Bug War

It was a typical day in Gruburbia. King Bee flew along the streets with his usual confidence, knowing that this was his path – he was untouchable. Ever since he became the leader of the Hymenos gang, the streets have been much safer. Their rivals, the Lepids, had been all but destroyed. His plan had been masterful. For years, the Lepids had controlled the streets, their superior weaponry giving them the advantage. That was until King Bee cut off their weapons right from the source. Without their weapons, they were doomed.  Their frail, pretty wings were not match for his ant brigade. Years of fighting had come to end in just a few hours. And now here he was, the ruler of all of Gruburbia. Unfortunately for King Bee, there was a new force in town, which was about to make its presence felt.

King Bee turned the corner, enjoying the sunshine, when he felt a shadow loom over him. He turned, gun drawn, but there was no one there. “Calm it, Bee” he said to himself. He turned back to continue his walk. That was when he felt it. The searing pain ripped through his wing, totally destroying it. He turned to draw his gun but before he could his other wing was breached. He could feel the shadow over him now, the cloaked figure with long legs. “You won’t fucking get away with this” he screamed as his body was torn in half, bits of yellow and black scattering on the pavement. The cloaked figure stood up, his long, spindly legs pulling down his hood. The Mantids had arrived, and Gruburbia was at war once more.

It wasn’t long until the Hymenos got the news. “We wiped out those stinking Lepids, and now this happens”. Stinger buzzed around the room, feeling both anger and sadness at his boss’ death. He knew he this was his gang now, but he didn’t know what to make of it. “You’re in charge now stinger, w-what should we do? A group of ants spoke in unison, their faces displaying the confusion and fear he felt in himself.

“We need to find out who this was, and make them pay. Show them that no-one, no-one messes with the Hymenos!!”

At that moment a half-mangled drone wasp entered the room, buzzing his broken wings in fits and starts “It’s the Mantids, they’re here, they’re here! They want to kill us all!” And with these words his buzzing stopped, his striped body falling to the floor. The scene in front of him brought the death of King Bee back to him with stark reality. Stinger felt the anger building inside of him, his wings buzzing furiously. All he could think of was making the Mantids pay, make them die in the same painful way they killed his master, and his friend. “Everyone, make the preparations, you know what needs to be done” With that he left the room, to prepare himself for the hardest fight of his life.

The Mantids remained quiet in their temporary home, a swarm of deadly monks praying for death and destruction. They knew the Hymenos were coming, and they welcomed it. Since the Lepids had been removed, they had been waiting, planning to take over. And now the time had come, the time to take their rightful place. There would be no need for weapons; their long limbs would be weapons enough. The Hymenos would be crushed, and Gruburbia would be theirs.

The ant brigade marched along the grey streets of Gruburbia, their endless lines of feet in perfect unison. They were flanked by the drone wasps, who were all carrying guns. At the rear was Stinger, wondering when it would happen. When they would find the Mantids, and revenge could begin. He would soon get his wish.

The Mantids were attuned to all of the sounds around them. They heard the ants marching closer towards them. The battle was close.

Stinger had sent out some drones, who had spotted one of the Mantids entering a house. It must be there hideout. They were only a few minutes away from it now. His second right leg gripped one of his guns tightly, its barrel gleaming in the sunlight. The Mantids didn’t stand a chance.

The Mantids had already put things into motion. Half of them had left the house already. The Hymenos were stupid, and thought their guns made them strong. They would see what strong was.

As Stinger and his army drew nearer, he felt a little uneasy, like he was being watched. He put the thought out of his mind as soon as it came to him. “I am in charge here, I mustn’t let the situation get to me, “ he spoke reassuringly to himself. The Mantids would soon know who ruled this town.

All of the Mantid Assassins were in place, their cloaks hanging of their skinny bodies. They had surrounded the Hymenos without any effort. Soon there would be nothing left of them.

Stinger could hear the commotion ahead of him, and he knew they had been tricked. In the mass of ants there were legs and thoraxes flying, and long, razor-like green limbs scything into drones.  The Mantids were decimating the Hymenos, and Stinger knew he must act now.

Stinger moved up from the rear, and tried to take stock of the situation. What he saw made his heart sink. The Hymenos outnumbered and outgunned the Mantids, but it appeared to be of no use. The huge, powerful Assassins tore through the ant brigade with ease, taking whole rows out at a time. The bullets of the drones seemed to have no real effect on them, and he could only see one Mantid that was visibly hurt. He now knew his quest for revenge would be futile. The Mantids had them. He felt helpless, and searched his mind for what to do.

The pain in his side made up his mind for him. One of the Assassins was upon him, and had pierced his side. Another green spike came down upon him. He squeezed all the bullets out of his guns, but the pain did not stop. His wings were soon gone, and he lay helpless on the floor. He could see now that there were only a few wounded Hymenos left. Despite all his sadness, all his rage, he knew there was nothing he could do. There was nothing anyone could do.

The cloaked Mantis stood over him, pinning him to the ground. He felt weak and small. The assassin spoke “ You are weak, and now you are gone” The words cut through Stinger. He had heard them before. They were the words King Bee said to the Lepids leader just before he killed him.

That was when he saw it. The large butterfly hovered over him like a brightly coloured ghost. He tried to shout but his voice did not come. “The Mantids are our weapons now”. The Lepid leader flew away, just as the Assassin tore Stinger’s head off.

© David Friesen 2004