[Perhaps #16]

“Hmm whats going on?.." Peeking his head up slightly look outside as he seen the towns people making their way towards the center of town.

'Parade? Something important? I wanna see..' his face pressing to the side against the window his eye. Noticing people were turning the corner having a stone wall block his view. 

'Dammit..' looking around more noticing the roof tops. They would give him access to the wall even if it was a bit of a climb to the top. 

'Heh. No.'

'No, no not going to climb..' 

'Any other way?' looking around more intently as he seen a few of the towns people carrying tall crates towards the area. 

'Oooh this has to be a special event!' His face pressing firmer against the window more wanting to get out and see what was happening, more clearly. 

Looking at the stone wall once more, 'Dammit.'

'Well, hmm..'

'ooooo I got it..' Pulling his face away from the window, patting his body to make sure he had everything he would need. 

Then lifting the window open before climbing out. His foot on the window frame and hopping to the other roof stumbling a bit at first. Slowly making his way around to each rooftop, before sliding down to the ground.

 Twisting his body in air, tumbling on the ground. “Ow.." 

'I‘m ow.  I’m okay.' Taking a deep breath quickly standing back up patting himself off of dirt and dust. Glancing around to see if anyone had noticed before making his way to blend in with the crowds. Following behind the townspeople, Looking at the ground noticing a rope tied around an wrist of a

{}

 before grabbing a hold of a corner of a crate. Making sure his face was covered, his eyes shifting back and forth looking to see what was so important. His eyes stuck on the scene before him, a stage was in the middle of the area. Hangman’s nooses were strung up along a large pole with two chopping blocks, with baskets dangling off the side of the stage to catch the head of those cut from their bodies. 

'Oh..' The crowd around the stage was getting thicker and more compact with each passing moment. Noticing he was moving towards the stage with the crate following another. Looking down at the crate once more noticing it was a wooden coffin. His stomach gripped inside having a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach about this. Shifting his eyes around the crowd hopping to see anyone that looked familiar, thinking it had been a long while since he had seen any of the others coming to the room. 

The crowd was in a uproar yelling out with insults and slander, stepping up the stairs to the stage helping carrying the coffin, the guards paying them no mind as each of the coffins were lined up laying down on the stage for a easy access. The prisoners weren’t out just yet, but the crowd was getting anxious and riled up already. The guards began clearing the stage of those that were putting the coffins on the stage then pulling a few of them aside to carry the coffins off and onto the undertakers wagon for burial. 

 He was being pushed aside to stay along with a few others at the bottom of the stairs. His stomach turned and shook he could feel the energy in the air from the crowd and from all of their feelings about the sentencing. A wagon rolled into the area carrying chained up prisoners lined up in the wagon. His eyes closed for a moment, 'Oh.. This doesn‘t look good at all.'

'But its their laws, beliefs.'

"Not mine.” whispering to himself opening his eyes back again. Seeing the wagon was backing up to the stage, stepping to the side as the crowd parted for the wagon. Arriving at the stage the wagon stopped, as the guards climbed onto the wagon and pulled each prisoner onto the stage, leaving a few on the wagon to wait their turn. 

he watched and kept out of the way, he couldn’t do anything about the prisoners as a few were calling out to be freed. He looked at each of them making sure none of them were one of his friends. The last ones in the wagon held a bag over their heads, allowing them to breath but their faces weren’t to be shown. Looking around, keeping his back on the stage and just staring at the crowd seeing the many expressions that one face showed in this new experience.

 He seen them shift from horror to rage mixing the different emotions into one, but the end result was that of satisfaction and enjoyment at what was happening up on stage. Each time the bottom of the stage went out as he could feel the feet dangling behind him, made him shutter. His eyes didn’t close only to make sure none of those going to meet their end was anyone he knew. Each one’s crimes were announced to the crowd as for a while they could either throw rotten food at them or yell out insults at them.

