Mack

by Wtcher Dragon

Something. No; everything. The world collapsed into shapes, fuzzy, contrasting, the diamonds dancing in his eyes. But... but... suddenly, a shape darted out of the void, racing towards him, growing more menacing as it came closer. A grinning face of oranges, black, faint plumes of flame erupting behind it, filling the sky with... and suddenly there was a geyser of earth, erupting before him, his world filled the screaming of demons let lose from their torment, their prison...

Mack woke up, his skin clammy, heart beating away like a hummingbirds. He looked up into a cloudless sky, slowly willing himself to slow his breath, clear his mind... it was all a dream. Yes, a dream...

He half-rolled over and paused. He was lying in the middle of his field of wheat, pale stalks towering towards the sky all around him. He must have fainted. But no, oh no, that was not what gave him pause - for no more than 50 feet away was a smoking crater.

Reaching for his trusted hoe, he unsteadily fought to his feet, wavering in the soft, summer breezes. A wave of vertigo hit him, and he almost fell upon his knees... but no. He was but a simple farmer, but he would see what hell fell from the heavens today...

Trudging forward with all the reluctant courage he could muster, he soon found himself at the edge of where his prized crop still held their ground, the massive swell of torn dirt piled before him. He looked around slowly, gathering the last vestiges of his hitherto unbroken will and... a bird called out.

Within moments, a monstrous roar answered, and out of the smoking crater leaped a beast, a monster of truly vicious intent. His body stunned into immobility, his mind screamed at the sight, then suddenly dawned as he knew what this creature was. A giant tiger - the legends were true!

It turned its oddly-coloured body of glinting steel and fiery oranges towards him and then the impossible happened. Again.

It spoke.

Its breath coming as a great sigh, it muttered two words - two words that he would never forget - the words "Kill Wrathy".

Then it leapt at him, convinced his time was truly over, when it halted mere inches from his face, and collapsed to the ground in ruin.

Blinking at the incredible events, Mack looked down at his hoe and smiled wryly. He would have good eating that night.



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