Meat

The black armored knight and I watched each other for a brief moment, as if trying to scope out the danger of our situation. Their breathing sounded heavy yet hollow as it bounced off the inner surfaces of their helmet. Small bits of their foggy breathe seeped through the cracks of the helmets as deep exhales exited the dark metal. I continued to stare, too paralyzed in the sight of something that felt ominously dangerous, but there was nothing more I could do. If this knight was going to kill me, there was no way I could defend myself. I am not athletic or capable of fighting, so I knew what my options were, or lack thereof.

Frozen in fear, I stood, waiting to react to whatever happens next. The shuffling of the heavy chains filled the air, then suddenly, a soft thump against the ashy ground filled my ears as the knight dropped all the chains that they have been using to hull the gigantic dragon. The knight began to walk toward the limp dragon's exposed abdomen, its crimson scales covered in ash. Suddenly, the knight raised their sickle and wedged in between the scales and skin of the beast. The knight whipped their hand back, the scales quickly prying off and flying back toward my direction, landing in between us. The knight continued this process, grunting with force as the strength of the scales resisted the sickle's pull. Eventually, a small pile of scales laid before me, its tiny bit of red glistening, just barely peeking through the ash.

Blood began to pour down the side of the dragon's exposed chest as the knight continued carving away, this time at the raw skin that had been buried by the scales. Drops of red splattered across the powdery ground and onto the knight's tattered cloak and black rusted surfaces of their armor. With each raise of the sickle, blood flew off the blade and into the area like mist. I looked away, the sight of a rusty blade plunging into flesh shaking me to my core, but the sound of the skin tearing was unavoidable, even with my hands over my ears. Moments past and the sound of meat being punctured continued to assault my ears until finally the knight's motion had stopped. The knight began to turn to me, to which I swiftly looked away once again, not wanting to see the disgusting sight of a freshly pillaged corpse. The sound of metal rubbing against each other approached me, its clanking was intimidating, like it was spelling out my impending doom. Suddenly, the noise of the knight's approach went quiet, and the tips of their feet were just in my periphery. A low grumbling sound came from the knight's helmet, signaling that they needed something from me. I slowly moved my head up to face them, noticing dark red spots at the knight's feet as I moved my vision upward. Finally, I faced them, witnessing the grotesque offer before me.

The knight, with one hand out, was handing me something. That something was a shimmering scarlet, with a texture that looked smooth and squishy. A red liquid dripped between the fingers of the knight's gauntlet from the object and onto the ash below. I stared at it speechless, knowing exactly what it was, but was too stunned and disgusted to even utter a word. After a moment passed, I finally found the courage to say something.

"Uh, sorry, I-I can't accepted this." I said quivering.

The knight responded with another hollow groan, this time a little bit louder. 

"I... I can't." I said, attempting to fully show my disgust in the viscera before me.

The knight's arm wielding the bloodied sickle twitched, sending tiny drops of blood in my direction. It seemed like I had no choice in this offer. I either had to accept the flesh before me, or face judgement that I did not know the criteria for. The knight nudged the chunk of meat forward once again, signaling me to take it. Knowing my limited options, I put my hand out, but looked away, awaiting for the slimy thing to meet my palm. Then something round and wet entered my hand, its shape molding to fit my fingers. It had a slight warmth to it, but the fluid that covered it made it slippery, making it hard to really feels its temperature. I looked upon it, the blue tinted veins scattered across the shiny red surface like the roots of a garden. Its smell permeated the air around me, its stench violating my nostrils with every breath. I wanted to throw it far away, but was too afraid of what might become of me in the presence of this black armored knight.

I clutched the viscera tight, making sure not to drop it, its form squeezing through the cracks between my fingers. I looked back at the dark knight through the crack of his helmet, its inner shade covering the face of whoever was inside like an opaque veil. The knight turned away, walking back toward the dragon, not once looking back at me. The large chains rattled and scraped one another as the knight began to wrap themselves in it once again. In merely a minute, the knight was dragging the winged beast's corpse once again, not even glancing back at me.

"Wha- What do you want with me? What do I even do with this?" I said lifting the meat, regretting it as its blood flowed in thin threads down my arm.

The knight did not give me a single sound or look of acknowledgement, too busy lugging the dragon through the resistant ash covered ground. I looked down at the flesh I was still holding tightly, my hand still remembering the fear the knight's presence brought me. I looked up, the knight was far deeper into the woods, their interest in me completely gone. I continued on my way, mindlessly walking the path I was suppose to walk, now desensitized to the blob of flesh in my palm. Finally, I came to, realizing my disgust for this thing once more. I looked back, the knight now long gone, his silhouette was just a tiny spec amongst the never ending trees. I looked down at the crimson blob again, only now realizing its rotten nature. I allowed my fingers to loosen, the raw meat falling into the ash. I continued onward, leaving the unknown organ behind, but its stench that had been left on my hand left me a stark reminder that I was now a part of this decrepit world.