Flames of Renewal

[Agu]

Some of you might of read the original version of this story, but this is a improvement on the old version. Call it an 'extended' version. Hope y'all like it.

This is the world as I’ve known it. As I always had. A shabby, cramped, lackluster trailer park, that does nothing but slump further into the ground. I have often referred to this place as my hell, my prison, my shackles. It has prevented a social standing within the rigorously ignorant miniature community that is the local high school. Dog hair, urine, and fecal remains had become an all too familiar odor. Mixing into a ominous cloud that lingers with the smell of alcohol spills on the carpet and furniture.

I hate this place, I often wished it would disappear or the earth would simply swallow it whole. I prayed for something, anything to kill this horrid place and possibly my drunken father and leave me to die on the streets or in the wilderness. Anything was better then living in a torturous two bed room mobile home hell.

My father made it a life goal, if you will, to make my personal anguishes all the more bitter. He would return from work carrying whatever booze tickled his mindless fancy and drink himself a little closer to death each night. The bulls would trot up and down the hallways snapping, licking, and growling at each other, stinking of piss and wet fur.

I found no purpose in existing other then my writing. Upon this very type writer, the soul survivor of a catalytic event that nearly took my life. I write this catalogue of such events and the feelings that quite possibly helped me survive such a tragedy… in the midst of such horrible odds.

I discuss this only with the type writer, anyone who dares read these pages. What I tell you is true and the experience I have gone through has opened my eyes to everything, making the world a little clearer. Like I said, I hated my home, and the lust for my neighborhood’s imminent destruction burnt me on the inside. But I suppressed such taboo desires…

I would often find myself walking along the outskirts of a grotesque forest which lingered aimlessly behind my residence. Many a times I spent my afternoons reflecting on false memories of a better childhood. Wishing for more and fantasizing my revenge upon the world. Upon my roost, a large rock nestled with in the confines of the loathsome forest, I would stare aimlessly into the sky, wondering and contemplating a better existence.

One such day a ruckus amongst the clouds caught my eye. Staring up into the blue, I saw a silver object cascade through the open yonder. It was perusing a blackness in which at that time, I could make no decent identification of. I had no idea as to what it could be. From the silver object fired a smoke trailing ball of light, which flickered as it flew closer to the blackness which evaded the silver tubes pursuit with ease. The projectile collided against the darkened wing of the blackness and from it gray smoke rolled and purple rain ensued.

To my amazement, from the darkness shot up a pillar of golden light which grazed the metallic tube, slicing through it as if it were foil. Another explosion of gray smoke and red flames lightened the surrounding clouds in the evening sky. The blackness fell from the lighter sky, spiraling toward the forest dragging smoke behind it. From it a screech in which that has embedded itself in my mind that could easily haunt my dreams for the rest of my life. A devious scream, a horrifying chorus in which one would expect to hear in the depths of hell itself. Leaving the angelic metal bird in a cloud of black smoke, an oil slick amongst the clouds

I could no longer keep my eyes on the thing’s free fall. Cracking tree limbs, the sound of massive timber breaking under the objects weight. All around me I heard what sounded like rocks falling through the trees. Upon retrospect now, it was probably pieces of the destroyed aircraft. Smoke bellowed out of the trees, an obvious marker to the whereabouts of the thing that had fell from the heavens.

The thing finally came crashing into the earth, I felt a rumble, something massive wasn’t far from my roost. Fear and curiosity struck me. Wandering from my roost, I found it nearly impossible not to trot closer to the rising smokes location. The sickening smell of burnt and decaying flesh only grew more putrid as I approached. It was an overpowering smell aided by the thick disgusting taste of smoke in the air nearly stole my breath. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I drew closer and closer. The smell got intense and I was forced to cover my mouth and nostrils as through the gapping visage of the trees hung the head of a monster.

The beast was twitching with pain, smoldering, and crying in agony. Half of its body appeared charred and bits of its entrails hung from its side, which appeared to be nothing more then a blackened open wound. The darkness in which rained from the heavens was in fact a demon with an arrowed skull. Pieces of timber, splinters of wood, dust, and dirt covered its already emaciated body. I saw its darkened face, its body a glistening purple. A much lighter purple fluid dripped from various spots with in its injured form. I felt a fear like no other sweep over me. It was on its side, tattered wings struggled in conjunction with smaller legs as trees cracked under its massive form. Its body length no longer then thirty feet, its head the size of a barrel, it struck me with a new kind of terror that only grew as the ebony iris of its tainted white eyes locked upon me.

With an undeniable glint in its eyes, the monster stared me down. I stood in utter shock and from my body, sweat rolled. My brow felt heavy with the salty fluid and my hands shook, even after squeezed tight in a ball. The demon’s lower jaw hung where purple blood stained its tainted ivories. In front of my very eyes I saw the gapping jaw of death. I was unable to scream, I found myself for the first time in my entire life dumbfounded.

It struggled upon its broken form. Its dark body twitching like a wounded animal. My heart beat was a the loud thump a car’s bass and I was suddenly aware of my lungs. My testicles rose within their sack and my stomach drew a heavy ache. I could do nothing but stand there in utter horror as this monster, this thing prepared itself to feast indefinitely upon my flesh.

It raised up, elevating itself on its tattered wings. The shreds of leather flailed in the wind. Smaller talon feet pushed against the dirt to lift its injured body. For what felt like hours, I stood… until with no warning, came the sound of metallic death. Another sonic boom… the monster raised its head to analyze the sound. The very echo that clipped its wings. With its attention set upon the fighter jets that took a sweep over the area, I shot off.

My window was limited and my feet pounded the uneven landscape. Looking up through the trees I saw no sign of the fighters, but behind me trees bent under the whim of this demon. I could do nothing but run, dodge trees, and bound over a creek trying my damn best to simply not fall dead with a heart attack.

My pace was only growing, but behind me the sound of dragging limbs and painful shrieks ensued. The handicapped beast chased me, but at a sickly pace. I was winning this race for my life. The cracking of tree limbs softened and I somehow lost the monstrosity in the woodwork. I ran for who knows how long before the all too comforting bark of the bulls filled my ears.

I was out of the woods and coming up on the trailer. The bulls growled, though all three had their tails hanging below between their legs. They bounded forward against their chain harnesses. They knew something was coming, something not of nature.

I swung the door open and scurried inside. The smack of the door slamming woke my reclining father who grunted, reaching to rub his wrinkled brow. “What’s the damned hurry?â€