Angel

"Who art thou miss? Hast thou cometh to partake? Well, I found it first so begone." The mysterious old man said.

His skin was a pale gray and thinning out, the definition of bone in his legs and arms showing the lack of fat or muscle he had. His head had small patches of thin, long silvery hair with more of his scalp being exposed. His voice was frail yet had a powerful deepness to it, like he could have once been a lot bigger than what he looks like now. His tattered cloths were barely held together by a thin piece of rope tied around his waste. The strips of torn fabric draped over his skeletal body and onto the floor like the tentacles of an octopus.

"No no, I couldn't possible have a bite of... that." I responded.

"My, that tone of yours. Art thou looking down on me for the food I so desire?" He asked, a bit more rude.

"Sorry, it's just, I already have food. If you'd like I can give you some." I said. I was a bit hesitant since I was low on food, but I could not bear to see someone else eating something from a rotted corpse again.

"Ha! Nonsense, no amount of food could possibly compare to the sweet taste of the meat above us!" He spoke in triumph.

I looked up, staring at the viscera slowly dripping its dark fluid down from the sky. The old man's hands had streaks of black from all the drops that had rolled down his fingers. The old man brought his hands to his face, slurping up what little fluid was cupped between his palms. Already I began to feel sick at the sight, but I remained resilient.

"Oh soon, very soon, I can have my feast!" The old man said cheerfully.

I looked up at the dreaded monster, its disgusting form looked to be anything but edible, yet it was the only food this man had in mind.

"What is that thing?" I quivered.

"Hmm, everyone should know by now, but perhaps thou cometh from afar. No wonder thy speech sounded so... peculiar." He paused. "That 'thing' above us is what I wish to become. A being of prosperity in such a wicked time, so darest not call such a divine being a mere 'thing'." He said in a crackly and somewhat aggressive tone.

To gaze upon the monster before us with its rotted flesh and exposed entrails and call it a 'divine being,' I thought this old man was insane. Nothing about this grotesque thing felt divine, especially now that it was dead atop a ruined chapel. I stayed glued to his words in silence for quite sometime before a sudden realization. The dichotomy of his words to what I see suddenly struck me as I pondered them more, and the implications that the words had brought to me made my heart sink. I remembered the very words Mendaciu uttered before we parted ways and put them to the test.

"This 'divine being,' is this what you people call an angel?" I asked shaking.

"Ha ha! So thou do understandest the worth of this beautiful being, but alas, I still shall not share even a bite of it!" The old man's voice echoed along the dark church corners.

"Does this thing look appetizing to you?" I asked with concern.

"Enough out of thee! Thy questions are far too plenty and I haven't the patience to listen any longer. Begone!" His voice exploded will still speaking in such a frail tone.

For whatever reason, instead of cowering at the boom of his anger, I became somewhat angered myself. I looked around the room and eyed one of the tattered books that had been laying on the floor. Even in its horrible condition, the book was still hefty and perfect for what I planned to do. I bent my arm back behind my head and took aim at the corpse between the wooden framework. I chucked the book, hitting the wooden frame and watching the dust fly off it. The book landed with a loud thud and small cloud of dust.

"What art thou doing?" The man tried to yell.

I ignored him and found another book with some good weight to it. With a harder throw, the book landed right where I was hoping: in the exposed belly of the beast overhead. A bit of dark liquid rained from the corpse as the organs that had been dangling began to loosen from the decaying body. Disgusting squelching followed as the viscera loosened from within. I grabbed another book and chucked it, hitting the framework again, but with the shaking vibration of the impact, I got what I wanted. The bowels of the beast fully caved and its organs began to fall. The old man realized what had happened and attempted to scurry away in a futile effort. His body looked far too malnourished to even move an inch. In the end I had the last laugh as the old man was groaning from underneath the pile of wet meat.

"Satisfied?" I asked smirking.

He glared at me, his anger then suddenly subsiding as he gave a crooked smile and began gorging on the disgusting meat while still covered in it. He reached his hands above his head to tear pieces from the larger chunks and shove them down his mouth. I felt dirty watching him eat, surprising myself that I was still able to look at him. I sighed in disappointment, knowing that I gave this grumpy old man what he wanted rather than irritating him a bit. I began to walk away before his voice echoed from behind me.

"I apologies for mine anger earlier! In return, I tell thee this. Visit the settlement at the base where the rampart is no longer. Thou shalt truly witness the beauty that is to cometh forth there. I beg of thee, bear witness to it. It is truly magnificent." His words lingering in the echos of the room.

"Sure... later." I said in disappointment, realizing that he had told me something I already planned to do. Still, at least I had confirmation that this journey would not be in vain.

I left through the same door I came, listening to the foul wet sounds of the old man's feasting echo from behind. I looked back one last time, though disgusted at his demeanor, I could not help but feel sorry for him. It seems that I am beginning to get use to this disgusting world, and the thought of that both relieves yet frightens me. Still, no matter how use to it I get, I was not from here, and I need to get back home.