Reanimated as Death's Bane

Dust and Blood

A truck swayed violently from side to side, its large wheels navigating the rough, imbalanced terrain. A large metal container was attached to it behind. Inside were passengers forced to collide with every jolt.

The air was thick with the stale stench of sweat. A single yellow bulb flickered above, dimly casting shadows across the figures within. Chains clinked softly, mingling with hushed whispers and a low, mocking chuckle from one corner.

Dave’s head slammed against the cold metal wall again. He’d lost count of how many times it had happened. All he could do was endure until the journey ended.

His last clear memory was of Pete and Ryan, slumped on their beds beside his, asleep in their dorm room. Then, darkness. Now, he was here, trapped in this box, surrounded by strangers who were anything but human.

He rewound his thoughts, placing the pieces together, and that's when it clicked, his sentence to the Sahel Grounds, the consequence of stepping into Pete’s fight at the academy. A reckless choice, maybe, but Pete was alive because of it. But was it worth this?

“Hey, wanna bet your weapon, you won't last a day when we get out there.” The taunt came from a hulking inmate across the container, his voice was a guttural rasp.

The speaker had pitch black skin with red bloodshot eyes and four arms, two sprouting from his shoulders, two from his lower back, with long paws as legs that shone like polished silver, reflecting the bulb’s light.

Dave ignored it, by now he was used to taunts from the inmates. The nine of them in the carriage either mocked him or just ignored him.

He was not only the smallest in there, but the only one who seemed normal. He glanced over to another side of the carriage, where a figure sat unnaturally still. Its head was that of a goat with three green eyes on each side, a large horn pointed in the middle of its forehead like a rhino, a long torso with two thick blade like arms, resting on its sides as it sat on six long legs placed perfectly underneath the chains that restrained it.

Dave swallowed hard. Just what are these things, he was sure he made the right choice to save Pete, but had he traded one death for another? He was odd compared to them and he couldn't tell what other surprises the future had for him.

He couldn't help but drown in thoughts of misery, then the truck swayed and his skull clashed with the metal interrupting his thoughts. He clenched his fist and bit his lips, trying to suppress his anger, but he failed.

He wanted to scream, to pound the metal until his knuckles bled, his impulse was rising but before he could move, a surge of electricity ripped through him. The chains around his wrists glowed blue, sending a current that numbed his limbs and left his skin burnt.

His hair stood on end, as he crumpled to the floor with a dull ‘plop’. Laughter erupted among the inmates, harsh and guttural echoing in the carriage. Their eyes shone with cruel amusement.

Dave stared at them with bloodlust eyes, he wanted to tear them apart, rip out their throats, spill their guts, but the chains held him in check.

He dragged himself back to his spot, only to find it blocked. “Spot’s taken,” rumbled a massive figure, its five eyes locked onto his. Its slithery green humanoid form, the size of a muscular hippo, filled the space.

Dave’s jaw tightened. Fighting here was suicide, and even if he tried, he wasn’t sure he had a winning chance.

Before he could make his way to another corner, the carriage jolted, and he had nothing to cling to. The impact sent him rolling towards the strange figure with a goat head in the middle, it hadn't been affected by all the swaying and rattling of the carriage.

Just before he hit the creature, a hand grabbed his chain and yanked him to the side. Dave slowly pushed himself upright, then muttered a shaky “Thanks” to the figure beside him, but got no response.

He looked middle aged and had a white crystal where his left eye should have been, he was brown skinned and had a silver lining between his beard with long unkept hair that traced down to his back, from the torso down, his body was green and serpentine, splitting into two wide, muscular legs. Compared to the others, he seemed almost human. Almost.

Dave turned away. ‘If these are my fellow prisoners, what waits in the Grounds?’

He’d heard whispers at the academy, tales of warlords, bloody arenas, and things that defied nature. Shapeshifters were one thing, but these creatures? They were something else. Experiments, maybe, or cursed by whatever hell ruled the Sahel Grounds.

He clenched his jaw, staring at the flickering bulb. Why did a place like this exist? Why was a student like him, a nobody who just tried to do the right thing thrown into this pit of nightmares?

Only one word lingered on his mind now, “Survival”. If he could endure, he could return to the academy, find Pete, and escape this madness. But the weight of what lay ahead pressed down on him, heavier than the chains around his wrists.

Hours felt like eternity, the stale air became thicker, and the flickering light became dimmer. Then, a screech echoed through the container as the truck came to a halt. The inmates fell silent. Dave’s heart thumped fast and loud.

The doors at the far end squeaked, then swung open with a deafening clang. A blinding white light flooded the container, causing some inmates to squint.

“Out!” barked a commanding sharp voice, amplified through a speaker. The chains unlocked with a synchronized click, falling to the floor. Dave rubbed his wrists, wincing as he stood. The inmates moved out, their abnormal forms unfolded, and Dave followed behind nervously. He hardened his expression and stepped out. He couldn’t show any weakness. Not here.

They stepped onto a desert land that stretched endlessly under a red sky. The Sahel Grounds stood before them, tall watch towers on the corners with sirens above them. The entrance was ahead, a massive gate of blackened steel rising meters high, rounded with azure metal fences, with skulls, human and otherwise, lined at its tip, some looked fresh, others dried by the sun.

Guards in military designed armor, with their faces hidden, opened the gate, wielding large double barreled rifles.

One gestured sharply, directing the inmates toward the entrance. Dave’s throat tightened as he stepped forward.

One of the inmates broke the line and dashed towards the open desert. The guards didn't chase after it. It covered a lot of distance in a short time, which meant victory was sure. The pitch black creature noticed the guards hadn't moved and decided to follow his comrade.

The inmates watched the two figures in the distance, one far ahead and another trying to catch up.

A low pop sound was heard and the figure in the distance exploded, it splattered into countless bits, seeing his comrade wiped away, the black figure halted instantly.

The other inmates, after seeing a guard shoot at it, stepped through the gates, none of them wanted to share the same fate, and before the black figure could regroup with the others, the gate was shut behind it. “I guess I should have placed that bet.” Dave thought.