 The end result was either a beheading or the dangle of the noose. The last two in the wagon was placed in two large shackled braces on either side of the stage to stay until their time to be executed. Their crimes were not announced, only that they were to be executed at a later time. For now they were put on display. Along with others were put aside awaiting their turns. It wasn't long they were allowed back up on the stage.

Those that were executed were placed into their own coffins. Placing them on the back of the wagons stacking them on top of one another. One wagon after another were being filled with the coffins. Those driving the wagon, weren't the only ones on the wagons. A few wagons had extra people sitting at the very back edge of the wagon.

He kept his head down, looking away from the coffins not wanting to look at them. The wagons start was bumpy as the road was filled with puddles and holes which made the wagons movements bumpier than expected. Making their way out of the town the road got a bit easier to tolerate. He didn’t see anybody around not even Sedalia, his mind wondered about the two on stage hoping it wasn’t anyone. The fur and clothing were different as he thought about it, perhaps it was a good thing. 

His thoughts soon were silenced as one last rough bump made him fall face first into a coffin lid waking him up from his thoughts. Quickly sitting back up and looking around as the group chuckled in amusement. Sitting in the back of the wagon with the coffins his head lowered, as his eyes would watch the others in the wagon sharpening their weapons they had brought with them. ’Why do they need those? Is it that dangerous taking the dead to their graves?’ 

The thoughts continued the farther they went from the town, following a path down a rocky road into the forest. Entering the forest, each of the towns folk turned, readied their weapons and stood guard watching the woods each one seemed on edge about the forest. Lifting his head and did as the others did, standing and watched the woods. What he was looking for or watching out for he had no clue to what it could be.

 The woods were quiet, a slow chill went up his spine getting a bad feeling about the quiet. His hand gripping his belt keeping his pinky touching the handle of his small dagger. The silence seemed to keep growing the further they went into the woods down the path.

 ‘This is going to be one creepy cemetery.'

'To have it like this..’ was a thought that popped into his head during the ride. The sound of the creaking wheels on the wagon were one of the few sounds he still could hear. The slow breaths of the others around him, and the ground and rocks crunching and shifting under the wheels of the wagon. 

'Don‘t be afraid they’ll eat you up faster than you can die..' said the driver as they sat at the head of the wagon steering the wagon further into the woods. Turning his head towards the driver for a moment, then back into the woods the gut feeling getting slightly worse now after hearing that. The trees parted as the light of the sun was shining on them from the shade of the forest’s trees. 

The wagon stopped in the clearing, as the group climbed out of the wagon and began pulling out the coffins one at a time. Making their way to the center of the clearing with them. Looking around at the clearing not seeing any headstones or tombstones’ of any sort. Confused as to what they are there for, but as long as they were there might as well do the rest of the job. 

Grabbed a hold of his end of the coffin as they made their was towards the center of the clearing. The ground soon began shaking as each one had a coffin with them and close to the center. Soon as the ground shook making him fumble the coffin, as the other was fumbled around with the coffin as well letting it fall to the ground with the lid popping open.

  Stumbling a bit before lowering himself to the ground and held onto the coffins sides to keep balance a bit more, the ground began splitting and as soon as a hole appeared long vines came from the hole which grew wider. One of the vines wrapped around the other that was on the other side of the coffin and pulled them into the hole yelling and screaming. 

Staying against the ground his eyes widened at this, only to stand to his feet and attempt to run with the shaking ground under him, soon tripping over a vine. Laying on the ground on his stomach, trying to quickly crawl, 'Ow. Fu..' His leg being wrapped around as he was being pulled towards the pit. 'Shit!' shouting as the others were tossing the bodies down into the pit, then getting grabbed by the creature from the deep being dragged towards the pit as well.

 Gripping his belt, pulling out a small dagger flipping himself onto his back. He stomped his foot on what wrapped around his leg, it let him go for a moment as he quickly pushed himself backwards away from the pit. His eyes wide open as he watched, soon turning his head hearing something behind him as it was one of the others in the wagon and racing off back to town leaving them there. 

