Background Information: This piece met the 'Something Strange' requirement of my SciFi/Fantasy Class that I took in the Spring of 2007. It was widely enjoyed in my class, as the perspective was rather unusual. Think of it as a creature that has a hive-mindset. It was both challenging and fun to write, though I still greatly dislike the ending. Possibilities of including this into a Novel are not unheard of. Name: Matt Callaghan Setting: Home-brew World, Fantasy Genre: Fantasy Fiction The Devourer We wake. We stretch, we yawn, we rouse ourselves. We grow restless. Our bellies rumble. We need food. We hunger. We find ourselves. We gather our spears. We follow the Elder. Padded feet march over stone. Out of the darkness we come. Blind! Bright-light! Bright-light hurts! It hurts us! We shield our many eyes. We feel it on our skin. It feels…different. The Elder tells us not to fear. Better. We start to see. Our many blurry eyes begin to focus. This world is bright. It is colorful. We see birds in the trees. We hear chirping - the Bird Song! It is different from the Stone Song that puts us to sleep. We hear rustling bushes. Everything is as the Elder told us. We stand before the Forest. That is what the Elder calls it. We feel different underneath our feet. It is green and soft and spiky. It is called grass. We are scared. The Forest is large. The trees are large. They tower over us. They want to crush us. They want to hide us. The Elder shows us how to climb. We try. We find the tree to be rough, like stone. It is not as strong as stone. It is softer. We climb over it easily. It holds us up above the ground. We are with the birds. We join in the Bird Song. We are not frightened. We can climb trees. But we must climb down. Into the Forest. Bushes as big as us. They are different. Some are just green. Some are green with Red in them. The Red is called berries. It is the food of our food. Our bellies rumble. We hunger. We stay together. The Forest is large. Much larger then home. We get lost easily. There are no barriers. The Elder makes sure we stay together. It is time to move. Our feet feel different underneath again. Softer, padded, smelly. The Elder calls them pine-needles. They cover the ground in the Forest. Green grass pokes through brown needles. We move silently. That which was bright begins to fade. We are happy. Darkness returns. It feels like home. We start to find strange things. The Elder does not know what they are. They are made out of branches and form a shape. We have not seen them before. Not even the Elder. We find a Tree-that-is-not-a-Tree. It rises out of the ground before us. It is not as big as a tree but feels like a tree. It is only brown. There is no green. Its arms – the tree’s branches – are gone. We wonder. We can climb over it but do not. We wonder why it grew this way. The Elder has not seen such a growth before. We see more Bright on the far-side of the Tree-that-is-not-a-Tree. It is coming from the ground. The Elder says he has seen such Bright come from the ground before. The Elder says this is not the same. It is different. We move around the Tree-that-is-not-a-Tree, staying in the Forest. Soon we can see the Bright. The Bright is a different Bright than the one in the sky. It dances upwards. It crackles and pops. It feels like the Bright-in-the-Sky on our skin. It is different colors and parts of it float up into the air. Something moves on the other side of the Bright-on-the-Ground. We move closer to the Bright-on-the-Ground. It makes our skin feel more and more different. We reach out to touch the Bright-on-the-Ground. IT BURNS! IT BURNS! It burns our hand! It is hot, the Elder says. It is like the Bright that comes out of the ground. Something moves into view, making bestial noises and pointing at us. We turn to stare at it. The Elder recognizes it. FOOD! We jump and dance with glee. We yell and growl we delight! We have found food! Our bellies are empty. Desire brightens our eyes. It is time to feast. We spot more food close by. We charge. The nearest food stares wide-eyed at us. We knock it to the ground, tearing it apart. Blood sprays over us. We lick it up. We bite into flesh. It squirms and screams. We pull its arms off. We drink its blood. We allow no part to go to waste. We move on. There is more food! The herd turns and begins to run. There is a hole in the Tree-that-is-not-a-Tree. Shiny things stand near it, herding the food through. Where are they going? We trip running feet. We pounce on backs. We throw our spears. We grin. We laugh. We cheer. It is a feast! We pull on hair, bite into soft, warm necks. We feed but our bellies rumble for more. The hole is closed up. Spears with bird-skin on them fly into us. They sting! They hurt! They make us bleed! We roar! They make us angry! We will eat all the food tonight! We climb up the Tree-that-is-not-a-Tree. We tear into the shiny things. They scream. They fight. They hit us in the faces. They kick us. We keep coming, tearing at them. We shred skin and cloth, pluck out eyes and tear out throats. We gnaw on bones, eat flesh while it writher’s on the ground. We feast. We move off of the Tree-that-is-not-a-Tree. We find stone! Are these the homes of our brethren? No - there is only food inside! They pour water on us, then throw the Bright-from-the-Ground on us. We burn! We burn! We are engulfed in hot! It does not come off! We run into the food and the walls. The food burns! The food burns! It yells and cries. Bright-from-the-Ground consumes it and everything around it. We rampage onwards. We gnaw on arms and legs. We leave nothing. A four-legged furry creature yells at us, baring its teeth. We tear its legs off, eat its tail, chew on its