1 Chapter 1

'When had the world turned upside down? When had everything I had disappeared? When did surviving become worse than dying?

When?

When?

When….

Ah….

It must've been when I killed them all. My family, my friends, my children, and my lover. Their guts spilled over the floor. Drenched in their blood. I'm in ecstasy, pain, suffering, joy, sadness, and enlightened. I feel as if the world finally been set right. Like everything else doesn't matter but, what is this insufferable hunger? Why do I hunger so much? Why do I feel like dying?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Ah… So that's what it was. Come here little snack, I won't hurt you. I'm just a little bit…hungry.'

Across from the man was his last remaining child. Her eyes wide, tears flowed down her bloodied face. She shook in terror, unable to make any noise as her father came closer. Under the light of the rising sun she saw her father's true form. His height was over three meters tall. His mangled arms twisted and twitched across the floor. His gaping jaw reaching his collar bones, rows of sharp jagged teeth filled his mouth. His eyes black sockets of coal. His back was hunched abnormally, the spine extruding from his thin layer of skin. No hair was left on his head.

The man shuffled towards the little girl, dragging his long arms behind him. Suddenly he swiped at her. His clawed hand scratching her across the cheek. Scared she let out a scream and covered her cheek with her hands. Sobbing she curled into a ball, trembling and awaiting her inevitable fate. The monster roared and lunged towards the girl, mouth first. She closed her eyes and waited. Shattering the window a short sword flew into the monsters head, in between his eyes. Taken aback by the force the monster's head whipped backwards. Following the sword another man dressed in bright red armor busted through the window. Leaping off the window ledge the man had another short sword in his other hand. Regaining it's balance the monster faced the man and swung wildly with one arm. It thrashed and tried to pry off the blade from it's head with the other. Dodging the swing the man's red armor left afterimages as he moved in on the monster.

He slipped in close to the monster and slashed at it's gut. Fingers and chunks of flesh poured out along with more blood. Screaming in pain the monster leapt backwards but it's back hit the wall of the room. Panicked the monster used both hands to swing at the man. Nimbly dodging the monster's attacks he moved to the right and ran along the wall to swing at the monster's head. Impaling it from the side he grabbed the other blade and twisted it, creating a hole in the monster's skull. It still thrashed and tried to claw the man off but the small room was stopping the monster from getting a grip on the man. The man continued to drill the blade deeper and deeper into the monster's skull. After puncturing the back he pulled his blades out and chopped off the monster's head. Blood streamed down the headless body. Jumping off from the monster the man landed next to it and began to cut open it's chest. More blood poured from it's chest. The man worked swiftly and pulled out a beating black heart. It was the size of the man's hand. He stabbed it with his sword and the black heart disintegrated into dust.

"Get up." The red man's voice was low and deep, rumbling slightly. The little girl stiffened when the man came near her. She didn't want to move anywhere. Her mind went blank. *sigh* "This is why I hate brats." Swooping low he grabbed the back of her dress. She struggled but didn't make any noise. Her feeble hands clawed at his gloved hand. Without another glance he hit the back of her neck. She went still. Her breathing stabilizing itself. "Better." Hanging her over his shoulder the man in red leapt out the window, carrying her like a lifeless sack.

Flashing in and out of sight a man in red armor carrying a small body moved in the shadows of the villages buildings, avoiding the monster mutations around them. After reaching the beginning of the forest the man made his way to a camp. The ashes and ember of fires still glowed red. A woman came out of the tent nearest to it. She yawned and stretched, bathing in the sunlight.

"Oh, Crim. When did you leave? Geh- Who's that?" She pointed at the lump on his shoulder.

"She's someone from Carna village. It was attacked by dawn. There were no other survivors." He placed her in the woman's arms.

"What do plan to do?" She shifted the child in her arms to make her more comfortable.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going back. They look like newforms. Nothing too dangerous." He was already walking away when another man came out of a different tent.

"Hold up Crim. I'm going too. I had a friend in Carna village." The hefty man placed a longsword on his back.

"Don't hold me back."

"Gahaha! We've been traveling together for months and you still have the same attitude from when we first met." He slapped the man in red on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm not that old for you to be worrying about me." He gave the woman a thumbs up and walked towards Carna village.

"Crim. Promise me you won't do anything rash?" Her voice trembled a little.

"Mmhm." He nodded and went after the big man.

"Be safe." The woman turned around and brought the little girl into her tent to let her rest. From the surrounding tents the other members began to wake up. Stretching and fussing with each other the camp became lively.

"Yo chief! What's up?" A girl with pigtails bounced towards the woman.

"Nothing, just, I feel that today is not a good day. Like an ominous feeling." The woman brought her hands across her chest and rubbed her arms.

"It'll be ok. Why? Because we are strong! We have Crim, Angie, Jives, Dendera and Eloe. They're super strong and can beat anything." The little girl puffed out her chest and began to boast about the strengths of their members.

"I hope this feeling is nothing." The chief sighed and went back to her tent to care for the little girl.

Who could've known that her ominous feeling was spot on. Deep in the forest another monster was making it's way towards the camp. Destroying everything in it's path, nothing left but blood in it's wake.