The King Will Rise

The sweat ran down the back of Zach's neck. "Dude I'm dying in this heat!! Are we almost there?" Zach asked Ralph. Ralph looked at his map acting like he knew where he was going, but honestly, he got lost about an hour ago and was hoping it would just workout. "Ye..ye...yeah" Ralph studdered back. The group continued to walk through the muggy humid Flordia swamp. "I don't mean to be negative." Noelle whispered to Zach's, he slowed down to hear her."I think we are totally lost, and Ralph doesn't want to admit it..." Micheal slowed down when he overheard Noelle. "The guy doesn't have a clue, but he is still a genius and has been studying where these remains are for the past 10 years. I'm sure it will work out." Micheal smiled at them and then sped up to Ralph. "I think he's forgetting we have been researching the same thing, We work together" Zach whispered to Noelle while rolling his eyes, She giggled back and they caught up with Micheal and Ralph.

"Ahh!!" Ralph yelled as his foot sunk into 10ins of mud. "Gross! This is so un... un... unsanitary." Ralph was trying to pull out his leg with his string bean arms. "It's a swamp Bro, What were you expecting? We'd just find missing remains that have been sought after for the past 300yrs on a silver platter." Zach chuckled as his buff caveman arms wrapped around Ralph's torso, pulling him straight out of the mud. "I knew it wasn't going to be e... e...easy. But I didn't know it would be this g...gr...gross." You could hear the frustration in his voice. "Hey it's cool man, We will find it." Micheal pat Ralph's back. "I guess that's what you get when your friend is a genius, a fanboy who will kiss butt till he gets partial credit." Zach sarcastically commented. "What did you say?!?" Micheal sounded threatening but he was half Zach's height and body weight. "Just saying bro, Ralph is a grown man! He needs to talk responsibility for getting our asses lost and not your head up his ass!" Zach walked over to Micheal now towering over him, but that didn't stop Micheal from trying to get in his face. "Hey! Little girls! If you're done comparing dicks get over here! I found something!!" Noelle shouted from 30 feet away

The guys rushed over to see this huge pound. "WOW! you found a pound in a swamp!" Micheal said sarcastically. "Not the pound you idiot, THAT!" She pounded toward the middle of the pound. A Golden staff was sticking out the middle of the pound, it was very thin and old, might even be mistaken as a long stick. "His S....Sta....Staff!" Ralph dropped his big bag, grabbed out one of his journals, and started flipping through the pages. "Damn dude I think you're right. Great find!" Zach put his huge hand on Noelle's shoulder, she smiled feeling proud they finally have a lead. "Alright, Bro! Go get it!" Zach shoved Micheal toward the edge. "The Hell I am! There could be crocodiles or snakes!" Micheal quickly walked to get behind the group. "Dou... Doubt it. Crocodiles don't live in this area. All...alligators do." Ralph said while he contunied to skim through his journal looking for something. "I mean you did say you wanted to help," Noelle said as she crossed her arm. Micheal was feeling the pressure now. "Fine, I ain't no Bitch." Micheal stormed over to the water. "WAA...WAIT!! Ralph found the page he was looking for and grabbed Micheal before he went into the water. "According to what we have found. Th..That water is at least 6 feet deep of mucky water. It...It is impossible to swim through. Someone needs to W...Walk over. Seeing as M...M...Micheal is only 5.8 he would surely dr...drown." Ralph looked up at Zach "You ho...however are 6.5 and a thicker build... You can eas...easily walk through." Zach sighed, "Fine, I'll go since Micheal is a little bitch" He grinned and walked into the murky water. "Something isn't right about this Ralph. We are lost and fighting and then find a priceless artifact?" Noelle was always the logical one in the group. "Wow you're a glass empty kind of person huh" Micheal's comments were getting on her nerve. "She's right," Ralph started flipping through his notebook again. They stood at the edge of the pound and watched Zach get smaller and smaller as his body was going deep into the water. "BE CAREFUL!!" Noelle hoped that he could hear her. His body slowly started to lift out of the water, he was waist-deep when he reached the staff. He grabbed it and started to wipe it clean. There was small writing on it and he was curious what it read. "Weird. It's in English..." Thinking it would have been in some unknown language. He read it "the king will never be found, for the green light guards his crown, for those who go hunting will be the hunted, the king cannot be found in the swamp ground, for the afterlife now holds his crown" Zach felt uneasy about what he had just read. "Maybe its a curse and how is it in English" Zach thought as he touch it "I got it, guys!!" He turned around and started to head back.

