Dying Light

Chapter 2

Grant looked about as the company traveled through the unrelenting rain. The witch moaned and groaned as she was dragged along by the horses. Captain Ryan Started sighing up a storm, for it was his responsibility to drag the witch, the rope tide to his saddle. The other men, however, where charged with the two dead knights. The one in the basement found by Grant, and the other who died by the witch's trap.

"Will this girl ever stop yapping!" Sir Ryan screamed.

Grant just tilted his head back, finding his captain unreasonable. He didn't care about the deaths of his men. He didn't care that a whole village was destroyed. Lives where lost, and the man was complaining about the rain and an evil woman in need of an execution for multiple crimes. The truth was he was a coward, and a fraud. The man couldn't be trusted, why he was a knight always baffled Grant and a few others. No man could pay another enough money to risk his life but being a knight was never about money, it would be easier to earn such worldly desires with business rather than knighthood.

"Grant take this devil from me!" Sir Ryan commanded.

Grant had seen this coming, the man he called captain didn't like him at all. Perhaps it was because Grant stood for everything a knight should be or that he had no respect for the lazy Sir Ryan.

"Yes Sir." Grant replied, as he hurried his horse beside the Captain to take the rope from his hands.

The witch started speaking to Grant the moment he took her rope, she taunted at him repeatedly but Grant ignored every word. He was hearing what she was saying but didn't make out the sound. He glanced from time to time, watching the young woman's lips move, hearing noises but no words.
He shook his head, the red cloak moving with his dark hair. He looked to the sky watching the rain die to a small sprinkle as he rubbed at his whiskers, he needed to shave.

It was well into the night, the twelve hour haven gone and past, Grant knew that they would be near the gates soon, the stars sparkling in the sky. It was the small things like the stars that filled Grant with gratitude and hope. It reminded him of his girl back home, who he had nicknamed Star Light.

"You look to the stars with hope, Grant, but you will see soon, there is nothing to be found but demise in the sky." The witch spat out.

"Must you ruin everything witch? Do you have no heart? Does Lucifer hold you so?" Grant replied with out taking his eyes from the glowing lights.

"Lucifer? You claim that my affiliation is with the devil?"

"If not with the son of the morning star, then whom? It matters not, witch, just be silent." Grant replied.

"I will stop speaking when i will it so!" The witch replied stubbornly.

"Or maybe when i swing my sword back to let your head role on the ground!" Grant said heatedly.

"You would dare to do so now, your king wishes to make an example of us, devil worshipers, as you call us. The time to draw your sword has long sense pasted, knight."

"I hold you hostage, if i willed your death here and now it would be so. You hold no rights, and no power. You are held responsible for the destruction of an entire village."

"You know nothing! You think that i could slay that many men, woman, and children with my mere dagger?"

"Do you claim that you had assistance?" Grant said in haste, turning his head immediately towards the young woman.

"Like i said, you know nothing. It was the Hell hounds who devoured the people, and they're tracking us down now. It's only a matter of time."

"Hell hounds?" Grant laughed, "There is no such thing."

"Ah, I knew you knights to be ignorant of creatures. In a matter of time you will all be dead. They should be here before day's break."

Grant was uncertain how to take the all so sure woman's warning. Could such a thing called a Hell Hound even exist? Such evil in this world didn't exist, it would undermined of God's control, but Grant was unsure of omnipotent being. Could a God really exist as well? The witch smiled with pleasure as Grant looked at her with uncertainty. He looked off in the distance as he looked at the tree line and bushes across the mountain pass they now traversed.

Growling could now be heard as the witch laughed. The timing was too coincidentally. Rustling could be heard form the brush scrapping against the dog shaped figures charging at Grant and his weary companions. The men where shocked when the Giant dogs leaped towards them mauling at their faces.

Grant held his arm up, as the giant dog chewed on his meddle brace. He was too close to the dog to draw his sword and he could now see his blood dripping from his arm down onto his face. These dogs where certainly stronger then anything he had ever seen, with a bite strong enough to tare through steel. Grant was stunned. He didn't realize he had been tackled off his horse until he started feeling all the pain. It was almost overwhelming. Grant's eyes flinched as the blood dripped into his pupil, blinding him. He had to act fast.

Grant quickly mustered his strength picking the dog up, and slamming it against the ground. The soft whimper of the beast told him it was not a creature from hell. He drew his sword quickly slamming the fine point into the dog's heart. Grant let out a vigorous scream, for both the pain and his sly victory. It wasn't even a second later that a sharp pain was felt in his back. Grant turned around instantly, looking at the blood crazed witch.

"Die girl!" Grant swung his sword with little mercy, as her head rolled onto the ground.

He spat down at her body with little regard, "I told you i would end you."

Grant looked towards his companions they hadn't been so lucky, Sir Ryan had lost his face, but was still breathing some how. As for the rest of the company, they had been torn to bits, with little difficulty.

Another dog came charging at Grant, but he slashed at the beast easily, and wearily, taking it's legs from its body.

"Grant, I can't see anything, what's going on?" Sir Ryan tried to yell but everything he said was mumbled from his ruined face.

Grant took in a deep breath, glancing at his pierced armor, and then at the dogs. The best way to describe them was with the word, "tiger wolves". They had slim mains running down from their head and back until it reached their tail, and their bodies where full of spots, with a pale yellow fur. Their glowing white eyes in the dark almost confirmed that the beast where demonic. However, Grant knew better, these "Tiger Wolves" where foreign animals. He just didn't know what.

"Grant" Captain Ryan yelled again.

His face was slashed and bitten into to a degree where he was no longer recognizable. Blood was oozing from every pore on his face.

"I'm here Sir Ryan." Grant replied, walking towards the now blind man.

He rapped his arm around the captain, assuring him it was just him. There where a good three to four miles away. The "tiger wolves" had eaten their horses, or chased them off. The men had to hope to make it back before they both bled out. Grant looked up at the sky, saying a silent prayer, hoping that if there was a God he would hear his call.

The two men had barely made a mile when Captain Ryan had pasted out. Grant Refused to drop the coward, even if he deserved it. Grant Smith would not give up not on any account. He refused to die. He kept telling himself he wouldn't die, as his vision blurred with each step. Until his eyes reached the black void.