They Came From The Shadows

It's only been an hour, Godfrey, just an hour, and now she's gone. Your first friend, the first kid you spoke through all your life, was kidnapped.

What the hell was I doing? I'm just sitting here, looking down at my mom's chicken casserole on the dinner table, unable to muster words. This felt like a dream I couldn't wake up from.

My mother locked the back door, and front door, and secured the house just in case anything dangerous would try to barge in, and abduct me... but truth be told, I wasn't scared.

I felt angry if anything, for the first time in 9 years, I felt pure anger, nothing else.

Holding the fork in my hand, I dug it into the chicken casserole, taking slow bites as my mind wandered off into deep, horrible, and treacherous thoughts about Olivia. This anxiety I had inside of me was horrible... I couldn't even enjoy my food.

Do I miss her that much? Why does it feel like my heart is about to give out any second?

Olivia, hang on tight... just hang on and be strong, I know you're not dead, they kidnapped you for a reason, so just sit there until help comes—

No—

Sit there until I come!

I'm not just gonna sit here and wallow in my sadness all day, I'm gonna do something about it. That's how I always lived life, even in my previous world; If my family starves and can't pay rent, I work to do those things. If my writing sucks and isn't qualified to be an editor, then I take writing classes. If my mother isn't taking care of herself and has panic attacks, I am there for her, talking to her each step of the way, and letting her know it's okay.

I'm a boy who never gives up, and has the willpower to push through even the harshest environment known to man.

That's right, I'm strong, Olivia!

Godfrey, the boy that you made talk to other kids for the first time in 9 years, is coming to save you!

["I'm coming to save you, Olivia!"] I dropped my fork and ran to my door, unlocking it so I could walk outside; I noticed how empty the village looked, and down the road that led to the capital of mediocre village were hundreds of grownups gathered together outside, worried out their minds. Some men searched around with torches, and other women huddled together in front of the capital. I was surprised that our mayor wasn't involved in this, but there's no time to worry about that. ["I have to be quiet..."] If they heard me, then it's likely I'll be in trouble, or possibly killed for them mistaking me as the murderer for masons death.

I slowly closed my door, tip-toeing down the dirt road, and making my way behind a couple of barrels located near our village's fish market, known as 'Tommy's Shore".

["Kids can't be out this late at night. If I give any clues on my location, they're gonna launch magic at me, killing me on the spot!"] I took deep breaths and exhaled from my mouth... gathering up courage within my bones. ["...I can do this, for Olivia's sake!"] I stood back up and stepped forward, dashing away from behind the barrels.

("Run Godfrey! Run, run, run! You gotta leave the village to search for Olivia, she needs you!")

I sprinted fast as I could, adrenaline fueling me with a speed boost! My footsteps could be heard, but they slowly disappeared out of the village once I made it to the exit of our border, leaving outside of it, and into the open wilderness.

This was my first time leaving Mediocre Village, but it definitely won't be the last if these events kept happening in our peaceful, urban area.

I didn't wanna be some hero, I just wanted to help my first friend, I'm sure you can understand that, can you? And I'm sure you can also understand why I'm putting my life on the line. A murder, and kidnapping, they'll definitely come back for more, so it's best if you solve this first hand! I'm not gonna wait for the officers from Atlantis City to take weeks in order to find the criminals, I'm doing this on my own.

Once I left the village border, I was running down a dirt pathway. Oh yeah, I didn't tell you what our village border looked like, did I? Well, the border has a large guard post that connects to a massive wall that builds across the entire village, and the border has two large gates you push open to walk inside. The gates were large so carriages and traders across the country could visit us, and trade for resources. The walls around the village were 20 meters tall, so we didn't have to worry about any foreigners sneaking in so easily. There was only one way inside our village, and that was from the border gates, but lucky for me they were opened so I could escape easier.

I continued onwards, all around me were forests full of dangerous wildlife, and creatures from nightmares you would see back in my previous world inside a book. Werewolves existed here, Skinwalkers existed here, and even something called Werebears, pretty weird, isn't it? They're just like werewolves but instead replaced with a bear.

Just thinking of these frightening things gave me the chills. It felt like someone was stalking me from behind me, prepared to eat me at any given time.

