Corpse Flower

V. Certified Beast Hunters

Sophia’s POV:

I’ve never been happy.

I wasn’t depressed, but I wasn’t happy either. Sometimes, I feel like I’m void of emotions. As if I was never born with them. Maybe, God forgot to put a dash of emotions in me.

That is until I met Arlo.

At first, I disliked him. When we first met, he nibbled my finger and cried whenever I tried to withdraw it. His mom said it meant he likes me.

Then, when his mom passed, he would always cry. It was annoying.

But, no matter what happened, he was the only person who stood beside me. He held me when no one else did.

I love Arlo.

I love my little monkey.

Slowly and reluctantly, I opened my eyes. I blink, close my eyes, and blink again. Repeat. Streaks of sunlight ambushed my sight and only made it more challenging to stay awake.

I want to sleep.

Everything was blurry. For a second, I didn’t know where I was or what I’m doing. Slowly, a process occurred. There’s the bright blue sky above me and muddy dirt below—shades of green all around scattered by the wind.

Then, the realization occurred.

“Arlo!” I got up from the ground only to stumble down. I held myself up, “Arlo!” I look around only to see numerous trees. “Monkey! Monkey!” I screamed his nickname.

I forced myself to stand up, “Monkey! Monkey! Where are you?” My body thrashes around only to see more trees. I cupped my hands together, “Arlo!”

My body fought through the trees and bushes. How did I get here? There’s no time to question it. “Monkey!” I stumbled around until my body fell on the ground. “Monkey! Please, answer me!” I cried. My fingers dug into the dirt, and tears dropped.

I lost the only person who cared about me.

After the initial shock, I knew I had to move forward—a plan. I need to come up with a plan. I should go to Bailee’s house and call the police. No. I should go back to my house. Arlo might be there like last time. I shouldn’t bother the police, not yet.

I rummage through the trees.

Where am I?

How did I get here?

What happened?

Those questions circulate my mind. I stepped on a branch and tore my skin. “f**k,” I hissed. I crawled towards a tree and settled my head against it. “What is going on with my life?”

One moment I’m at university, worrying about an exam. The next, I lost my younger brother without any memory of what happened.

I close my eyes, “Calm down, Soph. Calm down and try to remember what happened.”

I exhale a sharp breath, “You thought you lost Arlo, who went to his friend’s house. Friend’s mom took him home. He fell asleep inside your room. Then, Jake got mad. Arlo dropped the cake.” I flinched when I remembered the beat up. “Arlo got sick. You were going to take Arlo to Bailee’s house. Then-”

The memories returned. While I was biking to Bailee’s house, we ran into a kidnapping incident. I biked back into the forest to get away but slipped. The building. I carried Arlo inside to hide from the kidnappers and heard some voices. Called for help. Kidnappers appeared and-

I shuddered at the sound of gunshots.

I got shot.

I place a hand on my chest.

There’s no wound.

Once the calmness arrives, I realize the state of my legs. Was it always this small? I turned my leg from left to right. It’s tiny. I look at my hands and wiggle my fingers. It’s also tiny. So tiny.

My small hands lathered down the dress.

Dress.

Am I wearing a dress?

I remember leaving the house with pants and a shirt.

My fingers curled against the dress, and I laughed. “What?” I stood up and walked towards a random direction. I don’t know where I am. “What is going on? What is going-” I couldn’t stop crying. How can I not cry in a situation like this?

No sane person would keep complete calm.

“I told you-” a voice, “that’s not the direction.” I can hear a voice and understand what he’s saying, but the language sounds unfamiliar. “We-” I popped out of the bush and saw two men in odd clothing. They dress like they belong in a historical movie, but at the same time - modern. I stood there and stared at the two giant men in front of me. They’re tall. I know I’m not the tallest woman, but I should’ve only reached a man’s leg. One of them kneels, “Are you okay young lady?”

I grabbed his sleeve, “There are kidnappers nearby. My younger brother and I tried to get away, but somehow I ended up here. I don’t know where my younger brother is, and I really need help. Please. Please. Please.” The more I talked, the more the words merged until it became gibberish.

“Hey. Hey,” the man said. “I want you to take a deep breath for me. Okay?”

I nod and inhale a deep breath. My lip shakes, and I can take the salty water.

He turns towards his friend, “Let’s take her to town. We’ll hunt for the leviathan another day.”

Leviathan?

He turns his attention back to me, “Can you walk?”

I shook my head. I feel as if I can collapse any second. Before I can suggest grabbing a large stick to support my body, the man scooped me up in his arms as if I’m a child.

I grabbed his shirt, “What are you doing?”

“Child. You’re about to collapse any second.”

Child? “Child?” I question. If he weren’t helping me, I would’ve slapped his face for calling me a child. I’m a full-fledged woman. Give or take, it wouldn’t be bad to be extra developed in certain areas.

“Bring the horses around,” he said to his friend.

Horses? There may be a possibility that I’m near a ranch. But, how did I get near a ranch? The closest ranch to my town is -

I don’t know where the nearest ranch is.

Do I live near a ranch?

My thoughts got disrupted when the other man pulled out two horses. Normally, I wouldn’t freak out when I see animals, but this is different. “What the f**k are those things?” I screamed. I pushed my way out of the man’s arms and hurried my stingy bum back.

In front of me stood two massive beasts. Stripes and spots ran around their bodies. It’s as if a tiger and leopard tag team and ate two horses then took the animal’s shape. What stood out isn’t the cover of the horse looking creature or the giant antlers on its head, preferably the size.

It’s f*****g enormous.

“f**k?” The man who held me repeated. He crouches down, “Young miss. I don’t know you’re parents, but I’m doubtful they would approve of you using such foul language.”

I look at him, “Excuse me?” I question. Does he not see the monster in front of him?

