The Sign

Janie crouched low behind the bale of hay, heart thundering. Greggo squatted beside her, the whites of his eyes reflecting moonlight from the open window.

She nodded to the side, and he shook his head fiercely, pointing backwards. She frowned.

No, she mouthed. It’s back there. She wasn’t sure Greggo could see her well enough to read her lips, but he shook his head again, pointing insistently.

She hesitated, biting her bottom lip. They couldn’t go back there. She had seen it behind them, following like a cat in the night. But Greggo was nothing if not stubborn.

Without giving him a chance to protest, she leapt to the side, sprinting for the open window. A crate was stashed beneath it, which would provide enough height-

Large, strong arms snatched her around the waist. She screamed.

Greggo cursed something foul and dashed in the other direction, not even trying to rescue her. Traitor.

“Got you now!” her captor exclaimed. She struggled against him, shoving and protesting loudly. Her cries soon turned into squeals of laughter as he began to tickle her.

“Stop!” she gasped around her giggles. “Stop, daddy!” Eventually he did, letting her go. She slumped to the floor in a breathless heap, grinning.

Greggo slunk from a dark corner, looking abashed.

“Scaredy-cat,” Janie said, sticking her tongue out at him. He pulled a face at her, and her dad laughed.

“Alright you two, now it is really time for bed.”

“Ah, but daddy,” Janie complained, tugging on his shirt. “One more game? Please?”

He smiled, face shining in the moonlight streaming in the window. “If we stay up any later, a real Knarler might come get us.”

Greggo’s eyes widened. “Really? I thought you said they weren’t real.”

“’Course they ain’t real, Eggo,” Janie said, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly.

“Oh yeah? Prove it!”

“Alrighty, that’s enough. Time to head inside.” Her daddy ushered them out of the old barn and into the house.

Janie stared up at the ceiling for a long time after being tucked into bed. Greggo lay in a cot on the floor. Daddy had started making him a bed, but it wasn’t ready. Eggo was an orphan, and now he lived with Janie and her daddy. He was nice enough, even if he was odd sometimes.

Janie thought about the game they had been playing, where Dad pretended to be a Knarler, a big monster with six legs but no head, and knife-like claws.

“Eggo,” she said. She heard him shifting.

“Wha?” he mumbled tiredly.

“Do you really think the Knarlers are real?” she asked. He didn’t respond for a long moment.

“I dunno. Maybe.”

“Then why don’t we ever see none?” she asked.

“I dunno.”

She frowned. He always got like this when she tried to ask him questions. He was two years older than her eight, but he sure didn’t seem to know anything.

“Well, I think they aren’t real,” she decided firmly.

“Fine.”

She sat up partway and looked at him. “That’s all?”

He grunted. She sighed and lay back down to think.

Greggo heard the scratching sounds before he heard the scream. He sat bolt upright, looking around wildly. Janie was still asleep. Had it been a dream?

An enormous crash echoed through the house. Janie mumbled something and sat up, blinking bleary eyes.

“Waz going on?” she mumbled.

Greggo jumped up and threw open the door. It was dark, and his eyes took a moment to adjust.

When he finally made out the scene in front of him, his heart nearly stopped. A chill ran up his spine, and he let out a strangled cry.

Janie was at his side a moment later. She screamed, so loud and harsh that it made his ear ring.

“Daddy!” she cried, clinging to Greggo’s arm, fingernails digging in hard enough to draw blood.

Mr. Fedric was holding a kitchen knife, facing down a beast that crawled on six legs and came up to his shoulders in height. Its black, sinuous body coursed with muscles, enormous claws jutting from each of its six feet.

But that was not the most disturbing part. The creature had no head, just a long, sleek body. Whenever Mr. Fredric moved, it mirrored him, despite having no eyes, ears, or nose to sense with.

Greggo felt as though he had been frozen in place. His mind screamed at him to go, but his muscles wouldn’t move. He could barely feel Janie’s grip on his arm.

“Run, kids!” Mr. Fredic cried, his voice strained. Greggo started. Run. Right. They needed to get away.

He grabbed Janie’s hand and pulled her, screaming and crying, away. The monster started to turn to them, but Mr. Fredric lunged at it and nearly scored a hit along its flank. It was forced to turn back.

Greggo dragged Janie out into the dark night. She finally relented, and they fled as fast as their legs would carry them. They didn’t stop for a long, long while.

Janie’s eyes were haunted as Greggo spoke. Dawn was just beginning to break, and they were still deep in the forest. Janie hadn’t spoken a word since they left.

“My pa told me about the Knarlers,” Greggo said softly. “’Cept he called them Slashers. He said they are ancient creatures, more ancient than the war for the Lost Continent, even.” That war had been over a thousand years ago.

“What does ‘ancient’ mean?” Janie asked softly. He was relieved to hear her speak. She had been so quiet and distant, he hadn’t been sure she was even listening.

“It means really old.” He paused. “Anyway, he said they would return one day. He said that if they did, it was the Sign.”

Janie still had that blank, uncomprehending look on her face. He continued his story anyway, feeling a burning need to speak the words out loud.

