(A/N) The site was totally goofing yesterday, so you might have noticed this being uploaded three times with an error code. Hopefully it works now!
Feet trudged through water; the splashes rebounded in the deep darkness. The echo rang in her ears.
Me. This is me.
She could feel the water-cold, grimey, and utterly disgusting. Muck stuck to her bare toes, and pieces of rock and glass stabbed into the sole of her feet. The slime seemed to writhe underfoot, as if alive.
Slowly, her surroundings became apparent, if only just a little. Nighttime. Dirty walls. Trash cans. Graffiti.
Alley. I'm in an alley.
Her vision still hazy, she lifted her hands into view. Somewhere within her, she recoiled. Her hands were caked in grime, bruises and scars stark against her skin.
She can't remember why she is walking, or where she is going. But it's as if she's on autopilot.
I have to. Just beyond that corner. Just a little more. Just a little more...
She's reaching the corner of the alley. Aching knees pulling themselves along just barely.
She's getting closer.
Almost there.
Almost there…
Almost-
-There, was her first thought when she awoke in a field of green, a sad grey sky above her. The faint scent of rain fills her nostrils. Ants begin their march for food on the rocky hillside next to her. Slowly, she notes the feeling of fresh, cold mud against her skin.
The small woman blinked, her body as still as a corpse.
In her mind, there is only static. Like a television with no signal. No name, no memories. Not a single thing. Even the thought of the alley-an alley, right?-began to fade. Just like a dream.
Her final conscious thought before slipping under: How did I get here?
She must not have been out for too long. Weak, narrowed eyes drifted to the sky. The sky was as grey as ever, but hardly any darker.
She didn't realize she was hurt until she tried to get up. A stinging pain erupted from her upper back. She fell back down onto her back, her fingers digging into the flesh of her palms. It were as if she was on fire! A terrible pain that made her twitch and bare her teeth. Even the slightest movement made her body spasm violently.
She didn't want to scream. But she had to. This pain was too much.
And yet, no scream escaped her cracked lips. Only a feeble croak.
I can't speak!? Pained and shaking hands went to her throat, her eyes widened with fear. Desperately, she tried for any type of sound. A 'hey' or a 'help'. Anything.
She could hardly whimper.
I can't speak. Defeated, her hands slumped back down to her sides.
I can't move. Her body began to tremble.
I will die here. Hot tears began to fall down her cheek.
Suddenly her body felt much more weak. Was she bleeding out more? Her back was becoming numb. Her head felt like it'd been bludgeoned with a rock. She could even feel something warm and wet slide down her face.
She could only lie there and accept her fate.
Lying on her back, she watched the grey sky before her, waiting to die.
And that's how The Beast found her only moments later.
She brushed it off as a hallucination at first. A mirage. Too strange to be real. Those bizarre images you get before you die. Any moment now and she will kick the bucket.
Then she heard it growl-a deep, guttural sound that echoed on the silent plain. Her blood ran cold.
This was no hallucination.
The creature-some kind of dark, unruly monstrosity-threw back its head and released a great roar. It made the earth beneath her tremble. Instinctively, she slapped her hands over her ears, squeezing her eyes shut.
And when she opened her eyes to look, she was met with the sight of the hideous creature charging at her. Grass and dirt flew beneath it as it ran at her with full force, its red eyes bright with hunger.
She saw her death in those eyes. Not from exposure. Or dehydration. Or starvation.
She was going to die in the jaws of some awful creature. Ripped apart. Skull crushed. Eaten alive.
And she couldn't even scream. Not even when the beast came closer, teeth bared and sharp, its white bone-like mask already stained with blood. Eyes frenzied from hunger.
She could only scramble away on her belly. Maybe it was a small part of her that wanted to live. Maybe instinct.
Maybe, she was a fool.
A hairy claw grasped her leg, and she was pulled through mud. In seconds, she was held above the ground.
It had got her.
And it was ready to kill her.
It's claws clamped around her face, she could only release a muffled gasp. It slipped through her teeth, as cold as ice.
At first, she thought the red was her blood. It relieved her, that death was so quick. But when she fell to the floor in one piece, the thought of death left her. Weaker now than ever, she lifted her head to the scene before her.
In a flash of red, The Beast was launched half across the field.
It happened so fast, she wondered what even happened. One moment she was right in the jaws of death, and in the next… a strange flurry of red sliced around The Beast.
It roared, constantly whipping its head in every which way direction, hopelessly trying to catch onto its attacker. It didn't even notice its limbs flying off.
It didn't even notice when it's own head was sliced clean off. It's head fell with a thunk, its face still curved in a growl.
No longer a blur, the red figure finally hopped back down into view. They landed in a crouching position, only a few feet in front of her.
When they turned to face her, she nearly stopped breathing.
He was utterly terrifying. Lined with scars and eyes without pupils, somehow, he knew she was there.
He sees me, her panicked mind screamed as she felt herself fade away. He sees me, and I'm next.
She was helpless as he approached her.
With that, she slipped back into the darkness.
(A/N) That's it for chapter 1, which is suppose to be pretty short. I plan on going much longer for chapter 2.