《I Need Healing!》


 Prologue

    Smoke billowed from the city as flames roared into the night sky burned everything into an orange haze for miles around. It was as if the concrete jungle of Boston had turned into a giant forge. From atop a large crane sat a single figure. He was a thing young man with raven hair in a green unzipped hoodie over plain white T-shirt and torn blue jeans looking as if an ordinary person at the park. He sat upon its hook and dangled his legs without care like a kid on a swing while looking into the heart of the city. An explosion erupted and the resulting shockwave caused the crane to sway, yet still, he remain unfazed and unblinking.


    His eyes locked onto another man running towards him in the distance. If the previous youth looked as if a normal city kid then the next one looked as if he belonged in a history book''s depiction of Vikings or Barbarians. A mope of dirty brown hair slick with blood, bloodshot eyes, a tanned and muscular body standing over 6 feet in length and an untrimmed beard. He didn''t wear a shirt and left his scar-riddenand chiseled chest bare for all to see. As soon as the wild man had saw the other he seemed to had been driven to a berserker frenzy.


    A roar that was more befitting of a lion than a man tore its way out of his throat before he rushed forward as breakneck speed, his every step leaving deep imprints on the ground from the sheer force of the charge. An unfortunate 18 wheeler truck had the misfortune of being in his way as he ripped through it like a wet tissue. He didn''t pause for a moment and had actually grabbed it with a hand after his entryway out. Dragging it with him as he went he crumpled it into an impossibly small and dense ball of metal before rising a hand behind his head into a pitcher''s position, he launched the makeshift projectile with all the speed and force of a rocket towards the other man.


    If the sight of the incoming 40 ton ball of death bothered him he didn''t show it. He reached into his pocket and retrieved not a weapon as one would expect in such a situation, although the usefulness of any convention weapon against such an attack was questionable, but rather a Hersey chocolate bar. He slowly unwrapped it with the composure of someone with all the time in the world before taking a small bite. By the time his teeth touched the surface of the candy, the spere was but 10 feet away, a distance which would be closed within fractions of a second.


    A loud and thunderous collision was heard as hands clamped over the projectile as if catching a football. Though it wasn''t a single pair of hands that did the deed. In fact, it wasn''t even human hands, but skeletal ones devoid of flesh and blood. From the ground thousands upon thousands of pale limbs clung to each other and formed a tower with 6 swaying branches,they sprouted from the ground as if a demented flower from Hell.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    A crisp snap was heard from the young man''s mouth as he ate his delicious treat. Although it was from miles away the unruly man felt as the other man was chewing right next to his ears. A thick vein throbbed on his forehead as his face reddens in anger. He was clenching his jaw so hard that he was certain his teeth had cracked.


    "You..."


    He glared at the other man with all the hate he had in him. For a moment he even thought it had startled the green clad man as his eyes widened and he looked flustered.


    "Huh..? Oh, I''m sorry! Where are my manners, did you want some?"


    He pointed the bar towards the brunette as if offering for him to take it. The worst part of it was he could tell the thin man was being genuine about it, as if he had not just performed a massacre and slaughtered his friends mere moments ago.


    "Why don''t you take your candy and shove it up yer ass? You twisted freak I''ll make you pay for what you have done!"


    "Man, everybody is a critic. If you hate my art so much why don''tyoumake something then?"


    "Art..?Art?! You call this fucking art? All this pain and devastation? All the pointless death?! I''ll kill you!"


    His arms were spread wide as he indicated his surroundings. Although he had cleared most of the monsters on his way here, many could be seen shuffling in the distance. Some consider them the most tainted of creatures, a mockery of life, The undead. Yet these weren''t normal resurrected corpses by any means. They were all hideous, limbs sticking out of the wrong places, others having too many or too few. As if a jigsaw puzzle of a body they were all malformed. Truly the work of a madman.


    Hearing the man''s reply the pleasant mood of the young man disappeared for once. A stern frown was etched on his face.


    "...Did you just call my art... Pointless...? Hooo... Its clear you''re a worthless idiot, but maybe I could make something of you? Where god''s life had been wasted, I shall craft majesty out of trash. Yes, recycling is important after all"


    His decision made he snapped his fingers and portals opened all around him from the ground to the skies sickly green rips in the air opened and thousands upon thousands of undead poured out with an unholy screech. The Large man paled, not in fear of the growing army of monsters, but rather of the true depth of the man''s depravity. For each body marked another life taken in the other''s madness. He pushed aside sorrow for the familiar comforts of rage as he charged towards the army.


    Neither of them noticed the dark horizon shifted every so slightly. Something was coming. A beast so immense it covered the skies. and itHungers.

 Chapter 1

    "Hey! What are you guys doing?!"


    A young and shrill voice echoed through the playground. Hearing the sudden shout the three boys turned to look at its source. A young girl of no more than eight years old glared at them with her hands on her hips, she wore a nice yellow sundress decorated with a floral print. A small button nose with short hair framing her bright blue eyes, she would have been very cute if it wasn''t for the stern frown etched upon her tiny face.


    "Nun of ya beeswax!"


    "Yeah! Buzz off!"


