Short stories & poems

Calix and Megan were the best friends in the whole world as children. They would go to school together, go to have a snack together afterwards and they would never say goodbye, because they would always see each other again the next day. However, Calix and Megan shared a secret. One day, while they were out of an expedition in the forest, they found a huge cage -Calix- Megas whispered- We should come back to the entrance, this cage was not here yesterday and It looks odd -What do you consider odd? It is just a cage -He answered -Yeah, it might be just a cage but the rocks look too arranged to be simply a cage. Plus, I swear we did not see it yesterday -She insists -Maybe we got distracted -He answeres sharply - Let me just take a quick view -He said before getting into the cage. Megan, against her logic thoughts, followed him into the cage. It was wide and dark, with no holes to see the sun. It was like being floating in nothing. Eventually, they both stopped and looked at each other. Among all the grey rocks, there was a single small rock in gold -Maybe someone painted it to make a joke -Calix said but Megan frowned -Why would they make a joke in a cage where no one gets in? -Cuestioned and Calix decided to take the rock and examine it -It is odd -See? -Megan smiled- Finally we agree in something! Let's just get out of here , I am starting to feel weird about this place. But when Calix tried to walk, the rock made him stay in his place. The rock was a legendary object , used to develop magic powers to the one that hold it. At that moment, Calix felt the power consumming him until Megan stopped it and threw the rock onto the floor. -That is dangerous, your eyes turned red -She said scared and Calix nodded -I felt it consumming me -We have to make a promise- Megan suggests -We are not touching that rock ever again, until we know what it is about -Deal -He promised and hold her hand. He wrapped the rock in a tissue and put it into his bag -We have to make sure no one finds it Years have passed, and Calix could not forget the sensation of power he had while holding the rock. It was buried on Megan's garden and every day, he craved the chance to hold that rock

There he was, looking as beautiful as ever. I asked him to meet me in the cafe the night before. The secrecy between us needed to end, and I didn't know how I was going to tell him. Now, with each step I take, I still don't know, but it has to be done.

I took a few steps forward, heading to his corner table, and quickly switched directions to the counter. "One Earl Grey, please," I mumbled and shifted awkwardly. 'Gods, I hope he didn't notice me yet,' my mind said as I ran through scenarios over and over in my head on how this would go.

"that'll be $4.50" "huh?' "$4.50?"

"oh! Of course, I'm sorry." I fumble with my pockets and mumble before handing the change over. "thank you, again I'm sorry." I say as I gently take the ice cream and start walking over to our usual spot in the corner table. "ten!"

He looked up from his book, seeing me walk over, and gave a warm smile with a cute wave. "You're late again," he said, not in an irritated way but in a loving and found way that would make your heart flutter.

"I'm sorry, Ten. You know me." I chuckled nervously and slipped into the booth sitting across from him.

Ten gently closes the book, his smile fading into a soft worry, and speaks softly. "Are you okay? You seemed nervous on the phone last night, and I wanted to make sure you were okay. " He gently reaches for my hand and kisses the back of it.

My heart couldn't help but melt as I softened and set my tea down. "There's just something I have to tell you, and I don't want you to think any less of me or run away or..."

"Hey-hey," he softens more, leaning closer to brush my cheek. Whatever you have to tell me, I swear to you, I won't think of you any less. You are my starlight, no matter what."

Fidgeting with my hands I lean against his touch with a sniff "I'm a superhero."

Ten slowly moves his hands away and blinks a few times "A superhero?"

I nod gently and glance around before producing a little ball of light from my hand watching his eyes.

Ten blinks again, looking down at the tiny ball of light, and suddenly starts laughing, making me jump a mile and making the light disappear. "It all makes sense! Your name!"

"You.. aren't angry with me?" "Of course, I'm not angry with you!" Ten slowly wipes his eyes from laughter and looks at me happily. You had to keep your identity a secret—every superhero fan knows that—but why tell me now?" He tilts his head to the side as his eyes glisten with joy and curiosity.

