This is a story that I wrote back in high school. Haven't even started to get things going and already I'm getting lazy and reusing my old work. Next post will be something original, but I really wanted to get something on here that wasn't a poem.
It was a cold winter night. Ren slept comfortably in a large warm bed, covered by pillows and blankets that were more fluffed than necessary. Ren’s bed sat in a room of extravagance. Tapestries covered the walls and provided a scene most pleasing for sleep, and the carpet flooring gave a profound sense of softness and kindness to the room as a whole. Ren lived in the lap of luxury.
As the night progressed, and the moon rose to its peak, clouds began to form in the skies above. The dark night grew darker, and darker, and darker; becoming impossible to see what was directly ahead without any light source of your own; and it became frigid. The air itself began to frost over. The windows of Ren’s room began to turn to ice.
“Ren!” cried a voice behind the sounds of heavy knocking at Ren’s door. “Ren, open up!”
Ren awoke, but seldom moved due to the grogginess of being forcefully awakened. “What is it?”
“Ren, you must come with me to the underground shelter. A huge storm is coming, and it is dangerous for you to remain up here.”
“Very well.” Ren got out of the bed with a degree of disgust for having been awaken so suddenly. Ren grabbed a coat that hung from the wall, put it on, and opened the door.
Before Ren stood Herschel. Herschel was loyal to Ren and dedicated his life to servitude. “Come, we must make haste!”
The two traveled swiftly down the many stairways that lied in their path as the sound of thunder progressively got louder and more frequent.
“This storm seems unnatural,” Ren said.
“Indeed. I’ve never heard of a storm this violent in the middle of Winter, save for an intense blizzard.”
“Could forces beyond us be at play?”
“It is hard to say, but I certainly hope that it is merely an anomaly of the weather.”
The two reached the lowest level and approached the door to the shelter. Its wooden planks rotted from decay and abandonment. Herschel unlocked the door and ushered Ren in.
“Come, your highness.”
Ren entered the room, with Herschel following after. The room was bright, humid, and warm. Heat emanated from the many light sources on the walls and ceilings.
“Herschel, why is the room already illuminated?”
No response came.
Ren turned to see why Herschel was silent and found that they were no longer underground. Before Ren was a meadow. Herschel looked bewildered.
“This is certainly not normal,” Herschel said stepping towards Ren.
“Where are we?”
“It appears as though we’ve found ourselves outside, in the middle of the day. Based on the topography, I’d fancy a guess that we are currently outside of the nearby town.”
“Outside of town? Why is there a door that leads to outside of town in my basement?”
“I’m unsure, your highness, however I must ask that you remain calm. Something is off about all of this. It wasn’t daytime when we entered the door, let alone it being summer. We should stay put until we figure out what our next course of action should be.”
Ren ignored Herschel’s advice and headed towards the town.
Upon arriving at the town, Ren noted that it was ominously silent; a juxtaposition from the normal bustling loudness that came from the townsfolk as they went about their daily business. The homes were empty and not a single life seemed to live there, however the tables were set as if they were ready to feed a family, with fresh food and warm meals. The roads looked travelled and warn, yet not one thing stood upon its stony surface. It seemed as if everyone suddenly vanished.
Ren continued to wander the empty town, and as the sun began to set, and the twilight grew more intense, the air became colder.
“Herschel, where are you?” Ren shouted.
Ren received no response.
The wind began to become stronger and the gusts made movement impossible. The sun set entirely, leaving everything in a blanket of darkness. Ren evacuated into an empty house. It was warm. The mantle was already lit, lighting the entire home with its orange radiance. The crackling of the fire gave Ren a sense of comfort. The food on the table piqued Ren’s hunger. The warmth of the home provided the feeling of safety.
As Ren sat down to satisfy a growing hunger, a dark, deep, cold voice beckoned. “You come into this house and consume its food as though you own it.”
Ren stood immediately in shock. “Who’s there?”
“Who I am is of no consequence. What right do you have to take what isn’t yours?”
“I am the ruler of this land. Everything is mine to take.”
“Is that so? Are the lives of your people also yours to take, ruler of the land?”