    A low groan was heard from behind them and the girl swayed to the side to see what it was. A young boy was on the ground muddied and with a bloody nose. He was on the ground in a fetal position holding onto his stomach as if in great pain. The boy didn''t move an inch while they were laughing and kicking at him. The girl''s frown was replaced with a fierce scowl.


    "You guys better apologize to him and leave!"


    She huffed and stomped her foot with crossed arms.While she didn''t like wimps who just let others push them around without fighting back, she hated bullies even more. Besides three against one seemed hardly fair.


    "Or what? You''ll go tell your mommy on us?"


    "Tattle tell!"


    They stuck their tongues out at her and made funny faces, laughing as blood rushed to her face and her clenched fist shook in what they mistakenly thought was embarrassment and fear. They were wrong. It was rage.


    "Or else I''m going to beat you up!"


    "Pfft, you''re just a dumb girl."


    "No way, my daddy said girls were weaker than boys!"


    She charged at them fearlessly after hearing the other''s comments. She would show them who''s weak!


    <hr>


    "Hey, are you alright?"


    She crouched near the bleeding boy and shook his shoulders. The previous bully trio had prompt run with their tails between their legs after she socked them in the face a few times. Wimps she couldn''t help but thought as they could only use their superior numbers to bully others.


    The boy had tears trailing down his face and mud all over his clothes, he looked like a mess.


    Concern flashed upon her face as she saw him still clutching his stomach and shaking lightly. She was flustered for once as she didn''t know what to do to help. Should she call for help? Her mommy would know what to do, she always does, but she was hesitant to leave him alone.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Does it still hurt?"


    A small nod was her only answer.It seems this was a quiet one. No matter, she would just have to get him out of his shell.


    "Hmm, I know!"


    She had on a thoughtful pout when suddenly a bright smile lit her face. She leaned over his shoulders and turned his face towards her. His eyes were unfocused and filled with tears, but he did his best to focus on her. Eyes which widened and blinked rapidly as he processed what she then did.


    She had kissed him on the cheeks.


    "Pain, pain go away, don''t come again another day!"


    The boy was so stunned that he had actually stopped crying prompting the girl to have a satisfied grin on her face. Anna to the rescue! Her mommy would be proud of the good deed she did today, and she didn''t even need any help!


    "There, all better! My mommy told me that super secret spell, so don''t tell anyone about it alright?"


    The boy didn''t reply, merely stared at her in wonderment. She mistook this response for something else and hurried to explain herself.


    "Ah, don''t worry! I shower every day, I don''t have cooties!"


    At seeing the "super strong" and brave girl who saved him get flustered over something like "cooties" the boy started to smile at the strange scene and laughed, his pain was forgotten in the moment. A sudden series of soft woofs caught both of their attention. It had come from the boy''s stomach.


    Anna was surprised and bent down for a closer look. There was a bulge under the other boy''s shirt which he had been cradling protectively. It shifted and wiggled its way upwards until a black fluffy head poked out of the shirt''s collar.


    It crawled out of the confines of its cotton prison and plopped itself on half the boy''s face, licking his nose in gratitude. It suddenly dawned upon the girl why the boy had been unmoving on the ground when she had first met him. It wasn''t that he was too scared to move or fight back, but that hecouldn''t. Not without risking the puppy that was. Suddenly her respect and fondness of the quiet kid jumped up a few levels.


    "A puppy! It''s so cute!"


    She had to suppress a squeal in fear of startling the poor thing. She just hovered around the duo on the ground and looked at it from every angle, as if taking some mental snapshots and burning images of the fluffy ball into her brain.


    "C-can I pet him?"


    This time the boy couldn''t reply if he wanted to, as the small puppy decided his face was a perfect place for a nap after the earlier excitement. So he just gave a thumbs up. It was funny seeing how the fearless girl who took on 3 big and mean boys a few years older than here without blinking was now so nervous about petting a dog.


    Anna evidently had no such reservation about its slumber though, as she simply picked it up with lightning speed, though taking care not to bother the sleeping dog.


    Thankfully, it didn''t wake up from the sudden shift nor the hands roaming over it.


    "...ou"


    She was so engrossed with the soft fur underneath her fingers that she almost didn''t hear what he was saying, only being knocked out of her trance at the end.


    "Huh? What was that?"


    "Thank you. For helping me out earlier."


    "Ah, it''s ok. I hate bullies! Oh, my name is Annabelle, but you can call me Anna, what is yours?"


    "I-I''m Jake."


    The shy boy muffled his reply as he stared at the ground. Yet unlike all the other kids he had met it didn''t seem to put anna off. She merely smiled prettily and asked him a question that would change his life.


    "Do you want to come over and play?"


    That was how Jake Young would meet his two first dearest friends. His mom had been shocked at the state of her son, being covered in mud and with blood and snot smeared over his face, but he had never been happier in his life.

 Chapter 2

    "Hiyah!"


    A loudseries of crackles were heard resonating through the area before a series of cheers and clapping was heard. It was a series of small firecrackers that signaled the start of the festival. The annual celebration of Chinese New Years being held downtown had attracteda large crowd of people. It was a major event that gathered people from all over to come join in the fun with performances from all the nearby martial art schools, colorful decorations, and delicious, if unhealthy, stall food.


