Short Stories

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴋɪʟʟᴇᴅ ᴜꜱ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ

I am not human, rather I am an oni. By humans retelling our appearance we are three-toed, three-finger, and three-eyed horns demons. We also have extreme strength and devilish appearance to strike fear into any mortal man. For the most part, this is all true except we are not all the same and neither are humans so it would seem. I was and kind of still am part of an army called the forgotten army. Cliche I'm aware, but within the army are all the beasts the humans had brought to near Extinction. yōkai, demon, orc, ogre, or troll are among the common within this army. The forgotten army is the one that brought our kind from Extinction and yet was our downfall. 

Humans were living in wood homes with some made of simply straw and hay. The ones with higher social status lived in stone or well-made wood homes. They mainly use tools or livestock to tend to their farms. While others ordered others around all day, it was odd but their way of life. For nonhumans, you pulled your weight no matter what. You lived with others you would help them out in any way possible. Life was peaceful, I had a loving family. A father and mother, sister and child of my own. I was happy with my life until the great massacre. 

All humans saw us as dangerous monsters that were unholy and needed to be wiped from their planet, no matter what you were most species didn't survive the great massacre, and the ones that did had lost everything they loved including me. Have you ever lost a child of your own, the pain inside never can be numbed as you stare at their lifeless body. Into their innocent eyes that lost the cheerful life they had moments ago. The dreams of them as adults living to the fullest potential as they had a family of their own, a lifestyle they enjoyed, a place to call home. But one day when you return home they are hanging from a tree and rope after a heartless murderer decided she looked too evil to live a life. Slaughtered in cold blood after hearing her family meet the same fate. I was spared as I had left two days before gathering food for my household only to return to a charred oni town and oni bodies peppering the streets in all kinds of gore. Friends, townsfolk, and even Neighbors were brutally slaughtered because they were different.  Because we were not human, the sight inside of my home is still there when I close my eyes each night. My mother and sister ripped off their clothes and raped before their throats were slit making them choke on their last breaths. My father was bound to a chair as his body was covered in stab wounds. My sweet daughter had hid but was found and now swung in the breeze as she was hung to a tree in the backyard. Her face of fear and hope of her mother would save her yet I didn't. I never did come. When my baby needed me the most I was not there. 

I like to say that I am closer now after the human responsible for such a heinous act was killed. Yet I know, that chapter in my life will always hurt no matter what I do. A hole in my chest will always remain but I still will tell you the story of how I found and killed all who attacked my home and town. 

After gathering my family I dug for hours and buried each member of my family with all the riches we had so my family may find a home in the afterlife. Except when I buried my daughter her necklace was missing from her neck. I looked everywhere for it but couldn't find it. So I gave her mine which was identical but just larger. The necklace itself was of my husband's armor so he would be with me and my daughter. He had died in battle against the humans when we first fought for our land. I knew she needed him now more than I did so I gently placed my necklace on her chest as I gave her one final kiss on her cold forehead. After I gave them a farewell speech to help them ease into their death. I buried them all and began to travel through the ruins of my town and followed the path of bloodshed and destruction the humans had made.

I eventually found a camp where a hundred or so of human soldiers cheered and got drunk over their achievement in murdering innocent people with stolen ale from my town. I scouted it out till I saw their leader that had my daughter's necklace hanging from his hand as he stood around a big fire pit telling others about it or how he got it. As if he killed some massive monster that killed thousands before him. Except he killed a little girl that was only five years old. I then noticed women and children in chains as they were forced to watch two humans beat the men to death. I had to act quickly and quietly, sneaking down to the camp I made my way to where they held the prisoners. One Male oni was chained to a large log as Two drunk humans kicked him and even began to piss on him as they laughed telling him how they were going to have fun with the others after he was dead.