“You shouldn't trust the dead, my boy”

  Lost in my own thoughts, watching the cloudy sky accompany the forest, making it darker than it should be... I open the backpack I left by my side and grab the book. "The Arrival of the Storm Does Not Shake Me"... hmm, I really hope she likes it. It's been so long, I miss her so much. I open the book and start flipping through it again, but before I can even get into the reading, I'm interrupted by the train stopping abruptly outside the station. From the intercom, the engineer informs us that the train suffered a critical system failure. I stand up, still trying to digest the situation. The few passengers in the car also stand up, with confused and terrified expressions. Soon the engineer announces that all passengers must exit the train and follow the instructions of the railway guards outside.

  Critical failure... you've got to be kidding me. What are the fucking chances! Annoyed, I grab my backpack and follow the flow of passengers heading to the exit door. One by one descends from the damn train. Outside, the guard was waiting for us.

  "Don't worry... everything is under control..."

  Sure it is, you bastard... everything's always fine, I thought.

  "There's a small railway town nearby..."

  A passenger in front of me asks:

  "How long to fix it? I have to arrive by tonight!"

  "Sorry, sir... from what the engineer informed, the train should only be running again tomorrow. Until then, the tracks are closed."

  People start to murmur and complain. The guard raises his voice.

  "Come on! Follow me. You don't want to be hanging around here in the middle of nowhere, do you?"

  People fall silent, and everyone starts following the armed guard along the tracks.

  The cloudy weather is even heavier. The cutting winds are constant, even making locomotion a bit difficult at times. Finally, I start to see the silhouette of the nearby railway station forming ahead, and soon on top of a hill, the small railway town.

  Arriving at the station, the guard stops and says his last words:

  "Just follow the dirt road. Find an inn and inform them of code 367, showing your tickets."

  Without another word, the truculent man turns his back and leaves, following the track, possibly back to the train.

  The fact that I can only continue the journey tomorrow makes me anguished and desperate at the same time. While the other passengers simply resigned themselves and headed to the town, I, in a state of shock, just sat down on a bench in a dark corner of the station.

  I can't believe this... if I had come yesterday, maybe there would have been time. While my thoughts assaulted me, I hear a deep and hoarse voice coming from the other end, completely taken by the darkness of the bench.

  "You seem distressed, young man. Is everything alright?"

  "Who? Who's there?" I respond, startled.

  "Stay calm, young man. I'm just an old wanderer."

  My vision tries to adjust to the man, but I can't see more than his silhouette sitting in the dark corner. I just can't get closer. It seems the temperature of the place plummeted all of a sudden.

  "You know, young man... the years have taught me that venting your problems to others can lighten your shoulders. Sometimes even bring an unexpected solution. I speak from personal experience."

  I look at the ground for a few moments and respond:

  "Yeah... you're right. I don't know if you heard, the train I was on broke down."

  "Hmm... from your expression, I presume it's not just the train malfunction that left you like this."

  "Yes, sir. You're right. It's just that I had to arrive in Linith today to visit my daughter. Early this morning she'll depart to another province."

  The old man stays silent in the dark for a few moments, breathing loudly and irregularly, until he stabilizes and speaks:

  "Forgive me, young man. Age takes its toll. And about your daughter... your pain is completely understandable. Is it very far where she's going to study?"

  "Yes, sir. In Kallas. She'll be there for at least six years. It's very expensive to call there. It'll be six years without any contact with her."

  "Calm yourself, young man."

  He stays silent, breathing even louder and strangely for an uncomfortable ten seconds. The environment seems to have gotten even colder. My body is tingling completely.

  "Remember I told you that venting could solve problems? Well, I heard there's a caravan going to Linith today. They depart at six in the evening. They have fast cars. You should arrive in time to see your daughter."

  I stand up excited. I try to walk toward the man, but I simply freeze. I can't explain it. It's as if my body simply doesn't respond.

  "You see that forest over there, young man? Just follow the trail. In less than an hour you'll come face to face with the old road. They're there."

  The man starts to groan and breathe irregularly.

  "Ah... are you alright, sir? What's your name?"

  He starts to laugh.

  "Young man, you better go quickly. I feel the storm is about to arrive."