    To the left of him was a pair having a mock battle with swords, their beautifully choreographed movements more a dance than anything else. On his right was three teams of lion dancers prancing upon wooden poles as if they were weightless, mocking Newton and his laws of grounding people. Like spectacular dragons, they flew through the air using anything and everything to reach ever high even each other, it was truly art in motion.


    Yet none of them caught his eyes for they were glued to a certain figure in plain white. She lacked the sheer vibrancy of her peers, yet he found himself once again enchanted. She was stunning, the quiet moon that illuminated the night. She did not shine like the sun so blindingly bright that it would burn your eyes and block out all others in the skies. No, hers was a subdued beauty which you couldn''t help but be captivated by, a familiar and comforting presence which banished the darkness and guided you. Simply beautiful. A nudge on his leg and a happy bark told him that Luna agreed.


    He had been standing at the very front of a large wooden plate form with large navy blue mats covering it. It was where the Taekwondo practitionerswere at. A furious series of kicks and rapid combo of punches saw to the end of many helpless wooden boards. With the ease of snapping a twig between one''s fingers, the group of twenty did it effortlessly in front of the stunned crowd. Afterward, they all came together in a square formationbefore settling to the back as their juniors went up the stage for their turn. Anna was in the back of the line as they all performed some set of katas for everyone to see. It wasn''t as flashy as the breathtaking flips and masterful movements of their older counterpart, but there was a serenity to their movements.


    Every step was careful and measured, every twitch calculated as part ofsome greater plan he knew not of. It was like going from break dancing to a steady waltz, elegant and graceful with its own appeal. She may not have been the best as he noticed she was ever so slightly out of sync, her face was red and she was obviously flustered as she was watching the others around her to make sure she didn''t mess up. A Spitfire of a girl that wasn''t afraidof getting rough and dirty she may be, but not even his friend was immune to stage fright seems.


    The act ended with each of the younger kids standing in two lines facing one side of the stage. The seniors had gone and each grabbed a wooden board for them. With a fierce yell, they all simultaneously did a butterfly kick and broke their boards, well all but one. It was a younger kid near the back. He found it hilarious when his partner simply tossed the intact piece away and pretended nothing was wrong. He doubted anybody else saw it as he only barely noticed because the kid was right next to Anna.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Still, it was an amazing performance and hecheered loudly with everyone else. Even with his voice almost drowned out by the crowd his friend still noticed him screaming himself hoarse in a frenzy. The broad smile she gave him in return was so worth it.


    <hr>


    "I didn''t think you''d make it!"


    "I wouldn''t miss it for the world. You were incredible out there by the way!"


    They shared a brief hug before a large furry form interposed itself between them. From the small and malnourished little thing it was when they first met, the years had been kind to it. Standing at a proud 2 feet its fur was glossy and felt like silk and its eyes gleamed with playfulness, it was a vast improvement, to say the least.


    "Haha, why hello there little fella!"


    She suddenly got bowled over by the ball of excitement as it showered her with sloppy affection. Her hair was going to stay stuck upright for the rest of the day probably, but she didn''t mind. She gave an overly exaggerated "Oof!" as they laid on the grassy field behind the stage.


    "Well, maybe not so little anymore, right Knight?"


    An affirmative bark was all she got before the assault of her face and hair continued with renewed vigor. Thankfully she never was one for much make-up. Jake was content to simply watch them goof around as Anna ruffle the dog behind its ears which only prompted more kisses. After a few minutes of rolling around in the grass, Anna decided to pop the question that was on her mind.


    "Hey, why don''t you join me?"


    Knight, now satisfied with the attention he had gained, was content to lay on her lap as she sat on the ground. Jake, however, tilted his head as he stared at the duo covered in bits of grass and mud in contemplation. While it wasn''t too bad, he was something of a germaphobe with an OCD. At least that''s what the doctors tell him. He could stop at any time! He just didn''t want too was all, and why would he? There were tons of germs and other nasty things everywhere, even in the air! So what if he brought along hand sanitizers and his own soap wherever he went? There was nothing wrong with being clean especially when he knew for a scientificfactthat public restrooms were a hazard. He didnot have a problem. Honest!


    He bit his lips while thinking and Anna quickly noticed the mental debate. A pearl of laughter knocked him out of his thoughts.


    "I didn''t mean the ground silly. Taekwondo! You always show up to every demonstration. Heck, you show up just to sit and watch at classes so much that everyone there even knows your name by now. If you like it so much why don''t you just join? We can learn together!"


    I don''t like Taekwondo, I likeyou.


    Words he wishes he was brave enough to say. Yet seeing her babble in excitement at how "cool" and "fun" it would be to have him join her and all the tricks she could show him made him smile. While he wasn''t a fan of physical exercises, preferring to read or play video games, the concept of spending more time with her didn''t sound so bad even with the cost of inevitable pain and bruises.


    A soft smile was on his face as he agreed and a blinding one was on hers.