuel’s shoulders and makes his way back to his wagon with every attempt to flee. Ichen was already aboard, with a blade to the old man’s throat. “What are you doing?”

“You’re going to help us carry the load, old man,” he whispers with a grin and a peck against his wrinkled cheek. “And you’re going to be the key to get us there.”

With wide eyes, the farmer’s hands remain on the reins. The horse continue to kick and whinny, and Ichen is bothered by this man’s tears. “Forgive me, God...” he mutters. Before the farmer could take off with the vessel, something is missing. A breeze passes behind them. Samuel looks at the coffin, only to see darkness. Hovering the torch over it, he cannot see anything inside.

As Ichen looks to his right, the old man is also missing, yet there’s blood all over his seat. The horse whinnies as it snaps away from its reins towards freedom. Samuel watches as it flees into darkness.

Slurping sounds are heard. He can’t quite pinpoint from where, but Samuel calls for his siblings, “Ichen! Remina!” Not too far from his feet, a puddle of viscera splatters all the more. Raising the torch a bit higher as he carefully steps towards its source, he sees something animal like in its bald yet ebony form.

“SAMUEL, MOVE!” His brother demands, yet the boy is paralyzed. Standing completely still, three feet away from this creature. With only the strange moon’s glow, the yellow rays of its moonlight reveal the beast as clouds pass by. Hairy thing, with beady yellow eyes. Widened yellow eyes that mimic the moon above.

Come here, Samuel. The voice beckons him again. Its extended arms nearly touch him, right before Ichen slams his axe onto its back. The creature wails, erecting its chest as it straightens its hunched spine.

Remina grabs Samuel and yanks him. “Get up!” They bolt away from the direction of this night beast. Hearing Ichen exchange blows as the clanking sounds of metal ring true in the background. No other place to hide other than the woods uphill.

“Ichen!” Samuel hollers for his older brother.

“Keep moving, you idiot!” Remina drags the hood of his cloak.

Within the woods, no sound other than their own fatigued pants can be heard. No other place for the siblings to hide, other than that very church they came from. Following the path, Remina guides Samuel. She doesn’t let go of his hand.

Branches in the background snap one by one as a shrill vibrates their ears. Samuel feels that wiggling sensation within his ear. Where are you running, Samuel? Do not evade me.

“Stop it! Just stop it!” he claps his right ear.

“We don’t have time for this!” Remina shouts.

The opening between the sea of trees oiled in the dark, the broken down church and its doorway completely exposed. Samuel and his sister scurry. Lying completely still underneath the pews, they can hear it sniffling as it growls.

Pews creak as its weight slowly presses. Liquid drips before them as the monster lifts one of the seats, thrashing the pew against a nearby wall. Samuel crawls while holding his breath. Resisting the urge to cry, he can feel the frigid breath of the beast. Samuel, I can smell you. Your fear calls to me.

He feels something sharp pierce into his ankle. Screaming, his fingers dig into the grass. It drags him, until he hears the battlecry of Remina. “GET AWAY FROM HIM!” She attacks the creature. Samuel is released as his ears bleed from the monster’s incessant wailing.

One moment he hears his sister grunting as she continues to assault this beast, and the next moment, Samuel flinches from the thunderous sound of something breaking the pews. A silent gasp within the night.

He closes his eyes. Keeps them shut. Looking over to his right, he slowly extends his hand to touch who he thinks is laying beside him. Still warm, her breath is. His stomach curls into knots as she tries to talk. Samuel feels her presence moving away from him, and not by her choice.

It was pulling on her. Samuel cannot release her hand, but between their touch, was a blade drenched in something warm and wet. He can no longer see, but through the yellow gleams of the odd moonlight, he can someone see the creature in what appears to be a robe in tatters.

The robed creature opens its maw, to finish the job. Samuel couldn’t believe what he is doing, but he’s standing up. Lurking while clasping the knife within his palms. He screams and lunges towards the beast, and it turns around and smacks him to the ground, pinning him, even.

We are bonded under her veil, Samuel – her glorious veil.

Samuel can feel its thoughts creeping within his skull, and though it burns, he pushed onward. With all of his vigor, he jams the blade into whatever he could damage. Something wet spills onto his face as the creature wails yet again.

He doesn’t stop, either. He propels himself onto it, and stabs again and again and again, until he feels his body descend along with it.

His arms remain sore. Time has passed, and the creature is drained. The night is no longer looming over him and this disturbed church. Over the beast wearing perverse robe. The glorious awaited sun rises, as Samuel stands over the winged monstrosity.