Venom Is Hidden Behind Beauty [Ahmoria Mayy]

WELL, LATE AT NIGHT, WHEN YOU'RE SLEEPING,

Job Description:

Ahmoria loved plants, but to clarify the word plants, she loved plants that were considered naturally grown, not the cultivated crops that farmers grew. She had this idealistic sense in her head that only the natural plants of the world were what were meant to prevail in the end. Crops such as grown corn, soybeans, and wheat were considered plants not worthy of her time and would soon meet their end. They lived and grew, but once the farmers were done with them, they would chop them down and rip them out of the ground. Honestly, she hated seeing that because the one thing in that end that came out of it was that the plants were never allowed to regrow. Sure it was during the seasons in which plants were meant to bloom and produce their crop, and that they would hibernate in the colder seasons, but it wasn’t the same. Human-grown plants were distasteful to her and she didn’t like knowing that her hands didn’t help nurture and encourage them to grow.

When she had seen this job request placed up on the job board, she did not hesitate to rip it down from its place and sign up for it. No one, but she, would touch and burn those plants down because she wanted to see as the flames went ablaze in Mr. Jekis’s yard. She wanted to assure that everything located on that “owned property” would burn to the ground and be left in ash and dust. Not even the barn full of animals or the home, in which Mr. Jekis lived, would remain alive and booming for all the world to see. No, the people of Neutral Grounds would be able to watch as the most hated and prized farmer’s land caught in flames of fury. The very thought of it made the plant demoness smile wickedly and her fingers curl in anticipation of the torch in her hands. However, she never once thought how the flame’s heat would burn her and smolder against her skin, making her want to drop it.

Her hand was diligently wrapped around the torch that she would use to fuel the fire as she spread gasoline all over the yard. Yet, it wouldn’t be the crops or animals to go first; no, her first thought was to head straight for the home of the farmer, himself. Ramaham trotted at her side, shifting its starfished head from side-to-side as it somehow listened to its surroundings and expected the worst. Ahmoria reached down and lightly patted it on the shoulders, then turned off the beaten path and toward the white, glorious home of Mr. Jekis. She prayed and hoped that that old man would be sleeping in his bed, especially since it was getting around to being past dusk. However, she also knew that farmers had a tendency to stay out in their fields even until daybreak, something she absolutely hated. “Here, Ramaham, take this torch while I spread the gas around the house; it shouldn’t be long before this place catches fire.”

The beast took the torch from her hands and held the fire away from its body as best as it could and she picked up the can of gasoline. Slowly, the duo worked around the house, splashing gasoline and dumping it all over the structure until the can was completely gone. Ahmoria wiped her brow as if she was sweating from all that work, but in reality, not a single drop of sweat caressed her face. After which, the woman stood back and clicked her tongue at the canine-like being, who twisted its head lightly and tossed the torch. Instantaneously, the home went up in flames, ignited by the gasoline, as it billowed around in a fury of heat and fire. It was then that Mori heard the screaming of a man, yelling in her direction as if he had become aware of what she was doing. Her eyes lit up and she turned away from the burning building, picking up her extra gas cans and torch sticks before running away.

“Take care of Mr. Jekis, Ramaham; we can’t afford him thwarting all the work we went through!” she ordered the plant beast. An unnoticeable nod of Ramaham’s head went in her direction and the beast charged the farmer, stretching out its clawed feet and tackling the farmer to the ground. A hoe dug into the side of Ramaham’s body, but it only spurted out blood that caused an acidic reaction on the farmer’s skin. Boils and ashes appeared on the man’s arms as he struggled beneath the beast, uselessly flailing around his hoe to get free. Keeping the man pinned down was a lot easier than Ahmoria had thought it was going to be and while Ramaham kept him down, she worked on the barn. She ignited a torch in her hand and grabbed a can of gasoline, splashing its contents onto the outer walls of the structure before heading in. The woman eventually came back out of the barn and tossed the torch inside, watching as the barn, too, went up in flames.

Of all the things to save last, Ahmoria saved the crops last because no matter how much she hated cultivated plants, they were still plants. She ignited the last of the torches in her hand and looked to the dry, crisp plants as they were getting ready to be taken down. Without hesitation, the woman tossed the torch into the crops and watched as their brittle bodies became engulfed in the orange flames. By now, Ramaham was feasting on body of Mr. Jekis, gulping him down as a meal, but Ahmoria, she simply stood there. After a few moments had passed by, however, the woman clicked her tongue at her pet and began walking solemnly away from the fields. Her hands nimbly grabbed onto the soft, plant-like flesh of the beast and she hopped onto its back as its speeds picked up. This was the last that they would ever see of Mr. Jekis’s place and what remained would be ash and that was all.