Zhrent Chronicles

Chapter 3

2007-11-10T13:39:00.001+08:00

CHAPTER 3

Something moves in the darkness.

I stoop down to avoid being noticed, feeling around the leaf litter for anything I can use as a weapon. I grab hold of a thick fallen branch and use it anyway. The black figure moves behind one tree trunk to another. I creep closer and closer, gripping tighter to the branch in defense position. The figure is dressed in baggy clothes and has spiky thorns poking out of its head. It has a broad waistline and is bulky but it moves about with ease. Just as I assure myself that there is nothing to worry about, the figure waves a hand signal to a second figure. Oh no, this can’t be good. I tell myself.

The two figures meet together behind a broad trunk, making clicking sounds that sound almost alien to me. I start to worry. Do they know I am spying on them? They must have spotted me and are now preparing to attack! I crouch down even lower with my hands spread out to the ground, trying to look inconspicuous.

A little drop of goo falls onto my palm. I bring it close to examine but cannot make anything out of it in the darkness. Flicking away the sticky substance to the ground, I wipe my hand on my shirt and look around to see where it came from. More drips of goo appear on my overalls and I feel goose bumps crawl up my arm. I slowly tilt my head skywards and peer through the thick canopy. My eyes enlarge with fear as they meet with a pair of huge yellow eyes. Panic-stricken as I am, my limbs shiver uncontrollably and I flop to the ground, lifting a trembling finger to point at the beast.

What happens next scared the living daylights out of me. A loud blast of cosmic energy fires into the trees above to where the beast is. The deafening roar of the beast permeates the air as it is trapped in a net.

“Get out of the way!” A voice shouts, and becomes louder as it nears me.

I am pushed and rolled over the ground, with only a tree stump to cushion the blow. A loud “thud” envelope the entire forest as the beast falls to the ground, sending heaps of fallen leaves into the night sky. Everything happens simultaneously and I am too confused and terrified to get my thoughts straight.

“You got him good, Ingrid” A voice says.
“Oh shucks, you aren’t that bad yourself” Another voice replies, and I assume must have been Ingrid.

A hand grabs my arm and lifts me off the ground. I come face to face with the ‘figure’ with thorns on his head. He turns out to be a boy not much taller than I am, with spiked hair and carrying an unusually large amount of weapons I have never seen in my life.

“You okay? My partner and I are sorry we almost flattened ya with out catch. The name’s Ozzie. Which force you belong to?”

I am puzzled by Ozzie’s introduction. What is that beast? Why are they hunting it? And what force is he referring to? I ask him just that.

“Are you sure you’re not new to the STRIPES? Who are you? Where are you from?”

“I’m Dave Yeo and I live on 2nd Darvey Avenue and I study at Hocken High. Am I still on Earth? Where am I exactly?”

Ozzie is joined by Ingrid and they seem stunned by what I have told them.

“You’re from the Yeo Family?” They both say in unison and stare at me with wide-eyed disbelief.

“Yes I am. Should I be worried about that?”

“This can’t be true! He must be Darrick’s son! He has sent help just like he promised!”

“Wait… How do you know my Gramps? What is this all about, someone please tell me!”

“We’ll fill you in once we get back to camp with this Hecktoclops. Come on quick!” Ozzie says as he waves for me to follow them.

I cannot believe what I am hearing. Ozzie and Ingrid seem to know Gramps very well. And I am now most certain I am no longer on Earth. This cannot be happening. Ingrid and Ozzie are already pulling the Hecktoclops and I follow them close behind. Further ahead, we are nearing a clearing in the forest with many others dressed in similar fashion to Ozzie and Ingrid. They all throw their curious gazes at me as I step into uncharted territory.

Chapter 2

2007-11-10T13:38:00.001+08:00

CHAPTER 2

“Gramps… Are you there?” I say.

No answer.

