Bells Away

Those bells, that soft sound of them ringing. It was too quiet for a normal person to hear. But that's when I know I have come home. I never could travel far anyways, so it was just me stumbling back the 20 steps I took to my wind chimes. Me and my wind chimes.

I was born blind. 

When my mother and father first found out, my mother was a bit concerned. But my father said that this would only make me stronger. So when I was three, he started to teach me what left and right was. And how to count, and to remember. How many steps it was from our bed to the kitchen. How many steps it was to the town's marketplace. Which was a lot. 

I also counted everything in steps. 

Ten big steps to the door, from my bed. forty-five degrees to the right and two steps forward, one step down, turn another forty-five to the right. The other seventeen steps to my wind chimes. 

He also taught me how to listen and how to see with my hands, feet, and my body. How to feel where I am and where I have been. I could almost make out the shape of my bed, my house, and my mothers face. Her face was so round, and she had laughing wrinkles around her eyes. I could tell she smiles a lot. 

Father showed me how to breathe, which actually made me able to have greater senses than before, so by the time I was seven I could walk around anywhere and not run into people or things.

That was my favorite spot. I would meditate there. Listening to the trees, the deer that walked about 1059 steps away. I had great hearing. I also learned how to feel the ground. That every creature had its own movement, sound, and feeling.

I could tell what was a human or an animal from the way they walked. How their steps were when they hit the ground and how they breathed, moved. My Mothers movement was very kind. She also had the softest touch, and I could never get away with anything. It was like she had an extra set of eyes or something. 

My father had the biggest heart. But a strange movement. It was like my father had to force himself to move like a human. Or there was something else; Like something unnatural. 

But I never paid any attention to it.

I know we had a family secret. My father would always talk about the great responsibility. I never really understood it, as he said he would tell me when I'm older, and I could actually meet this power. We were the guardians of this great power. That we have to protect this power, from evil. Not that I ever knew what evil.

Until the year I turned 10.

That's the year I lost everything.

 I was heading back to my house, because of the bell. It was abnormally quiet. I couldn't hear the usual breeze, or birds chirping. But I paid no attention. My bell had rung so I had to head back. When I entered my house, I could hear my mother in the corner of the room. I couldn't feel my fathers presents. In fact My dad was nowhere that I could tell of. 

"Mom, where's Father?" I asked. 

"Ryōsuke, come here." I walked toward her voice, but it was nervous sounding. Like there was something wrong. I got to her and she grabbed me, pulled me to her chest, and held me there. 

She was shaking.

"Mother, what's wrong?" I muttered into her.

"Ryōsuke I want you not to make a sound, no matter what happens, ok?" she told me in a whisper. She was barely audible. 

"Ok Mama." I replied. We stayed there for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was too short. I felt this ominous aura come out of nowhere. I made a small noise, but my mom squeezed me. Then there was a shutter in the air, and that when my mom held her breath. breathing. She got so quiet, and she put her hand over my mouth. I cuddled up closer, as we quietly hid on the floor, in the corner.

Then I heard my fathers voice.

"Stay put." He commanded quietly.

It wasn't him though. I mean it was, but he had a darker present, almost scared, but a somber sound. 

Then there was a dark quietness at the front door, and then I heard a faint stepping sound. The vibrations were of a dead creature; Some kind of monster. Its aura was so strong I couldn't move, let alone breathe. Its movements were eerie, and were so quiet; I thought it was a wolf, on the brink of starvation. But also this wolf was powerful, cunning, and deadly. He reached the door, and I heard a claw grab the door frame.

"Hehehe." Said a voice that sent chills down my spine. My mother shivered, and held me tighter. "What do we have in here?"

My father shifted his weight. The floor board beneath him creaked, and moved. 

"Go away, Demon." My father said, as he shifted quietly in front of my mother and I. I heard a noise of a katana coming out of its sleeve. It must have been the one that was on the wall. 

"Oo hoo hoo, a demon slayer?" The voice chuckled, coming into the room. My father didn't reply. "And you have a family?" There was silence.

Then my father made his move. He moved so fast that I didn't hear his footsteps. A gust of wind blew, as I heard a clash. Debris fell, causing me to jump and I made a noise.

"S-shhh." my mother tried to calm me. She put her hand on my head, but she was scared as well. I Could feel her hands shaking, as she could see what I could not. But my imagination still worked. I barred my face into her. 

"Haha You're a fast one, if I didn't move you would have caught me." Said the voice. "How did you know I was going to attack?"

It was closer, but I think my father had blocked him, as he was in front of the demon. 

"You are too loud," replied my father, and I agreed with him. This thing's breathing was too loud. It gave me a headache, and I couldn't help but get scared, as it sounded like he was dying from a wound. An undead monster, forced to live on.

"He he he." There was more movement, and the fight had started again. The exchanging blows were so loud, I covered my ears, and the clashing of sword and hands were so rapid, they sounded like one. I flinched, wailing as the house started to fall apart. Pieces of the roof fell, the only window collapsing. But they kept fighting, moving outside of the house, and I could hear them getting more aggressive. I could hear each slice, and cut. Each impact, When my father would wince, as he got cut, or when the monster would hiss as my father returned his unwanted favor. 

There was a blast as a wall got busted, filing shrapnel everywhere. My mother screamed, then her voice got cut off and my face got wet, with a warm stickiness. 

