The rabbit chewed on grass. It was all its mind was concerned with. Such an unpretentious life that ignored the tribulations of supposed higher lifeforms. Or, perhaps, ridiculed.

Which was the superior species? That torching the world whilst worrying about irrelevancies? That tending only to instinct, not fretting on incidentals, such fretting not even being a part of their being? Only one would champion their might. The other wouldn't care.

The animal hopped along twice and stopped to sniff at the air. Sensing no threats, it continued eating with the sun's warmth on its back. Belly filled, it paused. The wind had stalled unexpectedly, and the sudden change was unnerving.

It would have taken further steps, but the growl and the lunge and the tearing of flesh and crunching of bones stopped it.

Its heart stuttered, then halted. The monster, whose thoughts reached not even as far as the rabbit, devoured it with ferocious abandon. Once done, the beast grunted and ran on. Its needs were singular. There was no judgement. No guilt. Only endless hunger.

One might consider the monster to be the freest. One might envy the simplicity of its existence. Indeed, in all the world, only one did. An individual aware of secrets only a few knew.

Mostly, this had been by chance. The stumblings of a lost adventurer. A drunken miller's repeated dream. The playtime imaginings of a special boy and his toy Gargoyle.

And the incessant quest of someone unable to believe tales of the world's origins.

And the incessant quest of someone who was unable to believe the stories of the world's origins. A heretic, perhaps, or a visionary. Such was an argument they'd had with themself. When they discovered the truth, they didn't entirely believe it, but it gave them cause to question everything, including the worth of the creature some called, incorrectly, Zombie. They were known by many names. Oskar was given by their parents, but that had been so long ago, they could no longer recall faces or names. It had suited them in their youth, when they had yet to find their true identity, and had yet to try on numerous others on along their journey. Wanderer was given by the spreaders of rumours, hearing of a lone figure who'd been walking forever.

An impossibility, of course, but rumours care little of truth or possibilities.

Their most recent moniker, and the longest held, was given by them. It represented not who they had been, but who they wanted to be. Who they were going to be going forth. It quickly became legendary, and not through any longings for fame. The legend grew from the innate talent they exhibited in everything they created.

The monster had disappeared over a far hill. Evidence of its passing would still be where it attacked the rabbit. Its kind didn't usually wander this close to their home, and they wondered if it a concern. They stepped inside their home and rested their hand on a long workbench, palm upwards.

After a few seconds, a pale blue light illuminated a pile of random parts collected on many foraging trips. Without moving any of the haphazardly positioned pieces of everything - cogs, strips of metal, a dirty yellow duck made from a strange material - a spider-like leg stretched out. It was followed, with the whir of tiny parts, by another. Crawling from the hiding place was a flat-bottomed dome attached to a dozen, multi-jointed bronze legs. Three antennae were atop the dome, each ending in a barely visible lens.

The mechanical spider scurried across the bench into its master's hand. Outside again, the Toymaster bent and placed the spider onto the ground. They were respectful of their creations. All were imbued with thought. All were aware. All deserved the respect they afforded their master.

The Toymaster wasn't master to anyone or anything, but the toys would revere them anyway.

"Could you make sure the area is cleaned, Shevin?" they asked, pointing towards the rabbit's mauling. "Recover any evidence."

The spider whistled a cheerful tune

"Thank you. And as you oil yourself at least once an hour, I'm sure I won't be giving you a service on your return."

Shevin whistled again. It didn't have the capacity for speech, but the forcing of steam through narrow vents in its body was enough to carry all the vocabulary it needed.

"Hush now," said the Toymaster, smiling. "You know I don't mean it."

Shevin didn't need to turn. It could move and see in all directions, so any way was forward. Without responding, it was away, the only indication of its path being the rapidly parting grass it passed through.

The Toymaster looked up. They adjusted their glasses so the lenses swapped to those with finely spaced gradients. Facing the sun, they tilted their head slightly. A filter slotted into place to reduce glare, then the lenses rotated individually. Once the exact time had been determined, they looked straight ahead again. The glass discs moved once more, and the clear, slightly magnified regular lenses came to the fore.