I start to panic and billions of unanswered questions swim about my head. I peer into the restroom and the kitchen, examining the damage and hoping to find Gramps. Whoever broke into our house obviously knew what he was after and was not going to give up that easily to find it. Shards of broken china lead the way as I walk into Gramps’ bedroom.

“Gramps? Oh my God…”

Horror overcomes my natural meekness and good breeding. I clamp my mouth shut and lean against the cupboard, sliding down to hug my arms around my legs. I cry uncontrollably as my entire body convulse with fear. Everything is slung about and handprints of blood are streaked across the bedroom walls. I can make out the outline of Gramps under the sheets on the bed. A gory fight had occurred here. When I had gained some composure, I struggle to pick myself up and pull away the sheets on the bed. There lay Gramps whose face is as pale as a sheet, covered in deep cuts. I jump back in shock. His arms are bruised and a blow to his head had left a gash with blood trickling down his left cheek. I panic as I feel around for a pulse, any sign of life will do. There is none. My tears pour out even harder. I feel as though a part of me has died away, I cannot help myself but to bang hard against the wall and sob in agony. Now I know how hurtful it is when someone in the family dies, especially one that is very close to me.

The light coming in through shafts at the window shines on an object at the far corner of the room, making it sparkle into a brilliant gold. I crawl towards the object and pick it up to examine it. It is some sort of pendant with a symbol carved on its surface. The pendant feels like it is made of solid gold. Something tells me that this belonged to Gramps’ killer. I stuff it into the back pocket of my pants for safe-keeping. I wipe away tears as I stand up and suddenly something stirs inside me. A great surge of anger emerges from within. I wipe away my tears and clench my fists and grit my teeth. Who would have done such a cruel thing, and why?

I stand up and stomp out of the room to comb the house once more. Maybe my Gramps’ killer is still in the house. I walk into the living room and trip over the carpet leaving me face flat on the ground. I dust myself off and kick the carpet aside in anger. The carpet rolls away to reveal a trapdoor on the floor. I jump back in surprise as Gramps never told me about any secret passages in the home. I tug at the rusty metal ring, pulling the trapdoor open. A short flight of stairs illuminates under the light. I take a step down, sending clouds of dust into the air. I fan them away and cough as I make my way down.

First, there is a little shimmer from a reflective surface at the base of the stairs. Then, it slowly turns into sparkly ripples. I reach out into the glossy surface and let just the tips of my fingers touch the metallic ripple. It feels like cold water. And it feels magical. I am captivated by the gentle laps of waves formed by the substance and kept in a trance-like state. The water seems to be talking to me, beckoning me to go into it. A mysterious aura fills the room and something inside me lets loose. Feeling light-headed, my knees become weak. A tingling sensation overcomes my entire body as I fall headfirst into the rectangular pool.

Everything happens in slow-motion and I feel like I am entering a parallel universe. I am awakened from this trance-like state when I land with a thump on a hard and prickly surface. When I pick myself up, I open my eyes to meet total darkness. Apparently, night has fallen and I find myself standing in the middle of a thick forest.

I stutter in confusion and utter disbelief. Have I just walked through the floor of a basement into another world? I cannot bring myself to believe that I have somehow fallen into a pool and stepped into a forest by magic. Everything is happening too fast. First I come home after school to find the house messed up by someone or something that has claws. Next I find a pendant by the side of Gramps’ deathbed. Now I have fallen through a pool into this place? This must be some nightmare. And I do not like it one bit.

Chapter 1

2007-10-29T14:08:00.000+08:00

CHAPTER 1

“See you later, Gramps!” I say as I wave goodbye to grandpa. I tug on the straps of my bag pack as I trudge along the pavement, kicking up fallen leaves in my path. A slight breeze brushes against my hair as I smile to the warming glow of the sun. As I turn a corner at Edelweiss Park, I steal a glance at a father and son tossing a Frisbee out on the open field. A slight stirring of the memory replays vague scenes of my parents and me frolicking around the park in my mind. I miss them. I hold back tears and walk on remembering Gramps advice to not hold on to the past but instead work for a better future. Gramps has been the closest thing I have to a family ever since I was just a four-year-old toddler.

