Remnants — Episode 22

Gnats and flies swarmed around his head. Unwashed and unkept, the New King grinned madly through broken teeth, transfixed by the unholy carnage within the church ruins. Upon the concrete floor, dried fluids created a modern mosaic. Skeletons sat straight, many with hands still clasped in prayer or raised in supplication. Their end came quicker than most.

As he turned to leave, the New King stomped on the fallen door, chortled with the question of whether skulls turned, taking him to task for his disrespect. Among the perished, Aunt Trudy, his guardian for the last years of his youth, would be grinning back at him.

Mommy and Daddy had had to go, but he hadn’t counted on Auntie’s unusual punishments, for the slightest of transgressions. She went down with regularity, draining away his sins. His ought to be the cleanest of souls. Often he broke rules just to discover how far she’d go. Always further than he expected. After awhile, he was naughty nearly every day.

Gleeful in the gloom, he did sort of wish Trudy was still around. He’d have to find a new Auntie. He’d show her how to strum his guitar.

After all, he was the King now.

>

Who’s the instigator?

A fly crawled inside his ear. Its tickle made him giggle. Arms outstretched for balance, the New King…