Finding Humanity

Chapter 4

Even though he was only nine, Esau understood fear perfectly. It was the feeling that made you freeze when you faced danger. An unpleasant emotion that made your stomach turn and forced you to run away from something scary. It was something that kept you alive.

Esau understood that perfectly. 

He had been afraid before, and there were many times when he had fled from the sight of what he thought was terrifying. But he couldn't do that now. He couldn't bring himself to.

The nine year old knew that he should be afraid. Trying to save his sister could get him wounded and killed. But right now no part of him cared.

Even though Esau had never liked getting hurt, he forgot all of his terror in this moment.

He couldn't afford to freeze, because larger fears had taken over his limbs. 

He was scared of losing his only sister. He was scared of what his Ma and Pa would think if he went back without her.

He was also scared of being alone.

Above all, Esau was terrified that he wouldn't make it in time. Because for now he could only watch in horror as his sister's trembling body was slowly cut into, ready to be torn apart by the beast neither of them had seen coming.

And even though since she told him run, Edythe hadn't made another sound. Esau could almost feel her pain as her eyes snapped shut and she went dreadfully still.

He wished that the distance between him and his sibling didn't feel like a kilometre long divide.

To him the beast's teeth gleamed like little daggers as they sunk into Edythe's shoulder then moved to graze her neck, the top half of her once blue dress transforming into a bloody mix of garish red.

Untying the straps that secured the bundle of blazestones to his back, Esau threw the stack of powdered crystals at the wolfish beast just as it was about to dig it's claws deeper into Edythe's side.

Now Esau ran purely on instincts, his mind fixed on only one objective—getting that damned beast off his sister.

As the cluster of blazestones connected with the side of the beast with a burst of heat and orange light. The bundle burned and crackled as the creature stumbled back on it's hind legs, it's jaw disconnecting from it's unmoving victim as it's balance was thrown off. 

Esau was there just in time, never once stopping in his sprint as he rammed into the snarling beast with all his strength, sending it reeling back in shock and pain as it let out a pitiful whine and collapsed to the bloodstained ground.

He caught Edythe before she could fall to ground, trembling the moment her blood touched his skin.

Everything happened before the few townsmen around them had time to process it. But as a few minutes passed, the reality that there was a monster right in front of them slowly sank in.

Panic followed shortly after as they all backed away, most running to their homes and boarding up their doors and windows.

The rest stayed behind, their minds filled with a sick sense of curiosity as the beast slowly got back on it's feet, blood the shade of the darkened sky dripping out it's mouth.

It's jaw had been dislocated by Esau's blow and it's annoyance was eerily obvious. In that moment it seemed more human than wolf.

It growled, and the circle of men expanded as they shuffled back.

Lacau was a hunting town so all the observers knew that the beast had been weakened considerably by the attack, but regardless of that fact they also knew that it was at it's most dangerous state—it was cornered.

Now on it's trembling limbs again, it went on a feral charge at the pair of children in the middle of the street, only to miss them completely, it's head smashing into the pharmacy as it skidded sideways, it's bearings completely lost.

It's grotesque body shook in pain as the walls of the building collapsed on it's weakened frame, it's body now a tangled mess of raw muscle, grume and flesh, with no skin to cover it.

The creature's eyes glowed a dim yellow, it's head hanging limply to the side as it's body fell to the ground once again.

A guttural groan escaped from the beast's mouth as it lay in a pool of it's own rancid and foul smelling blood with the broken bones and the pain to match them.

Esau, the very cause of this beast's misfortune, paid no heed to this scene as he dragged his sister into his arms, taking off the scarf wrapped around his neck and pressing it tightly against the bite wound to staunch the blood leaving her.

"Eddy, keep your eyes open." He looked up into the fog in worry, taking his mask out of his pocket and fixing it around his sister's face.

His heart still racing from fear, Esau turned around, his body now beginning to ache as he started to call for help.

"Plea—" The words were just about to pass his lips when he found that everyone had moved away from them, leaving the desperate brother-sister pair alone at the center of the chaos.

A light cough left him as he swallowed back the rest of his sentence, trying his hardest to breathe in the suffocating air. 

Esau grimaced and chose to endure, tears stinging his eyes as shook off the pain he felt in his limbs.

No. He didn't bother trying to beg the men for assistance.

He knew that they wouldn't help him, not when his house was sixteen minutes into the forest that they feared. The only thing they would give him were useless excuses.

As this thought crossed his mind, Esau's gaze slowly landed on the heaving beast sprawled on the ground in front of him.

If it attacks again then what? He sunk his teeth into the flesh of his cheek and tried to shake away the fear creeping up on him. What should I do?

I'll fight it off, away from Edythe. He decided soon enough. But would anyone here even take care of her if he died? Would they take her home?

Won't they just leave her to die too?

He carefully weighed the available options in his heart. 

"What should I do?" Esau clenched his fists in anger of his helplessness. 

What can I do?

Turn my back to that monster and run? It seemed like the only choice he had. But even after coming to that conclusion the situation still seemed hopeless.

She is going to die because of me.

"Es-au," Edythe's quiet voice rippled through his self-destructive thoughts, scattering them all into nothingness.

His gaze snapped down to his sister in both shock and relief.

"Y-Yes?" The boy let his tense posture fall away. He fixed a smile on his lips and stared into his sister's teary eyes.

"I love you." Edythe whispered, sounding out of breath. Her eyelids quivered but she seemed determined to remain awake because she fixed her gaze firmly on her brother.

"I love you too, okay?" Esau nodded to his own words, carefully lifting her head and placing it against his chest. "We're going to be fine."