  The man's silhouette seems somewhat deformed, emanates an uncomfortable and cold smell.

  He starts laughing non-stop. Not in a scandalous way. Low. Uncomfortably low. I turn my back and see the forest he mentioned.

  I turn to thank him:

  "Thank you very much, sir..."

  He just keeps laughing in the dark, then crying.

  Frightened, I turn my back to him and leave through the side of the station, following the irregular terrain until I reach the mentioned trail in the forest.

  The pine branches were swaying violently with the winds. I just followed the narrow dirt trail. There was already vegetation taking over parts of the path. It seems this route isn't used much. Must be a shortcut, I imagine.

  The winds seem to be getting worse, and the forest is so silent. No animals, not even a bird's song. Nothing. Not a trace of animal life. It seems the forest is hiding. The only sound I hear is the cutting wind and the swaying trees. I think I'd better go back to town. It could be very dangerous.

  I turn and start walking back, until memories of my girl start hitting me. Her being born, playing as a child, graduating, me taking her to the station. No, I can't go back now. She's my girl.

  I turn more determined and continue the path through the forest. With each step, I seem to be in a direct fight against the wind, but I continue firm.

  The sky starts to close more and more. Heavy clouds start to gather, getting as dark as nightfall. A terrible sensation hits me—fear, dread, death, of having crossed a point of no return. I try to stay focused on the road and walk faster.

  The winds seem like disturbing whispers, disconnected phrases. The sky started to change tone, from dark it went to a sickly lilac mixed with a grotesque green.

  Damn, it can't be... not now. A strong sweet metallic smell starts to descend, basically announcing the arrival of the zeta storm.

  Despair takes over.

  "No... no... it can't be... I'm going to die... I have to run, find shelter..."

  I look from side to side and start running back in desperation. As I run, the sky starts to flash—from green flashes, red to a malignant, sickly purple. The winds that before seemed like whispers now sound like desperate screams. The environment turned a strong brownish lilac tone. I trip on a root and fall hard on the ground, hitting my head very hard.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Everything went black momentarily. The sounds muffled, accompanied by a strong ringing. I open my eyes slowly and get up. The storm has advanced even more. Everything is taken by a thick reddish lilac fog. I can't see an inch in front of me. The screams continue even louder. I hear footsteps on all sides, murmurs, laments. I start running into the unknown taken by the fog. With difficulty, I dodge the trees along the way. I barely know if I'm still on the road, until I step on something that stops me violently, and then comes the pain. An excruciating pain. My foot is trapped, bleeding a lot. I scream—a useless scream amid so many others. I look at the ground and see a robust bear trap holding me. I try to open it repeatedly. I can't at all. I kneel, almost crying in pain, and keep trying.

  Minutes passed. My hands are already hurting and numb from trying so hard to open this damn trap. The fog now seems even thicker, to the point of not being able to see absolutely anything beyond the brownish lilac coloration.

  The winds were even worse, bringing waves of toxic fog violently upon me. I felt my entire body burning, inch by inch, from the inside out. It hurts so much. I can't take it anymore. I fall to the ground, leaning on top of the bear trap. I feel it sinking deeper into my bone. I feel my bone crumbling. The combined pain made me vomit and almost faint.

  Every second I feel my skin burn more and more, in a more violent way. Each wind loaded with radioactive fog that hits me is equivalent to a session of hours of torture. It seems time no longer exists. It simply makes no sense. Nothing makes sense. I'm dizzy, disoriented, delirious, staring at death.

  I run my hand over my head and feel hundreds of hair strands falling, more and more. My head starts to itch a lot, unbearably. I start scratching it violently. First I saw the blood, then I realized I had just torn off a piece of my scalp. Horrified, I stopped and threw it on the ground.

  The sound of screams, whispers, murmurs were deafening, coming with the wind, from all possible sides. And the fucking footsteps seem like they're going to arrive at any moment—close, distant, even beside me. And nothing. It would be too much mercy to be killed by an irradiated now.

  Every second it burns and hurts more. My right hand starts to itch unbearably. I resisted only for a few seconds before giving in and starting to scratch it violently. Blood dripped with each scratch, but it was a small relief, until I see that three of my nails got stuck in the raw flesh of my hand. I regained control terrified, realizing what I had just done. I cried in pain and started trying again to open the damn trap. For minutes, hours, days, months, years... I don't know exactly. Time doesn't exist here anymore.

