Under a moonlit night, cows and goats rested quietly in the shed, their slow breaths rising in the still air.
A cow lifted her head and looked toward the dense bushes, sensing they had just moved. But the bushes were now completely still.
The door opened, and Jeremy sneaked out, walking toward the shed. He displaced some hay as he searched for something. "I remembered, I placed it here."
"Ah! There it is."
He picked up a wooden bow from the hay.
Moooo!!! Baaaah!!!
Suddenly, the goats and cows panicked, bleating frantically. They pulled forcefully at their knots as if trying to escape.
He rushed to them, tapping their flanks with the stick, trying to calm them down. "Hey! Don't pull!"
No matter what he tried, it was no use. They pulled frantically at their restraints. After a few attempts, several cows succeeded in escaping.
He grabbed one of the cow's ropes and pulled, but the cow dragged him along.
His hand slipped, and he rolled on the ground, his whole body covered in dirt and bruises. He groaned and stared at the running cow, noticing something—the animal kept glancing back as if running from something.
Suddenly, a huge shadow loomed over him. A few drops of thick, slimy fluid dripped onto him.
"Grr…"
A hot, rotten breath washed over his neck.
His breath caught—his eyes wide, shoulders rigid as fear crawled up his spine. He slowly turned back, but before he could even catch a glimpse. A blow struck his skull, white bursting across his vision.
---
"JEREMY!!!"
A high-pitched shout grabbed the attention of all nearby villagers. They all rushed over with lamps and sticks in their hands.
They arrived at the shed, but what they found drained the blood from their faces. The shed was completely broken, deep claw marks visible on the mud walls. The floor was stained with dried blood. Jeremy's mother wept, holding a blood-stained wooden bow.
They didn't even need to ask; the shed was telling its own story. The village chief shouted, "GATHER ALL THE MEN AND SEARCH FOR JEREMY!!!"
Adults and young men quickly left with torches and anything that could be used as a weapon—axes, hoes, scythes, anything.
The night wore on, and the sun was about to rise, but there was still no progress. The last group returned, carrying something wrapped in cloth. Their heads were bowed.
The village chief came near them and slightly opened the cloth, taking a glance. A few bone remains with fresh, half-eaten flesh still attached. From just a glance, he understood whose remains they were.
He quickly shut the cloth and closed his eyes tightly. His whole body shook to the core. He murmured with pale lips, "Don't tell h—"
He was cut off as Jeremy's mother rushed over and grabbed the man by the shoulders. "Where is my Jeremy? Whe-ere is he?"
But he had no answer to give; he kept his mouth shut.
"WHY AREN'T YOU TALKING? SAY SOMETHING! WHERE IS MY JEREMY?" She shook him violently. His hand slipped, and the flesh-attached bones dropped to the ground.
She froze, her eyes widening as she stared at the bones. "Je…Jere…Jeremy…"
"Plea-se…ca-lm…dow-n. What…you a-re seeing is…not tru—"
Suddenly, she clutched her heart, her breath becoming raspy. She collapsed on the ground, her chest violently rising and falling.
The village chief shouted, "QUICKLY, CALL THE PRIEST! AND SOMEONE FETCH SOME WATER! QUICKLY!"
Then he lightly slapped her cheeks to keep her awake. "HEY! HOLD ON! WE WILL FIND JEREMY!"
A woman came with a pot full of water and slowly poured some into her mouth. "Here, have some water."
The water was thrown back from her nose and mouth, as it would not go down her throat. Everyone began to panic, unable to think of anything else to do.
The village chief shouted again, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU BASTARDS? QUICKLY, CALL THE PRIEST!"
"Hey! Give me some space!" A priest arrived, pushing through the crowd. He crouched down beside her. "Calm down, my child! I will heal you."
He took out a silver statue of a god and placed it near her. Then he took out several herbs and leaves, tightly gripping them in his palm. He made a few circles around her while chanting prayers.
After that, he took out holy water from a glass bottle and put a few drops on the crushed herbs. He placed the herbs in her mouth.
He held the statue and lightly touched her head and chest while praying.
After a few moments, her composure improved slightly. The priest and everyone else felt a little relief, but it lasted only a moment.
She took one last deep breath and fell into eternal sleep. Her lips grew pale, and the last drops of tears flowed from her eyes.
The priest stopped his recitation and gently closed her eyes. "May the Lord grant you and Jeremy a place in Elysium."
He then glanced at the village chief and said, "Prepare for the funeral." With that, he left for the temple.
The village chief said nothing, only bowing to him. The others bowed as well.
---
The sun was high in the sky.
The village chief and the other adults sat under the shade of an olive tree. Everyone's face was solemn and tense.
As the priest arrived, everyone stood up and bowed to him.
The priest nodded and said, "I have performed a divination. This is the work of a DEMONIC BEAST." His lips curved in disgust. Everyone's backs straightened.
"And this beast is among us. Around us." As he spoke, his eyes flickered from one person to another. "I have sent a messenger to Lord Tantalus. I pray he quickly sends someone who can deal with it. For now, stay alert."
"Thank you, Your Holiness, for your help. Please take some rest."
He nodded and left.
Then the village chief asked, "Where did you find the remains?"
A villager answered, pointing south, "Deep in the forest, near the giant stone."
Suddenly, another villager jerked to his feet, his eyes widening. He stammered, "A few da-ys ag-o… I-I saw a stran-ge… old man there."
Everyone stared at him, their minds sharing the same thought: An old man… deep in the forest.
"Even more… hellish is that… he had n-o… shadow."
The chief shouted at him, "Then why didn't you tell us earlier!"
He trembled and answered, "I was a little drunk that day. And he vanished in the blink of an eye. I swear!"
"I have also seen someone near that ruin," another villager said, pointing at the ruin atop the hill. "Surely that cursed sorcerer is related to him."
"Chief, many years ago, you showed mercy to that cursed baby. Now he is taking revenge on us for burning his rotten bloodline."
"Ever since that cursed birth, the forest has not been quiet."
"Yeah… he's right."
"If we do nothing," someone said, voice shaking, "more children will die."
The village chief massaged his temples. The incident from many years ago resurfaced in his mind: an ominous night… a baby born with two demonic eyes… the mother's death just after his birth… the house burned to ashes… the screams of people trapped in the burning house.
"Shut up!" His shout silenced every voice.
He announced, "In a few hours, we will burn that ruin and that cursed fake priest."