Chapter 18: No Supper For Scraps

I hate rats.

That resounding thought buzzed in Oz's head as he sprinted through the narrow passageway.

The slick path dripped with an ominous white liquid, and moist footsteps reverberated through the dark halls.

"Damn!" he cursed out as he snuck a glance over his shoulder.

A crazed swarm of rats was still hot on his trail, with the tiny leader of the pack foaming from the mouth as it threateningly squeaked at him.

"Ughh, damn," the boy was soaked in sweat, his body aching, "the fuk did I have to go this way for?"

Oz thought back to before he came this way and through this treacherous pathway.

.

.

.

"Fuk, fuk, fuk!"

Panting curses rang out through the narrow hallway.

A chocolate-skinned boy whose dark complexion nearly melted with the dark surroundings was being chased by a swarm of red lights behind him.

Squeaks and growls rumbled from those "red lights" as they scurried after.

"Shit, shit, shit!"

Oz was beginning to panic, yet up ahead, under the glow of the now red floating ball of flames, he saw the 6 openings he had come from.

However, the black swirling substance from before was now gone, a vacant emptiness in place of all 5 spots on the right, that is, except for the entrance on the very left.

That entrance grumbled with ferociousness.

The slow, lazy waviness of the black goop was gone, now replaced with a blood-red veil that aggressively splashed around within itself like a tidal wave.

Oz gulped at the intimidating sight, adding to that the lanky figure clothed in black garbs whose eyes locked onto his.

A soft yet sharp breeze of wind brushed past Oz, gently cutting up his cheeks, a small succulent drop of blood oozing down his cheek and into the mouths of the gluttonous creatures behind.

'Damn!' the boy cursed as he felt an ominous aura omitting from the lanky figure.

He was much, much stronger than those before him; he could see it in the man's eyes.

The cold, piercing gaze of those green lenses was ominous as if the man was planning something.

Cold shivers ran up Oz's spine as he felt powerless to even attempt to stop it.

It felt as if a cleaver was hanging over his neck.

Yet to his dismay, out of the corners of his eyes, he spotted the humanoid creature who had nearly killed him stumble upwards from the floor.

Rage and hunger flashed in its eyes as it burst into a ball of flames and, to Oz's delight, tackled the man from the side, sending them both sprawling into the corner of the room and out of the way of Oz as he dashed by.

A cocky smirk plastered across the boy's face as he flicked off the man in his mind, too tired to lift his hands and do so.

The far left gate was glowing a dangerous red glow, the rest being barren.

As Oz sped by, he knew he had to make a choice.

Shudders ran down his back as he took a single glimpse to his far left.

Horrid screams and shouts of agony echoed through his head, nearly causing him to trip.

The boy shook his head, steeling himself as he gazed forward once again and ran through the 3rd gate to the right, unsure of what awaited him or how he would make it out of this unfortunate circumstance.

He, however, knew one for certain, only death awaited him at that red entrance.

.

.

.

Back to now, as Oz had been running through this barren tunnel for what seemed to be around 10 minutes, yet now a lanky figure who was cloaked in a black robe was also hot on his tail, closely followed by the swarm of rats.

Potentially even more concerning, however, was the voracious swarm of rats chasing from behind, a ravenous light shining in their ember eyes as they squeaked out in rage.

Oz shook his head as he shifted his attention back ahead of him.

The cave walls were dim, serving as a poor light source compared to the brighter paths he had taken before.

The boy's head began to spin with attempts to formulate a plan, 'shit, I can barely feel my body. The burning feeling has become so numb I don't even know if I still have a hand.'

He forcefully gulped down a lump of flem, 'if this is a dead end I...'

Oz didn't know what to think or even how.

It felt like his body was moving through mud, everything was slowed down, and his body was just barely keeping up.

The pleasant aroma of spicey cinnamon was gone, now replaced by the scent of burning flesh and... rotten eggs?

DRIP

Oz's eyes widened as he strained his ears, hastily calming down his haggard breathing to listen for the noise once more.

DRIP

His dry mouth hung open, 'is that?'

You are reading story Devour Heaven at novel35.com

DRIP

DRIP

"Woh-uhhh (Water)!" his mouth was so cracked, his throat so parched, his tongue so sore that even speaking that simple word was difficult.

