Horizon of Darkness

“Ugh, what kind of vile creature is this…” Joe surveyed his tattered clothes. Combined with the existing holes from weapons, time, and the weather, his favorite (and only) travel cloak now resembled a sieve for cleaning rice grains. “I’m telling you, something strange is going on,” added the old pirate, stating the obvious. “Usually, these cowardly creatures are the first to jump off the ship and into the water, but not this time… And they’re not cornered, and they seem to have enough food, but they’re acting like they’ve all been struck by madness at once… No, something is definitely wrong with this town.” In one gulp, Joe finished the rest of his rum, tossed the bottle into the drain, and limped towards the corpse. “Yeah, hic… I hope this isn’t one of our missing comrades… A terrible death,” he sighed heavily, shaking his head.