Chapter 1; Esian
Esian faltered, running wasn’t his favorite, but alas, you have to whenever giant monsters are on your tail. It’s not that he’d never ran before, he was actually very fast but, it wasn’t his sport of choice. Oh, and the fact that he had a 10lbs iguana on his shoulders.
“Carlito man, you need to lose some weight. Lay off the flowers for a bit, no?”
Carlito cocked his head at him before leaping off his shoulders and running ahead of him. The loss of mass felt heavenly and allowed Esian to dart ahead another 100 yards before diving behind a sizable bush. Catching his breath, he waited. It took only a few seconds before the smell of acid and rain hit his nostrils.
Panic seeped into him, and he could feel his nerve starting to break. He had a long ways to go before he would reach the safety of the mountains. In and out, in and out, he thought, trying to control and quiet his breathing. He didn't know what was following him, but nothing in this forest was something he wanted to be chased by. Looking for Carlito, Esian scanned the forest ahead of him, hoping to see his companion, but was distracted by the sound of heavy footsteps from behind him. One, two, three… now! He pressed his hands to the forest floor, imagining his commands. The ground shook, and not from the monsters. As they came into view, roots shot out entangling the horrid creatures. Esian stepped out from behind his bush, allowing himself to gain a full look at the things that had been chasing him.
Oh great, Esian thought, Tors, just what I need today.
The Tors were enormous forest entities, covered in moss and tree bark, with four large tusks protruding from mouths that leaked acidic black goo. Their breath stinks, slowly killing everything around them. Tors had no eyes, just empty sockets. Their ears, rounded blocks of granite that had a small hole for hearing, were hyper-sensitive and allowed them to hear even the most miniscule of noises. They had legs built for running and tree trunk size arms that could crush diamonds. Add all of this and the fact that they’re 25 ft. tall and like to eat people, has made it substantially impossible to kill one. But Esian didn’t know that.
The beasts looked down at him with their mouths open. Acidic goo seeped down, almost falling on Esian.
“What do you want? Huh, seriously, leave me ALONE!” He shouted at them.
One of the Tors bent down as far as the roots would allow. Esian had to back up before being drenched in goo. He could see the yellow of their fangs from this close. From the back of his mind, a tiny voice told Esian that he needed to leave. Slowly, he backed up. The Tor arched his back and the smaller roots snapped like twigs. Esian stood in terror as the abomination before him stretched to full height.
A tugging sensation on his jeans pulled him back to reality and he saw Carlito tugging on his clothes trying to make him move. Esian stood rooted for another moment before turning his back and running. His lungs burned, they had been running for so long before he caught them and he didn’t want to continue.
Behind them the Tors were finally breaking free of their restraints. Their roars could be heard throughout the forest, causing the trees to shake violently. The sound of their anger shocked Esian down to his bones and prompted him to run faster. More roots grew from the earth trying to slow the brutes.
Carlito ran beside Esian, making sure he wasn’t left behind. They ran for what seemed like hours. Neither had a clue where they were. After a long while they came upon a cave. Too tired to continue running, they entered it. Esian collapsed out of exhaustion holding his side. Once the pain in his lungs subsided, Esian got a look at their surroundings. They’d taken shelter in a small cave that opened up to a larger cave with trees growing out of the stone wall. There was grass and fallen leaves covering the ground. There wasn’t much space in the tunnel of the cave, but it hid them out of sight of the tors. Esian, who had never liked enclosed spaces, began to steady his breathing. In Out, In Out he thought, Concentrating on the rhythm of his pulse. Esian crept into the enclosed space of trees. It wasn’t as open as he’d have liked, but it was better than on the other side of the cave. Wide spaces, perfect for Tors to get to you. Carlito walked over to a tree and crawled up till he found a thick branch and layed down to sleep. They had been constantly running for days and the steady flow of adrenaline that had been coursing through his veins was gone. He suddenly realized how tired he was. Esian grew up running, he’d been the fastest kid in his old village. Which had been helpful as he was always being chased by his parents. Esian walked over to Carlito’s tree and sat down at the base of its trunk. Closing his eyes, he thought back to when he’d lived in his old village. Esian hadn’t been a troublesome kid. It was just that he was different. Growing up, he’d received the same treatment as his siblings, until he was seven. Esian had tried to hang out with his brother Pablo. Pablo was five years older, tall, and quite muscular for his age. He hung out with the actual trouble kids of the town and was always creating issues. They’d dared Esian to pick the sweetest berries from the Jabuticaba tree. It meant Esian had to climb to the top of the tree to find them, which he did. All had been going well until a branch broke on his way down. He didn’t fall very far, but it was enough to scrape his knee. They’d all looked at him with wide eyes, staring at the blood trickling down his left leg. It was wrong, very wrong. Blood is supposed to be red, like cherries and roses, not like this. His blood was rose gold, nothing like the blood of his family. Esian had gaped at his knee while Pablo had run home to get their parents. When they came they were in shock. Soon the other kids had run and gotten their parents and before long, the whole town had come out to see. When the flow of blood stopped, his father was jolted out of his trance. He gave him a look that Esian would never forget, one of fear, anger, disgust, and confusion. Then Esian had been pulled up by brutal arms and dragged home.
Esian woke with a start as he heard an earth shattering roar pierce the quiet forest.
“No no no no no” Esian muttered under his breath. Standing up, he stretched his stiff legs. Carlito scurried down his tree and they crept inside the cave. Huddling together, they waited in silence. A minute passed before another roar sounded. Esian flinched. Whatever was roaring wasn’t a Tor. Tors weren’t nocturnal and only hunted during the day. Whatever was out there could be any number of things. Navars, Moiyas, Polces, you name it. Though Esian had no clue what was out there. Through the stillness another roar sounded, only closer now. Not knowing whether to stay in their sanctuary or run for it, Esian contemplated his options. Staying here meant it might not notice them while running certainly meant being seen by whatever it was. He quickly wondered if he would have a chance by fighting it, but then discarded the idea. He wasn’t the strongest fighter, and even if he was, Esian didn’t believe he’d stand a chance. Whatever was out there sounded massive, like it had rows of razor sharp teeth perfect for tearing apart young, inexperienced teenagers named Esian. The ground trembled as the thing moved closer to the cave. It was close, too close to make a run for it. Grabbing Carlito, Esian backed into the cavern and slid along the side wall, hopefully out of sight of anything peering into the cave. Thump, another shake of the ground. Thump, it was getting to the cave now. It roared. Esian was trembling, hoping that this thing couldn't smell fear. He was drenched in it. After a few seconds of more Roars, Thumps, and trembling of the ground, which felt like hours, it went completely silent. Enclosed in total darkness, Esian clutched the Iguana. A low growl sounded from the opposite entrance of the cave. He clamped a hand over his mouth to stop from gasping. A lone tear slid down from his eye. This wasn’t how he’d wanted to go. Alone, save for Carlito, and scared out his wits. Hot air wafted from the interior of the tunnel and Esian knew it was going to find him. Oh god, please don’t let this be it. Please. Out of the corner of his eye, Esian saw it. Its’ snout reached out of the tunnel and into the cavern. It inched forwards. Esian’s eyes widened in fear. More of its head crept forward and he saw the rest of the head before it saw him. With a sweeping glance, it saw him.
This is the first chapter of Agents of the Damned Book 1! Here we are introduced to Esian, one of my favorite characters I've made. This is still a WIP as I am hoping to edit and lengthen it, but for now here it is.