Class has just begun and it feels as though time stood a standstill. The lessons drag on one by one as I am led through the endless monotonous droning and the occasional giggle over a private joke from the back of the classroom. I curse the humid weather under my breath as I wipe beads of perspiration off my forehead. I arrange the stationary on my table, flipping through my notebook of doodles, trying all ways to concentrate on the lesson. The constant whir of the ceiling fan overhead shuts off all my thoughts. I place my pen at a point to get ready to copy down the equations on the board into my notebook. I am halfway through the first sum when the Z monster launches its attack and blurs my vision, forcing my eyes to droop. I shake my head to wake myself up, leaving my eyes wide open to avoid falling asleep. I hunch my back at a second attempt to write when my head slumps onto the desk and the world goes black.

My whole body rocks violently as a hand shakes my shoulder. I feel a few slaps on my face as a voice with a stern tone speaks into my ears.

“Wake up, Dave!”

“…In Jesus name, Amen!” I shout as I jump out of my seat, still unaware of what is going on.

I realize my mistake almost immediately and the whole class rocks into laughter. If it was not for the bell signaling recess, I do not know what Mrs. D would have done to me.

I have successfully made it through another day of school filled with its embarrassing moments in one piece. As the last bell for the day sounds, everyone makes a beeline out of the school. Along the way home, a knot of girls heading for the mall passes by me, chattering away on the latest gossip. Later, a skate boarder heading in my direction swerves around me, doing some tricks of his own. I am about a block away from home.

When I reach the front door, I recoil in horror at the sight that lay before me. Gramps garden is ruined. Pots of petunias are smashed and soil is strewn everywhere. The door is left ajar and the latch on the gate has been hampered with. I spot scratch marks on the door which sends cold jolts up my spine.

Taking small steps into the house, I cover my mouth in disbelief as I find the house to be in complete disarray. There are scratch marks on the sofa, similar to those on the door. The cotton insides of the sofa are all over the floor, covered in specks of red which I later find out is blood. I keep calm and swallow hard, but I cannot control myself from screaming on the inside. The display cabinet holding Gramps’ collection of books is face flat on the floor. The antique dining table is completely obliterated and what remains of the table leg left are slumped against the wall. Hot tears stream down my cheeks. Where is Gramps?

Prologue

2007-10-24T20:06:00.000+08:00

Authors's Note

Here are some things you should know before reading the story, sort of like a sypnosis, which includes background info and stuff.

Firstly, i came up with the term Zhrent, by forming an anagram out of my name. Go figure.

Secondly, i have been collecting ideas since my primary school days to write something like this, but unfortunately it did not work out until now.

Thirdly, i only started consolidating the main frame of the story after the exams just ended, so new chapters may come out slower as i try to work things out.

Fourthly, you will be able to sort of guess where the story will be heading after i publish the first chapter.

Fifthly, this is entirely based on my original ideas, with inspiration from things i have seen and heard, so please refrain from ripping anything of this site.

And finally, this is my first shot at writing a longer-than-usual story, not a novel, so i am open to CONSTRUCTIVE comments, not those that will run me down because this is something of MY interest and something which I want to do so there is no need for anyone to tell me what i cannot do. And please, when i do type posts than contain announcements like this, please don't blame me for the horrible typing and spelling that may appear because i am still an amateur at it.

So enjoy reading the first few chapters that will be posted soon, and leave a comment by clicking for the tagboard to open in another tab/window.

I will try to keep my posting regular, which really depends on how much brain juice i have at the time and energy i have to write. But as for now, i think i'll try with posting 2 chapters a week over this long holiday, not on any particular days, so come back here as often as you can to get the latest updates.

TzeHern