《All Encompassing》


 Arc: Awaken aloof.

    A chill swept down her spine. Breezing all the way to her toes. She opened her eyes to find herself in an unknown.


    Darkness all around. Drips of water heard in the distance. The smell of sulfur entered her nose.


    She glanced around, trying to figure out how she arrived here. But everything was coming up blank. It was perpetually dark, but she could still make out all the shapes around. Only the color and texture seemed to be missing. She tried recalling her memories, but they were missing. ¡®Name? I... don''t know.¡¯ Faces flashed in her mind, too quick to catch ahold, but with it camea word.


    ¡°Family.¡± Her voice sounded foreign to her, almost hollow. She brought a hand up to rub her eyes. Panic was starting to set in and her next discovery didn¡¯t make the situation better. Her hand was missing flesh, only bone was there. She screeched while falling on her back. Taking a closer look only brought more confusion. The tips were clawed, short, but seemed dangerous. Making her way back up into a stand, she looked down. Her body was much the same. A skeleton, but something was very obviously wrong. It was human-like, but not close enough to be considered human. The joints came out into points and on her shoulders, bone formed natural shoulder pads. The bones seemed too thin, but she could feel they were dense, strong. She reached her bony hands to her face to get a feel for it. Elongated forehead, six holes running their way up. ¡®Eyes,¡¯ her brain supplied. Cheekbones too high, too pointy. Bones sticking out the side of her head, but seemed to made out of a different material than bone. ¡®Horns,¡¯ her mind helped again. Her panic was rising, but just as quickly it was gone. Logic took over, and she made a couple timid steps forward. Testing her new limbs. The ground was rough, but traversable. So she made her way through the dark. ¡®Survival,¡¯ screamed out. The tunnels spiralled in a confusing mess and she walked for what seemed like hours. She tried mapping it in her mind, but still continually came across the same walls. A light caught her eyes and she desperately made her way towards it. Coming out in a jog, the light temporarily blinded her, but once her eyes cleared. The sight would of taken her breath away, if she had any. Ceiling too high and walls too wide. She estimated an expanse of at least two miles. Vegetation consuming the area. Tall trees almost reaching the top and streams splitting off every which way. Looking down the trail, she started her way down. In some areas it was too steep, so she had to make do with climbing. It came easy and she was surprised by the strength of a body without muscles. She reached the bottom and made her way through the vegetation. The vines reached to her thighs, but she didn¡¯t seem to tire. Turning around a rather large tree, she saw a tent. Hope filled her and she sprinted towards it. Only to find it empty of life. It did hold a small collection of books, so she gently picked one up, hoping to find some kind of information. Sadly, she couldn¡¯t read the letters on the book. Sighing to herself she placed it back where she found it and searched for anything useful. By the end she found herself a nice backpack and pots. She decided to leave the tent, in hopes that the person that owned it might return. She made a mental note to revisit this place at a later time.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    She made her way back out again. Desperate to find some kind of society. She didn¡¯t even care if it was hostile. The hours alone and without answers were taking their toll. She marched through, and hours passed once again. The only sign of life were the tiny critters hovering over her in the trees. She wasn¡¯t sure what to make of them. They seemed harmless enough, but every once in awhile, she would notice them send curious glances towards her. Deciding whether she was edible. Fortunately, she couldn¡¯t see any animal wishing to eat her. ¡®Unless possibly a dog.¡¯ The statement confused her for a split second, and she had to search herself for what exactly a dog is. The image came shortly after, but still didn¡¯t give her the answer she was looking for. It was frustrating her, so she shrugged it off and continued on her walk.


