Suffering is Kray Kray

  Kato quickly scrambled back to his feet. In mere moments, the churches innocent fa?ade had been stripped. The putrid scent of decay filled the air once more.

  The room had dramatically changed, revealing the grotesque truth that had been hidden. Aged wooden pews now lined the once barren stone floor, each one filled with bodies in various states of decay. Contorted like puppets in a macabre display of death.

  Eyes clouded and shrivelled hung from the sickly grey bodies by red fibrous strands. Their vacant stares unseeing, yet making Kato feel exposed. ‘Why did I ever come here?’ He struggled to even think.

  Scabbing green pustules covered them, atop of dark red blotches that spread over the skin searching for untainted flesh. They oozed with sickness, mingling with thick coagulated blood, painting the skin in a patchwork of hideous savagery.

  The tusks that were a fearsome addition on all the horusks Kato had previously seen, were cracked and dry, black smearings filled the exposed cavities.

  It was a horror scene. Kato stepped forward, head swimming, he had lost sight of Kray. Squelch, Kato had stepped on a body. He wanted to vomit; his eyes blurred as mush spread out from beneath him the rotted flesh giving way beneath his foot. The smell of decay somehow rose in intensity.

  “Eugh” Kato groaned stumbling forward, resting heavily against a pew. His body trembled; he could scarcely comprehend the living nightmare he’d found himself in.

  “I see you’re admiring my work” Kato’s eyes focused on the voice.

  Kray spoke unaffected by the suddenness of the gruesome display. Still suspended several feet off the ground, it began making strange movements with its gnarled hands, with each motion the cyclone wrapping around it grew in intensity. A pew lifted off the ground joining the growing vortex of debris twisting around the creature.

  If Kato hadn’t been so emotionally exhausted from horror after horror greeting him, he probably would have been amazed. He’d always wanted to see real magic in action. The practitioners in Redusk had been few and far between and like Alice had skills that didn’t result in grandiose displays, such as foretelling and persuasion.

  There were rumours of cities that dwarfed Redusk both in size and magical prowess, but Kato didn’t put much stock in them. Living in a city that you couldn’t leave was a prime breeding ground for generating crazy tale after crazy tale.

  Kato didn’t respond to Kray, he couldn’t bring himself to speak, barely fighting off the waves of nausea threatening to take him.

  “You are not going to ask why?” Kray asked boldly, it just couldn’t stop talking, the delusion in its eyes briefly replaced by its powerful curiosity.

  Kato stared at Kray, aghast at its casual indifference to the monstrous confession. “Why?” he finally manged to choke out, his voice catching on the word, barely audible.

  “Glad you asked.” Kray smirked, its smile widening as it lowered down, ever so slightly.

  “Two moons back a strange being approached our village.” Kray began, its tone ominous. “It told us to prepare, a warning, that we weren’t strong enough for what was coming.”

  Kato’s anger simmered beneath his blank expression. “Go on” he practically spat the words out.

  “Something was coming to kill us, all of us it was going to use as stepping stones for its own power.” It paused collecting itself. “A voice from the sky told us we the sick, frail and forgotten had to die so another may grow, not even live, it just wanted to take.” Krays words were powerful and compelling, demanding understanding.

  Kato stood unmoved. “That explained nothing, you killed everyone because you were scared of a mere phantom” he paused “you disgust me.” Kato was not the bravest man, he never had been, the venom lacing his words were completely out of character. He wanted a confrontation, craved one, and he didn’t know why.

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  ‘We will prevail’ a voice whispered in the back of his mind.

  “The creature it spoke with the voice of God. With divine authority those not of the church would never understand. It was no mere phantom; the harbinger of death’s arrival was set in stone.” The creature continued its monologue, dismissing Kato’s objections with its oozing arrogance.

  “So, what you killed them to save them from death?” Kato was shocked, his voice trembled with rage.

  “They were too weak; they would have held me back! Only through suffering may we have the strength to prevail” spittle flew from the creature’s mouth.

  “You’re insane” Kato spluttered out before he could help himself.

  The effect was immediate, Kray’s face darkened immediately, a jagged vein on the left side of his forehead began to visibly throb. “Without hardship life is meaningless, I should never have even entertained you.” It proclaimed furiously and threw itself towards Kato.

