She couldn't remember how long she'd been on the run, dodging sharp swipes from the ever growing darkness that lurked evilly behind her. Her muscles were aching profusely, but since the chase began it was but a distant throbbing that slept at the back of her own mind. She couldn't acknowledge just how much it pained her to keep pushing herself or let alone scream from some of the sudden jabs that would hit their mark and tear right through a layer of flesh. No, she couldn't pay it any mind. This was child's play; the real foe lay much further in the darkness behind her biding its time to catch her unawares. She knew the tactics of the creature; it waited for weakness and exploited it effortlessly. She refused to become another victim to such a monster; not when she had been trained so thoroughly by her friends to assure that she would survive this war. She refused to break under the psychological trap that he was unraveling around her; trying to instill fear and lure her into his arms like he would a frightened child. She had grown strong, she was nothing like the girl that would succumb to the pains of loss and war; it was a hefty price she paid in order to ensure that she would survive this trial and be reunited with her friends. They were waiting for her just beyond the forest line; hiding effortlessly below ground with many weapons that she knew would keep the monster from coming in.

She felt confident that she would make it, despite the sharp talons that would graze the exposed flesh of her back continuously. She swallowed a gasp as cold steel struck the back of her knee then, clenching her fists and shifting her body weight to prevent herself from stumbling into the unforgiving forest floor. He almost had me, she yelled internally, making sure to duck below a low branch that stood directly in her path. She ignored the slaps of small branches around her face as she blindly but purposely ran through the darkness of the woods; hissing when a particular branch struck her much too close to her eye.

She hadn't been prepared to make such a hasty trip into the forest, her dress much too short and thin for the cold air that clung to her form and the assault of attacks from both nature and the creatures following close behind her. But it was either run or be captured by the enemy; there was no other choice. Her legs felt like lead, a throbbing mass of aches and shallow wounds that would surely become infected if not treated properly.

She made a sharp left, a bright light shinning just beyond the darkness of the trees that encompassed her. She was going to make it! Her lips curving into a small smile, as she began choke in laughter; her throat dry and aching from having breathed through her open mouth. But it didn't matter to her; she would be able to see her friends! Ichigo! Her mind beckoned warmly, as she finally broke through the greenery but felt herself stop almost rigidly in shock.

There was a fire, burning profusely from below the ground at her feet. She could hear screaming, so much screaming that she felt her ears may go deaf from the shock of it all. Bodies were strewn all around the field that encompassed the secret fortress, the few surviving children running into the thick forestry and becoming silent all too quickly. She couldn't look on anymore, her eyes wide and frozen in an expression of devout disgust and horror. Death clung to the area like a second skin, its scent burning through her nostrils as many of the decaying bodies burned in the moonless night. This wasn't supposed to happen; we were so prepared! Her mind was screaming at her over and over, the words at first a whisper, but then becoming a loud wailing. She couldn't take the sight anymore, but her body was still like a marionette without its puppeteer. She was transfixed by the brightness of the flame escaping from the underground cavern she and her friends had built; how had they managed to find it and destroy it so effortlessly?

A sharp pain in her trembling hands awoke her from her awed stupor, blood welling from the deep incisions her own nails had cut into her palm. I can't stay, my friends are gone! With that in mind, she began to run again; careful to avoid the multitude of bodies and patches of flames that had destroyed the once peaceful field. But where will I hide? There was nowhere to go, but Orihime knew she couldn't remain to be consumed by the monsters again. They had already taken her friends; it would only be a matter of time before they came for her as well.

She was crying then, tears running from her cheeks like a waterfall as she wept silently and ran right into the darkness of the forestry again. There's nothing left to save. The faces of her friends' smiling were vivid, a colorful picture of a sight she would never see again because of the onslaught of terror these monsters were bringing. They'd come out of nowhere, defiling and destroying the relative peace that their communities had lived in for so many years. They brought war and pestilence into their existence; killing young mothers and fathers and consuming the very life essence of the children they caught.

Orihime didn't know what to do; running was her only option but she knew she would eventually tire. She had hoped that her friends could have brought an end to this nightmare, but there was nothing that could be done for her now. She was going to die, swept away like the children that ran into the forests and eaten without a second thought. Her legs were trembling, her dress caked in her blood and sweat. She was filthy, defiled just like the corpses that littered the field of her salvation. She felt her legs give out below her, her knees scraping on the rough foliage under her as her breaths shifted into loud sobs; her chest erratic and heaving as her fingers dug into the soil just in front of her and felt the utter hopelessness of the situation befall on her.

She couldn't save them, she couldn't see her friends for a last time, and she was just too weak to even get off the floor and save herself from the monster that had done as he promised. He told her he would kill them all if she refused to come with him, his blank expression betraying his true intentions behind his large and verdant eyes. He'd done as he said he would and she had been the cause of it all. She should have known better than to defy him; fight him a for the sake of the ties she wanted to so desperately keep within her palm. This is her punishment, and all that's left for her is the monster that is coming closer to her form. A heavy breath escaped her trembling lips, her tear-filled eyes dry and red from the heavy burden that had been placed upon her; she ignored the deliberately loud footsteps that came her way deciding to stare intently at the ground just within view.

She knew it was all for show, he never made a sound; choosing to live in silence than give away his location by the crude and deafening noises of footsteps. He never acted without reason; his very existence finely tuned to intimidate and beat sense into his own enemies. He was deliberately allowing me to hear his steps, beating the fact that he was only humoring her escape in order to show her what he actions had led to. Tears were caught in her eyes, desperate to escape but having no permission from herself to make their way down her cheeks; he was only trying to punish her.

His steps had finally stopped when he reached her, inches away from her person but close enough that his very presence brought chills through every fiber of her being. She hated what he did to her; what he'd led her to become. She had murdered all her friends just by trying to escape from him since the very beginning. She closed her eyes tightly, when she felt the air shift and his hand grasped her chin; his strong grip bringing her face up to his own to try to gaze into her eyes. "Look at me," and she refused to even look at him. She couldn't bear to glimpse into those cold, verdant eyes. She felt his grip on her chin tighten significantly, and she defiantly opened her eyes to glare at him. She hated him for everything he had caused. His eyes were shining, framed by the paleness of his skin as he pierced her with his gaze and forced her to submit with just a glance. She hated what he did to her. She couldn't keep the eye contact he forced her to keep; he knew well how uncomfortable it made her when she looked into that abyss for too long. "Your friends are dead. There is nothing left for you here. You may have escaped me once before, but it doesn't change that you are one of us." She flinched away from his words, tears once again threatening to fall once again. He'd killed them all, and there is nowhere left to run.


Author's Note: Yes, be amazed. This is an actual post from me after I have not written an Ulquihime fic in the longest. I know this is dark, and you guys are probably confused about this. But well this is a very long drabble, it started simple but ended up longer than expected. Well I hope you guys enjoy it :)