Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Struggle

A god-awful squelching sound met Artie's ears. When he reopened his eyes, Artie saw the older sister using what was left of the burning spear to jab the beast repeatedly.

Stab, Stab. Blood from the wolf-like monster spewed onto the girl and down onto Artie's clothing. Her face was troubled as she used her entire body to force the edge into the monster's body, over and over. Both her eyebrows and mouth sank in disgust, and rightfully so. Everything from the feeling, smell, sight, and sound of that living thing being killed was vulgar.

It whined in pain and then limped away from them, not far. The monster collapsed only a few yards away and cried loudly with its dying breath. Its weeping echoed far as if seeking attention or aid, but the cry went Un responded, and the beast died.

She and Artie witnessed the creature's last moments, both their faces appalled that they were capable of such cruelty.

The older sister crouched down next to Artie and looked at him with an unpleasantly glum face.

"Yoou rh-..."

She couldn't manage any actual words. She just looked at the burned and blood-covered Artie. He didn't look back but held his head down towards the ground while sitting upright against the tree. He used his hands to squeeze his legs and relieve the enduring numbness. While doing so, he wearily spoke to the girl.

"Is Freddy safe?"

She continued to glance at him while nodding. He wished she hadn't; the expression she shared with him only made his heart ache more.

"I must look pitiful right now…." Artie thought.

It was quiet, but the sound of a roaring waterfall persisted along with their heavy breathing.

"You shouldn't have come back," he muttered, lifting his head to speak to her directly.

For a split second, his eyes met hers. Witnessing tears roll from the woman's face, he lowered his gaze once more.

"I had it taken care of," joked Artie, holding up his left arm and flexing the minuscule muscle.

The girl didn't acknowledge it but wiped the tears from her face.

"Freddy is waiting…." She shakily mumbled before standing.

Artie placed both of his hands on the ground then pushed himself up. He only managed to rise inches off the ground before his arms gave out, and he fell back down.

Struggling to stand on his own, Artie used the tree as support. Like the first try, he lost his strength and began to plunge. Before he fell, the sister leaned in and caught his right arm, using her strength to hold him upward. His arm was being held tightly against her chest as both of her arms supported his weight.

"Pathetic…" He sulked, gaining his footing with her assistance.

Artie broke free of her grip and walked ahead without speaking. He laboriously limped for a few steps before the girl once again attempted to help. This time lifting his arm over her shoulder.

"I can walk on my own," Snapped Artie, snatching his arm away from her.

He lost his balance once he did so and stumbled. Embarrassed, Artie turned his head in the opposite direction and waited for her to walk ahead. He did not want her to see him struggle, no matter the cost. But, once again, the gentle touch of the woman greeted him. Like before, she raised his arm above her shoulder to support his weight.

"I said I can walk on m-"

He began to reprimand her but halted. The sister's sad, glossy, light brown eyes desperately pleaded with him to cooperate, and so he surrendered. He allowed her aid, and they walked side by side, away from the cliff and through the forest. The entire time, not uttering a word.

They didn't travel long before stopping in front of a large bush. The girl then called out for Freddy, who willingly jumped out and latched onto his sister, sobbing and soaking the ground with his tears.

Artie disjoined himself, then the woman kneeled down and began to soothe the young boy.

"We're going to be okay, Freddy. It's going to be oka-"

The older sister sniffled and grabbed her brother even harder. The two sat there for some time, crying into one another's embrace. Artie relocated behind a tree and curled up in his own comfort. With his knees against his chest, he used his arms to cover his face. His expression was forthright as it went through a mix of different emotions. He was angry at his own vulnerability, saddened by the sound of the siblings' cries, and most of all, frightened at the thought of living the rest of his life on that hellish planet. Exhausted, both in mind and body, he blacked out.

 

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Sometime later, a small hand tapped the top of his head. Artie's eyelids slowly parted, and he looked over to see the young boy standing next to him.

"There, there," consoled Freddy, patting Artie's head with quaking hands.

The act alone made Artie want to cry and squeeze the boy, but he withheld. Instead, he tried his best to smile and thanked the child.

"Thanks, Freddy Krueger."

The boy returned an innocent smile. Standing, he was only an inch taller than the sitting Artie. His scruffy brown hair had leaves attached while his face had minor scratches, and his clothing was torn in multiple areas. Despite his own unstable condition, he still comforted Artie.

"We should go," insisted the older sister, appearing next to them.

First looking at her brother, who nodded, then at Artie. Their sights met briefly, but she quickly broke eye contact first.

After recovering a small amount from his rest, Artie stood independently and began walking. The older girl picked up her brother, and they followed.

 

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As they wandered, humans began appearing from the trees carrying their blood-soaked weapons and what looked like wooden stretchers holding those wounded. The numbers didn't make him feel any safer; they'd just be a decoy if he needed to run away again.

"Last one!" A woman's shouted from deeper in the forest.

Trailing behind her statement were the cries of a monster. Artie didn't have to see it to know what had happened. He'd become all too familiar with the sound of the dying beast.

Mostly lifeless faces surrounded him, but a pinch of cheering sounded far away. The battle had finally concluded, but he was not relieved, nor did he think there was any cause for celebration. Curious about what the sibling's expressions were, he turned. But, before observing their face, a loud BOOM discharged.

