And The Heavens Fell Silent, Maria Louise [children's books read aloud txt] 📗

further by fighting and trying to get away so instead I rested my elbow on his muscled back and put my cheek on the palm of my hand, enjoying the ride. Or, enjoying it the most I could with a throbbing headache.

        Distantly, I heard the muffled voices of hundreds, maybe thousands of people. I could also hear the occasional snort of a pig and the almost constant moaning of tortured voices. We must be close to their destination, probably some sort of village. The thought sickened me. Whatever horrid reason they captured me for, I would soon find out.

        We had been walking in the dark for at least a couple of hours. Despite the dimmed light, I knew it was the morning because I could no longer see the bloody moon. The sun was as dark as tar, making it so that the night was brighter than the day.

        I shuddered.The world was now without light. Only darkness was our guidance.

        As we got closer to the village the muffled sounds and voices became louder and louder until the noises turned into a steady roar.        

        Right before my capturers and I stepped past the last lifeless tree of the God forsaken forest, I noticed a white blur of fur that dashed behind a massive tree trunk. Hosanna, I realized, was waiting for me to come back to him so that we could continue our journey. I will

be back soon, boy! I silently promised, I will escape!

        I knew Toothless must have been able to see the village from here, but I, however, could not. All I could see was the dead wood forest and the wolves pack that cowered in it. Afraid of the village.                       

      Abruptly, I was flung off of Toothless's back onto the hard ground. My jaw dropped as I twisted my body around and gazed upon the massive torch lit city.

        The destination was no village as I had thought. No, it was not as meek nor as small as that.

        The city was grotesque and magnificent at the same time. Massive towers thousands of feet up, stood tall and strong gazing down upon us. Though most of the buildings had crumbled to runes that were turned into parts of houses on the ground, there were still a few remaining house like structures. The houses built from the ruins were not so much houses as they were shabby huts. The windows were patched over with either scraps of wood or tarp and little chimneys were protruding from the tops of the huts, with a lazy stream of smoke curling out of them.

        I realized then, just how cold it had gotten. I shivered, only part from the chilly air. It was almost never, if ever, cold here in the burnt remaining parts of the world. Even though the people in the city seemed to be coping well with the new cold snap, with fires burning randomly on the streets and lighting up houses, I was sure their openness for the cold would not last long.

        For years our bodies and lifestyles had been adapting to the desert condition, but now we had to learn to live in an entire different life style. I knew most most people would die. I prayed I would not be one of them.

        “Get up child and stop lookin’ so damn sad, or I'll slap that look right off yer perdy face!” demanded the big woman while ripping me to my feet by my cloak.

        I resisted the urge to bite her.

     The homeless moaned and cried out all around me begging for something to fill their emaciated stomachs. Some were huddled around fires soaking up the warmth, most were not.         Toothless had his hand on the back of my neck continually pushing me forward, farther and farther into the dark City Of Ruins.

        I also heard the barking and snorting of pigs though I saw none of the beasts. They must be on the outskirts of the city so that they do not rot the city with the stench of feces, though it already stunk of human waste and death.

        The farther into the city we pushed I started to notice an odd recurrence. Most, if not all the homeless where missing arms, legs, fingers and almost anything else you could decapitate without killing yourself. I also saw that the people I passed on the cracked asphalt road, had various shaped and sized scars carved ruthlessly into their bodies. It seemed like every person homeless or not, had cuts up and down the inside or their wrists. Even the children had the obscene scars, though any seen children were far and few in between.

        I passed a homeless woman cradling a young emaciated child in one of her beefy arms, for she did not have the other appendage. Actually, I realized, she did not have any legs either.

        Insanely, the woman grabbed my leg with a claw like hand and screeched in desperation,

“Food for the child!”  

        I did not know what to do! I couldn’t help her! All she wanted was to feed her baby and I couldn’t even give her that. It sickened me how helpless I was. I looked down at her and she looked up, her eyes sadly filling with undeserved hope. I had to do something!

        “Give me some food! I know you have some meat cakes in your bag!” I demanded to Toothless. He looked bewildered that I would have the gall to speak up to him.

        “No! What do ya think I am?! A fuckin’ priest?!”  Bellowed Toothless spitting down my back and digging his fingers so deep in my neck that they rolled against bone. Actually, I was surprised he even knew what a priest was, though I did not tell him so.

