3.2 Reapers

"Come on" Maria said, panting, and dragged her towards the group.

They fill in quickly. Serra was tall as her mother so she was outside the circle beside Maria. They locked arms tightly, covering the children inside. There's no point of running and hiding because the Reapers will come to them no matter what. They all hope now that the fire will save them all.

The gates burst open, it fall down on the ground in a pleasant creaking sound, sending dust into the air. At first were shadows in the gates and when the dust cleared, the Reapers moved inside and all fell silent as death were in front of them all.

Serra's hair on her body all stood up as she laid her eyes on the monsters. It walked towards them slowly as if like taking a glance first of their meals, appreciating their delicious foods. The monsters have blood red eyes that glows eerily, long arms with sharp razor-like fingers, a long sleek body where black fumes dances on its surface like shadows. They look like burning in a black fire. The lower part of their body was like of a snake, long and it wiggled on its back as it moves. The upper part was like of a reptile, its head was deformed and bent in a weird angle. The monsters have two holes at the center, just below the eyes in which Serra suspected was a nose, it's mouth was full of sharp teeth that looks like little knives and acidic drools comes out from between its teeth. Droplets of its saliva dropped to the ground and it boils like acid.

The Reapers were fast. It slithered towards the group and it hissed back as the villagers lift their torches up, scaring the monster. It looked at them, snarling, and baring its teeth. There are a dozen of the monsters inside, occupying them.

"Don't break the circle!" the captain shouts. There were hubbub of cries and sobbing. "Point your torches on the Reapers!"

Serra's circle was on the corner, near the cabins and beside them was the Captain's along with Maddy who's still crying, looking for her son.

A Reaper slithered just in front of Serra, making her heart leaped and her lungs stopped for a moment and pumped back again. The monster looked at her and she could see the sad souls of the people it devoured in its eyes. Up close, the monster smelled like rotten eggs and death. Serra was now shaking, her nerves on breakdown. She tightens her grip on the torch and held it out. The monster backs out, hissing.

It lunges again but it failed as she pushed the torch into its face. It staggered back growling in a bone dripping sound. She heard Maddy cry her son's name but Rodrigo was nowhere to be find, maybe he was safe on the storage house or sandwiched on the circle. She cried Rodrigo's name again. There was a little commotion somewhere on the center and a boy was out from their circle, his eyes red from crying. Rodrigo.

Rodrigo was crying, murmuring Maddy's name. When he turned and saw the monster, he stopped, stunned, and his face was full of horror. He ran towards the fields away from the circle. It's like the world stopped and fell silent. Serra held her breath, her eyes wide open, her mouth dropped and her heart stopped beating. The Reaper was fast as the wind. It lunges at Rodrigo in an incredible speed, slithering it's way to the weeping boy. The monster snapped the poor boy into half. Blood splattered into the monster's face and into the ground. The intestines hung limply on the boy's severed stomach and the monster unforgivingly devour it.

They all stood in horror as the other Reapers joined the feast. Serra couldn't find her voice to shout and react. It was Maddy who cried loudly and broke off in her circle and ran towards her poor son but the captain held her back.

"Nooooooo! Rodrigo!" Maddy cried, her hand helplessly reaching out toward her son. She watched in horror as the Reapers munched Rodrigo like dogs fighting over a bone.

She's forever angry at Maddy but at the moment, it was like her heart was cut into million pieces seeing her cry. It would be painful as death looking at your son shattered into myriad strips of flesh and bones. Her stomach boiled upside down at the image and wanted to throw up.

Serra found herself in the turmoil of terror and felt her cheeks wet with her own tears. The captain was now also crying and said something to Maddy.

"Don't break your circles!" The captain shouted again in a hoarse voice. He shoved Maddy towards the center along with the kids.

The Reapers broke off leaving nothing of Rodrigo but bones and strips of red flesh, scattered on the bloody ground. The Reapers returned their eyes to them and slithered back to the group.

"We need a bigger fire!" somebody shouts, overpowering the hubbub. "The torches won't last long. We need a bigger fire to scare them off!"

Everyone fell silent except the cry of the kids inside the circle. It was true, Serra's torch now burn faintly. The oil must have burned out.

There are old wooden wagons used for hauling harvested crops that lined on the side near the wall, and on that wagons were the dried stems of the wheat they harvested a week ago. The captain instructed the circle near it to burn them. The villagers followed. They moved together like one body, taking one step at a time A Reaper tried to advance to them but the villagers pushed their torches on its face, sending the monster hissing backward.

They have reached the wagons and burned them. The fire quickly spread around it, it's flame red, hot, and proud as it dances in the air. The Reaper that was closest to them staggered back, it's tail wiggled as it moved backward, away from the fire. Some broke off of the circle and pushed the burning wagons toward the center.

Serra was busy looking at them and didn't notice that her torch burned out, it's flame gone. She felt a sharp pain on her wrist like a red-hot metal scraped to her skin. Before she could look and react, she was flying away from the circle as the Reaper took seize of her arm and flung her. She landed on the ground, chest first. A shot of pain hit her and her vision darkened. She growled in pain as she struggled to her feet.

She heard grasp and shouting. Her heart now leaped in her chest, her lungs struggled. She tasted the metallic taste of her own blood. Her vision slowly came back like a water starting to clear and saw a Reaper coming at her. Its menacing eyes fixed at her. And she saw her mother at the corner of her eyes; eyes wide and a look of horror in her face. She saw her mouth moved and spoke her name in the wind.

It's like the world stopped and frozen in time. She saw the Reapers advanced and her mother broke the circle, dropping her torched and dashed toward her. The Reaper was fast but Maria moved faster like the speed of light; her hands glowing like the sun. Before the monster could lunge at Serra, her mother stood in front of her, covering her from behind and lift her glowing hand sending a beam of bright light into the monster's face. The Reaper staggered back, blinded and growling in pain.

Suddenly, all the Reapers hissed back and slithered away and out of the village, leaving a trail of dust and death in the wind. Everybody fell silent. Mouth shut and eyes wide. There were gasps and sound of disbelief.

Maria blocked her view of the people. She helped her to her feet and the ground below felt like liquid as her vision shook. She looked around and found all eyes on them. She can't read those eyes all at once but one thing is similar at their look, Maria just revealed her power to all and they all looked shocked and horrified. Among those eyes were Rila's and there's a flash of disbelief and hate in them. Maria stiffens beside her and felt her hand on her wrist.

"Serra-" her mother whispered, ignoring the people around like there's only the two of them in the world.

Maria lifts her wounded wrist for her to see. And there she saw it, a deep cut on her wrist like a fissure on her skin, the flesh was red and visible. Around the cut was blood dripping through her arms and fingers. It was thick, viscous, and the color was gold.