Silence wasn't something to be afraid of, right?
He could feel the fear pressing at him. Danger and warning bellowed in his ears.
Darkness wasn't all that comfortable, but it was the only thing there.
Hopefully.
Swinging his pack in front of him, his fingers dug in it. They stroked against the objects that barricaded his hand's path. He forced them all aside. His fingers wrapped around a long but fat item. He pulled it out. Flashlight. He switched it on. Light splattered all over the muddy road that was previously smeared in the night's progressing blackness. He sighed in relief. He could see again. Holding the flashlight upward, he slowly and cautiously twisted his fingers as they gripped the object he was holding. The light shifted and shone on a new area. He examined his environment carefully.
Haste seemed essential here. There was absolutely no time to waste.
Comfort coated him when he heard the distant calls of grasshoppers and saw the brilliant glows of the fireflies. Maybe those guards were wrong. This place was peaceful.
This place is peaceful.
He felt no need to look any closer at his surroundings. He whirled his pack over back to his side again. The hairs on his neck relaxed, flattening themselves on his skin. He stopped quivering and continued his walk without hesitating. The darkness shielding the environment he travelled in could be easily shoved off by the illumination he carried, so there was no need to worry about missing any sights.
After all, it couldn't be nighttime forever.
As he thought that, a new memory poked at his mind. What time was it? Eleven P.M? Midnight? One A.M? He definitely wasn't sure. To make things worse, he didn't have a watch. He didn't recall seeing any clocks around. Concern knocked at his door. Uneasiness peeked through his windows. He wasn't sure why this tension came with him so suddenly. How could not knowing something affect his feelings so much?
But then again, the answer couldn't be the only thing taunting him.
And it was not. There was another thing there, another feeling of apprehension that surrounded his circle. It intended to surround him completely. Corner him. Force him to submit. But he refused to do any of that until he knew exactly what he was dealing with. What he was afraid of so suddenly and unexpectedly.
New senses growled at him to stay back. There were eyes that might be watching him very soon.
There was indeed something there. He could hear its cries. But the problem was, he couldn't he couldn't exactly refer it as an it. More like a her, or a she. Female. He recognized the tone of the shrieks easily.
She sounded human. That was good news. If the noises she had made sounded like anything else, like something animal, he would've left almost immediately. This man, unfortunately for him, was frightened easily. He was ashamed that he could enter that state so quickly and effortlessly. But, he had to live with it. Life was a bitch. And maybe not the only bitch around here.
That especially worried him.
He peered over the side of an old and dusty building that would forever be useless. He lifted up his flashlight and pointed its eye forward so that his own sight organs could detect whatever was there. His vision searched swiftly. Whoever was crying was obviously around this place. He turned his head, glancing at everything he could. There was something there. Someone. A female, human-looking, just as he thought. Although, it was not only a female human, but a girl seemingly around the age of eighteen. She had long, blood-red hair, hair that fell down and covered her back and ended at what seemed like the end of her spine. She had pale white skin that irradiated brightly when the glow of the flashlight brushed on her. Her eyes were twins with her hair, sharing the same hues. She wore a plain white T-shirt and a short cerulean skirt. She was barefoot. On her head was an ash-black stocking cap that seemed a bit loose on the tips of her head. It was particularly free on two spots. He wondered why that was so. Taking a closer glance, he noticed that her arms were behind her and she was struggling. Moving up the light a bit more, he noticed a long, thick board stretching a few inches over her head. She must've been tied to it.
Fear rattled him.
She saw him.
But there was no reason he thought that he should be scared. Her eyes nearly melted his heart. They were sweet and innocent, and they were ruined by her own fear. Fear. He felt something for this girl. He felt bad for her. Who would do this to an innocent person? Who would make the good suffer so horribly? Maybe she was kidnapped and forced to become a sex slave for some perverted fuck. Or she could possibly a victim of some other form of torture. But why her? She was too young to die. There was a whole other life out there that she could live, and this shouldn't of been an option. Well, she obviously did not choose this. But someone else did.
He found himself rushing to her aid. Whether she had just been placed here or something happened to her already, he needed to rescue her. He started sprinting towards her, but at the same time, he tried to remain silent. No creep would be allowed to hear him. The girl's cries quieted as he got to her, and was replaced with soft whimpers. Quickly untying the bonds that held her to the tall board, he released her from her prison.
"Hey!"
His head spun around and his eyes shot out. Footsteps entered his ears. Running. Clicking. It sounded like someone was carrying a rifle.
"Who's there?"
"Aw, shit, guys. Look!"
"What is it?"
"Look and figure it out, dumbass!"
'She's loose!"
His mind raced for ideas, but he caught only one. Run. But he couldn't leave the girl behind. It was too awful of a thing to do. But he had no other options. Just by the look in her eyes, he could tell that she would most likely not follow him. He thought the same way: why the hell would he just follow some stranger he randomly met?
He took off at a hurrying pace, wanting to waste no time now. His thoughts were probably correct. Those men behind him were probably holding loaded rifles, and they were probably in the shoot-absolutely-everything mode. He did not want to die tonight. He didn't want to get shot, on accident even.
Panic engulfed him suddenly. Fear strangled him once more.
This was a deadly grip.
There screaming was heard
were gunshots everywhere
people he was confused
being it was peaceful and now violent
killed but it couldn't be the girl
Screams. Heard from men. Not a girl. Not her. Silence from her.
Nothing.
Else.
Perhaps silence was something to be afraid of after all. He no longer had to question that. Why were they screaming, though? An innocent didn't slaughter. An innocent wouldn't hurt.
Maybe there was more to the girl that he hadn't seen. Maybe the clothing she wore meant something. The hat. Loose. In two spots. But why.
He just had to bring himself back for more answers. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life wondering why. He kept going on, even when the most confusing part executed.
The gunshots and screaming ended so quickly. It lasted for only like ten seconds. Perhaps he would find out why.
The place where he had met the girl had been changed. The environment was re-colored red. Blood. Bodies lay everywhere, torn up. Crimson holes had been clawed every place imaginable on them. Dismembered bodies had limbs put neatly beside them. Heads were astray from the bodies they belonged to. Others had their organs torn out aggressively.
But the girl was nowhere to be seen.
Until he saw her.
A twig snapped. He threw his head left and right, spun behind, looked right in front. Nothing. Nobody. But something. He looked right again
She was there.
But she too looked different than before. She was completely stripped of clothing, naked. Blood soaked her, yet she wasn't wounded. In fact, she looked quite healthy. Her sweet and innocent eyes were gone. In their place was a pair of cruel and sadistic eyes. The eyes of a killer. And she was grinning.
"Who the fuck are you?" he demanded. He attempted to sound angry, serious, and threatening, but a slit of fear hung prominently at the edges of his words. He began to shiver. And he felt
madness
insanity
lingering
something was
brushing against his skin
but there was no wind
"You," she whispered softly. Her eyes, unblinking seemed to stare into his soul.
"Breathe for me."
"Huh?"
"Thank."
He began to twitch and quiver madly. Something was holding him, making him suffer fear. Fear. Is. What. He. Felt. He felt new feelings. His throat felt wet and lost his senses forever.
"You."