"He'll be here soon," they said loudly. "We have time for a walk, if you'd like."

Goliath, the Gargoyle rescued from the weapons of a group of foolhardy poachers, shook her head, throwing drool from the tips of her fangs, and growled loudly.

"I know," they said. "But what choice do we have"

Goliath snorted, but bent forward, and the Toymaster reached up to grab one of the beast's horns. She twisted her head sideways, causing the Toymaster's hand to slip in between her thick lips. They pulled their hand out quickly and wiped the mucus on the Gargoyle's neck. Goliath grumbled.

"If you don't like your own spit, don't try eating my hand."

Goliath returned to the mounting posture, and the Toymaster climbed up.

"Let's go," they said.

She snorted her pleasure and was rewarded with a playful pat on her massive head. Her wings flexed, stretching to feel the sun's rays.

"Damn!" exclaimed the Toymaster. "He's here already. No one is ever early."

Goliath protested her disappointment but turned back.

"No," the Toymaster said. "Let's go meet him."

Theysteered their steed towards the Grimace, the immense forest bordering theirhome. The trees, used to the Gargoyle's size, bent slightly to allow it passage. Soon, voices could be heard.

"Don't worry," Alexis was saying to the mechanical, much smaller version of Goliath he carried. "They're friends"

"Indeed, we are," they said, smiling. "Welcome back, Alexis. I see you've brought a friend."

Alexis bounded towards the beast and her rider, clearly used to the company of both. Boxer couldn't understand how, as the pair were inseparable. When Alexis rested his hand on the real Gargoyle's thick thigh, the toy felt something he assumed was jealousy.

They were interrupted by movement from the edge of the forest.

"Ah, Shevin's returned! Let's see what treats he's brought us."

The motorised spider emerged from the trees, dragging something heavy. Obscured by the undergrowth, the object wasn't immediately obvious, but it weighed enough to make movement a struggle.

"No!"

Boxer's cry brought all attention his way, but his eyes were on Shevin's cargo. By the time they'd looked back to the spider, Shevin was no longer dragging anything. The zombie it was pulling had reached up and grabbed the many spindled machine. It was on its knees, smashing Shevin against the ground. Several legs had broken, but the body was withstanding the onslaught, enraging the zombie.

Then, it glanced up, saw the onlookers and there was food.

It scrambled up, charging towards the new targets. Its eyes were red, as if the capillaries had exploded and filled the orbs with blood. Half of its jaw was hanging loose and didn't quite connect when the mouth snapped shut. Its hands were grabbing and grabbing and grabbing.

Alexis screamed and clutched Boxer tightly.

The Toymaster was thrown off as Goliath rose up. Her fangs elongated, the sound of ripping gums accompanying the growth. Claws became talons. Wings extended.

She lurched forward and swatted the zombie from its path. It smashed into a tree with enough force to audibly break bark and bones.

Still, its need for the depraved sustenance was too powerful. It crawled towards Alexis, digging its fingers into the dirt in a way disturbingly similar to Shevin's movement.

A single beat of Goliath's wings propelling her on top of the zombie. With a single bite, an arm was savagely chewed off. The Gargoyle spat the limb aside then flipped the zombie away, dismissively. Without aim, it landed where the Fates willed.

Beside Alexis.

The boy screamed again. He wanted to run. To hide. To be anywhere else. He was a fool to come and see his new friends. Were they even friends at all? What did he know about them, that they brought monsters into their home?

He couldn't move, however. His earlier joyous disregard had vanished, as had any control over his body.

The zombie's remaining hand gripped his leg. Boxer tried to shake free of the boy's grip, desperate to save his ward. The Toymaster ran forwards alongside their Gargoyle, surprisingly keeping apace.

The distance between them wasn't far, but it was far enough. Rotten teeth bit down hard, piercing the skin, and Alexis stood suddenly rigid. The zombie began to shake, and a fierce tremor shook it free, leaving molars behind. Once released, Alexis collapsed as if stone had become fluid. The creature's shaking became more violent, bouncing it off the ground. Its head hit a rock and the skull split apart, discharging its putrid contents. With the quaking increasing in vehemence, its body began to liquefy, spraying globules of viscous muck in all directions.

