Prologue
The crunching of footsteps disturbed the tranquility of the night, ragged breathing disturbing the still air. A lone figure crawled its way through the brush and brambles tearing at his skin and wrapping around his boots slowing him down, the forest seeming to fight against him, trying to keep him.
"I'm…sorry..." he panted.
Images of the last hour flashed through his head, only to aggravate his splitting headache.
Driving… a lone road…
A flash of light…screeching…a cliff…
Twisting and crunching of metal… screams and crunching of something else…
The feeling of warmth spilling…seeping…
"Fuck…god damn it…" the figure groaned as he crashed into a tree
He glanced at his hand, which feverously gripped at his stomach he saw it, the red still spilling, the glint of metal poking through his shirt the pain it caused had left a while ago, same with his wrist and ribs, he could feel his body stiffening, slowing getting weaker, knowing that stopping meant death.
"I won't die, not here, you hear me… I've never asked you for anything and I'm not going to now, you hear me…?" he said to no one in particular
He could feel the rage building up, the same thing he hid for years, the part of himself that scared him the most. The anger and resentment of the last three years everything that has happened, but this, this moment was the needle that popped the balloon.
"YOU HEAR ME!? I WONT DIE…! NOT HERE! I…WONT…DIE!"
What little blood he had left boiled as his face twisted into a distorted figure.
"I probably look like a real monster now" the thought to himself "now I look like how I feel"
The figure pressed on, the anger and adrenaline propelling him forward like a devil from hell each step was agonizing and cost him a few drops of blood, eventually the bank would be empty. He wandered for what seemed like eternity moving more on a zombified drive more than what could be called humanity when a dull glow pierced his hazy conciseness. It was dull but easily noticeable in the pitch black that surrounded him, however his eyes had since long stopped seeing, what drive him to the light was not a choice, only a humans natural response to survive, instinct, like a moth drawn to the flame. The trees broke and for the first time since he began this hellish journey did he really see and his hopes rose. What lay before him was a bridge, manmade and, well maintained, it lead to a rustic looking castle like from an old knight's tale. But what interested him more was the single burning torch hung above a set of huge wooden double doors. His feet shuffled him along, to the doors and hopefully to people. Using the railing as support the shambled up to them and leaned his full weight against it reaching up to grab on the large brass knockers that hung from it. Before he could muster the energy to knock, the door swung open and he fell, his dead weight onto a smooth wood floor.
"H..eeelpp.." he croaked out weakly getting no response
He dragged himself along looking for something, anything to help him and with no success he pulled himself up next to a wall so as to spend his final moments in peace.
"So..rrrreyyy.." he said giving a weak grin "We..ell guuuee..ss I fi…nn..d ouut whoo ta..kes mee."
He let out what would be his last shuddering breath as he closed his eyes as darkness overcame him.
In a room in this medieval castle a creatures eyes flew open, the scent of something familiar but not known for years woke it from its early slumber. Immediately panic took hold of it, it knew this scent.
I can resist, but can she…? It though
It already knew the answer. The creature threw open the doors to its room and ran faster that the human eye could perceive rushing to follow this scent. It grew heavier the musty warm scent of iron that came with what he feared. Upon reaching the overhang that opened over the lobby he saw it. Blood. A snail trail leading to an adjoining room, he quickly followed it praying it would be an injured dog or deer that had found its way in. His stomach sank when he found the source, a crumpled and crushed human figure its clothing soaked through with blood and sweat, an arm twisted at an unnatural angle, its ankle was bloated and bruised, thousand of cuts and nicks adorned its skin. Panic began to overwhelm him but his long life had taught him to crush that feeling down. He took stock of the scene and how best to cover it up, he knew what had happened and it had nothing to do with him or… her. He turned to walk away when…
Thump.
A weak noise but it nearly deafened him, he turned his eyes growing wide with fear, and he leaned in close
Thump
"This boy…Is alive" he murmured to himself "No…Impossible"
Thump.
He reeled away, panic beginning to choke him again but he expertly crushed it down again
"Indecision could cost more than just his life" he thought to himself
He turned, and with a snap of his fingers the shadows began to twist and turn, moans echoed around the room as fingers began to appear from the shadows crawling along, dragging rotting and decaying bodies along with them, some standing, some shambling, but all of them had a common goal, the lifeless figure in the corner. Within a matter of seconds they descended on the body surrounding it with their own mass, cloaking it in shadow.