bones. We hunger! Another Tree-that-is-not-a-Tree rises before us. More Shineys on the top throw Spears-with-Birds at us. They stick into us, they hurt us, they sting us, they make us bleed! We throw the Shineys to the ground, tear them apart from the top, pull them out of their shells. A Shiney swings something at us, knocking us over the edge. We yell. We fall. We hit the ground. We- -We wake. We must have been sleeping. Something cold and wet falls from the sky. We feel…different. No – not we – what? We feel…alone! We try to sit up. Our stomach hurts. We eat too much? We look down. Our stomach bleeds! We press our hands over our stomach. Stop bleeding, we yell at our stomach. We scurry backwards into the Forest. The real trees stop the cold, wet thing from touching us. We are alone! We cannot see ourselves. We cannot hear ourselves. We yell. We don’t answer. We cry. We are not comforted. Where is the Elder? We forget our hunger. We are not many. We are One. One. Alone. We – I – sob. I – a different feeling. So empty. So quiet. So lonely. I try to calm myself. It is okay? I need to find the Elder. What was it the elder taught us? Chew the Blue and put it on the wound. What did the blue look like? I crawl and my hands and feet, looking for the Blue. It is spiky and rough but soft. Do not swallow the Blue, the Elder had said. I find it. I found it! I break off part of the Blue and put it in my mouth. It does not taste very good. I chew and chew. How long did I have to chew it for? I do not remember. I stop when my mouth begins to go numb. I spit out the Blue. It is sticky. I smear it over my belly. The blood stops. The pain stops. But where am I? Where is my spear? Where do I go? My belly still hungers. I go back to the Tree-that-is-not-a-Tree. I climb over it but my arms are too weak. I barely manage to make it with out falling. The others are not here. The blood on the ground is dry. I cannot drink it. I see no food. Only birds circling overhead. I ignore the cold, wet falling from the sky. I go into a dwelling. Nothing. Where have they gone? Why have they abandoned me? Why have they left no signs for me? Surely they notice I am gone! I walk down the center path and out through the opening. Nothing. The Bright-on-the-Ground has died. All that is left is blackened Tree. A grayness rises from it. I sniff the grayness and cough. It is not clean. It chokes me. I stumble away, my hands turned black from the death of the Bright-on-the-Ground. Nothing. I enter into the Forest. It seems familiar yet I do not remember it. Is this where I am from? It does not feel right. The Trees protect me from the cold-wet-falling-from-the-sky. What is this strange place I find myself in? I am lost. I have no direction. I am alone. Shh! Something moves this way. It is close. It is not the others. It is something else. But I am tired and must sit. Then it appears. FOOD! I feel energy return to my limbs. I manage to stand and jump onto it, knocking it to the ground. It is on its back. I try to bite it but it pushes back against me. Its large hands press into my shoulders, keeping me away. I am too weak to feed on it! Then I feel other hands on my shoulders, pulling me back. I slide across the ground. I roar! There are two of them, looking at me. Their faces are not fearful. Why do they not fear me? I bare my teeth. I growl. Still they do not back down. They make noises to each other, gesturing with their hands. They keep looking at me. I summon up the last of my energy and attack again, clawing at their outer skins, tearing them but drawing no blood. I must feed! My belly begins to burn again. They grab my arms and pull me to my feet. I try kick, but they are too far away. I am too short. They twist my arms behind my back and bind them there. Something rough, course bites in my skin. They have captured me! Where are the others to help me? Why did they not eat this Food? * * * * * * * * * * “Are you sure it’s even human?” “Yeah…it looks like a kid, just with lots of hair.” “And a nasty gash across its belly. That blue stuff looks like it is working.” “Yeah. Its got a bump on its head too. See where the hair is matted?” “All its hair is matted!” “I mean on the back. It looks wet even.” “Yeah. What are we gonna do with the thing?” “I don’t think we can just leave it here. I’m sure once it gets better it will be able to understand us. I mean, it does look human, just really short and wild looking.” “But it tried to attack us!” “It was unarmed! We scared it!” “I still don’t think it’s a good idea.” “We can’t just leave it – him – here to die! Who knows what will happen.” “Alright, alright. We can bring it – him – if we must. As soon as he’s better he’s on his own again.” “Agreed. I just can’t leave him here all helpless and all.” “Okay, okay, Sam. I said we’ll bring him with us.” * * * * * * * * * *
I can certainly see why your class enjoyed the story. I liked it, too. Writing it from the point of view of the "monster" or "monster-like beings", you definitely gave the story a very unique feel. As for the ending, you said you didn't like it. The transition from "we" to "I" really gave the reader a sense of what was lost. I think it just needs a little expansion. Well done.
Thanks! There was a Half-Life mod called 'They Hunger' I believe (i could be wrong) so the words 'We Hunger' have been stuck in my head for a long time. Not entirely sure why. Anyways, 'We Hunger' were the first words that popped into my head when writing this assignment, and this is the result. Expanding it as a short story could be interesting. The Ending needs a lot of work. I also planned on using it in my 'novel' at some point, but thats a whole new challenge in upon itself.
