SINS

  Chapter 3: Bad Words

  “Finally… I found you…” The dark deep voice from behind Hiro sended a chill down your spine. “You thought you could get away from me didn’t you? Hunty”

  [Eh?] despite being scared, Hiro couldn’t help but feel clueless. [That’s not my name...]

  There was another voice coming from the arms holding the red being. “What are you doing Arlo! I told you it was this one!” “huh?” The man whose name was yelled stepped out of the dark. It was a tall brown being and he took a closer look at Hiro. “Oh, you're not Hunter. My bad-” While he was in the middle of his sentence Hiro bit the hand that was covering his snout.

  “Uuf.” The red being dragged the pair of arms out of the darkness and pinned him to the ground. He raised the rusty hatchet ready to chop his head off.

  “WAIT WAIT WAIT!” The white being that was holding him pleaded with both hands in the air as if surrendering. “Its me!” The red being was glaring down and slowly lowered the hatchet.

  “What are you doing here?” exclaimed the red being with an annoyed face.

  “We went back to the spot, but you were gone. So we came out here looking for you. We saw the smoke from afar and rushed here-” Before the white being continued the tall brown being screamed in pain “AAHHHH! GET HIM OFFA MEEEE!” He was swaying his arm up and down, trying to shake Hiro’s mouth off his hand.

  “Let him go. He is with me” said the red being. Hiro let go of his hand and backed away with a small glare.

  “Who’s your little friend?” said the white being.

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  An hour has passed, and they were around the campfire talking. They finished eating the food that the red being had made. Then they focused on Hiro and his life.

  “Wait, so you can’t remember anything about yourself or your past?” said the white being. He was a white retriever and was the same heigh as him wearing dark grey clothes and a bag around his chest. Hiro nodded in agreement he felt a bit mad for not being able to answer their questions.

  “So you can understand us but cannot speak? Hmmph, yeah right” said the brown being with a cold stare. He was a brown bear almost the same height as the red being. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a brown jacket, he was different from the others. He had long slick back hair. The red being was a wolf with red fur outlines and was tall. Hiro was a small wolf nearly the same height as the white retriever. His face was brown and his paws were brown dark.

  “Oh I’m Henry by the way,” said the white retriever passionately. “That tall red one is Hunter and the brown bear over there is Arlo.” Arlo gave disapproving eyes to Henry. Henry scoffs and gives him a smug.

  “So what are you going to do now? You got nowhere to go” he said. Hiro was silent, he felt as if he didn’t have any purpose and he just wanted to not deal with reality. Arlo noticed Hiro’s anxious face, and he felt frustrated just looking at him.

  “So you don’t want to live no more?” he said, Hiro glanced at the sitting Arlo. “Then go get yourself killed somewhere else.” Hiro’s body quivered, he was scared of dying but he didn’t know what other things to do.

  “Leave him alone,” said Hunter the red being cleaning the pan. “He can do whatever he wants, but whatever he chooses is not our concern” Arlo’s tense face cooled a bit, knowing that what Hunter said was true. He pulls up his pants to show dominance.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  The fire crackled and warmed all of the four men around it. There was a distant air that howled between each tree branch and leaves, giving them a voice and movement. Hunter was craping the old pan with a bended spoon, taking off the rusted parts of it with screeching noises. Hiro was looking down at his fingers, seeing how they got pink from the cold.

  Henry doesn’t like awkward situations, so he breaks the silence with action.

  “Hey Hiro… What’s in that backpack that you carry around?”

  Hiro remembers that he also wanted to see what was inside. He shrugs and takes off his backpack. The three beings noticed the action and were caught off guard by a big feature in his back.

  “He- hey… are you bleeding!?” exclaimed Arlo, as he had his guard up. [What?] Hiro didn’t understand what he meant.

  “Hiro… your back… its” Henry took a pause. He tried to form a sentence, but he couldn’t explain what was going on. “Your back… its red…”

  Hiro couldn’t see it, but they were right. His backpack was hiding a small yet big feature. It was covered in red, it was clear because he was wearing white clothes. The liquid was red like blood but it was dry. “HEY! What’s in your backpack huh!?” yelled Arlo “Do you have a corpse in there!?”

