Scrolls

He looked over the scrolls. Perfectly preserved, even after 8,000 years!

The script flowed like no other writing system, past or present. Since their discovery in the 1800s, no one had been able to decipher the language. All that was known about the 'Writings of the Badari Gods' was that they pre-dated the culture that lived in the area of El Badari, Egypt around 4,000 BCE.

Unlike many ancient scrolls, however, these were not brittle, ready to fall apart at the slightest touch. It was as if they had been newly made.

He looked down at the storekeeper's body. Blood oozed from his savaged throat. Dropping one scroll into the pool of blood, he marvelled at the light that flared from it. A brilliant blue, at first, deepening to a crimson. When the light died, every last drop of blood was gone.

"A few more of you will suffice." He turned, walking to the door. "Then, I will put my scrolls to good use. Once again, my brothers, sisters, and I will walk this world.

"And the blood will never stop flowing."