This is what happens when I read too much siren manga and play too much Pokémon. Damn you, plot bunnies… Damn you…
This was written well over a year ago. Just letting you know how many extra stories I have on my computer that nobody has ever seen before.
Pokemon: Mactabilis
Prologue
Sand stretched all around them as far as the eye could see. The dusty air caused them to cough violently. The children, a group of five, looked around with looks of confusion and fear.
"W-where are we?" one of the girls asked.
She was tall with long dark brown hair that cascaded past her shoulders. A pair of round glasses glinted brightly in the harsh sunlight, reflecting the light back into her chocolate brown eyes. She wore a purple sundress with pink straps and a pink strip along the bottom edge. A pair of pink flip-flops kept her feet just barely above the burning hot sands. She looked around again, trying to see if there was anything familiar around.
"This isn't home," one of the boys said, voice full of confusion.
He was shorter than the girl and had dirty blonde hair, the bangs falling in front of his baby blue eyes. Freckles covered his cheeks and nose. He wore a white T-shirt with red short sleeves and a red 11 on the front, light brown shorts that ended just below his knees, white socks, and red and white tennis shoes. He was shaking, staring into the distance.
"I'm scared!" another girl whined.
She was only an inch or two shorter than the boy. She had red hair tied into two braids on the sides of her head. Her green eyes shimmered with fresh tears. She wore a pair of blue jean overalls, a pink T-shirt with a red heart on the front, white socks, and brown tennis shoes. She clutched the first girl's dress, sobbing.
"I want to go home!" another boy cried.
He was the shortest one in the group. He had messy brown hair that curled on the edges and brown eyes. He wore a pale yellow long-sleeved shirt with goldenrod sleeves and a Pikachu face on the front with yellow sparks jumping from its red cheeks, blue jeans with the leg cuffs rolled up, and yellow and white tennis shoes. Fat tears ran down his cheeks as he cried into his hands.
"Enough! Crying won't solve anything!" another girl, the last member of the group, yelled.
She was obviously the oldest of the group. She had long black hair bound up in a ponytail and blue eyes. She wore a white T-shirt, purple knee-length shorts, and brown hiking boots. A light blue sweatshirt was tied around her waist. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at her four companions.
All four fell silent instantly, looking at the older kid. The raven-haired girl flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and frowned.
"We have to move, okay?" she said. "Staying here will only make us hotter. This is a desert…apparently. I don't know how we got here, but we can't stay put."
"Why not?" the blonde boy asked.
"As the day goes on, the temperature will get higher," the brunette girl replied without hesitation. "It will keep getting hotter as the sun crosses the sky. That will reverse come sundown, though. It'll become horribly cold."
"I hate the cold!" the blonde boy instantly cried, wrapping his arms around himself.
"Where do we go then?" the red-haired girl demanded, glaring at the older raven-haired girl. "I don't see a town! I don't see anything but sand!"
"We'll find somewhere," the raven-haired girl growled.
"I want to go home," the brunette boy sniffled.
"We'll get home, Charlie," the brunette girl promised, patting his head reassuringly. "I know we will."
One year later…
"Shit! Move it!"
"Hurry, Charlie! This way!"
"It's gaining!"
"Run! Hurry!"
"We won't make it!"
The five children were running as fast as they could from a humanoid creature. It was running on all fours, fanged canine-like jaws snapping as it sped up. Its back had orange fur covered in black stripes. Its wrists and ankles were covered in cream fur. On the top of its head was a matted mess of cream fur, orange canine-like ears placed on either side of the mass. A furry cream tail emerged from its hind end. Its face, aside from the muzzle, looked human in appearance. Its hands, feet, and underbelly also looked human. On its forehead was a black number…26.
The raven-haired girl suddenly stopped, whipping around and drawing a sword from her sweatshirt, which had doubled as a belt in order to carry the weapon. The red-haired girl and the blonde boy stopped as well, both of them drawing knives of their own.
"Keep going! We'll keep it busy!" the raven-haired girl shouted.
"Got it! Be careful!" the brunette girl called back, grabbing Charlie's hand as she continued to run.
"Time to die, motherfucker," the raven-haired girl said coldly.
"RRRRAAAAAAH!" the humanoid-canine beast roared, charging.
"DIE!" she screamed, lunging with her sword.
She grinned as her sword tore through its stomach, impaling the beast. Blood burst from its jaws as it let out a final death cry. She remained there briefly before pulling back, allowing the fatally wounded beast to crumple to the sandy ground. Wiping her blade with her sweatshirt sleeve, she turned to face her two companions with a smirk.
"Time to head ba—"
She was interrupted by a strange gurgling growl. The blonde and the redhead froze, eyes wide in fear. The raven-haired girl didn't even need to turn around to realize something was horribly wrong. She slowly looked over her shoulder.
"Shit," she whispered.
She didn't have time to move into an attack position before sharp claws tore through her back and out her chest, her still-beating heart trapped within them. Her friends screamed before running away. The creature crushed her heart and tossed her lifeless body aside, pursuing its prey once more.
.o.o.o.o.
"It's a town," the brunette girl breathed. "Finally…"
The empty town loomed ahead, the promise of protection coming with it. Charlie sobbed in joy, clutching her hand harder as they ran. Safety was only a few steps away…
A loud scream tore through the air. The pair stopped and turned, only for the girl to suddenly pull Charlie against her chest to shield him from the sight. She turned and ran for the town, practically carrying Charlie there.
The monster had come back. The blonde boy had his head torn from his shoulders in front of them. The redhead had tripped and fallen, the beast breaking her back as it stampeded after the remaining two children. Blood stained its jaws and hands red. Only two more to hunt…
The brunette yanked the door of the first building she reached open, shoving Charlie inside. "Stay in here, okay? Don't come out! Just hide, okay? Hide and stay put until it's gone!" she ordered.
"Abby? Abby!" Charlie wailed.
She slammed the door behind her, trapping him inside…and her outside. Charlie scrambled to the door and tugged on the knob, but it didn't budge. The pounding footsteps of the monster approached quickly. Charlie's screams ceased the moment the brunette's began. Blood splattered across the window, causing him to duck beneath its sill. He began to cry.
Her scream ended quickly, only to be replaced with a more sinister noise. It was a sickening cross between a crunch and a slurp. Charlie's hands clapped over his mouth. It was eating her! He fought desperately not to throw up.
The noise abruptly stopped. The beast unleashed that gurgling growl of its. Had it heard him? Charlie pressed his back to the wall, keeping as far under the window sill as possible.
Its face loomed in the blood-spattered window, glowing red eyes scanning the dark room within. Charlie tucked his legs as close to his chest as possible, praying he wasn't seen. The monster stayed there for a few seconds longer before dropping out of view. The sickening noises of it feasting returned. Charlie buried his face in his arms and cried.
Night had fallen by the time the beast left the empty town behind. Charlie went out the back door and headed further into town, desperate to escape from the corpses of his friends…or what was now left of them. He would leave come morning and find another town to shelter in.
That was all Charlie could do now. He was the last one of his group…but maybe not the last human here. He would search, no matter how long it took. He wouldn't allow others to suffer the same way his friends did. Never again…