Dark Goblins

  “What in the underworlds is a field test?”

  Before anyone could answer Terry’s question something ran past them and dove into a bush.

  “Anyone see what that was?”

  “No, it was moving too fast.”

  Vi sniffed the air.

  “You getting anything?”

  “Yeah, smells like…goblin.”

  “Really? I thought those smelly little creeps never left their nest?”

  “Well, they do now. Come on out you little runt, we won’t hurt you.”

  “Just leave it, let’s finish off hero guy so I can go home and get some sleep.”

  “We will, I just wanna see what a goblin looks like.”

  “You’ve never seen a goblin before?”

  “No, they’re super weak so they usually never leave their nests. It’s actually pretty rare to find one all by itself.”

  “Thanks for the goblin lesson, now will you just forget about the thing so we can be done here?”

  “Fine, geez you’re no fun.”

  A branch snapped in a tree as if two much weight hah been put on it.

  “Now what?!”

  “It came from that tree.”

  “It’s probably just a roc or something.”

  Another branch snapped in a different tree, then another, then another. It continued until the sound of branches snapping became deafening.

  They were surrounded by something that wanted them to know that they were surrounded. To know that there would be no escape should they choose to flee.

  “They’re everywhere.”

  “What? What’s everywhere Vi?!”

  The words were stuck in her throat, all around her she could smell their fowl stench. She’d smelled this fowl stench before but never this potent.

  “Spit it out Vi! What’s everywhere?!”

  “G-goblins…goblins are everywhere.”

  “That’s it?! Goblins, you’re getting chocked up over goblins?!”

  He didn’t understand, she may have said goblins because that’s what they’d smelled like but underneath the normal stench of goblin, she’d smelled something else, something horrible.

  “Forget this, you hear me you smelly little green creeps?! I don’t have time for your games, so you can either come down here or get lost!”

  Maxwell watched in pure delight. They were already dead, they just hadn’t realized it yet.

  “Get out of the way Vi, I’ll finish him off myself. Terry, get your drunk butt up and keep watch to make sure those goblins don’t try and pull anything.”

  Terry who’d sat down because he’d felt dizzy was now nowhere to be seen.

  “Terry? Terry!? Where’d you go, you useless drunk?!

  Vi was frozen in place, she was hearing and smelling everything that was happening above them. She’d wanted to scream, to yell for Terry to watch out but she was too late.

  “Vi! Where’s Terry?! He was just right here!”

  Just then something fell to the ground. Maxwell would have said it was Terry’s body but there was no way of knowing.

  Its flesh had been peeled away and its blood drained. All its organ were also missing, leaving only a skeleton with pieces of muscle and fat hanging on to it.

  “Vi! We need to get out of here! I can fly us…”

  He never go the chance to flap his wings, the creatures grabbed him before he’d even noticed and dragged him into the trees to share amongst each other.

  There was no scream or cries, for the creatures had tore out his vocal cords first. He was still alive as they devoured him.

  They’d made she to avoid killing him immediately as they ate, and when the time had finally come, they all shared his vital organs.

  Nothing would go to waste, they always made sure to savor every piece of scrap they could get. Although now there stomachs would never go empty and there feast would be bountiful.

  Vi was still petrified, she had thought that any moment she’d drop dead, she’d hoped to drop dead so that she may avoid suffering the same fate as her friends.

  “What do you think of them?”

  Vi reminded silent.

  “I’ve been trying to come up with a name for them all day, I was thinking maybe I’d call them dark goblins. What do you think? There aren’t already dark goblins are there?”

  She still remained silent.

  “Well, it’s been nice chatting with you but I’ve got places to be and it appears that you do to, say bye to your friends for me, won’t you?”