    Further ahead, she happened upon a structure. Dome like in shape, and seemed to be in ruins. Despite that, it screamed man-made to her, and excitement filled her chest. She jogged up to it in a hurry. Not seeing an entrance from her point, she made her way around. Fear gripped her and she couldn¡¯t move. On the stairs entering the building were two bodies, slack and lain across the stairs. ¡®Humans.¡¯ She instantly knew. Timidly she approached. If there was something dangerous nearby, she¡¯d rather face it with a weapon. She searched the bodies, but couldn¡¯t find any sort of weapon to defend herself with. Hiding on the side of the building, she opened her backpack and took out a pot. Answers demanded her go in and she didn¡¯t know enough to not listen to the instinct. Holding the pot tight to her chest she made her entrance. It was surprisingly small, without separate rooms. There was a simple wall that spiralled around the dome, opening up in windows every two feet or so. While not big enough to fit through, it was big enough to see what the dome contained. In the center, a creature, or woman. She couldn¡¯t decide. It was made entirely of wood, and right when she entered, it turned towards her. The air tensed and seconds passed by without a movement. An explosion of sound, movement too fast to track.


    Crack.


    Bones spread across the floor.

 1_____________________________1

    A chill swept down her spine. Breezing all the way to her toes. She woke, finding herself in the place where she started. She did a quick check to make sure she was still a skeleton. Questions formed, but no matter how hard she thought, answers eluded her. She stood stock still for a long while. Wishing the nightmare gone. Nothing changed.


    Her emotions settled, she formed a plan. She didn¡¯t know if it was exactly the same, but she didn¡¯t want to take any chances. ¡®Stay away from the dome structure.¡¯ She decided. ¡®I¡¯ll see if anyone is at the tent now.¡¯ So, she made her way, trying to find the elusive exit. After an hour, she decided a different course of action. She picked up a rock, and started making marks along the walls. Hoping it would help navigate the forsaken place. Thankfully, it helped. She found the exit in less time. She swept her eyes along the area. Trying to remember where she saw the tent. Failing, she traced her footsteps to the best she could remember. She found the tent, to which was just as empty as before. More questions came when she found the exact same backpack and pots. Shrugging it off, she collected them and decided to stay to see if the owner would show up.


    A rustle of sound brought her attention to the clearing. A man walked out. ¡®Large.¡¯ She thought. The man was at least seven foot, and broad shouldered. Fur covered the entirety of his body. His face mostly seemed human, except for his nose coming out rather far and large. He seemed to sniff the air and zoned in to where she was. Her nerves caused her to flinch, but she raised her hands in a sign of peace. He narrowed his eyes, then surprise flickered on his face. He crouched on the ground and bowed. ¡°Hungry One, it is good to see one still exist.¡± He spoke. Coming out in a deep rasp. Surprised that she could understand him, she ventured a question. ¡°Hungry One? Is that what I am?¡± He brought his head back up and stared at her. A beat of silence. ¡°A race that is no more, but was worshipped as to end their indiscriminate consumption of all. Later praised as saviors for ending the raid from the south. From the Instogs.¡± She nodded, not really understanding. Wishing to continue talking she asked another question. ¡°What is an Instog?¡± ¡°You do not know? Creatures of great mass, as tall as the trees in this cave. Strength unequal in the lands. Disgusting in appearance. A collection of limbs and muck. They are said to be made from graves. There is not a lot of information left over from the Yujist, only that they are to be feared.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Yujist?¡± He looked confused by the questions, not understanding how she could not know. ¡°The land of origin. Where all races were formed and spread.¡± She was about to ask another, before a crackling of leaf interrupted. The man spun, quick on his heels, to catch the sight of a beast jumping from the trees. He dodged to take a place in front of the girl. ¡°Stay back. It is a Loptew.¡± It was a scary sight. Arms too big for its tiny legs. Hunched on all fours. A face of a human baby, covered in boils. Painting a picture of a doll burning in fire. The innocence of the face was betrayed once it opened its mouth to roar. Rows of teeth lined the inside. The beast jumped, and the girl was pushed back while the man unsheathed his sword. He barely had time to bring it in front of him to block a deadly blow. The beast got a hold of the sword and threw it away. Leaving the man to defend the best he could with his hands, while the beast hovered over him. The grappling intensified, and the girl rushed to grab the sword in panic. ¡®Please, make it in time.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t let the man die. He was the first sign of answers. She rushed forward with the sword. Producing a reckless slash.