“What’s your meaning?”
A black mist began to emanate from the floorboards of the room as a specter began to form before Ren. As the specter grew, the room grew darker, and the fire in the mantle weakened to a faint glow. “My meaning is to ask is the lives of your people also yours to take?”
“Of course, they are! They are my subjects after all.”
“And how many have you sacrificed up until now? How many families have you broken for your meaningless, frivolous desires?”
“What are you talking about?”
Two small, red flames appeared before Ren. “Your home. Your wars. Your exotic collections. You send your people out to die and disregard their lives as though they are dispensable. You treat your subjects as nothing more than another resource. Did you truly think you would be able to get away with such an abuse of power?”
Ren was mortified and began to step away from the specter until backed against a wall. “What are you going to do to me?” Ren asked hesitantly.
“Me? I will do nothing. I have no quarrel with you. The people you killed, however, have something they’d like to show you.”
The black mist thickened as it began to take the shape of multiple humanoid figures. The mist became corporeal and took the form of the dead. One after another, more and more began to appear, each one making their way to Ren, slowly, methodically, and coldly.
“No! This can’t be happening!”
“This is your Rapture, Ren, but you are going to Hell.” The mist began to fall back into the floorboards, leaving the walking corpses behind.
Ren fled from the building swiftly, hoping to escape the corpses in pursuit. Upon reaching outside, Ren found more corpses waiting to pursue. The town was overrunning with the dead, killed by Ren’s recklessness as a ruler. They overwhelmed Ren. Nowhere was free of the dead. Ren struggled in vain to find a way to escape. The corpses surrounded Ren and began to tear Ren apart.
As the tearing began, and the feeling of ripping flesh becoming more intense, Ren found that the landscape had changed once more. Before Ren was not a single corpse, a bright blue sky, and a green meadow, similar to the one Herschel was left in.
“What was that? A dream?” Ren said, disoriented and confused.
“No. A reflection of your deeds and your guilt incarnate,” said a soft, feminine voice that felt soothing to hear.
“Who are you? Where are you?”
“Who I am nor where I am are of importance, young Ren.”
“Why am I here?”
“You are here to be given a second chance. Ren, do you recognize the suffering that you have caused all of the lost souls due to your ignorance and indifference?”
“What do you mean?”
“Through your actions as ruler, you have decreed for the construction of lavish projects on your property, have sent many to die in wars you’ve waged, and have demanded goods that resulted in the death of those that set out to find them. You failed to think of the consequences of your actions, and as a result, the people of your land no longer believe you are fit to rule. You must appease them.”
“And how do I do that?”
“That’s for you to find out.”
Everything began to go dark around Ren, until it was completely dark. Everything was silent. Nothing moved. No feeling. No seeing. Just Ren.
Ren woke up, lying in bed. The sun shone through the window radiantly, lighting all the tapestries on the wall, and providing a vividness and clarity to everything in the room.
“Your highness?” Herschel called, knocking on Ren’s door. “Your Highness, are you awake?”
“Herschel? Herschel what happened last night?”
“Can I come in?”
“Yes, of course.”
Herschel entered the room with his arms behind his back. “Your highness, what do you mean by what happened last night?”
“There was a terrible snowstorm, was there not?”
“No. It was quite calm last night. Are you okay?”
“Yes. I simply had a terrible dream.” Ren looked downwards, reflecting on the experience from the dream. “I’ve done some terrible things, Herschel.”
“Have you, now? What makes you think that?”
“Well, I’ve always done what I wanted without considering how that would affect the people, and I was made aware of that last night. Do you think there is time to redeem myself to the people, Herschel?”
“Your highness.” Herschel approached Ren, keeping his arms hidden from view. “I’m afraid it is far too late for redemption.”
Swiftly, Herschel revealed a knife and stabbed Ren several times. Ren lied on the bed, bleeding heavily from the wounds.
“Herschel,” Ren said, hardly able to speak from the pain. “Why?”
“You were a terrible ruler, and a horrible friend. It was only inevitable. No amount of redemption could forgive what you’ve done.”
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