The Toymaster and Goliath stopped, both staring in disbelief. Boxer, now able to move, was attempting to rouse Alexis.

As they watched, the trembling subsided, but not because of the zombie's recovery. Its innards were visible, though they were also melting, dissolving as they touched the earth. The bones of its skeleton, once revealed, dripped until there was nothing left on them.

Alexis moaned and the Toymaster helped him to his feet. The boy avoided looking at the zombie's remains, instead inspecting his arm. Boxer was already searching for medicinal leaves to lay over the wound, but they wouldn't be necessary. The bite marks were lightening. The puncture marks were sealing. As they watched, the damage faded, leaving smooth skin.

"Wha... what happened...?"

Boxer's insides whirred, as if thinking, and his metal brow creased. He looked to the Toymaster.

"I think it's time", he said.

"Time for what?" Alexis asked. "What just happened?"

"I think our little friend means the truth," said the Toymaster.

Their face was a mix of relief and sadness, as if a weight had been lifted, but another, much heavier, had taken its place. They took Alexis' arm and touched where the bite should have been.

"You need to... to go away for a while, I'm afraid."

"Away? Why? I think I just need to go home. I'm going to go home."

"I'm afraid that's not possible now, at least not yet. Besides, that's never been your home."

"I don't understand. I've never lived anywhere else."

Alexis started to walk away. He wiped his eyes to stop any tears before they dared appear. Boxer stood in his way.

"The Toymaster is right, my friend. Listen to them. You need to."

"Why? I don't want to. I don't like this."

"None of us do," said the Toymaster. "But there's a disease running rampant, taking more lives every day. Since the Fall, it's only been getting worse."

"So? We're safe in Paraborn."

"Nowhere is. We can fool ourselves and ignore the state of the world, but that doesn't mean we, ourselves, will be ignored."

"But what about my arm, and... that..."

He pointed at the slowly disintegrating ribcage.

"You're a special boy, Alexis. I wish it could be... No... That's a lie. I don't wish it could be another way. This is how it is, and that's that. You have to go."

"That's what I've been saying!"

"No. You have to find something. It's the year 2525. We know that, but we don't know what we've been counting from. We just count, adding add one on every time. If we want to see 2526, you'll do this."

"Why me?"

"Alexis. Do you feel ill after being bitten?"

Alexis shook his head. He didn't. In fact, his usual breathlessness was gone, and he felt energised.

The Toymaster held a finger and went inside. They returned holding the duck shaped object Shevin had rested under. They handed it to the boy.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. Possibly a toy, but I don't recognise the material. Turn it over."

Alexis did so. There was a small hole with markings around it.

"Is that writing?"

"I believe so. Perhaps the name of its creator. I've only seen such markings once before."

"Where was that?"

"With the Inscribed."

"Who?"

"Don't they teach you anything anymore?"

"You're not making sense," Alexis said, wanting to take his toy and go home.

"I know. None of this does. It hasn't for a long time."

Welcome, Sinners, to my latest entry to the LayethTheSmackDown Genre Mashup Smackdown. As you can see, this chapter follows on, again, from those before. I feel a distinct steampunk/horror/fantasy story coming on!

This was a challenging chapter, and not because I had to include a rabbit, a dirty toy duck and the song In the Year 2525, by Zager and Evans! No, in fact it was because the story was 3,000 words long when I completed it. It took me longer to reduce it to 2,000 words than it did to write it in the first place!

So, I wonder where the next prompt will take Alexis, Boxer, Goliath, the Toymaster or Barry (remember him?). Also, who are the Inscribed? Well, I know, and I hope you find out!

See you next time!

https://youtu.be/izQB2-Kmiic

Oh, I just wanted to mention I had SO much fun creating the cover for this chapter. I used allenlau's Ideogram.ai image creator, and the results (of which this cover is just one) were brilliant!