  Every second trapped here sounds like an entire year. Time passes and passes, and nothing makes sense anymore. It's been so long. The voices and screams of the storm started making sense little by little. They were trying to talk to me. One whispers close to my ear:

  "It's going to be alright."

  Another more distant echoes:

  "Transformation requires pain and sacrifice. Be grateful for the blessing."

  "Hello... who's there?" I scream.

  Laughter starts to echo from all sides. The winds laughed at my disgrace every time they hit me.

  My entire body is itching now. A wave of intense heat hit me, as if I were in an oven. I start by taking off my shirt and throwing it away. It doesn't help much. I take off my shoe and socks. Still nothing cooler.

  "By Mezel, cool down just a little..."

  I take off my pants, then my underwear. I'm completely naked, and the heat doesn't pass. I stop resisting and start scratching myself completely. It's the only relief I have at the moment. It feels so good. With each scratch, the arousal I feel increases more and more, until my nails started falling off and getting stuck in the skin, one by one. Without nails, I can't scratch efficiently anymore. Desperate, wanting to feel good again, I start scratching with my fingertips. Without much success, I give up and realize again what I was doing. I look at my completely scratched body and scream very loud, but as always it's as if nothing comes out anymore.

  My hair kept falling aggressively, until I ran my hand over my head and there was nothing left. Nothing. I start crying leaning on the trap.

  "Cenia, my daughter, forgive me, please."

  Sobbing, I continue:

  "You'll never see me again, dear. Not even know what happened to me. I'm sorry, I tried. I'm sorry..."

  My laments are interrupted by a strong pain in my stomach. The pain rose violently. I started vomiting blood on the ground. I vomit again. Now, instead of blood, a lilac liquid comes out that seems to burn me from the inside. Eight of my teeth fell out in that last vomit. I can't even lie down in pain because of this damn trap.

  I try to open the trap for a few more millennia. They seemed like years there, and this shit won't open. I scream in hatred at the sky:

  "Kill me, damn it! Kill me!"

  Until from the fog I hear a familiar voice:

  "Dad? I'm here."

  "Cenia, run away from here, my dear, run..."

  I try to get my foot out of the trap desperately.

  "Run, Cenia!"

  "No, dad. It's okay. Don't you feel it? You're being graced. There's no reason to resist."

  "No, we're going to die!"

  "No, dad. We're not going to die. You're being cleansed to become better. Just accept it. It'll stop hurting eventually."

  "Cenia..."

  "Daddy, when this is over, we'll be able to be together forever, walking through the meadows, picking flowers and receiving the sacred light of the sun. Just accept it and stop suffering."

  "Okay, daughter. I... I accept."

  I open my arms and accept the blessing. At first, nothing happens, until the fog starts forming dozens of silhouettes, almost human and almost unrecognizable. They walk up close to me and form a circle around me.

  "Oh, Mezel... thank you, thank you!"

  They start spinning and spinning fast, as if they were dancing, and a distorted chant starts coming from them. After a while, it stopped seeming confused and distorted and became harmonic and beautiful.

  I look at my hand and feel my index finger fragile, soft. When I try to move it, it falls. Then the thumb, soon after the ring finger. No more pain.

  I feel a weight in my genitals. I look down and, upon touching, my phallus falls. Soon after, my vital sack. No pain.

  I hear coming from the silhouettes:

  "Purification, redemption, transformation."

  I laugh.

  "Lord, I got the message. Leave it to me, Mezel."

  I look at my two remaining fingers on my right hand. First I twist the pinky violently and pull it off with some ease, chewing it. The bones don't seem to be an obstacle, I just swallow. And soon after I pull off my last finger and swallow it. A wave of pain and pleasure hits me in a cosmic way.

  It seems I've been observing the dancing fog for millennia. With each second of observation, I realize more and more how rotten life is—dirty, unworthy, weak and useless. Why do they resist salvation? It makes no sense. The pain now makes me laugh and is equivalent to multiple continuous orgasms.

