Chapter 15: Yoru

Fifteen year old Yoru Faun sat in the seats of his parents’, Sarah and Grant Faun, Nissan Rogue. He swiped through pages upon pages of social media. Liking commenting and scrolling through the waves of garbage.

“You should really stop looking at that thing, it’s going to rot your brain,” said Harry, Yoru’s older brother by six years.

“Shut up Harry, I'm just seeing what my friends are doing,” said Yoru.

“Don’t talk to your brother like that! He's just looking out for you,” criticized his mother.

“Yeah, well I would rather not be in a five hour car ride to grandma and grandpa’s when I could be hanging out with Josh and Iris,” said Yoru.

“I’m sure you’re going to have just as much fun with grandma and grandpa as you would have with your friends,” said his father.

“Sure, we’ll have so much fun playing boggle and talking about World War II, so much more fun than I would have at the International Game Expo with my friends,” muttered Yoru, rolling his eyes. “Do they even have internet there?” asked Yoru.

“No, they prefer to keep it rustic and natural up there,” replied his mother. Oh come on! No IGE, no Internet, I got off school a week early for what, less fun?!

Yoru sighed and picked up one of the books his parents had insisted he bring.

“The Magic Theory, Heart of Warriors, All for None,” muttered Yoru, reading out the book titles. “These are conspiracy books! Anyone who writes a book on magic existing is a conspiracy theorist! What next: Why Flat Earth Theory is Right?!” yelled Yoru, outraged.

“Some of those are interesting books, I read the first one over my first year of college,” said Harry.

“You read about a conspiracy theory over your first year of college,” said Yoru, confused. “ I thought you majored in math.”

“I did but I like to read things about the occult, again I say it, it's interesting,” replied Harry, throwing his hands in the air.

Yoru opened one of the books and skimmed through it.

“Seems boring,” said Yoru, closing the book.

“Fine, suit yourself, I’m studying for my starters,” said Harry.

“Starters? You mean you have exams at the start of the year?” said Yoru.

“So now you’re interested in my school,” sighed Harry.

“No. Just confused about why you have exams at the start of the year rather than the end, but you do you,” said Yoru.

“It’s a whole aptitude thing, you don’t want to know about,” said Harry. Yoru put his ear buds in and stared out the window as they rode in their car for several more hours.

Yoru saw all sorts of plants pass as they whizzed along the highway. At one point he swore he saw some sort of short gremlin-like creature with gray lumpy skin. What is that thing? Must be some sort of monkey or something, but do monkeys even live in Alberta, let alone on the highway?

“Where here!” Yoru’s mother said, looking back at the brothers.

“Yippy,” said Yoru, sarcastically. Yoru hopped out of the car and knocked on his grandparent’s house.

“Mom, dad we’re here,” said Yoru’s mother. The family waited at the door for a little while before Sarah spoke again, “Honey, do you know the password.” She gestured toward the password protected lock on her parents house.

“No,” said Yoru’s father.

Yoru stepped forward, “Step back ye of little faith.” Yoru punched in a few numbers to the keypad and the door popped open.

“How’d you know the passcode?” asked Harry.

“I set it up for them, it’s the first two digits of our birthdays,” stated Yoru.

The four of them stepped inside their house and the scene was not pretty. Blood stained the walls, vases lay in ruins on the floor. The hose was in shambles.

“Grandma, grandpa!” called out Harry, looking around.

Yoru looked on the patio and their bodies were bloody and robbed. Several of the creatures that Yoru had seen before were looting them. As soon as they saw him the creatures ran at Yoru. Yoru vaulted the railing and started running from the small creatures, you were waving swords and clubs. He darted through the woods, wincing as branches hit him in the face. He tripped over a root and tumbled into a ditch. He heard the cries of the small creatures as they raced toward him. Yoru grabbed a rock and threw it at the heads of one of the beasts.

Yoru remembered about the books. He reached into his backpack and threw the hard cover five-hundred page novel at the beast.

“Get booked!” yelled Yoru. Man that sounded lame. Yoru grabbed a stick from the ground and hit another one of the creatures over the head, knocking it out. He grabbed its sword, which was more like a dagger to him and pointed it at the creatures. “Armed and dangerous!” yelled Yoru, swinging the sword wildly, in an attempt to intimidate the creatures.

A few of them chuckled and snorted, and soon they burst out into laughter, he heard one of them say, “Huuh ankre staratrat!”

“So that didn’t work,” said Yoru. Now’s my chance to book it. Yoru ran deeper into the woods stumbling over every branch and twig, until he reached the lake his grandparents house was built on. Yoru ran across the rope bridge. Once he was at the other end he severed the rope with the sword he took from one of the monsters and made the rope fall into the abyss.

By the time the monsters reached the other side of the lake, Yoru was relaxing on the other side.

“Take that you fuckers!” yelled Yoru, flipping them the double bird. Yoru did a little celebration dance at the other end of the lake, which was cut short when the monsters started jumping into the lake and started swimming. “Fuck! I thought I had them” yelled Yoru, turning around and running once more. His feet pounded against the dirt and he sprinted for his life, no choice but to run. He made it to the next bridge and after making it across he severed its rope as well. The forest was unfamiliar, he had no idea where he was going or if he was ever going to get there but he had to get somewhere. Yoru heard the honking of cars as he approached a familiar highway.

“Oh no,” said Yoru, turning around. “When you’re faced with a decision, fight or flight and this time all I have is fight, this will be my battle song!” Yoru turned his phone on and started blasting his playlist.

He ran toward the hoard of death that was approaching him with but a single thought, Remember the karate classes you took when you were five, greenbelt thunder! Yoru swung the blade wildly in an attempt to hit any one of the monsters, he felt flesh tear as he swung. The five monsters that were attacking him did not fall easily. They dodged and struck back with their little swords and teeth.