Warning: graphic descriptions, slight gore, suicidal behavior ————————————————— Screams of agony pierced the silence of the dark barren land. The sky a blood red color and the dirt a disgusting brown powder, ash falling from the sky. Delta grips the dirt as she sobs and screams of torment and grief, red liquid dripping from the bleeding burns that claimed her entire body and face, saliva and blood flying out of the newly made open gash on her mouth, exposing her teeth for all to see. The metal pole pinning her down through her side would’ve felt agonizing but she felt none of it, the guilt, blame, and loss tearing her out inside was what she felt instead. She failed. She failed to save them. Rhallan’s eyes looking at her with fear but also trust, expecting his mapi to rescue the day like she always has, only to glaze over with confusion and pain as-as that thing slashed him in half, only 10 feet away from her. Her pup, her pup. She lost her pup. She was so close, so close. She should’ve been faster, stronger. But she failed. She failed them all. Delta let out another wail, as she rammed her head into the dirt, holding onto the remainders of her horns, broken and cracked just like the rest of her. She wanted to die. Perhaps, if she just wait, her wish will come true, and she will die too. That’s what she told herself, so full of aguish and desperation, and so she waited. She was too weak to do anything else. And she waited. And waited some more. She lost everything, she had all the time she could need. And she had no one to blame but herself. Three days she waited, her wounds festering with pus and flies buzzing around her ears but not a single piece of mind payed attention to them. She just stared, empty yet full of grief and failure, into the barren horizon, coughing up clumps of some sort of black tar up every now and then. But all she did was stare and wait for something to relieve her of existence, something that never did come, no matter how much she begged for it. “Oh look, Sister! Something quite odd!” “Indeed, Brother! What do you suppose it is?” “Let’s find out, shall we, Sister?” The male voice said cheerfully and excited. Delta felt long spiny fingers grab her face and lift it towards the owner of the hands. “Look Sister, it’s the Puppet! Well, isn’t that something? It must be coming soon then. With her, they will bring our salvation.” “Or perhaps she is the False Prophet and will rain down our devastation, Brother?” Delta coughed, black tar oozing out from her mouth and through the open gash on her mouth. “Oh my, she’s infected, Sister” The long fingers jab themselves into her mouth, opening it and poking at her splicers and teeth. “Hmmm yes, indeed she is, Brother. Oh, but wonderfully so! Not like the others at all.” “Well then, it is our civic duty to help the poor animal in that case. What kind of people would we be if we didn’t, Sister?” “Please, let me die.” Delta croaked, her voice destroyed and defeated as she plead with the two. There was silence before the Sister spoke once more, ignoring Delta. “You’re correct, Brother. We should.” With that, Delta once more felt spiny long fingers touch her scarred and disfigured face. And just like that, the three figures disappeared from the barren land, leaving only a bloodied pole in place and a caw from a crow very distant.