Following the eruption, the entire sky lit up a vibrant yellow as the deafening sound of thunder shook the forest. Several flashes of light appeared above the clouds before dozens of lightning strikes began to fire toward the ground. Each collision rattled the earth, and Artie fluttered in place.

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This spectacle lasted for a minute before escalating even more. A vastly larger flash of lightning pummeled the ground violently. Some froze, while others held their weapons outward and geared for whatever awaited.

The impact area of the lightning strike was within sight of Artie, so he witnessed it obliterate all life within thirty feet and send up enough dirt to create a haze.

Not a body moved. The people simply waited anxiously for the smoke to clear.

Noone could see inside the dark cloud of dust, but they could catch sparks of light and hear erratic crackling. The light and sound matured, becoming brighter and louder, charging in intensity. Then suddenly, a loud BOOM released and shook the air itself.

In an instant, a heavy bolt of electricity blitzed forward from the center of the dust cloud. It annihilated the entire area in front of it in a narrow path, utterly wiping out the humans that stood in its way. After the attack, only charcoal forms remained on the darkened ground. The smell of burning flesh was putrid, and Artie gagged with nothing left in his stomach to throw up.

Emerging from the haze came a beast. This one was much larger than the previous one, and its claws and horns blazed with electricity as its black fur stuck upward.

"Attack!"

A rational voice yelled out among the humans, yet no one moved; they were entirely star-struck.

"We killed its children, now we have to kill it, or it'll get revenge!"

The same voice shouted to any and all who listened. Still, not a single soul moved. At that moment, they understood it wasn't their land; it was not their earth. That beast wasn't a predator; it was a God.

While the previous wolf-like beast stood up six feet tall. This one reached 9'4, and instead of small amounts of electricity, it blasted brutal beams off in every direction, killing hundreds. The moment the second massacre started, Artie ran for cover. He found himself on his knees in front of the siblings, who'd hunkered behind a tree. The siblings held onto each other as the air flashed and vibrated with each explosion the monster released.

The same flow repeated for minutes. Screams, followed by a blinding yellow light, then the intensifying smell of burning flesh. Again and again, it continued until only those who hid remained.

The earth began to shake as the sound of heavy footsteps traveled away from them. He heard the racket of a tree being crashed into, then a brief outcry. The deep steps then traveled in another direction before another scream was let out. The beast had begun picking off individuals.

It started further away but started to grow closer by the minute. Artie understood hiding wouldn't cover the smell of blood he was bathed in, and the same went for the woman that helped kill one of the beasts.

"Stay here, okay, Freddy?" Whispered the sister, holding onto the boy.

She was clearly terrified, but she spoke clearly, and calmly. The woman pulled the boy away from her and held his face with both hands.

"I'll be right back, okay?"

Freddy, and Artie, both looked at her, concerned by what she was saying. The boy shook his head continually as he pulled on her tattered clothes and begged her-

"No, No, don't go anywhere!"

He began to weep and throw his weight onto his sister. Grief-stricken, she wrapped her arms around him tightly and cradled him for half a minute longer.

…

The time to cling to each other came to an end; with conviction, she used her might to pull Freddy off her and then stand.

The young boy began to weep even louder, yelling for his sister to reconsider.

Freddy's small hand grabbed her wrist as she tried to take steps away. But, she yanked away from his grip, and the boy fell backward onto his bottom.

"Over here!" She yelled, seeking the attention of the nearing beast.

She very clearly observed it tear through the flesh of a human. Yet, she held her ground, determined to save her brother.

Hearing her daring voice, the monster turned around. The sister's fear was apparent as her whole body quivered.

"As if..." Thought Artie.

With one swift motion, he reached up and grabbed the arm of the woman, pulling her back behind the tree and taking her place. He was terrified, yes, but there was no way he could bear to see the boy without his family.

He peered at the monster, which looked back with chilling hostility. Its once beautiful coat of fur had been stained crimson, and it left a trail of blood as it approached.

Artie glanced at Freddy and then the sister. They both returned his gaze with wide, bewildered eyes, lost for words.

"Let's talk about movies later, kay?"

Artie gave a stiff smile to the two before turning his attention back to the monster and hollering as loud as he could.

"Hey! You overgrown house pet."

He jumped and rotated his body in the opposite direction, his head facing the monster.

"Want a bite? If so, you'll have to be faster than your kids." Artie taunted, beginning to spank his own hind obnoxiously.

Its aggression became fury. Artie was confident it didn't comprehend what he was saying; all the while, it must have understood because it roared. Not the low, childish growl it had been utilizing before, but a fierce roar. The trees shook, and leaves fell down, much like how Artie wanted to.

Breaking into a sprint, he ran with the beast behind him. Artie turned as frequently and sharply as possible to avoid being caught. There was often a specific alignment of trees that he could slip through and gain some distance. Regardless of this, he could feel its presence at his back, how each step of that massive beast was landing only a few feet away.

Artie backtracked to the waterfall he discovered only minutes ago. With the monster hot on his tail, he prayed, ran toward the cliff, and jumped.

As he fell, he rotated and observed the agitated beast's face, Its dark shadowy figure opposing the sunlight behind it. Aware his life could be over, Artie stuck up his middle finger at the creature and smirked. His taunt provoked the monster to roar, then Artie faded, disappearing into the rapidly flowing water.

 

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Just as the Ai stated, billions of people perished that tragic day.

What became known as the "landing massacre" served as just one of many triggers that would motivate Artie, an everyday civilian, to destroy that horrible world.

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