Yet now, with newfound energy, the boy's topaz eyes brightened once more with a look of determination as he sprinted forward with full force, one final blast, taking his pursuers behind him off guard as they, too fatiguely ramped up their pace.

.

.

.

Not far behind, a threatening glint shined in the eyes of the lanky figure in pursuit as he watched the young boy he was pursuing speed up and through the veil of shadows in search of protection from his chasers.

His sweat-drenched robe clung to his skin like claws as he cursed under his breath, "newb... just wait till I catch you.."

.

.

.

Somewhere in the crowded woodlands, far away from the dreaded cave, and under the calm blue sky.

An energy was stirring.

Down below, there were tall trees that soared to incredible heights.

These trees were located far away from the Dung Den, yet even further from grasping the heavens, though they tried with all their might as they stretched into the vast blue openness.

The beautiful trees glistened with a flavorful green sap that caused the trunk and branches to gleam with an enamoring sparkle.

However, even more, captivating was what hung from these trees.

Fruit, succulent, supple fruit.

The taste was not sour, nor could it even be considered sweet, and this was by no means a vegetable but a very particular fruit.

These fruits were not seasonal but on the whims of the one planting them.

They were not grown in the ground nay were the fruits sprung forth from the branches of the lush forest branches.

These were very special fruits, both succulent and supple yield.

Ones that glowed with a mysterious green light to them.

And now, at this very moment, as these strangely shaped fruits swung freely with the passing winds from the looming trees that stretched up as if trying to touch their very maker.

A figure walked through the harvest.

This figure was adorned in baggy, hooded grey robes that covered their figure entirely, not giving much in terms of their body shape or even their size, as with each step, their height dramatically varied from as tall as 5'0(152cm) to as short as 6'7(183cm).

However, what may have been even more alarming was the entity's robe completely concealed their face, pitch black fog mysteriously swirling underneath, and from within that void, a profound sense of power pulsated through, nearly shaking the ground with each step the being took.

Yet, all of a sudden, a flash of green far surpassing the hue of even the shrubbiest of bushes leaked out from within the cloak, soaking the clear blue sky in sheens of green light as well as the strange fruit suspended from the branches.

A sharp sound, akin to the cracking of eggs and scratching of a chalkboard, rang out amidst the still forest air.

CRR--

The air was still.

--AAACK

Then in sync with the fruit bursting open, powerful shockwaves whizzed through the air, rocking the trees and causing them to moan in response as they swayed.

Yet the figure still stood there and watched, unperturbed by the violent shrieks and movements as the fruit swayed back and forth like a patient desperately attempting to escape the confines of a stray jacket.

Finally, one by one, the fruits fell.

Loud crunches resounded through the air as they hit the ground, sending blast waves through the moist soil.

The entity, now standing at 6ft(183cm), grasped a fruit, which was as tall as up to its torso and as wide as its shoulders.

The shape couldn't be considered fruit-like, as this fruit had very particular features about it.

Aside from the slimy goop surrounding it, the cotton-white colored produce was also divided into sections.

The most significant portion was the disproportionally large head that seemed to pulse with veins streaking across its noggin.

Its eyes were tightly shut, and its little arms were closed around its chest.

Its curled-up position, akin to one taking a nap, was very noteworthy, with even its legs aligned in a criss-cross position.

The fruit was resting.

The figure carefully flipped the fruit over to face its backside.

A cord implanted into its back hung lazily now that it was disconnected from the tree.

'And so leaves the mother,' the entity mused as it swiftly chopped at the cord, disconnecting it.

The cord shriveled up as it fell towards the ground, evaporating into nothing before even coming in contact with the earth.

The figure looked around at the rest of the fruits, the pulsating brains almost making a rhythmical drumming sound in unison.

A soft chuckle sounded out of the figure, shushing the drumming noises of the slick, slimy fruit, as a voice composed of many clashed with one another to sing out, "soon... my children."

You can find story with these keywords: Devour Heaven, Read Devour Heaven, Devour Heaven novel, Devour Heaven book, Devour Heaven story, Devour Heaven full, Devour Heaven Latest Chapter