"I'm dying, aren't I?" Her voice shook as her ginger hair dripped the red of her blood, dyeing his clothes the same color.

Esau bit his lip and stood up slowly, his eyes slowly shifting to the beast just a couple steps away from him.

He had made his choice.

"You can't. . ." He let out a breath, twisted on his heel and started running towards the alley behind him.

With the addition weight of his sister in his arms, the soles of his boots sunk slightly in the loose gravel that layered the ground. But even if he stumbled, Esau didn't dare to fall.

Skidding into the alleyway, the nine year old threw his leg against one of the barrels closing off half the path and let it crash to the ground behind him to stall the beast in case it decided to give chase.

"You can't die."

Esau pinched his sister's palm lightly to get her attention, but she didn't move.

Edythe stared into the thick fog above, the blue in her eyes taking on a calmer hue. "I can see. . . stars."

Esau never stopped running, the image of the his father's workshop flashing in his mind as he pushed himself to keep going despite the growing sting that burned his lungs. He needed to get there no matter the cost.

"Are they pretty?" He asked hurriedly, trying to keep Edythe concentration on him as he shifted his path from the forest to the one that led to the workshop. The one they had just sat by in what seemed like ages ago.

We can't survive in the forest past moonrise. He consoled himself with that fact as he turned his back on the road to their house.

"They're pre-tty." She agreed.

"I want. . ." Edythe's weak voice droned on. "To see them. . . everyday. . . I—"

"You will." Esau jumped onto the small path leading to the smithery, a smile fixed on his lips as he was energized by a sudden burst of hope. We can make it. 

"The fog will clear and you'll see the stars again."

"S-un?" Edythe mumbled, her eyelids inching closer together.

"That too!" His heart quickened as he kicked open the door to the moss covered building, dashing past the dusty counter and rusted forging tools to stop at a door that was concealed in the corner. I promise that I won't let you leave me, Eddy.

"Esau."

"Yes?" He looked down at his sister then carefully laid her on the wooden floor.

He reached out to pull open the door, his hands shaking from both relief and anticipation.

The boy tugged once, but the door stayed shut. 

"When I die. . ."

He looked back at her, horrified, and found peace in her blue eyes.

"Don't say that." Esau shook his head desperately and pulled harder on the door's handle. "Please."

"I don't want you to cry." Edythe's trembling hand reached up to tug off her mask. "And I won't need this. . ."

"You," Esau let go of the door and turned fully to his sister. "What are you saying?"

But Edythe didn't reply, she didn't even blink.

Suddenly the smithery seemed too quiet.

Esau stared forward blankly, at her limp and lifeless fingers holding onto the piece of cloth, at her once bright eyes that now looked so empty.

Esau knew what she had wanted to say, he always knew.

So he felt it too, the heart wrenching pain that had exploded suddenly in his chest and brought him to his knees.

He didn't need someone to tell him.

He didn't need a sign.

It was something he simply knew. A fear he always had. A part of him had disappeared forever.

Esau knew that Edythe was gone because she had been with him since the day he was born.

We were always together.

He glared at her fiery hair and listless sapphire eyes as tears burned a path down his bluing cheeks.

He was too lost in grief to realize that breathing was getting harder with every minute that passed.

"You can't die!" He sobbed and held her to his chest.

"I'll keep you warm, Pa will save you. . . You'll see the stars and the sun again, I promise. . . I promised you." he mumbled disjointedly.

With nothing left to say, Esau cried over his sister's body, his heart filled with a devastating pain that worked in unison with the invisible blades that stabbed into his lungs.

The grief-stricken nine year old collapsed. He fell, with his back to the floor.

Covered in his twin sister's blood, he felt a numbing chill wash over him.

It's over. The thought slowly drifted into his mind as he stared expressionlessly at the crisscrossing beams that supported the roof above him. 

I'm dying, he finally realized, after another moment of contemplative silence.

Air was no longer getting to his lungs and his fingers had grown numb, but strangely he didn't care. Breathing was no longer important and neither was fighting, not when his sister's corpse laid by his feet.

He shut his eyes in complete exhaustion. Why did she have to die? Why not me? If I had been faster—

"Esau!"

The boy didn't move, not even when the familiar voice sent warmth flooding into his chest. Pa can't be here.

"Esau, get up." the voice repeated itself and Esau has the sudden urge to obey.

He forced his eyes open and was met with a blurry image of his father.

Wine red hair tickled Esau's cheeks, as a hand was pressed against his face. "Good, you're still warm."

"You're at the capital." The boy whispered in confusion, then his eyes shifted downwards. "Edythe is. . ."

His father followed his gaze and paused, his expression solemn and bitter. "We can save your sister, but we need to hurry."

Elton Yong picked his limp daughter off the dusty floor but kept his gaze on his distraught son, the pride in his eyes unnoticed by Esau.

"We can?" Esau slowly sat up, suddenly able to breath again.

The fog-filled air rushed into his lungs as he stared blankly at his father. I know she is gone. . . Don't lie.

"Do you remember the stories I told you when you were younger?" Elton asked as he dragged Esau to his feet with one hand, already moving towards the door of the smithery.

I remember. The nine year old nodded slowly, his mind numb as he looked at his sister. Can we really save you?

"I have another one to tell you." His father said gravely as Esau stumbled out of the workshop after him. "Listen carefully because one day all our lives will depend on it, your sister's included."

Esau didn't dare look away or ask any questions.

He only focused on the words that wove together a tale he was determined to never forget, because this was the first time he had seen that look in his Pa's eyes. The look that told him that this story would be completely different from the others.

"The story is titled Paradise," Elton told Esau as he led his son down the path to the forest, "and it is a myth from centuries ago."