     With my heart beating so intently my whole body throbbed with trepidation, I lifted my face  to meet his and while shaking my hood off of me. I laid the full power of my crimson eyes on him. Never before had I met a mans eyes.

      Abruptly my heart steadied and the world seemed to still. “Give me some food now or I will fight the whole way there and never stop trying to get away. Heed my words, human, I will make this hell for you.”

        I noticed a shudder go through him as my eyes seemed to pierce his flesh and my voice rang with power and authority. I did not know why I be back soon, boy! I silently promised, I will escape!

        I knew Toothless must have been able to see the village from here, but I, however, could not. All I could see was the dead wood forest and the wolves pack that cowered in it. Afraid of the village.                       

      Abruptly, I was flung off of Toothless's back onto the hard ground. My jaw dropped as I twisted my body around and gazed upon the massive torch lit city.

        The destination was no village as I had thought. No, it was not as meek nor as small as that.

        The city was grotesque and magnificent at the same time. Massive towers thousands of feet up, stood tall and strong gazing down upon us. Though most of the buildings had crumbled to runes that were turned into parts of houses on the ground, there were still a few remaining house like structures. The houses built from the ruins were not so much houses as they were shabby huts. The windows were patched over with either scraps of wood or tarp and little chimneys were protruding from the tops of the huts, with a lazy stream of smoke curling out of them.

        I realized then, just how cold it had gotten. I shivered, only part from the chilly air. It was almost never, if ever, cold here in the burnt remaining parts of the world. Even though the people in the city seemed to be coping well with the new cold snap, with fires burning randomly on the streets and lighting up houses, I was sure their openness for the cold would not last long.

        For years our bodies and lifestyles had been adapting to the desert condition, but now we had to learn to live in an entire different life style. I knew most most people would die. I prayed I would not be one of them.

        “Get up child and stop lookin’ so damn sad, or I'll slap that look right off yer perdy face!” demanded the big woman while ripping me to my feet by my cloak.

        I resisted the urge to bite her.

The homeless moaned and cried out all around me begging for something to fill their emaciated stomachs. Some were huddled around fires soaking up the warmth, most were not.         Toothless had his hand on the back of my neck continually pushing me forward, farther and farther into the dark City Of Ruins.

        I also heard the barking and snorting of pigs though I saw none of the beasts. They must be on the outskirts of the city so that they do not rot the city with the stench of feces, though it already stunk of human waste and death.

        The farther into the city we pushed I started to notice an odd recurrence. Most, if not all the homeless where missing arms, legs, fingers and almost anything else you could decapitate without killing yourself. I also saw that the people I passed on the cracked asphalt road, had various shaped and sized scars carved ruthlessly into their bodies. It seemed like every person homeless or not, had cuts up and down the inside or their wrists. Even the children had the obscene scars, though any seen children were far and few in between.

        I passed a homeless woman cradling a young emaciated child in one of her beefy arms, for she did not have the other appendage. Actually, I realized, she did not have any legs either.

        Insanely, the woman grabbed my leg with a claw like hand and screeched in desperation, decided to call him human, as if he was below me, but it worked and that was all that mattered. I tried not to feel the greed and hunger of the power I felt rushing wildly throughout my veins. Toothless's hands shook as he grabbed a meat cake from his shoulder pack and handed it to me fearfully. His submission heated my blood even more so. No. I decided, I did not feel the hunger for power. But I knew I was lying to myself. I had stumbled on incredible power, and I loved it! Why had I not used my face to force my will upon someone before?

     I shook my head at the strange rambled of thoughts and brought myself back to present.

        “Here you go miss.” I said to the poor woman, handing her the food. “Food for your child.”

        Oddly enough, she greedily grabbed the food from my hands and crammed it into her own mouth. I was even more confused when she proceeded to thrust the the cold, skinny child into my tied up arms.

        I held the child awkwardly and glanced down at the sunken in face. The young boy looked up at me with such large fearful eyes that I could do nothing but stare back him. The child quickly looked away and began crying, afraid of me. It did not bother me. I was use to fear.

        That was when it hit me. The woman did not want food for her child, as in to give food to him, but instead, she wanted food for herself, in trade ofher child.

        I felt sick. Acid rolled in my stomach as horror overpowered me.

        It now all made sense. The missing body parts, the lack of children, the strange scars all over their bodies and the