  Kray plucked the spinning pew out of the air in one gnarled hand and swung it towards Kato.

  Time seemed to slow as the weaponised seating accelerated towards him, his body tensed involuntarily as he rolled in slow motion away. His reflexes felt far sharper than they had been mere days ago. The chunk of wood tore through the air, narrowly avoiding taking his head.

  “And what purpose do you have in Killing me?” he gasped as he scrambled backwards. “This monster you speak of has no reason to hunt me.”

  “You believe yourself exempt of the fate of the sick, frail and forgotten, hah.” Kray laughed bitterly. “Look at you so slow, so small, so very, very weak and yet I am the deluded one. Tell me human who is here looking for you, who will appear at the last moment to save you.” Kray laughed again a sardonic sneer crossing its face.

  Kato was cut to the core, he felt strong but obviously he was not in comparison to this place. He’d barely escaped dying to just his general surroundings on the way here, let alone a magic wielding maniac. He didn’t know if he’d been forgotten but there was definitely no one looking for him, not here.

  “It doesn’t matter” Kato said gruffly, his voice thick with emotions.

  A slow smile grew across Kray’s feature, “I knew it, you are just like me, together we will prevail.” Kray stretched his arms wide invitingly, the wooden pew still hung from his right arm.

  “We will prevail” the voice radiated in Kato’s mind, angry the creature in front of him had even dared to draw similarity between the two.

  “I am not you, you lunatic” Kato shouted defiantly at Kray breaking any chance of an amicable conclusion.

  Kray’s eyes clouded over, iridescent with rage at the words and hurled the pew overhead there was no dodging it this time.

  With a heavy crash it struck Kato’s chest, and he went flying backwards slamming against the hard wall behind him, sliding down with a heavy thud.

  Done with beating him for its personal amusement Kray stopped hovering. Apparently satisfied Kato wasn’t going to stand back up again soon or question its sanity again it let the cyclone dissipate and its feet touched the cold stone ground.

  Kato lay unmoving, breathing heavily. He really wished he hadn’t broken that watering can.

  The creature walked over to him, its steps echoing ominously as it advanced. Finally it stood over him, staring down at the defeated man lying on the floor.

  “Do not worry my child, you will find strength in your hardship” It spoke so compassionately you would have thought the two had known each other for years.

  Kato looked up towards the mad horusk above him, he coughed violently, colouring the grey floor red. Splinters had shredded his arms, a coupled remained, lodged painfully in his chest. The pew lay shattered to his side, scraps of wood littering the floor. He weakly tried moving his exhausted limbs.

  “Now, now child doesn’t strain yourself” the creature looked at him warmly as if he were doctor comforting a bedridden patient on his way to recovery. That notion, if anyone could have believed it after the sudden violence just moments ago was dispelled immediately.

  “It will all be over soon” Kray still spoke compassionately but the cold delusional stare in its eyes belied the creatures’ true intentions. “May you be stronger in the next life.”

  Kato pulling on some hidden strength from the depths of his soul, kicked out feebly striking Kray.

  Kray immediately burst out laughing,” what could you possibly have thought that would accomplish?” it mocked, reaching up and wiping a tear from its eyes.

  “It’s been fun” Kray took a step forward its intent obvious. This would be the last thing Kato ever saw. But fate had other plans, a stray fragmented part of the pew caught Kray’s foot and sent the creature stumbling forward, it knocked into the wall, lost its balance and collapsed backwards, arms flailing wildly.

  The same shattered spike of wood that had started this chain of events stood invitingly and Kray accepted its generous offer of a place to lie, falling right back onto it. It pierced through his back and came out of his chest with a sickening crunch.

  Kato watched in stunned silence, ‘I’m starting to make a habit of bearing witness to deaths that have no right to happen.’ He thought bewildered, barely making sense of the sight in front of him.

  Blood spilt from Kray thick and dark, more solid than liquid, a slow sludge clumping on the floor.

  Kray turned and regarded Kato’s pitying expression. It couldn’t let this be its last worldly impression. “You have not beaten me” Kray coughed weakly as its life slipped away. “You will become me” it rasped. “Suffering begets strength, you will come to thank me” and with one final shudder it died.

  Kato remained motionless, his head hung low, each breath weaker than the one that came before it, the sudden quiet of the chamber only broken by the laboured rhythm of his fading breath.