Having dealt with the injury the best she could, she focused on her revenge. It had been floating around her head for some time, thinking about how to kill the beast that did that to her. She took a moment, pondering her situation, looking back on her memories of the harpy, and what situation it was in. Her plan was nothing amazing or special, it was rather simple. She hauled herself into the kitchen and grabbed a knife. Clenching onto the knife and moving towards the exit, she hoped and prayed that the thing was still alive, even just slightly. Edging closer and closer to the harpy, it became clearer that the monster was dead. Its body was limp, its once fluttering and enchanting eyes now closed, its body no longer struggling and its slight movements now faded. Sequoia looked upon the harpy, the thing that ripped her foot away from her, made her feel vulnerable and weak, the thing that actually scared her and simply laughed, so much so that it was making breathing difficult, her face started to hurt from the laughter. She found it hilarious and ironic. The only thing she actually feared in her life, was dead, laying in front of her, lifeless. It seemed ever so big to her but now, even though it was still physically bigger than her, it seemed so small. 

Her laughter stopped abruptly, almost as if she wasn’t laughing before, her face was now stern, soon twisting to anger and frustration. She lifted up the knife and stabbed it, over and over again. She stabbed its head, she stabbed its back, not leaving a single body part alone. As she manically sliced and cut at the thing, the knife and her hand began dripping blood, or at least what she believed was blood. It was black and thick, it oozed out of the body like it was lava flowing down from a volcano. It had lumps in it that, once touched, would burst and a thinner black liquid would run out. During this mess, the girl forgot all about her anger, and the strange feeling crept back up, the feeling that she still couldn’t place her finger on. She eventually managed to pull herself away from the harpy, away from the merciless stabbings. She glanced down at her hands, despite what she thought, it didn’t scare her or make her sad or any of the sort, in fact it was the absolute opposite, she was elated, excited and thrilled. She felt gross at this realization, not at the act itself, not at the feeling of this blood but at how she felt while doing it and even after doing it. She soon calmed herself down, taking deep breaths in and deep breaths out. 

She started to stare off into the distance, considering her next steps. She wanted to try and walk again, or at least limp. She glanced around the road, searching for anything she could use as a crutch. She noticed some wood that was propped against a half-collapsed wall. She hauled herself over to the plank and used it to help her stand up. It was difficult at first, she constantly fell and lost her balance, but she didn’t stop until she got used to the beam. She shuffled herself along, heading the opposite way of the harpy. The destruction started to get worse and worse, soon enough there were no buildings that were standing, there were dips and craters everywhere, the area seemed like it wasn’t a part of the village before, it was like a completely different place. If it weren’t for the fact that she had just walked through the village, Sequoia wouldn’t have even known where she was.

She continued through the destruction, taking a look around at everything around her. In the distance she noticed an unmoving figure. She inched closer and closer, seeing it more clearer. The closer she got the more obvious that it was obvious it was another harpy. She stood in the distance, hoping that it would stay still. Through the rubble and debris, Sequoia moved forward, pressing any fears and doubts to the back of her mind. The large body loomed over her, even before she was close to it. The dread sank into her stomach,  although it had yet to move since, something in her was telling her that it would move and she would die. Finally close enough to be able to touch it, her mind finally settled, realising that it was already dead.

The girl placed her hand on the beast's back. The feathers were rough, dried blood covered them. They were pointed and sharp, the opposite of their appearance. The thick and black liquid that Sequoia presumed to be blood, flooded the floor underneath and around it. The feeling that kept on creeping up on her arose again. Her eyes glided to one of the wings. The feathers ripped off, the skin peeled apart, causing a large hole, exposing the bone underneath. Veins and things that looked like string dangled down into the hole. Her eyes started to light up at the sight. 

She cautiously shuffled around to the front, her eyes glued to the gigantic beast before her, ignoring everything else. The first thing she saw was the face. It was small, at least compared to its body, it was white, its eyes still wide open, the colour of fire. Unlike the previous harpy, where she was enchanted by them, she felt nothing. The nose was small and pointed. The lips thin, the chin protruding out, exposing its sharp, flesh and skin covered teeth. The forehead smashed in, the black liquid pouring down. Sequoia was fascinated. She looked down towards its chest. No feathers were planted on the skin, only scars and holes remained. She lowered her eyes more, resting on the stomach. Her eyes instantly sparkled at the sight. A gaping gouge exposed all the contents of the stomach. There were full human bodies, still intact, heads still showing the horror and desperation the victims experienced in their last moments. Loose limbs scattered around, the stomach acid, light green and splashing around from the wind. Her eyes examined the insides, unable to look away. What struck her as odd was the noticeable lack of children’s heads or body parts. It all seemed to be adults drowning in there. Although she didn’t focus on this detail for long as she started to realise what the feeling that she had been unable to identify, the feeling that kept on creeping up on her. The twisted fascination she had with these beings was her passion. She had never experienced something like this before, she had never felt anything like passion before so it confused her. She took a step back after this realization, looking at the full body of the harpy.  

She took her time, absorbing the sight before her. It felt disrespectful to those who were swallowed, to take so much pleasure in seeing their cause of death laid bare before her, along with the fear riddled faces swimming in the acid. After taking her fill of the sight she turned her body around, finally acknowledging everything else around her. 

The first and only thing she paid attention to was the corpses of her parents. Her body responded to the sight before her brain could even comprehend what was in front of her. Her eyes widened in shock. She dropped the plank that was supporting her and fell to her knees. Tears streamed down her face, her complexion started to become pale, her body shook uncontrollably at the sight. It started to feel impossible to breathe. Almost like something was being pushed against her throat, her chest started to feel like it was getting squeezed in an attempt to smother her. Her thoughts were silent, unable to grasp at any singular thing that she could focus on. Before her mind could react, her body started to crawl towards the couple’s body, her hand reaching out to touch them, trembling, unable to calm down. Once her hand touched her parents, the fact that her beloved ones were dead, finally settled in. Their bodies were cold to the touch, their bodies covered in scars, bruises, broken bones and other injuries. It was hard for Sequoia to believe that these rugged, bloodied, worn out bodies were her once lively, loving, energetic parents. She curled her arms around them, streams of tears running down her face. The guilt she had been building up finally surfaced along with her grief. Her guilt built from the lack of sadness or remorse for those who died to taking a person's life with her own hands and lastly to the lifeless forms of her parents. The girl sat there, sobbing for a long time. She couldn’t move or gain the strength to look at her parents, all she could do was try to comfort herself in her parents arms.