Falling Into Ruin

Shhhuuuup! The arrow slammed into the mark right beneath its shoulder blade. Dropping to its knees, the beast instinctively clawed at the jagged crossbow bolt buried deep in its leathery back. Not a single sound emerged from its foul maw as the powerful jaws snapped shut, clamping any semblance of a scream deep inside its lungs. Rising upwards, the abomination beat its massive wings, flinging clouds of dust as it turned to search for its victim. Holding my breath, I sat deathly still. I’d never been a religious man, but realizing my predicament, I silently prayed to God it couldn’t smell my fear.

Eyes narrowing, it stared at the partially ajar trapdoor positioned below the peak of the decrepit stone building’s roof. Snurff, snurff, snurff! Nostrils flared as it caught the scent of a meal. Lumbering forward, it squinted into the seemingly impenetrable darkness behind the door. I felt its horrible gaze trying to zero in on what it knew was hiding in the dark. Nearly panicking, my hand trembled. Could I reload the crossbow in time? It took seven seconds… seven miserable seconds before I could reload a bolt. Under normal circumstances, that monstrosity could cover the distance in eight seconds flat. But when riled, the beast could cover the distance in a heart stopping four seconds. I’d find my head looking upward from the attic floor at my freshly decapitated body if I made a sound louder than a heartbeat. Shhhuuuuppp! A bolt fired from across the yard tore through the side of the beast’s head, spewing blood everywhere as one eyeball popped out of its socket. A deafening howl of agony exploded from its vocal chords as it slammed snout first into the ground. Wings and claws flailed about with horrendous force as its brain vainly struggled against the onset of death. It still wanted meat!

A glint from the ruin across the way drew my attention. From the corner of my eye, I saw Doug crouched over behind a partially collapsed arched entryway as he desperately tried to reload his crossbow. Returning my focus to the winged nightmare on the ground, I nearly threw up as I watched it writhe and jerk about with sickening movements. Without warning, my knees buckled as my legs were swept out from beneath by an unnoticed claw! Yanked through the trapdoor like a worm being pulled from the lawn by a bird, I hurtled downward with incredible force. Rocketing past the beast clinging to the side of the building, I slammed into the ground. Cracking noises echoed through my head as bones snapped like brittle twigs upon impact. Blood gushed from my lips causing powdery dirt to coat my face. A split second later, a familiar sound pierced the air - Shhhhuuup! Christ! How I’d learned to both love and loathe the sound of those flying bolts. Whump! A huge billow of grit filled the air as a hulking leathery frame crashed down mere centimeters from my body, nearly crushing my head. I smelled its horrible telltale stench up close - it was the friggen mate who clung to the wall.

Unable to move my body, I could only listen to Doug’s footsteps bounding across the yard.

“You’ll pay, ya scum suckers!”

Slish!

It was the sound of his lethal blade ensuring one of the downed beasts was not playing possum. Then came silence. This ain't good! I should have heard Doug slashing up the mate… instead there was nothing. Agonizing seconds ticked by!  Like fingers grating on a chalkboard, a chilling screech filled the air, breaking the deathly silence – eeeyyyaaa! For God’s sake, what was going on?  Even with the intense pain, I had to find out!  The taste of dirt soaked blood filled my mouth as I tried and failed to move my head. Cripes, too many broken bones! With my face jammed in the dirt, I can’t even see what’s happening. Shhhuuuup! A third bolt? How can that be?  Reloading and firing a bolt at close range takes too long.  It can only mean one thing, there must be a third beast lurking about. But don’t these beasts only hunt as mated pairs? The pain grew to excruciating levels as I struggled to move once more.  Fracturing sounds from bones grinding themselves into pieces reverberated throughout the inside my skull.  The burst of pain was more than I could withstand, causing me to lose the will to hold on. As my vision faded, I heard Doug shouting,

“Learning to hunt, are ya, Junior? Even your own momma wouldn't be able to recognize you after I finish carving you up with this turkey cutter! What’s that? You say I just made you into an orphan? I'm crying a river for ya!”

Slish! Slish! Slish!

“Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon? No? Then die a thousand painful deaths you freaks!”

Slish! Slish!

Unable to laugh with so many broken ribs, I knew my old buddy was trying to send me off the only way he knew how - by letting loose with cynical jokes while dicing up our most hated nemesis'. What a send off for crossing the river Styx! Even while preparing to pay the required toll to the ferryman, I take solace in knowing revenge is served ice cold tonight.

“Pardon me ferryman, do you have any Grey Poupon?”