Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 3 2018 | Page 368

Sha Seng shrieked, as he could not touch water. Sun Wukong jumped in to prevent water from getting to Sha Seng. “Aw, come on! My flower crown is wet. That took literal hours!” “Don’t worry about that now, there’s still water on Sha Seng!” Zhu Bajie cried. It was too late. Water got into his ears, and disintegrated them. Sha Seng had turned deaf. He couldn’t hear the odd girl’s loud cackle, sending shivers down Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie’s spine. Sun Wukong sensed that this was no girl, but a monster. A demon, to be precise. “Who are you?” Sun Wukong backed up, reaching for his weapon, to no avail. The demon, didn’t reply. She stepped back, revealing her true form. A fox-human hybrid wielding a sword. She unlocked the cage doors that were locking the three prisoners in. Raising her weapon, she approached Sun Wukong - when suddenly, a loud noise was heard. People coming down the stairs. Startled, the demon dropped her weapon, and taking the opportunity, Sun Wukong snatched the weapon. He then quickly stabbed the demon, causing her to disintegrate. The dust slowly disappeared into the air. In front of the three heroes, the group of people that welcomed them into the village were now standing before them, but now they looked a lot more sinister. “You killed her.” The leader of the group said. “Prepare for your death.” Sun Wukong gripped his weapon tightly, and narrowed his eyes. “Guys,” he whispered to Sha Seng and Zhu Bajie. “Yeah?” “I’ll hold them back. Try to escape and find Master Xuanzang.” “Of course. You’re always the one fighting the bad guys.” Zhu Bajie said, rolling his eyes. Sha Seng couldn’t hear Sun Wukong, but he understood from his expression. “Just go,” the Monkey King said, grimacing. They slipped away, up the stairs, looking for Xuanzang. “Who’s first?” A wolf demon charged towards Sun Wukong, but he just grabbed its jaw and stabbed the sword in its eye. Another demon flew forwards. A raven. It ravenously pecked at his arm, but he just grabbed the tail and yanked on it. With one swift stroke, the raven dropped to the ground. A group of demons fled, frightened. “Ha. Cowards. I’ll show you a real challenge.” The master cracked his knuckles, and stared deep into Sun Wukong eyes. “Can you guess what demon I am? A horse? A panda?” He chuckled. “No. I am a lion. A merciless lion.” Right on cue, he turned into a massive, resentful lion. Sun Wukong charged forward as he pounced. “Where is Master?” Zhu Bajie said. They had been roaming the whole place, searching for him. Houses, sheds… Xuanzang was nowhere to be found. They ran into the forest, cracking branches and twigs. They could hear someone shouting. “Master? Master!” Xuanzang had been tied to a tree in the middle of the forest. Fumbling with the ropes, Sha Seng untied him from the tree. “What happened to your ears?” Xuanzang asked. “What?” Sha Seng shouted. “He can’t hear you… No time to explain.”