They watched his body get lower again into the murcky water. everyone held there breath. Zach was now chest deep, holding the staff above his head. Out of no where a green light zoomed out of the staff and shot straight into the air. As soon as it appered, it was gone. "What the? AHHHH FUCKKKKK!!!" Zach screamed and everyone looked back over to him. An alligator was latched onto his left arm. Blood sprayed everywhere, as Zach tried punching the beast. Everyone stood there staring, comletely helpless. The alligator thrashed and spun around in attept to rip his arm off. Noelle started to scream as she watched Zach's arm get twisted backward, bone snapping through his skin and blood splattering everwhere. "WE HAVE TO HELP!!!" Noelle screamed but didn't know what to do. "Lo...look at the eyes." Ralph pointed at the beast covered in our friend's blood. Neon green eyes. Zach screamed louder then possible as the alligator ripped his arm clean off from the shoulder, and then disapeared into the water. Blood poured out from his shoulder as he conutinued to shriek. "COME OVER TO US!!" Noelle was trying to get his attendion by waving her arms in the air, but out of no where two more alligator came up fast. One latched onto his torso and the other grabbed his left leg. Zach got quiet. Blood spilling out of his mouth, he looked at the staff. With whatever stregth was left he threw it toward the group. Zach locked eyes with Noelle and smiled. She watched as the third alligator came back and they ripped her friend to shreds and dragged him into the water. The water was still. No one moved. The staff was feet away in the water. "FUCK MAN!!" Micheal said what we were all thinking and then did what none of us expected... Ran to the staff grabbed it, and ran away. Noelle and Ralph stared at the water, the water started to shine green and steam came up like fog. "what do we do?" Noelle whispered to Ralph. She looked over at him but his eyes were glued on the water. She looked over to see what he was looking at, as soon as she did she froze. An arm was sticking out, big and musculer. The arm went back under and they watched as the top of a head stuck out, then a head, then chest, then waist, then legs. No one could move. Zach's dead mangaled body was floated above the water. The green light came out of the water and went into his body. Zach's eyes opened, and glowed green. "We need to go." Noelle reached for Ralph but couldn't find him. Looking over at him but his head was on his body backwards. Noelle's throat went dry as she screamed. Zach's body was standing behind Ralph, His big hands were on his head and he contunied to twist. SNAP. Ralphs head came off and his body dropped to the ground. Zach through his head like a melon against the nearest tree and it smashed into pieces. "Z...Zach!!" Noelle could barely get the words out. He slowly floated over to her and she started to step back. Zach's face made her stop. He looked in pain. "Zach? Are you in there?" Zach reached out his hand to her. She locked with his eyes and put her hand in his. "It's going to be okay Zach, we wi...." Her words stopped in her throat. She looked at her arm which was ripped off at the elbow and now in Zach's hand. Looking at him in a daze she watched him grab her other arm and rip it off throwing them into the water. She fell to the ground and Zach grabbed her waist, lifting her into the air. He stuck his hand into her chest, snapping a piece of her rib, taking it and slowly stabbing it into her neck. Her body went limp and he threw her against a tree and watched her body splatter everywhere.

Micheal didn't look back. He just ran and ran. Out of breath and smelling of piss, He tripped over a large rock and hit his head aganist a tree. Dazed he looked up at the sky. A large shadow covered his body and he looked to see his fate. Zach covered in blood, missing arm and chunks of body missing, floating over him on his left. He turned his head to the right to see Noelle, no arms, blood still freshly pouring out, her chest cracked open and what he assumed was a piece of bone sticking out of her neck. The rest of her body smashed like road kill. Micheal sat up to see what could only be Ralph. Head gone. The three of them floated over Micheal and Micheal knew his fate. "This shit isn't worth the credit" He chuckled. Noelle grabbing his right arm and leg, Zach grabbing his left, and Ralph floated above him hands wrapped aroung his neck. It happened in a second. Micheals body got ripped apart and the three of them brought the parts of Micheal back to the pound. Micheals body got thrown in the water. Zach picked up the staff, placing it back where he found it. The green light left their bodies and they dropped like rocks into the murky water.

At the bottem of that pound lay thousands of bones. All trying to find the king. But their fate was sealed by those protecting green eyes. Maybe someday the King will rise, as for today, only more pour souls lead to their demise...