The Sycophant. I can hear it coming. I opened the door to my home. People were screaming. Heading down the streets in mass terror. I looked the direction where I heard it. It was there. Consuming all that couldn’t get away. Destroying all that couldn’t move.
It’s been a long time since the Sycophant showed its face, in fact, we thought we won. With our blood sweat and tears after a long reign of terror. We defeated it. Sent it back where it came but here is was. Consuming thousands. It got through the walls. It broke through security and it came back with a vengeance.
I held my breath hoping that this was all just a dream. People pushed past me as I walked towards it. I was on the front lines when this thing consumed the world. Got away with my life barely. Sucked many years out of me but the sting still set in my brain. I walked towards the Sycophant hoping it was some other creature but the sting. It settled in my brain. I could feel it consuming my thoughts. All my happy memories and all my care for the world. The Sycophant. It’s returned.
I retreated with the people down the cobblestone roads. Looked behind me to see the streets, roofs, and people get wisped away into this dark mass in the Sycophants center. The creature grew in size with every step as it continued through the streets.
Soon enough. More of these creatures came. They cut us off and forced us to go to a certain part of town, the slums. People were fleeing in the masses. Children crying in there mothers arms. I felt the sting and so did others. Filleting piece by piece. Everyone’s will to live. We all fled to the slums but there was only one way out if they were to corner us into the area. A small section of aqueducts at the very bottom of the lowest section in town. They were small. We would have to go single file and the Sycophant knew this. It came prepared, and it came hungry.
People ran through the streets down into the slums. The buildings owned by the aristocrats, at the highest section of town were already consumed. The sun started to eclipse the reckoning was here and many were going to die. I tried my hardest to get in front of the masses but my age prevented me from moving faster than my fellow civilians. I was just an old man who fought for this world. The new world had no respect for my sacrifice in a time of crises and I understood now like I did before. The young would inherit the Earth and the young needed hard times to become strong. No hand holding would do that.
I did what I could. I helped those who fell get up. I comforted those who wanted to give up. I moved as many people as I could through the aqueducts but the channels were small I couldn’t move everyone so I helped those who could fight back. Take the fight to the Sycophant in the future. I saw other older men much like me. They were doing the same. Our sacrifice will make future generations stronger and through their strength the human race would survive
The Sycophant reaches the rest of the town. It was far from everything it consumed. The others that forced us into the slums, they merged into the Sycophant it looked at those who remained. It recognized everyone of us. The Sycophant doesn’t forget and fortunately neither did we. Our collective conscious remained, the Sycophant couldn’t take that, and overall, it empowered us.
