A light at the end of the tunnel

A Story by Davidc

A short story with a twist enter and find out for your self

my home was a fortress built with the intention of withstanding the onslaught of the millennia. The pitch black labyrinthian tunnels; a monument to my ancestors, buried and hidden beneath the high impenetrable walls, a palace for me and my kin folk to live ever after. My time sleeping was well earned, hard times and battles lay behind me now and i could have rested for an eternity. With a violent shudder, I was roused from my slumber by an almighty bang, it came louder the next time and louder with every resounding blow. Rising from my resting place i followed the dark catacombs to the source of the noise, which by now was a quick rhythm of successive blows against the exterior walls, echoing loudly throughout the tunnels. I soon found my self hiding behind a solid stone table, on occasion peaking with the greatest of caution over its top. A sliver of light showed through a slowly increasing fracture, growing with every glimpse i dare take. The drumming continuing rhythmically, until with a sudden and deafening crash, the section gave way. It kicked up dust and muck making any visibility in the dark tunnel impossible.

For a time it was silent and for a moment, just for a hopeful fleeting moment it seemed a freak accident may have been the cause of the collapse. Everything seemed so still as if the granualls impregnating the air where paused in time. That was until the creatures entered, their eyes black and shiny like obsidian, inexplicably ablaze with a demonic light. As the hazy figures navigated a pathway through the murk and rubble, their features remained obscured by the heavy dust, with otherworldly magical beams of light dancing and flickering incandescently on the dust hanging in the air, glowing like they were fresh embers ready to ignite anything they fell upon. The dust had finally cleared enough for everything to be much clearer to the eye.

My breath hung in my chest, it was deathly silent for a time trying to conceal my hiding place. As the black eyed beings passed my hiding place their voices became more audible, their speech was foreign, a language unknown to my ears. The electricity surrounding them as they moved through the tunnel made my skin tingle and itch. I prepared to follow the beasts, preparing to protect my family at all costs from these invaders. i crept from my hiding place nervously, clumsily, this caused me to inadvertently alert the invaders to my presence as i lurched forward. They screamed; alarm ingrained deep within in their foreign tongue, the game was up they were detected. Maybe it was a war cry or perhaps a slur on my name. Now even more unsure of there intent my blood began to boil dry with anger, my muscles tensed with the anticipation remminiscent of battle and of fear. I flew in to the chase hunting each of them down, one by one, i slew each one swiftly and with little effort, tearing them limb from limb the crimson mist soaking my body. My strength seemed uninhibited as did my blood lust, which grew with every kill.

I found the last beast as he skulked in my family tomb hiding in the memories of the dead, it had desecrated the bones of my kin, it had disrespected my ancestry. The anger peaking inside me growing painfully, I dragged it from that hallowed place, its efforts to free its self were all in vain, I wrenched the body up high by its hair, my grip iron clad, it would have had to remove its own scalp before escape was possible. my other hand clasped around its neck its face level with mine the eyes now normal human eyes, not beasts eyes at all just a man, he had a look of fear or of forgiveness deep within them, i could see the sadness collecting in the corners and flowing down his cheeks. Viewing this my blood lust faltered for a second. i felt mercy in my soul for a moment, then with one swift movement I tore his head clean from his shoulders, his sacrifice would be a warning to others. I found a spear close by and inserted it in to the lifeless head.

Shambling along the tunnels to the newly formed entrance, i exited in to the burning sunlight. It hurt my eyes, i groaned a long painful dry groan as I drove the spear in to the ground the head dripping a small pool of blood now. A chorus of screams erupted from the surrounding people, all in their strange garb pointing at me with something strange, a hand held magical item that threw flashing lights at me. my bandaged skin itched in the dry heat, I stumbled fourth chasing away these wizards, killing those who were not quick enough to get away. the great tombs of my ancestors towered above me, i had returned home from the after life to purify my kingdom just as i had asked in my dreams. The screams soon became silent as the sand turned red with the blood of the slain. feeding the long dead, who now rose from their eternal peace, to follow me in the conquest of this world.