    Rip


    The beast split in half. The girl took a minute to understand what had just happened. She dropped the sword to stare at her hands. Wondering where the strength came from. The man laid on the ground while groaning, but an instinct stopped her from going over to help.


    Eat! Eat! Eat!


    She turned towards the beast. She couldn¡¯t deny the instinct, no matter how she tried. She crouched down next to it, bringing a clawed hand down on one of the halfs. She easily carved a chunk out and brought it to her mouth. The meat splattered on the ground. Frustration hit, and she continued the process of taking a piece and putting it into her mouth. Only to run into the same problem. It would fall through the bottom of her jaw. Rage fueled a frenzy, and the beast was made into bloody carnage.


    The man struggled to get up, only standing by will alone. Hot anger filled his chest before registering the scene. ¡°Stop!¡± He yelled before making a grab at her wrist. He didn¡¯t expect the strength in the limb, so instead of stopping, he was dragged along. He hit the ground with a thud, still attached to the girl¡¯s wrist. Six eyes, glowing red, focused on him. He audibly gulped, sweat trickling down his brow.


    Screams rang out through the cave, echoing.

 1____________________________2

    She woke while trying to take a breath. Failing. Her head splitting. Once again back at the start, she tried to recollect what had happened. Vague images of killing a multitude of monsters ran through her head, to come to an end by the woman made of wood. The creature hovering over her, flying. A huge quantity of insects swarming around her. Then it went black. She could only assume she had been killed by the woman again. Which brought up the question of how she¡¯s still alive. Coming to the conclusion that she would start here every time she died, her fears began to wane. She just had to figure out how to survive this and make it to civilization. That single goal brought her courage. The man crossed her mind, but instead of guilt, she found desire in it¡¯s place. She wanted to tear him apart again. Make him a meal. The strange addiction scared her.


    A gun gripped so tight, the knuckles showed white. ¡°Don¡¯t you move.¡± He reached a shaky hand down to her pants, but she brought a knee up to his groin. The man fell back and in that single moment, the barrel to his gun seemed to extend. She stared at the tunnel, as it seemed to move closer. She prayed. She hoped. She¡­


    She had to steady herself against the wall to keep steady. The imagery brought out rotten emotions and she punched the wall in a fit of rage. Her eyes glowed red, bringing the hunger from before. This time, though, she was able to control herself. Picking up a rock, she followed the same strategy as before. Concentrating on something else, to clear her head. Making her way out of the dark, confusing tunnels.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    She stared out into the expanse. Not fully knowing what to do. She didn¡¯t want to go to the man, and risk whatever the hell was wrong with her. She glanced down, seeing one of the tiny critters. It had wings, but didn¡¯t seem able to fly. It closely resembled a rat. The desire sparked up again. Looking away as quickly as possible, she made her way down.


    The desire was driving her crazy, she didn¡¯t wish to harm anything else, but was attracted to the prospect. Every time a creature showed in her periphery, she had to make sure to look elsewhere. The hours drove on, and she made sure to avoid any place she¡¯s been before. The glow of red increasing every second. By the fourth hour, she was raving, not in her right mind. Every noise sent her sprinting. She wasn¡¯t sure why she wished to catch what ever made the noise, but she continued to do so. By the sixth hour, rage was the most prevalent emotion. The creatures seemed to be avoiding her and she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. Her throat was burning and she just needed a release. Fire gushed from her mouth, consuming the area. A sick delight filled her chest, and she continued. Cries of various creatures filled the area, and only fueled her to intensify her attempts.


    Fire raged all around, and the desire seemed satisfied. She felt it was mocking her, saying this is how you¡¯re suppose to be. Falling to her knees, she laid her head on the ground. A guilt so strong, she didn¡¯t know how to process it. Sounds of insects interrupted her self-pity. Looking up she saw the the woman of wood, flying above her. The face seemed to contain deep disappointment.


    Her last image was of a woman, face full of smiles, but the smile wasn¡¯t of happiness.