The Redness
An EarthBound inspired short-story by:
RazorEXE
Snap! Crack! Snap! Branches fallen off the gnarled-looking trees snapped between my feet as I ran through the forest, my breath coming in short, ragged breaths. The trees almost seemed to cave in, perhaps wanting to lock me in this forest. Sweat dotted my forehead as the droplets raced down my face. If you shined a light on my face, it would be a visage of true fear. Ever since I had entered this forest, I could swear I heard my name being called. I passed it off as the wind and kept walking, like the naïve fool I was. I'm almost certain it would be the last mistake I would ever make.
An almost crimson hue started to settle in, which was rather unusual unless it was a red moon shining its bright rays on the fog, a rare sight to behold. The moaning of my name started, little by little, to become louder and louder with each breath I took. In a raspy breath, all I could hear was, "Robert…Robert…It Hurts…It Hurts…" I didn't understand what was going on at all, but something was in pain. Emotional or Physical? I guess I might never know if I don't make it out of this forest alive.
Suddenly, raspy, ragged breaths started to fill my ears. Something was amiss. Something's out there, but, if nothings following me, what is it? All I know is that it's trailing me and I don't li-"AAAAAA-"Splat! Crick! I land painfully on my right shin, and try to get up, but a, it hurts too much, I must have fractured it, and b, my foot is caught in it. It has to be a root above ground. I realize, "Oh god, whatever the hell is chasing me's gonna catch up…"
I freeze in terror mid-sentence. The red fog starts to surround me. I notice that it's a deep red hue, the color of blood. The voice is coming from the fog…but how? Soon, my thoughts are drowned out by the constant screaming of " ROBERT…ROBERT…IT'S NOT RIGHT…NOT RIGHT…ROBERT…" At this point, tears of fear were pouring down my cheeks like rainfall. I realized I was going to die here, and never know how…The fog is closing, and fast…In a couple of seconds, my life will be gone…
GASP I woke up, filled with terror and shock. Panting heavily from the nightmare, my clammy hands immediately went to my right shin, and to my delight, it's in one piece. Feeling a bit light headed, my eyes wandered to my clock, reading 6:07 AM. I sigh heavily, drag myself out of bed, and walk outside for a breath of fresh air, or at least, so I thought I was. Until what I saw out the glass door. An extremely familiar redness in a dense fog. Only one word enters my ears, "ROBERT…"