I couldn't help but giggle and nod "Because I love you and I didn't want any secrets between us."

His eyes suddenly turn from curiosity to love and a slight sadness. "I love you too, but there's something I have to tell you as well."

my heart leaps into my lungs "Y-yes?"

Ten produces a link of shadow, making it move across our table and up my arm. "I've known for a long time."

At that moment, so many emotions exploded inside me. The man I want to marry someday was the villain.

They tore our homes apart, causing us to flee to the sanctuary across the sea.

When my country turned on its people, I never expected it to be because they elevated the wrong leader—a leader who promised peace but instead brought hardships. As we live each day in fear, we now must be conscious of where we go and who we speak to. One wrong person could turn us in. Sending up straight into the hands of death like lambs to the slaughter.

Wet. Cold. Afraid. I hear them behind me, closing in—moments away. Waves slam into the boat, threatening to plunge me deep into the freezing abyss below. I paddle faster. My hands, littered with cuts, stain the brown wooden handle red. I continue forward. Heart pounding. A gunshot rings out. My arm, hit. Blood, everywhere. I scream, the pain is too much. I can feel my grip loosen, slowly letting go of my life force. I hold on. Another shot goes off. My shoulder this time. I can't handle it, I jump. The water welcomes me in. Calms me. Saves me.

Nearly three hours ago, I met him. His cold eyes stared blankly into the distance. He didn't notice me yet; his mind was preoccupied with the downtown streets one hundred feet below. I could sense his longing, his desire to finally start living, though there was little I could do. I walked over to the edge of the roof, the wind nudging me forward, encouraging me to help. I was scared—terrified of another failed attempt, another one lost. He turned around, mere feet away, and I could see his pain, feel it. I wanted him to live, to not end up like me. I approached him and pushed him off. In a quick motion, he grabbed my leg, pulling me along with him. The skyscrapers sped past as we descended. My eyes shut, ready for it all to finally end. But it didn't. I opened my eyes and saw that the world below remained... below. I felt lightheaded, excited that it had finally happened—I had finally become normal. I turned to my right to thank him, but he was already hundreds of feet away, his wings flapping freely in the air, his pain gone.

