[Short Story] Close Call

A demonoid boy and his half-human half-brother venture out into the desert in a search for adventure.

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This is a short story I drafted on the way to Berlin last year. I haven't written anything in a long time so it took me a while to edit this. Anyway, here's a bit of backstory for Azur and his half-brother Garrett, who belongs to my boyfriend. Thanks Ryn for giving this one a first look! 

Let me know if you spot any mistakes! <3

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Azur’s first close call with death happened over two dozen years ago. 

Oddly enough, it did not happen within the borders of the desert city he grew up in. Back then, these streets - dusty and dangerous as they were - served as a playground for the young demonoid and his half-brother Garrett. Their adventures often happened in between street food stalls or within abandoned buildings. Whenever that got too boring, they ventured into the city’s very own junkyard, which was littered with old machinery, wood and metal. But eventually, even the piles of junk had lost their appeal, and the two brothers began patrolling the city’s border - which was more of a tall fence, a symbolic warning of the dangers beyond.

“Whatever you do,” their mother had often warned, “You must never leave this place. Not until you are old enough to defend yourselves, at least. The desert is dangerous, vast and unforgiving.”

“But we’d come back!” Azur had reassured her.

“You know how hard it is to see during the storms within the city, and how you’re told to wait inside until they pass? There’s nowhere to hide in the desert. You might not be able to return.”

Azur had accepted this, and as a result, he and Garrett had never gone beyond the border.

On this particular morning, the two young boys walked along the fence, kicking around small pebbles on the ground. 

“I do wonder what’s out there.” Azur said, dragging a wooden stick across the fencing, his spiked tail swinging playfully.

“Well, there’s construction. They’ve been building these roads for ages!” Garrett responded.

“No, that’s in the west. I mean here!” Azur said, pointing at the vast nothingness beyond the fence. “They’re not building anything there. Why?”

“Who knows? It’s not like we’ll find out anytime soon.” Garrett said with a sigh.

Azur kicked another pebble off into the distance, watching it bounce across the dusty ground, before landing in a small hole next to the fence. He raised an eyebrow and went over to investigate.

What he found was a hole that had been dug underneath the fence, just big enough for a small child to squeeze through. With a bit of work, they could widen it…

“Garrett, help me with this!” Azur had already started digging, shoveling sand aside using his bare hands. “Let’s see what’s out there. Just for a bit.”

Unable to resist his curiosity, his brother helped him expand the hole, which looked like it had originally been dug by a small animal. A desert fox, perhaps. Whatever it was, it had picked the perfect spot, hidden behind a bush near an alley that didn’t get much traffic during the day.

Finally, they were able to squeeze through the hole, emerging on the other side of the fence one after another.

“We did it!” Azur said, turning to Garrett. “Did you hear there’s treasure out here?”

“No way.”

“I’m sure there is.” Azur said with a nod. “Follow me.”

The two brothers began walking away from the city, with the sun watching over them. Out here, they realized how hot it was, with no buildings to provide them shade or shelter. However, it didn’t stop them -- if the legends were true, they would eventually run into an oasis, or even a cave filled with water and riches. They just had to keep walking.

Eventually, an hour had passed. The city was still in their view, but they hadn’t encountered much more than sand and rocks. Occasionally, they had spotted a couple of lizards - which disappeared into the sand as soon as the brothers had approached them.

After unsuccessfully trying to catch one particularly colorful lizard, Garrett sat down, sighing heavily.

“I’m sick of walking in this boring desert!” 

Azur walked up to Garrett, his tail swinging behind, drawing fine lines into the sand. He kept walking past him and for another two to three meters, before sitting down and leaning forward.

“I have an idea,” he said to Garrett. “These little buggers disappear when we move, right? So let’s sit still for a moment.”

“And then what?” Garrett pouted.

“We play a game. Whoever catches the coolest, most colorful lizard wins. I heard there’s one with two bright red tails!”

Garrett crossed his arms, his gaze focused on Azur.

“I’m winning this one,” he said after a brief pause.

“We’ll see about that. Now stop talking and wait.”

And with that, Azur turned around, facing away from Garrett, who followed suit and did the same. Whenever playing a game like this, they would part ways as a means of hiding their strategy. Nothing but the final result mattered in the end. 

The sun traveled across the sky as noon approached, bringing intense heat that let the air vibrate in the distance. They could hear a faint breeze and a low hum, as the sounds from the city made their way through the landscape. 

Garrett surveyed the sand in front of him, looking for any sign of movement or life. But seeing how there had been nothing for the past half hour or so, he was starting to tire of this game. 

Finally, he broke their rules and spoke out to his half-brother. 

"Did you find any yet?" 

Azur didn't respond.

"Can we leave?" Garrett sighed, turning around to face Azur - only to find out that he was alone. The spot on which Azur sat not long ago had been deserted, with no footsteps leading away from it. 

Much like the lizards, Azur had disappeared. 

Garrett, now standing upright and desperately trying to figure out where Azur had gone, felt his heart drop. Panic built up inside him. How was he supposed to explain this? Should he even head back home alone? What if a storm came?

Azur often rigged games in his favour, but running away was not something he’d ever do - he was too proud for that. Something was off about this. Without thinking further, Garrett started walking back, constantly scanning the barren area.

He passed one dune after another, until his nose picked up a familiar scent of iron. Not much later he found its source: Just a few meters away, Azur laid face down in the sand, unmoving.

“Azur!”

Garrett ran up to him, almost tripping in the soft ground beneath his feet, and just so caught a glimpse of two bright red tails disappearing in the sand.

He fell to his knees and gave Azur a shove, turning him around to examine his face. Dried blood coated the corners of his half-brother’s mouth, which stood slightly agape. He was breathing, albeit shallowly. When he opened his eyes, Garrett could see that they were bloodshot.

“What happened?!” Garrett cried out, now panicking for real. “Can you get up?”

Azur let out a cough and weakly raised his arm to show Garrett a small wound. A bite, from the looks of it. It was red, swollen and ugly.

“Where’s your lizard, brother?” Azur let out between coughs. He tried his best to laugh, only worsening his coughing fit.

“Shut up!”

That was the last he remembered. He could’ve sworn that Garrett had said more, but Azur had lost consciousness before processing his brother’s words. 

The remainder of that day was but a blurry, chaotic memory. Garrett must have managed to carry him home or get help, saving Azur’s life.

To this day, the thought alone enraged Azur. Garrett had always been the favoured one, the one who did everything right. Almost human, and thus better than Azur could ever be. 

The bite of the devil-tailed lizard will cause your lungs to fill with water and blood, drowning you in the middle of the desert. In nature, its bright colors serve as a warning to stay far away from this creature. 

It could’ve been that easy. All he had to do was catch the lizard, declare victory and let it fall into Garrett’s hands…

Until his plan backfired and almost killed him.

Azur’s first close call with death was an accident. He swore to make sure that would never happen again.

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For reference, here are pics of Azur and Garrett as adults:

And our little lizard friend: