1. The Birth of a Goddess

Petrichor and ash.

That's what the air smells like. It's a scent I have come to enjoy, and even take comfort in. If only the ash were just from burning wood and didn't contain the chemical undertones from a burning building with its insulation and other man-made materials. The smell of charred human flesh certainly doesn't add to the calm of the aroma either.

Although it does appease the vengeful beast that lives inside of me.

The piece of filth that is quickly becoming an incinerated heap only a few yards away deserved everything he got and more. I made sure all of his putrid treasures perished with him. No parent needs the evidence of the trauma he caused to their children to remain in this world. It's best to let those images be wiped away and allow healing to take place, instead of picking at that festering scab.

It's not that I devalue human life. As a matter of fact, many centuries ago, I was one myself. But I am not afraid to relish in the aftermath of those who deserve their karma served with an end-of-life sentence, especially when I have the pleasure of being their reaper.

Before...

I should be gathering berries. Grandmother asked me to do so a while ago now, but the creek is cool and so inviting. Bisa splashes me again and I smile as I return the favor.

Other than the splish-splashing of the water, the area is silent. We aren"t being purposefully quiet. From the very rise of the sun, the Sukani people have been silent. Our vocal cords never found a purpose to evolve and allow for sound. So instead, our world is expressed through emotions, body language, and of course, our own developed form of language expressed through hand gestures.

Making my way to the edge of the water, I let out a deep puff of air as I flop onto my back on the grassy bank.

Bisa"s soft features and youthful cheeks pop into my line of sight. Her smile is soft and full of far more wisdom than any eleven-year-old should have the hope of possessing. We may have our moments of disagreement, as is common with siblings, but I truly do love her.

"Why are you lazing around when you were told to gather berries?'

My mouth pops open in shock. I enlisted her help with the berries so we could get a second bowl full for Tula. She"s been growing more exhausted lately as her belly continues to expand with new life. However, when Bisa spotted the creek and we both had sweat dripping down our backs, she begged for the detour.

"This was all your idea."

"Yes, well now it"s time to get to work. Don"t be lazy."

I roll my eyes as Bisa winks and steps fully out of the creek before snatching our berry bowls off the ground. She begins walking and I find myself rushing to catch up to her quick strides.

The moment we break free of the dense part of the forest, something instantly feels wrong.

Where there was once a hot, gentle breeze is now filled with stale, humid air. The scents that drift my way are foreign. Bisa turns to me and fear washes over her features. Before I can manage to stop her, she turns toward the village and takes off. Never in my life had I wished more for a way to call out to her. To make her stop.

For a few seconds, that felt like an eternity, I was frozen in place. Unable to move toward her, or away, or anywhere at all. I spot the smoke rising above the village and the smell...

Dear Gods that smell...

I know it"s nothing I have smelled before, and yet there is no denying my senses" ability to detect burning human flesh.

Tears fill my eyes as I run, pumping my legs as fast as I can. When I round the house on the farthest edge, my vision and hearing are instantly overwhelmed by the sounds of chaos erupting around me. I watch in horror as my people are beaten and killed by demons with human bodies and white flesh.

They wield weapons against my people, as sounds leave their mouths before they slice into flesh. Some of the demons are even making their way through the half-dead bodies and using them for their carnal desires. In the smoke and pandemonium, I spot Bisa"s distinct braids. Suddenly my legs are moving, but it makes no difference. When I reach her side I see the lifeless eyes of my little sister staring up at me. Her head was nearly severed from her body.

My people--my family--all dead or dying around me. The Sukani people were soon to be extinct.

Before I can even register the presence of one of the pale demons, he is yanking me away from my sister"s body and throwing me down on the ground. I thrash my body, but it makes no difference. He manages to hold down my arms and still rip the small bits of fabric we tend to wear in the hot months off of my body, leaving me naked and exposed for his putrid gaze.

Another demon appears above me and more loud noises come from his mouth. I soon realize these noises are how they communicate with each other when the new demon grabs my hands and pulls them above my head, pinning them down to the ground. Two more demons arrive. Each grabbing one of my legs and pulling them wide apart. Tears run down my cheeks like rivers as my hips pop before the resounding crack of one of my legs being broken. It"s soon followed by the other and soon, I lose all feeling in both legs.

While I appreciate the reprieve from the pain, I only wish the numbness would have traveled further up my body so that I didn"t have to feel the demon cock that penetrated my once untouched walls.

Trapped, I am forced to endure as my body is used and broken. One of the demons that was helping to break my legs moves close and latches his mouth to my breast, suckling like a babe would. When I try to shake my torso and get him off, he punches me in the gut. Another demon, most likely the one who broke my other leg, grabs my face and jerks it to the side. He stuffs his penis into my mouth and begins to thrust hard. Cutting off my airway and making me choke.

During my defilement, I must have blacked out. It seemed like the whole demon hoard came to defile my body together. Each finding a new way to destroy me. But I remember clearly when I was slapped so hard that my head snapped back in the direction of my sister's body. I watched as one of them picked up her head and began making kissing faces at it.

And it was that very moment that I died.

As my soul left my body, I prayed to the Gods for something dark and terrible. Something I had never even remotely wished for in my life before.

Vengeance.

And the Gods answered.

I inhaled sharply as another slap rang across my cheek and this time a deafening scream left my mouth, pushing back the demons who were still touching me. I writhed on the ground as my bones began to crack and heal all on their own. As the heart-wrenching noise continued to leave my lips, a realization dawned over me.

I was no longer a Sukani. The Sukani people had all perished in a massacre led by demons with white skin.

I was something else.

I stood and with every ounce of anger in my body, I leaped at the closest foe. I threw my body up, landing on his shoulders and wrapping my legs around his head. With one sharp twist, I threw myself backward as his body began to collapse to the ground.

With a taste for blood, I became the only thing I had left to desire. I smiled at the demons as they began to gather around me and beckoned them in for a fight. I knew deep down that they didn"t stand a chance against me.

I was death, and I was hungry.