The wind chill was unbearable, as the tribe marched through the snowy hillside. Tan skins shivered beneath thick sabertooth hides. Tuuk's forehead glistened with frozen beads of exertion. The light reflecting warmly off of his golden brown eyes. He was fighting against friction, using a makeshift sled to carry his brother, Buusho. He had been hurt during the hunt, and couldn't walk on his own, so Tuuk took up the slack. He fashioned an old sled from the bark of a dead tree and some extra furs packed for emergency, and bore the straps on his shoulders, dragging his sibling across the hellish winterscape. Tuuk looked at the sun, the symbol of a deity who clearly didn't see fit to bless them, as it's warm radiance retreated beyond the horizon, as the frost of the moon set in. A camp had to be made quickly, and the tribe's leaders were already on it. A spot in a thicket of trees was secured, the dense copse of woods being a perfect barrier for the assaulting wind. Tuuk was a few paces behind, on account of his increased load, and made it just in time to set his Buusho to the side, and get to work starting a fire. The damp wood the others gathered was incredibly inflammable, but Tuuk had a trick in his arsenal. He reached into his Buusho's leather pack, taking it from his young brother's sleeping arms, and pulled out some dry, warm grass and placed the pack under his head, lovingly. He shredded the grass apart into small fibrous pieces and packed them into a loose ball, like a nest for the fire, and started upon creating the spark. Clack clack clack Sparks flew into random directions, even stinging Tuuk's muscled legs, but finally a small ember laid, cradled, within the dry kindling, so he added pressure and started to blow gently into the flames. The ember grew into a flickering flame, growing an appetite large enough to gorge upon the wet timber. Tuuk's heavy-lidded brown eyes danced with fluttering red light, as he quickly tossed the ball underneath the wood pile, and patiently awaited the spread of flames. Sure enough, the flame caught, and the camp started warming themselves by the ever growing fire. Tuuk scanned the other members of his tribe, counting twenty heads, much less than the 40 they had started the hunt with. Their hunt had been largely successful, gathering the hides they wore today and the meat in their bellies, but many of their rank had succumb to the cold, flittering out quietly among the sides of the group. Losses weren't uncommon, but they were unprecedented in this amount, it would take the tribe time to recover from these deaths. Families would be left weakened, and men would have to take in new wives and children, to ensure the survival of their tribe. The fire woofed, clearing off the remaining wetness of the wood, and the heat allowed the bleary-eyed tribesmen to take some much-needed shuteye, and so the light of the moon surrendered to the calm darkness of sleep. That is, until the men of the tribe were awoken to the sound of screams within the forest. Tuuk knew animals to make sounds like crying children to lure them out into their hunting grounds, but he had never in his years heard one imitate a man's dying scream like that. He looked around, one of the men should have kept watch, but he saw that nobody was at post. All were resting when the scream roused them, and heads twisted around nervously as the smart among the tribe realized. Their heads numbered nineteen. Another scream echoed into the woods, as a dark blur appeared and disappeared among the fringes of the group. Tuuk couldn't make out any details of the creature, but soon everyone realized this wasn't a normal animal. Tuuk grabbed his brother, and ran towards the fire, grabbing a smoldering stick to defend himself. His fellow tribesmen being picked off far too quickly. Only ten, no nine remained, and more were going with each passing second. There were those among his tribesmen that tried to run, or fight, or scream, nothing worked. Nothing stopped the onslaught on his people. Finally, it was just Tuuk, and his brother, but they weren't alone. "Huuungrrry.", a hollow voice scratched out among the top of the treeline. The creature sprinted towards his brother, but Tuuk swiped with the smoldering log, and the creature flinched, and jumped back meters. Only in that moment did Tuuk get a good look at the murderous creature. It stood 5 feet tall severely hunched, with black fur and wet blood covering every inch of it's body, save for the head. Atop it's furry, sinuous frame, rested a alabaster tiger skull. There was no skin, no eyes, no muscle, only bone and two furious blue flames rested within the otherwise empty eye sockets. It retreated back into the woods, and hissed out, "Briiiight. Buuuuuurns." Tuuk understood how they could survive this. The beast couldn't stand the light, he only had to wait it out until the sun rises, but the night was still young, and the hissing and growling from the woods only intensified as the night deepened. After hours of unresting vigilance, and several unsuccessful attempts from the beast, the sun finally poked out from the horizon, and with it's appearance the attacks finally stopped. Tuuk, took a short rest, but as the warmth of the sun started to invigorate his muscles, he knew he had to make haste to get back to the encampment. Dragging his brother behind was a challenge, especially after a restless night, his mind reeled. Exhaustion set in, and they were still a ways from their home. They had nothing to eat, everything lost in the attacks, but they still had a smoldering flame that his brother watched and cared for with his life, even with the freezing wind threatening to put it out at a moment's notice. Tuuk took cold, burning breaths, and sat down, the blood surging dully in his head. His brown eyes had dimmed and dried after a full day of dragging his little brother behind him. The sun drove past the center of the sky alerting Tuuk as noon had passed, and soon, they would be at the mercy of the beast again. Adrenaline surging, Tuuk stood back up, put the harness onto his shoulders, and sped, almost running, towards his encampment. The trees became more familiar, and the grass lusher, and finally Tuuk saw his home encampment lit up by the setting sun. The sight would be beautiful, if not for the reality of what was behind them. Sprinting as fast as possible, his brother struggling to keep the torch alight, Tuuk raced the dusk, but time was not on his side. The light of the moon soon illuminated the wooded fields, rays of moonlight rippling across Tuuk's skinned feet. Blisters leaving a bloody trail in his wake, a perfect track for the beast to find him. His brother clutched the torch tightly, holding onto his last illusion of safety. Tuuk was single-minded and focused, but the flame of hope was extinguished within his dark eyes. His legs gave out, and he crashed onto the ground. "Big Brother. Big Brother. Tuuk. Why did you stop?" "Tuuuuukkkk?" mimicked a voice from the woods, and just like that the beast was upon him, looking even skinnier and more sickly that last he saw it. Clawed hands ripped into Tuuk's back, and blinding pain gripped his spinal cord. The beast dragged him 8 meters away towards the woods before a hurtling log of fire smacked the beast in its back. Buusho worriedly had given his only safety measure, in exchange for Tuuk's safety, in a desperate gamble. It dropped Tuuk on the ground, as it's body erupted into flames, like kindling. It rolled uselessly in the grass, screeching, it's form shrinking into something closer to that of a human, an inaudible cackle shook it's frame, before it loosely dissolved into a pile of dust. Tuuk and his brother were safe for a night. His brother crawled out of the sled and limped over to the torch slowly, and dragged his older brother closer to the sled, off of the hard, cold ground. Tuuk's legs dragged uselessly behind him. His bloodied back didn't leave a trail as it smeared across the ground, the bleeding had already fortunately staunched. After a night of exhausted sleep, Tuuk was revivified in the morning, able to take the weight back on. His back was itchy, but was barely bothering him. He dragged his brother back into the encampment, where they were both immediately taken away for medical treatment. Tuuk was seen by the elders, and questioned during his treatment, and the tribe mourned the loss of their husbands and fathers. Tuuk was saddened by their loss, but the relief of being home had brought respite to his soul. When Tuuk and Buusho reunited, his younger brother's leg had been reset, and a clay cast had been molded around it, and Tuuk similarly had clay on his blistered feet, and salve on his back. Buusho looked at the sky, and for the first time in days, didn't fear the setting of the sun, the moon taking it's place in the sky. He looked down into the eyes, of his strong older brother, and saw the same joy reflected back from his incendiary eyes. Had they always been so blue?