  I feel hunger, a lot of hunger, as if I hadn't eaten in years. I look at my fallen phallus and, on impulse, I grab it and devour it completely. The sensation I feel, it going down my throat and reaching my stomach... by Mezel, it's so good. But the hunger still hasn't passed, still so much hunger. I grab the fingers that had fallen. When they ran out, I started eating dirt to satiate my eternal hunger.

  For a few seconds I regained my consciousness and was terrified with what I had done. I started vomiting blood, then the lilac liquid. All my remaining teeth fell out like nothing.

  The silhouettes were still there and made me return to my state of strength and evolution. My jaw is very heavy, tired, exhausted. That doesn't matter. I have to get out of here. She's calling me. I hear her screaming for me.

  I start pulling my foot violently from the bear trap, until I feel a superhuman strength—a strength provided by Mezel. With a strong pull, I ripped my foot out and managed to get out of the trap.

  Now free, I drag myself toward Cenia's voice, until I feel my leg tingling. Looking, I see that a new foot is growing—bigger, swollen, stronger. A gift from the storm.

  With my new foot, I stand up and start staggering through the forest, following her voice, without stopping. I walk for years, millennia, and don't arrive. I see only the fog.

  "Dad, I'm here. Help me." I hear non-stop.

  My jaw, already heavy, simply comes loose and falls. No pain. Nothing. My tongue hangs down. I keep following her voice.

  I can't scream for her anymore. Cenia, we'll walk through the meadows, daughter. I keep walking and walking, until I feel my right arm heavy, very heavy. It simply detaches from my body and falls. No, that doesn't matter anymore. I keep following her.

  The voice is louder. I'm close. I feel my right eye detach and fall like a marble. I put my hand in the empty socket, almost going into despair, until I hear Cenia:

  "Dad, come quickly. I don't have much time."

  With my hand over the eye socket, I follow her voice without stopping. I feel my skin melting, contorting, every inch of it. My hand simply stuck to my eye socket, fusing.

  It hurts, it hurts a lot. And I love it. I stop briefly and look at the sky:

  "Mezel, please, bless me more. Make me reach her."

  I feel the blessing hit me with force. My bones move inside me, break, remodel, become stronger, bigger. I'm bigger, much bigger, and stronger. Oh, Mezel, thank you, lord.

  From my belly grows a long and strong arm. My hanging tongue, without the support of the jaw, gets bigger, thicker, stronger, as if it were a whip. I love this, every millisecond of it. I am a divinity. Thank you, Mezel.

  Now bigger, stronger, I walk faster toward her voice. The storm seems weaker now. I follow through the forest for days, years... I can't say. I just know I'm better. Not even the animals dare come close. Her voice seems closer and closer. And now, without the storm, it's easier to see.

  Until I finally arrive near a house. It seems close to the town from before. I smell a bad smell coming from it—smell of life. It's disgusting, repugnant and offensive. I stop in front of the house window and hear Cenia telling me:

  "Daddy, she hurt me. These unworthy and filthy people hurt me non-stop. It hurts so much. Help me, dad. You have to free them."

  With even more rage, I break the window glass and enter. I hear footsteps coming in my direction.

  A woman enters the room, emanating a terrible smell. Her face is blurred. She's monstrous. I see Cenia's blood on her hands. She hurt my baby. Bitch!

  When she sees me, she screams loud, very loud, and tries to run. Unsuccessfully. I'm faster and better. I am blessed, you unworthy one! For a moment, she manages to break free and runs to the exit. I run after and feel my tongue stretching and piercing the monstrosity's heart like a blade. I wrap it up and devour it.

  From the front door, I hear multiple voices. When they see me, they shoot and shoot. There are many. I have to flee. I run to a window and jump. They keep shooting, and I keep running non-stop through the forest. The bullets hurt. It's not good pain. This time it's bad. It gives me anger, a lot of anger. I have to free all the unworthy ones who hurt my daughter. All of them. I keep running through the forest without stopping, until I smell something being cooked. Meat. I approach and see a family in the distance at the bonfire cooking meat. I feel Cenia scream in pain every second in the fire.

  I will free them all.

  (Liked it? The world of Erahal goes beyond this story. Find the books on Amazon — link in bio. Even if you can't buy, just reading is already a huge support. Thank you.)