  “Chill out will ya? He looks like the least person who would do that!” said Henry, siding with Hiro. But why? “Toss me your bag, I’ll take a look at it”

  Hiro slowly nodded and threw his bag towards the men sitting on the other side of the fire. Henry looked at the bag with a sweat going down his cheek “shi- now I’m scared to open it” said Henry jokingly. “You do it” he said while giving the bag to Arlo “Stop wasting time!” said Hunter with a frown and serious eyes.

  Henry gulped as he slowly unzipped the edge of the white bag. The air was tense and thin, it felt as if it was hard to breathe. He fully opened the bag and took a peek a its contents. The two men beside him leaned over to look. Henry took out the first thing, a small white box with a cross on one side.

  He placed it in front of Arlo’s legs. He took out the second object, it was a small medal that had a symbol which was identical to the one in Hiro’s shoulder. Henry was sweating as he reached out for the last item inside. His arm felt cold inside the dark bag and he quickly grabbed the last item. But then…

  |SQUEEEAAAK|

  A weird and unknown noise came from inside the cold and dark object. “AHHH!” Henry screamed as he quickly pulls out his arm from the bag and stood up. “WTF IS THAT!???” the two men beside him quickly stood up and created space between them and the roll top bag. “HEY! GO PICK THAT SH*T UP!” yelled Arlo at Henry. He was sweating and didn’t know what to do. “HELL NAH SHERLOCK YOU DO IT!” Hunter looked at him with a glare “HURRY UP BEFORE I SPLIT YOU IN TWO!!!” Henry felt pressured from the two men yelling at him. He ran towards the bag and upended it.

  A small object fell on the floor making squeaking noises. A yellow rubber ducky bounced up and down, and finally landed with a happy smile… in the fire… The three men watch as the rubber ducky lit up in flames, melting slowly.

  They sat down slowly. Arlo took the box with the cross and opened it. “What’s all this?” he took out a few things that were inside and threw them around. A needle, unknown liquid, band-aids and alcohol wipes. “Just a bunch of trash” he said, trying to make himself look smart and dominant.

  Hunter picked up his rifle from the ground “I’ll watch first, you guys go rest.”

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  Light pierced the horizon illuminating the atmosphere. The group woke up early and started packing up to head out. After a few hours of walking, Henry and Hiro were in front while Arlo and Hunter were a few steps behind.

  “T-R-E-E, Truueeee” said Henry while pointing at a tree. Hiro was listening closely and repeated what he said. “shuree? Drueee? Krueee!” “Haha, your close.”

  While the two of them were having fun in front. The two others were talking. “That guy pisses me off.” Said Arlo with a glare looking at Hiro. They were a few feet back from the two in front. “Don’t worry, we will drop him off in the next town” said Hunter calmly not caring whatever happens to him.

  “Why did you take him in, in the first place!”

  “He helped me kill a monster. It almost got my ass, but he suddenly rushed in with my axe and swung it at its head. He looked like someone who was a shut-in, so for him to do that casually is not normal.” He looked at Hiro with suspicion.

  Arlo widened his eyes in disbelief. He looked at Hiro with a surprised clueless face.

  Hiro had a happy wide smile on his face, he was happy to learn new words and things. “pli- pliants!” “Good job!” said Henry happily “your getting it.” Hiro felt something huge in him. He felt as if he could do anything, he could overcome anything that the world throws at him-

  “GRHAAAAAHHHH” “SCREEECHHH” There was a scream of a man from somewhere on the woods and following it was a howl of a beast. Hiro’s body shivers, he remembers that his reality is not about butterflies and rainbows. But cruel primal survival with monsters that want him dead.

  “Arlo get Hiro and run!” said Hunter “Henry! We’ll hold them off here!” Henry rushed towards Hunter, his face shifted from a caring teacher to a veteran who was entering war again.

  “Ok after the seventeenth go right!” said Arlo. He rushed at Hiro and carried him by the waist. “..3..4..5..6..” Hiro was trying to let himself free from him. “Henrii! Huntaa!” Arlo didn’t listen, instead he just counted the trees that he had passed and after a few minutes he turned right “15..16..17.. Right”

  “A- Aalo!” “He- Henrii!” said Hiro with a desperate face. He was pointing back in the direction where they left the two others. “Shut up! I don’t care what you say!” Hiro closed his eyes and was crying, he then let out a small voice. “Pli- pl..ea..se” Arlo looked at Hiro with an amused face “What did you-” Arlo felt his balance fall. It happened so suddenly, in a split second they were falling through a hole that was covered in leaves and branches.

  “AHHHH” They both scream as they fall into the dark hole.