Emorry felt sweat drip down his forehead, as his chest was illuminated by the blinding red beam of a sniper scope. A greener recruit would see a collection of images, a collage of fleeting memories reminding them of the life they're losing. Emorry only had flashes of grueling training sessions flood his mind, and a cold clarity and decisiveness. As ripples of kinetic energy spread emptily through the cold, dark desert, a muzzle lit in the distance like a murderous beacon, alerting Emorry to the positioning of the sniper, and the starting trajectory of the bullet. Emorry estimated the sniper fired from 725 meters away, give or take. Tucked away, in the rubble of what used to be a building, the sniper's covered face was illuminated by the flash. A blur of camouflage clothing and black face paint made it clear the marksman was a member of the United States marine corps. With a second to spare, Emorry flattened his back against the wall to his side, the cold stone breathed life into his fatigued muscles. He crawled under the window he'd been taking up space in before slinking his way through the halls of the abandoned building. The sharp turns barely hid the bodies, of who used to inhabit this house. A husband laid out at the door, women and children hidden in the bathroom, their lifeless faces away with anguish and fear. This was not a noble war. Emorry had witnessed the ceaseless bloodshed firsthand. Nobody was spared. This war wasn't on a military; they had been sent to destroy a factory town. This place was supplying the enemy with munitions, so it was a tactical benefit to the States to destroy it, but these people weren't soldiers. Emorry's conscious weighed on his stomach like a ball of molten lead. Too many innocents had died here. Emorry slung the AR platform over his shoulder, with a muted thud. Loyalty be damned, somebody had to stand against this. Emorry cracked open the backdoor to the house, and heard hushed whispers. More men in camouflage circled around the house, trying to exploit Emorry's pinched positioning. The words "AWOL" and "deserter" were thrown around, as the men excitedly made their way to Emorry's last vestige of safety, but they were greeted with a hail of fire. Emmory tucked in the corner, and all at once, caught the enemy off guard. Weapons down, and overconfident, the soldiers fell quickly to unexpected, automatic fire. Emmory lowered his weapon and approached the body of an ex-teammate, the walkie talking buzzing with inflamed questioning, "We heard gunfire. Tell me it's done, is Sergeant Emorry dead?" Emorry crouched, pressed the button, and brought the device to his lips, "Yes, sir. Requesting transport to retrieve the body, and confirm the kill." Emorry sat with his back against the wall like a treacherous statue, rifle in hands, and just like that, against home and country, Sergeant Emorry declared war.