He exhales a sharp breath, “Come. Let’s find your parents.”

“My parents are dead,” I said.

“You’re parents passed?” The one behind him asks.

I nod, “Yes.”

“Then, who is watching you?” The one in front of me asks.

“Well, I’m old enough to watch myself,” I respond.

“You’re an orphan?”

I shook my head, “Well...Yeah.” Or I used to be one. After all, an orphan is someone who lost one or more parents. I did lose both of mine. “But I’m living with my older brother.”

“That’s good.”

Not really.

“What’s your address?”

“1445 Sunny Road.”

“That’s odd,” the man behind him said. “Never heard an address like that.”

“We live in Oaksverd.”

“Oaksverd?” They both repeated.

“You know, the town?”

The man in front of me scrunches his face, “What’s it nearby?”

I scratch my head, “MistVille.”

“MistVille?”

“Well, they’re not beside each other, but you have to pass that town to get to ours. We’re separated by like a mountain.” With each word, the height of my voice dropped. How far am I from my town for them to not know it? “Excuse me?”

“Yes?”

“Where exactly am I?” A question I should’ve asked from the start. I was too busy freaking out that I lost my young brother and the monsters. The longer I look at them, the more arrogant they become. Like they’re taunting me.

“Statuveck.”

“Never never of it.”

“Small town.” Really small. “It’s probably better to say we’re in Titan Arum.”

“Titan Arum?” That name sounds familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it.

“Judging by the way you dressed. You’re quite sheltered, aren’t you, young lady?”

I looked down and grabbed a handful of the dirty dress. Now, with a closer look and a rational brain, I realized the cost of the outfit. The outfit I wasn’t in. “I’m confused.”

“Judging by how you look, you’ve even through quite a lot. Confusion is normal.”

“Yes, but-” I look at the giant men and enormous weird creatures. I would’ve freaked out some more, but my emotional meter is at a stop. Those creatures haven’t done anything except give me arrogant looks. “This situation... doesn’t seem normal.” I stared back down to my small hands. “Something is...off.” I look back up, “Why is everything so big?” It took me a while to process my current situation.

“Big? We’re average. You’re just a small young lady.”

“Small?” I parrot him. I felt my face, and my hands clamp onto the chunk of fat. I don’t remember my cheeks being this chubby. “Do you happen to have a mirror?”

“Mirror?” He scratches his head, “No use for mirrors when we’re out hunting.” The other guy laughs. “But, we do have a shield.”

“May I borrow it?”

He looks at the snickering guy behind him and gestures at him to bring the shield. The guy untied the shield from the weird creature and set it in front of me.

I stared at the small girl in front of me.

I stepped left.

She did the same.

I stepped right.

She also did the same thing.

I slapped my cheeks.

It hurts.

It’s not a dream.

I placed a hand against the cold steel and leaped back—definitely reality. “W-What’s going on? Why am I in a child’s body?” I felt my small stature. “Why? Who? What?"

I inhaled a sharp breath—one after another.

“Young lady? You don’t look we-”

The man’s voice fades slowly as the sound of heartbeats overtakes.

Then, darkness.

I know it’s not a good sign that the first thing I saw was a large snake-like tail in the middle of the blue lake.

I vomited on the man that carried me.

My fingers curled against the tree bark, and I vomited again. I’m surprised such a fragile body had so much food. It wasn’t long until the brown puke turned yellow.

That’s not a good sign.

Yellow-colored puke indicates bile. More than once can lead to a medical problem.

I should stop throwing up.

Then again, wouldn’t it make sense for me to be so shocked that I threw up?

I mean, there’s a lizard that’s flying above me—a tiny baby ass blue furry lizard with a tail frolicking in the leaves.

The man pats my back, “You must not be used to riding horses.”

Yeah. That’s it. “What are those things up there?”

“You don’t go out much, do you miss?”

I shook my head, “You can say this is the first time I’ve stepped foot into this world.” I cannot believe I’m able to understand and speak whatever language this may be.

“Those are dracos. Be wary of them. They may seem innocent with their big ole eyes.” Innocent my ass. Those eyes are the eyes of freaks. “But, get close to them, and they’ll bite your skin off.”

One of them flew close to me, and I slapped its face away when it tried to bite me.

“You’re a brave little girl, aren’t you?”

I wish he would stop talking to me as if I’m a child.

If he weren’t so nice, I would’ve slapped him too.

Right now, I’m not the nicest person.

“What’s your name?” I ask.

His friend handed him a bottle of water, and he gave it to me. “The name is Micah, and the guy behind me is Aryan. You?”

I washed my mouth with the first sip and drank the second one. “Sophia.”

He smiles, “Pretty name for a pretty girl.”

“What’s with all the stuff?” There are so many questions I want to ask, but I forced myself to swallow it down.

“We’re hunters,” Micah responds proudly.

“Hunters?”

“Yup.” He pulled out a metal. “Certified Beasts Hunters.” I stared at the round silver metal case with odd engraved looking beasts around what seems to be foreign writing. It’s the alphabet - CBH. I don’t know which is scarier; the weird creatures all around me or how nice the strangers in front of me seem to be. There’s a part of me that believes it’s an act.

“Oh,” I respond blandly. I don’t know how else to respond. Everything is a giant case of confusion.

I’m stuck in a little girl’s body in an unknown world with monsters where I can speak, read, and hear languages that shouldn’t exist.

Perhaps, this language does exist in another part of the world, but it doesn’t explain the odd creatures.

“What’s wrong young lady?” Micah asks.

“I feel like I don’t belong in this world.”

Micah pat my head, “Don’t we all. But don’t worry.” He grins, “The guy back there, and I will help you find your family. It may take time, but things often have a way of sorting itself out.