“He said it meant the world was about to change. Just like it did during the Cataclysms.” In the ancient past, the world was said to be a virtual wasteland. The people that lived upon it were hard, uncivilized brutes. Nearly two-thousand years ago, the Cataclysms occurred. The people and animals were nearly destroyed in the thunderous shaking and rending of the world, but when it was over, the land had been transformed: fertile, with plants growing in abundance and clean water sources easily available. Over the years, mankind had flourished in the bounty.

Greggo looked down at his hands. “My pa, he didn’t say if the change would be good or bad. The world could become more beautiful, or it could go back to being nearly uninhabitable. Er, I mean, hard to live on. But one thing he said for sure, he said, ‘Son, when the monsters come, get underground. It’s the safest place’.”

He fell still. Janie wrapped her arms tightly around herself, looking even smaller than usual. Her thin brown hair fell around her face and into her eyes, giving her a ragged appearance.

“He told me a place we can go,” Greggo said softly. “It’s not too far from here. Maybe two day walk.”

“We have to get my dad first.” Janie’s voice was flat.

Greggo winced. “Jan, your pa-he-well, there’s no way that he…could have beat that monster…” He trailed off, unable to get the words out. Janie finally met his gaze, her eyes flashing with anger.

“You wanna leave my daddy behind?” she demanded, fury in her voice.

“No, no,” he said quickly. “It’s just-well…” He sighed, remembering the night when his own parents had died. He hadn’t wanted to believe it either. “He’s gone, Jan. I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do about it.” He spoke quietly, staring down.

“No,” she said stubbornly.

He shook his head. “We need to go, Jan. We don’t have much time.”

“I’m not leaving him,” she growled.

He scooted closer, taking one her small hands. “Please, listen. That monster is called a Slasher for a reason. They tear apart their victims. They don’t need to eat, breathe, or sleep. It’s probably coming for us right now. We have to go…” He trailed off. He was rambling.

Janie’s eyes were filled with tears. Finally, she nodded, and a sob broke from her throat.

Janie stumbled along beside Greggo. He held to her hand, keeping her upright when she tripped over rocks or tree roots. He seemed to have endless energy, but she felt drained. One and a half days of walking had left her with no energy, multiple scrapes and bruises, a dry mouth and empty stomach, and bleeding feet.

She finally gave out, sitting down on a rock and burying her face in her hands. Her muscles simply wouldn’t go another step.

Stopping allowed her to think again though, which was bad. She had abandoned her father. What if he was hurt and needed her help? What if he was looking for her but couldn’t find her? Deep inside, she knew the truth. But thinking about it hurt too much. She had to believe he was out there somewhere, that she would see him again.

“We only have a little ways more before we reach the place my pa told me ‘bout,” Greggo said. She groaned and shook her head, which was still buried in her hands. She could sense him looming over her, so she finally pushed herself to her feet unsteadily. Greggo helped her, holding her arm.

They continued walking for what felt like an eternity. They stopped only long enough to gather some berries to eat. They did little for Janie’s growling pit of a stomach.

A low grumbling echoed around her. It started so low that she actually thought it was just her stomach complaining, but the noise grew. It reverberated through everything, the air almost warping. Greggo looked up, eyes growing wide.

“Hurry,” he said. His voice was nearly lost in the sudden wind. The noise continued to build, and the ground began to vibrate. Softly at first, but growing in ferocity. Soon, it was hard to walk in a straight line. Greggo continued dragging her forward, and she followed, gasping for breath. The wind seemed determined to stop her from exhaling, and she tried to duck her head to catch gasps of air.

Hail began to pelt her exposed skin. Some of the ice chunks were as big as a newborn’s curled fist. One struck her arm and she cried out in pain. Immediately, icy air washed into her lungs and she coughed.

The ground beneath them shifted violently, and they both tripped. Greggo was on his feet almost immediately, yanking Janie up and forward. A tree fell in a loud crash, nearly crushing them. Lightning began flashing in sheets across the sky.

In a moment, Greggo was pulling Janie down into the darkness. He just kept pulling her, and every moment her heart clenched tighter. Her eyes did not adjust. It was truly pitch black.

Finally, Greggo pulled to a halt. She bumped into him. They crouched together in the perfect blackness, feeling the world shake around them. She clenched her eyes shut and trembled, certain she was going to die.

It last for hours. And then, the shaking abruptly stopped, replaced with a tense stillness.

Neither of them broke the silence. Instead, Greggo gingerly led them back out.

Janie had to blink against bright sunlight. It stung her eyes, and she rubbed them. When she opened them again, she gasped.

She had expected destruction and mayhem after the disaster of the previous day. However, the land she saw around her was…paradise. Everything was green, not a dead plant or tree in sight. Flowers bloomed in stretching meadows, and a small stream burbled past, clear and cool. The temperature was perfect, and she heard the faint swelling of song birds in the distance.

“It’s beautiful,” Greggo whispered.

“What do we do now?” Janie asked.

“We find survivors,” he replied. “And like last time, we will build a better world.”