I reached towards her.

"You know you won't be able to communicate with anyone through these walls."

She lets the crystals fall discarded at her side. A failed attempt to contact our team. The early collapse of the north wall leaves us trapped under the wreckage and running out of air. I know our team is looking for us. I know they're spending a large amount of our remaining resources looking for their lieutenant and their sargent rather than securing the headway we made on the walls. I looked over at her again. Sargent Lisa Mae Boyd had never looked more terrified.

"Do you think they'll find us?"

"Yeah."

I don't have the heart to tell her the truth. Not now, not like this. Not when I know outside we're so close to winning.

She tilts her head down, the red dot in the corner of her vision. Huffing, she looks back up, several building reflections bouncing into her eyes. There were to many spots her old friend could be at, and in her current state, it felt unwise to guess. A buzz from her phone pulls her attention down. Her fingers dancing on the green button from the call for only a moment before finally slamming down on it.
"Long time no see Katie," She stays quiet, her eyes still panning, searching for that infamous tiny reflection. "Oh c'mon, don't play so hard to get, that's never fun," "What do you want." "My, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," She scoffs, but hides it with a cough when people start to look. The last thing she needs is more attention on her. "I wonder why," she mutters through gritted teeth. "Jack wasn't a big fan of the stunt you pulled yesterday." "Since when do you care what he thinks?" The woman on the other end pauses, and Katie revels in the few extra seconds that buys her. "I don't." She's about to make a snide remark when she finally closes in on the small light of the sniper rifle, her breath hitches. In an instant she breaks into a sprint, and the shouts of protest from her phone fade away as she dashes into the building mere seconds before the piercing sound of a gun firing rings. Most people duck, but she jets to the nearest stairwell and races up, determined to find the sniper before she could run away again. She reaches the floor she thinks is right, and moments after opening the door she is met with more gun shots. "Always trying to get cute Katie," the woman calls. "You still think I'm cute Sara?" she teases after finding a hiding spot, doing her best to rile up her opponent. Sara loudly scoffs, and it allows Katie to change her position. She reaches for her own gun and holds it close, anticipating where she might strike next. "Don't pull that on-" Katie seizes her opportunity when Sara walks right past her, and with a single bunch the large rifle goes flying. Sara recovers quickly though, and with a sweep of a leg Katie is knocked off her feet, her gun long out of her reach. She tries to recover, but Sara pounces on her, pining Katie's arms down with her knees. Katie struggles for a moment before accepting her fate, at the same time Sara pulls a small knife out of her many pockets. "What are you gonna do now?" she purrs while gentle placing the knife at Katie's neck. Despite her suboptimal predicament, Katie's eyes gleam with triumph. "The better question is what are you gonna do?"

She hit the ground as the aircraft flew overhead, seemingly close enough to trim her split ends. The moment it seemed safe, she hopped up and continued running, hoping to whatever God was out there that she would make it in time. Screams echoed around her, but the smoke was so thick at this point there was no making out who or what they might be coming from. The smell of burning flesh burned the hairs in her nose, but there was no time to focus on anything besides staying upright and moving. A thundering that vibrated the ground beneath her worn sneakers caused her to strafe left, and she gaped as an elephant ran past, narrowly avoiding being crushed. A sickening crunch and the cutoff of a scream made it evident that not everyone was so lucky.

Left, right, left, right, jump over the fallen civilian, keep running. Her throat burned from the smoke and exertion, but adrenaline fueled her attempt at escaping this hell. The asphalt was in tatters and made the path out into a parkour course.

"My training did not include fucking elephants." She thought, bitterly.

Finally, she burst through the last of the haze only to see the last escape boat pulling away from the shore, and fell to her knees.