I smelt blood.

Blood.

"Mom.." I stuttered, barely audible, and I pulled back a bit. She felt limp, as I shook her. 

But there was nothing, just warm blood flowing onto me. I gasped, not really taking in air. 

"MOM!" I screamed. 

Then in a blink of an eye, I felt a hand on my back, and I got ripped away from her, as her grip had loosened. There's a low chuckling in my ear.

 "Hehehe, who do we have here?" A hand holds me up by my shirt. I whimper, tears flowing down my cheeks, as the demon chuckled. 

"D- Dad!" I called out. Hoping he would come to my rescue, but I only hear my own, panicked breathing that got overpowered by the voice of this demon. 

"What's wrong kid? Why are you just calling out?" I heard his neck creak. "Are you scared, hehehe."

I can't hear my father or my mother, but I can only smell this decaying scent from the man, who was breathing in my face. His breath made me gag, and nauseas. 

I cried out again, Turning my head to try and hear anyone. Anyone who could come help. When a cold hand grabs my face. Sharp nails cutting into my face. I cried out in pain, and I grabbed his wrist to pull his hand off, but his arm wouldn't move. It felt like a stony dead tree. 

 "Hmm, you know kid," he exhaled. My face felt his hot breath, with a rotten stench of death. "You act like you're blind." I try to control my breathing. I try harder to pull his hand away, but he doesn't budge.

 "That's sad, then I guess you didn't see what happened to your mother's face." He laughs an eerie laugh, and a terrible thought comes to mind.

 "That is my favorite part, you know," I feel a claw run down my face, pain following, making my useless eye water, and I wince from the pain. I feel more warm blood fall on my shoulder. "When I child sees his dead mothers face, it's priceless." He Laughs an disturbing spine chilling laugh. 

That's when I stopped crying, realizing what happened. 

 I couldn't even cry. 

 He walked outside the house, dragging me on the floor. My legs got cut, and scraped. Outside, I get tossed, and I land on a person. 

 It's my father. His breathing is faint, and ragged. 

 "D..dad.." I sputter, hands shaking as I touch him.

  "Son.. I. I'm sorry," he coughs, and I get sprayed with blood. The demon is behind me, but he's occupied with something. There's laughing from behind me. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be your mother, But there's one thing you can do." he whispers, then he grabs my neck and pulls me closer to his face, His breathing coming back. 

 "Here, take these." I feel him poke my ear, a sharp pain, then the other. "These are a family heirloom. It's the earrings that I always wore, the fox ones. It will help you." I nod. "Now, there is something I need you to get." My dad sits up. 

 And there's a jeer behind me. The demon is back.

 "Ooh Oh I thought you were dead? Well about anyways." Laughed the Demonic voice.

 "Ryōsuke, listen, go inside the house, and grab the box, it has a bell inside it. You need to ring that bell. Then it might get scary, but. Remember that power I told you about? You Need to listen to it. At Least until it settles ok." He struggles to stand then, he inhales deeply.

"Also help is on the way we just half to last til they come or morning breaks."

"Ryōsuke, this is the last time you will ever hear me again ok." he says, and I feel a tear drop on my face, as he hugs me. Uncalled for tears well up, but I nod.

"I love you dad.

"I know."

"Uggg, stop with the soapy love crap." The demon grumbled. I heard a dragging, and my father got tense. There's a low chuckle. "She was a beautiful woman, you know." said the demon, then I heard a licking sound. "And delicious. Hehe HAHAHA!" laughed the demon, as my father shook with rage. 

"Ryōsuke, Now!" my father ordered. 

I had counted how many steps the demon took, and I made it my own.

15 steps to the left, turn to the right and run. 

My father inhaled and muttered. 

"Demon breathing, stage one." Then he exhaled. As I reached the steps, I heard the demon laugh again, then the obnoxious laughing stopped abruptly. My fathers aura had changed, and the demon felt it.

"What's this?" he called. 

"Let her go." Ordered my father. "And I will give you a less painful death." There was a hissing sound from where my father was standing. 

"How are your wounds healing?" asked the demon, confused.

My father could heal himself.

I stumbled my way to where the hole in the wall was, my arms outstretched. There was a clang, they started to fight again. Only I could tell that it was more aggressive than before. 

"Hehehe where was this Power from before, eh?" the demon called out, laughing. "Hehehe" I had paused in the gaping hole in my house. I started to walk again, but tripped over the bottom, jagged wall, and a piece of wood stabbed through my foot. 

"Ahhhh" I screamed, as I fell to the floor. My hands get cut on the broken glass, as I try to lift myself back up.

"Oo the little boy is trying to leave?" I felt the demon appear over me, slamming my face into the floor. "You know, your father is pretty weak. But maybe if I were to kill you, he would get better." He said in my ear, shoving my face into the floor, glass stabbing into my face. 

Then the weight is removed, and I hear my father yelling for me to go get the bell. I gasp for air, as I crawl across the floor. making my way toward the room where the box is.

I reached the room where my father kept the box. After ducking from a crash as something flew over my head, I crawled to the floor, and to the floor board, where it was. I pried it open, and grabbed the box. Feeling the engravings and finding the front. I opened the box, and grasped the bell. 

"Please save my parents." I mutter to myself.

I took a deep breath and rang it.