'Wait!! Don‘t leave! Take me with you!' he turned his head around seeing two being pulled into the pit listening to their cries. He watched soon his leg was wrapped up again being pulled in quicker than before. He frantically began stabbing at the vine like tentacle creature trying to stab it somehow only to have the blade break after a moment. Grabbing the tentacle with his hands a sizzling sound and smoke came from under his hand.

The tentacle retracted from his leg and swarmed back into the pit. Looking at his hand for a moment before taking off his shirt, and ran towards the others to help them. “Okay.. Burns."

'Okay burns… burn..' Reaching the closest one he grabbed a hold of their paw, and held onto them. 'I gotcha, I gotcha!!' Their arms wrapped around him tightly, as he would reach down grabbing the tentacle with his hand again it began sizzling as it retracted flailing about in the air as it lowered down into the pit. They pushed him away from them and took off without turning back towards the road.

  Laid on his side grumbling, “You're welcome..” looking around as he seen that there was one left it wasn't someone he remembered from the wagon but he didn't care, hopping up as he ran towards them. They were holding onto a stump with all their strength four tentacles came out of the pit and wrapped around the stump and them pulling at the stump as it began uprooting. 

Looking at the tentacles, 'Ohh. Please work!!' running towards the tentacles as soon as he got close enough he dove towards the tentacles wrapping his arms around them all at once. There was a shriek of a cry came from the pit as he was lifted up began flailed about in the air. 

“Ooo.."

'Ew ew ew..' The stump flopped back into the hole that was made soon as it was released, the person stood up and watched for a moment before taking off into the woods when they were released. The tentacles sizzled around his stomach and arms which were showing, pressing against the tentacles. His hold loosened as he was tossed up into the air, the tentacles retracted back into the pit after clearing the dead bodies along the ground near the pit. 

His eyes looked around quickly to see where he was going to land, the worlds seemed to be spinning out of control. “OOoww.."

'This is going to hurt.' His eyes closed crunching up his body to try, have his arms and legs take most of the impact. His crash landing was just that a crash into the forest smacking into branches and against rough leaves. Finally slamming down onto a pile of moss, his body laid out spread on the pile of moss unable to move. Pain was the only thing he could think of or feel. 

Passing out upon the pile of moss he was alive still, he didn’t know how but he wasn’t going to complain about it. It wasn’t long before he passed out from the pain going unconscious. The first thing he heard was the crackle of a fire his eyes wanted to open but he couldn’t move anything on his body. His breathing was faint, but was steady for the time being he could hear a small humming that was near. 

He listened to the humming for a short time before groaning out as he tried to move. The humming stopped and the sound of leaf‘s crunching in a quick get away. [Main] coughed feeling his chest burning with the cough making his groan and grumble. “Ha.. Heh” moving his tongue around his mouth feeling a few teeth had come loose.

 ‘come on move! Move! get up! come on get up! your no good to anyone laying about! get up!’ he groaned in searing pain slowly pushing himself to his side as he shook. His whole body shook while on his side, before pushing himself onto his stomach the side of his face pressed against the moss. Opening up one of his eyes to notice the flames of the fire and the darkness around the area he was in. 

Soon the sound of crunching leaf’s would be getting closer, “I know you‘re.."

"there..” he said half muffled from the moss covering half his mouth. Feeling a touch to his shoulder, before it pulled him to his back. Grunting in his throat, feeling the pain of the movement that wasn’t his own. Opening his eyes back up looking up seeing three shadowed like faces staring down at him. Reaching up to cover his face, took a while as his hand was shaking and it strained him to do so. 

There was patches of moss clinging to his stomach and his left shoulder. His hand was grabbed and placed down to the ground, as a cold paste was placed over his body. He flinched but couldn’t move anymore at the moment letting the paste be placed upon his body in small symbols he couldn’t resist the treatment. 

“Shh." was all he heard before below his nose he smelt something over his lip making him sleepy. While drifting to sleep he heard whispers of an argument, he couldn’t tell if it was in his head or from those that were helping him. The images he seen as he slept again made it hard to know the difference between what was real and what was his own mind.