["OooooAAaAAAAHH!!"] But I didn't let it bother me, so I screamed. I screamed at the top of my lungs and pushed through my fears of the unknown, only thinking of Olivia.

["Olivia, JUST HANG ON, OLIVIA!"]

I yelled it out loud, letting the entire forest know my voice!

I wasn't afraid of anything, until—

["What a dumbass, giving your location away so easily."]

I could hear a deep voice next to me, a couple of meters ahead.

Before I knew it, I ran right into a large stick, falling unconscious.

******

It's so dark, and everything feels muddled. Where am I?

I was laying on a cold floor, but I can't move my hands or my legs. I must've been tied up?! The last thing I remember was running through the forest, believing I could find Olivia from my instinct alone, and now I'm here.

I'm tied up, except for my mouth.

["Someone, can anybody hear me? Anyone there?"] I yelled for someone, anyone, to hear me.

No response.

Until—

*Flicker*

["You're finally awake, kid."]

A lightbulb was in the ceiling above me, and a man turned it on by pulling down the switch.

Just from looks alone, you could tell he was a bandit; he wore a bandana, had leather armor on, a large snake tattoo imprinted on his neck, and a sly grin on his face... not to mention the dagger stuffed inside his small scabbard on his hip.

This place also has electricity, which means it has some form of technology. We must be in Atlantis City if that's the case. Why? Because Atlantis City is the only place in this whole world with technology, and even functioning robots, phones, and other materials you would see back in my previous world.

Outside of Atlantis City, people lived in medieval times.

["Where am I? Who are you?"] I asked the man standing in front of the door, crossing his arms.

["No need to worry about that, kid, you're just brought here for a little experiment. Now comply, or we'll have to get violent. You don't wanna get your teeth plucked out, do you?"]

["...To hell with your experiment, let me out!"]

["Oh? We got a badmouth kid here, I see."]

The tall man stepped away from the door, pulling out his dagger from the scabbard.

["Listen here you goddamn commoner, if we have to cut off kids' tongues to shut them up, we'll gladly do it. You don't wanna see the things I can do to you, like what I did to that red-head girl we kidnapped a few hours ago."]

I widened my eyes, sitting up straight.

["Red-head? Do you mean Olivia? Where is she, what did you do to Olivia? You bastard, give her back, now!"]

I leaned forward trying to reach him in a fit of rage but was unable to do so. Despite my hands being tied up, I would still fight... I would still push forward to defeat my enemy! He hurt Olivia, that was more than enough to attack him.

["What is it? Is she your little girlfriend? Aww, how cute. Hey, Jack, bring that red-head girl inside here for a second, I gotta show our new  friend something."]

I heard footsteps down a narrow hallway as I sat in this empty stone-walled room, waiting to see Olivia... and slowly to my surprise, she came, but not in the way I expected.

Oh god...

["Oli...via?"]

Oh god, what did they do to you? What did they do to you, Olivia??

["...God...frey?"]

It was a nightmare, an utter nightmare.

Her hair was shaved off her head, her entire arm was missing, and one of her eyes had a bandage wrapped around it, soaked in blood. Once she called my name, I could see her two front teeth missing, I even noticed her brutally beaten body.

These sick fucks! These absolute sick fucks!

["YOU SICK BASTARDS! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY! YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO OLIVIA, I'LL MAKE YOU ALL SUFFER A WORSE FATE THAN WHAT YOU DID TO HER! GET ME OUT OF THIS BIND, YOU'LL SEE MY WRATH!"]

There was a second man standing behind Olivia with iron armor on, and a bandana around his head, he also had a snake tattoo imprinted on his neck. He laughed, as did the other one wearing leather armor.

["Jack, can you hear this guy? He's gonna show us his wrath, is he? Too bad for you, commoner, we're demons, and the only way you humans have a chance on defeating one of us is with that fucking sorcerer system in Atlantis City. You have no hope, so comply and listen."]

I fell to my side, crying as my lip quivered in anger.

I couldn't help but stare at Olivia, her eye looked soulless... and her body wasn't the same anymore.

She was ruined, she was traumatized.

And this was caused by the demons.

The race that hates us, humans.