Binding Darkness
1
The wind howled loudly through the silhouette trees. Through the midnight fog, I peered deep into the forest, searching, praying that I would not find anything. My thoughts echoed loudly through my mind. Are they here? Have they found me? I knew I would get my answer soon enough.
It was a peculiar feeling, something I had never known. Usually I was the one hunting, the one tracking the enemy’s every move. Usually I was on top and in control. Now, our roles were reversed, and I was being chased. This feeling which I had bestowed on so many others, this fear, I could not bear it. Yet, there was no cure except to be caught and killed.
No, they weren’t going to catch me, not today. I couldn’t let them. If they did catch me, the fear would only escalate before they finally killed me. I would be questioned and probed, tortured until they got the answers they were looking for. I knew the tactics, knew what they would do. I practically invented them, and now I was to suffer because of them. Truly ironic.
Then, interrupting my thoughts, a gleam of light shone through the woods, illuminating me, revealing me. I was right; they were here. And now, they knew I was too. In that moment, I felt true panic and terror as the light grew closer, locking in on its prey. No, I couldn’t go down like this. I couldn’t be killed. I needed to live, I had to. But with every passing second, I knew my chance of survival dropped significantly. I suppose it didn’t really matter what I did, for my fate had been sealed with that light. My destiny would soon be realized.
The light continued to grow closer, getting nearer and more daunting. Then, something happened that I did not expect. From within the woods, a terrible moan emerged. I spun around, searching for the source, but the darkness concealed all. Another growl, louder this time. The light carrier definitely heard it too, for he turned around to look for it. With a startling scream, the light fell and the sound of tearing emerged. Was that sound coming from the man? Had something attacked him? I took a step forward, peering into the darkness towards the fallen light.
A terrifying image greeted me. There, shimmering in the lantern’s light, was a truly horrific scene. The man, the light bearer, was covered in a substantial amount of blood. Blood, I had heard of this substance before, but I had never actually seen it. And then, my eyes were pulled away to look at something even more frightening. Seated directly behind the man was an enormous, hairy bulk. Its fur swayed rhythmically with the ever-blowing wind.
I covered my mouth quickly to keep from screaming and revealing my location. I didn’t move. Against every logical thought in my mind, I remained frozen in place. My eyes were glued on this creature, watching, expecting it to spot me and attack at any minute. So, my story was going to end here, in these endless woods? After all I had overcome, I would die here, at the hands of some random creature who happened to stumble upon my location. A truly fitting end.
And then, he moved. The man on the ground shifted. It was, at most, only a few inches, but still, he moved. And then, a sound emerged from the man, not from his mouth, but from his body. It was the sound of ripping, tearing flesh. I realized then that it wasn’t the man moving, but the creature. It was feeding.
I didn’t dare stay any longer. My legs broke free of their terrified bind and I sprinted deep into the forest. I had to get away. I had to leave this place and never return. This creature, this terrible creature, was eating him. A truly disgusting and traumatizing image. I tried to ignore it, but it was there, clear as day, engraved into my memory forever. I attempted to force the image out of my head with little success. Still, I had to ignore it. I had to get out of here.
Tree after tree, step after step, I continued to run through the threatening forest. At every turn I sobbed. At every sound I jumped. All the while, thoughts and concerns continued to bounce around my brain. How big is this forest? Am I going to make it out? What was that creature? I’m going to die.
Tears escaped my eyes and streamed down my face. Suddenly, my foot hit a rock and I fell hard into a shallow puddle. I quickly submerged my arms and picked myself up. For a moment, a single moment, I stood still, entranced by my shimmering glow. It's no wonder you're found so easily. Look at yourself! Silver and glowing and what-not. It's no wonder... I turned around to find that that one moment had been too much. The creature was approaching, and I could feel him. I dared not wait any longer and sprinted off deeper into the forest.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, my fatigue claimed me and I collapsed against a tree. The Endless Forest, what a fitting name. And still, I knew that escape was my only option. But how long could I continue like this? Was there even any hope? If that creature had spotted me, it could have reached me in a matter of seconds. And what if it were following? I needed to be faster.
Of course, there was always the possibility that I was safe now, that I had gotten far enough away and escaped the beast. And maybe it was a good thing that the light bearer had been killed. He was after me. I would have been killed if he had reached me. That man deserved to die! But still, no one should have to endure that kind of torture.
A snapping twig from behind me pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned around quickly to see what it was. The fog was thicker here. I couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of me. And the wind was hot, hotter than before. The darkness seemed darker as well. Perhaps my fear was playing tricks on me, making all of these things more threatening. Fear, a truly terrible emotion.
I reached out my hand to try to clear some of the fog. I needed to see. If there was something here, I wouldn’t be able to run. I was still much too tired. As I swatted at the air, my hand hit something. It was warm and moist. I moved my hand slightly, a twitch from the shock. Fur, my hand was resting on fur. And then, a familiar growl emerged from the creature’s throat. It was the same growl that had led to the death of the light carrier. And now, the same creature growled at me.
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Sept.8/09 [i]Added a new paragraph to explain a bit about the character.
