Irish & Wild

He leaps awake to the sound of a distant scream, the ground convulses, his ceiling begins to crumble. Hobbling for the exit of his burrow, in scurrying up he presses his now swollen leg into the dry dirt, opening the cut and causing it to bleed and weep. He grunts and grimaces with pain as he lifts himself onto his feet, his expression dropping, his eyes widen to take in the chaos before him. The clock tower has fallen, the wall has crumbled into the moat revealing a village occupied by smoke, fire and fear. The thief is snapped out of his shocked, frozen state by yet another tremor shifting the ground under his feet, small cracks begin to form. He limps his way towards the village and climbs over the fallen rocks that once made a wall, the sharp cries of a child cuts through the air and the cracking of the flames. Making his way as fast as he can to the source of the cries, into a house on the verge of collapse. Up the stairs, his burgundy bandanna now down over his mouth and nose, the terrified wails of a little girl lead him to a cupboard, the fire is almost there. Swinging the door fully open the little girl, pretty sweet looking for an alligator only about 4 or 5 years of age, pounces into the thief’s arms.

“I twied to hide fwom the fire, but I fink it still found me!” the child sobs.

Child in his arms he turns and runs for the window to hear the Captains voice.

“MAYELLE! WHERE ARE YOU?” Captain calls, the panic clear in his voice.

“DADDY!” the child screams.

The Captains looks up to see the thief holding his precious girl.

“CATCH!” Thief yells, tossing the girl through the window and into the air over bellowing fire.

Her descent felt as if it lasted an eternity, her little dress fluttering in the passing air, before landing safe and sound in her fathers loving arms. The captain glances up at the thief, who’s gaze is fixated on the tender moment shared between parent and child, before yelling.

“GET OUT OF THERE!”

The thief is suddenly engulfed in dust, smoke and debris as the ceiling caves in to the first floor. In the split moment he has to react he clings to the window sill and launches himself out, dropping to the ground with an obvious snap coming from his chest. Doubled over in pain, he scrambles to his feet and tries to make his way across the village, a guard approaches and grabs him by the neck. As the guard opens his mouth to talk the ground beneath them both opens up, separating the pair of them. The thief scurries behind a pyramid of barrels as strange black, shadowy creatures flood out of the cracks. Some drag themselves across the floor by their thick claws others swim through the air like eels in water. In no shape to provide any more help, the thief flees back out of the village dodging the horrific figures as they aid the fire in dragging down an entire colony and slaughtering everyone in their path. Accompanied by vile screams, the thought crosses the thief’s mind to give in and accept death but his body won’t allow him. No, he can’t, just can’t. He leaves, he runs as fast as his wounded legs can carry him doing his best to ignore the agony of his injuries. He makes his way to the nearby river, sipping from the pure water he finds a split log on the riverbank. After pushing it into the water and hopping on, he collapses, the water rocks him as he drifts off into a deep, dreamless unconsciousness. It will soon get cold, now that the sun has set on this dark day.

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