Excerpt: Waiting

“And then I waited…”
Gix’s hand was firmly pressed on the side of his face. His cheek wrinkled making it hard to see out of his left right eye. His Elbows pressed firmly against the open windowsill. There a slight spring breeze that tussled thick locks of his jet black hair back and forth. Yesterday it had rained so hard Gix thought that his tiny little shack would crumble to the ground. Today was perfect and Gix sat by the window and contemplated his life.
It had been ten years ago perhaps that he had first met Zefer. Zefer saved him and took him to this modest little shack millions of miles away from humanity. They lived there for a couple weeks. Gix was happy; he had never had a friend before. Not a single one. Gix decided that he would devote the rest of his life to make Zefer happy. Zefer was much more ambitious then Gix was. He said that he would go and make his fortune out there in the world. Before leaving Zefer asked Gix to hold down the secret fort. Gix agreed. If this was the one thing Zefer wanted him to do, he would do it. And then…
“And then I waited…”
Gix’s shirt was pure white. In all he did for the past ten years he never got one single stain on this perfect shirt for Gix didn’t do much inside the hut that would cause any such stains. Gix breathed in heavily and released the air slowly. This was one of his two past times. Waiting… yearning for Zefer to come back. The other was throwing pebbles at the wall. He had gotten quite good at it, if it is possible to get good at such a thing.
There were a few books that were inside the hut. Gix had read them over so many times he could recite each one perfectly. There was one about Dragons and Phoenixs and another one about words, Gix memorized them all.
The white shirted boy’s eyelashes were starting to flutter shut from such a pleasant breeze. His hand was starting to slip. He gently dropped his head so that it was now resting in the crock of his elbow. He was about to succumb to pressures of sleep when a deep base sound make his spine shiver. His hair was standing on ends as deep base sound turned into faint crackling sounds.
“Wha-“ was all that Gix let himself mutter as he bolted out the door of the shack. The picture from his window was that of a perfect day, Gix turned around and behind the little hut, which was corned by steep hillsides, was a darkening ugly sky. Gix had never thought to climb those hills before… he was content with just waiting for his best friend… but now he had to see what was going on.
The dirt crumbled on the hill along with the grass making the hill feel like it was made out of marbles. Large clumps would go falling down the side of the hill with each handful of earth Gix grabbed. Gix was very careful not to press his chest close to the hill side, for he did not want his white shirt to stain. His pants could tatter all they liked. Brow furrowing, Gix thought “this has got to be the hardest hill to scale in the entire world”. With the hill flattening as he climbed, Gix was able to waddle up to the top on his knees. He was finally able to see past it. This hill was promptly conquered.
The blue sky Gix had been staring at gave way to various shades of darkening gray. Gix could not believe his eyes… for a stone’s through away from where it had been living fro the past ten years there was city. It was the strangest thing Gix had ever seen. Above the city the sky turned pitch black like midnight hung forever over this city’s sky. That was not the strangest thing. The strangest thing that made Gix’s mouth open and eyes squint were the blasts of crackling purple lightning coming from somewhere within the city.
Gix knew better then to wonder into cities that cracked with lightning and stayed forever night, but there was a tingle in his heart. Something inside Gix screamed Zefer. Zefer was with that city. Gix just knew it. Without another thought Gix’s legs started moving. Before Gix could even start thinking his legs were making him run directly towards the city that would only exist in picture books. A city full of evil… and Gix was heading right towards it blindly.

***’”’***

There was no rain in this city. At least it certainly didn’t feel like any rain had pasted through this city at all. The air was dry, upon entering Gix could feel himself licking his lips, and his skin became uncomfortable within his clothes. The air pressure in here made him feel like he would float of the plant. It must have been his racing heart that kept him here on the ground. The stone wall of builds looked like they were screaming in terror. Doors wide open. Glass shattered and brick cracked. Gix roamed around these frightful streets searching for the cause of such evil or Zefer, whichever he happened upon first.
Gix kicked something at his feet; he looked down to see a skeleton. It was a skull. The hair on the back of Gix’s neck hadn’t settled back down since he heard to melody of this lightning city. But now they seemed to jump right of his body. Knowledge told Gix he should know better then to thick that skeleton couldn’t exist without years of decay. But something told Gix that this skull hadn’t been decaying long.
There was a moaning sound that made Gix spin around. A man was laid up against the side a building. He seems brutally injured. His life expectancy seemed nigh. He looked slightly up to see Gix. Coughing sporadically he spoke to Gix: “Boy! Come here…” cautiously Gix stepped toward the man. He was bleeding mortally. Gix’s face turned a hue of green. He thought he might retch. The man held something out to him. Gix looked at it confused. The man continued his last words. “Hero in white… take this. I wasn’t able to… but a hero with such glowing garments would surely defeat him.” The man was delirious. Gix was not use to talking to people. He couldn’t find words grace the dying man with. The man’s head dropped and eyelids slammed shut. The flicker of his life’s candle had just gone out. Gix wasn’t sure want to do. The item in the man’s had now rested upon the ground as this man now limp and lifeless. He picked it up. Still not sure what it was. It seemed to something like a right angel made with various bolts and strips of metal. As a testament to the dead man Gix took it with him, whatever it was.
A sharp bolt of that purple coloured lightning zipped above Gix in the sky. Gix took to running, crazed and desperate to find Zefer wherever he may be. Gix rounded a corner and firmly planted his heels to the ground. In a cartoon a comedic screeching sound would be heard here. Gix had just found the cause of the terrible lightning. A man dressed with a blood red shirt and burlap trench coat stood before Gix. There was a aura that surrounded him, it made his pupils shine red. Or perhaps that was Gix seeing the inner lust for blood that this man desired. The man’s sword was in hand and dripping with blood. Gix took in his surrounds for a quick second.
There were bodies laying everywhere. Some recognizable, some only remains of their former form. Gix noticed that not all were deceased. There was some people hugging the remains of fallen family and friends and there where more with handicaps desperately trying to struggle away from this terror. Gix could only wonder at how one man had such demonic and awesome strength. Gix stared hard at this being with thoughts racing through his head.
“Is Zefer here? Is Zefer one of these corpses? Why didn’t I just stay in the cabin?” a bone chilling laugh woke Gix from his daze. Unable to move Gix could only watch as the man walked towards him, speaking three voices at once.
“Hello little lamb. Have you come to my butchery party? Seems a shame to ruin such a snow white fleece, but I am craving lamb chops.” The voices spoke directly into Gix’s soul. That was a truly frightening thing. Gix paused as the figure hastened towards him. Something was not right, besides that fact that he was about to be split into two. It was one of those voices… Gix recognized it. Below the echo and distortion Gix knew it was Zefer voice. This man, this slaughterer was Zefer!
Gix’s bottom lip trembled “Zefer…” scared and confused he spoke in a soft voice “Zefer… why?” The figure kept advancing, cocky smile and all. He was only a few steps away, he raised his sword above his head and was about to bring it down to give Gix a split personality. Gix’s hands began shacking. He stepped forward. Eye’s widened. Zefer tensed. Gix breathed in harshly. He raised his bare hands. Zefer jerked forward. Gix screamed.
“ZEFER!” and time froze.
The mood in this city seemed completely dispelled. Zefer’s eyes were wide open as if he had just been stabbed. His hand stayed just before his weapon connected with Gix’s body. He looks up. “Gix?”
Tears run freely down Gix’s face as he smiles. “Hello, best friend.” And with that he collapses in relief.