Every musician's fate
Chapter one
Strange melody
The night was filled with a cold breeze. A heavy breeze that blew Octavia's deep, black hair to the side. Her black; posh styled hair covered her left eye. With her soft hand she pushed it up, combing it back over her ear, only to have it blown back over her eye. The only light was cast by a candle, held by the lonesome girl. Walking on like she had done numerous times before. The dimly lit candle flickered with each step she took. But she was prepared to abandon it if she needed to, as a replacement was hidden somewhere in her bags hanging by her side.
She walked through a murky and drizzled forest, trying not to trip over any out rocks or twigs. Her cello and bow that she carried, dug into her back and caused small, sharp pains to appear. The ridged trees stretched out over her, as if trying to reach out and grab the small young girl. She stared at the monster like forest, making her heart beat like a high D note on a cello.
Although Octavia thought herself quite plucky, the eeriness and paranoia developed inside her, slowly eating her inside out. Sweat dampened her pale skin, making her breath faster. The small of wet wood invaded her nostrils, causing her nose to cringe at the stench.
Suddenly her purple eyes widened as she spotted her destination-an old abandoned theater with a collapsed roof and had blemished paint. Octavia approached the double doors with caution, still watching the shadows. Her eyes were now focused on the decaying entrance in front of her. As she stepped closer to it, forms shifted in the corners of her eyes. Though she tried to ease her mind by claiming they were a part of her imagination running wild, she felt helpless and bemused.
With two deep breaths Octavia reached a hand forwards and pushed the doors wide open. The rust from the hinges creaked like the tortured souls that haunted Octavia's mind. They were all screaming at once.
She shivered upon taking her first steps through the doors. She felt the damp air filter her lungs: an ascending cool breeze flew through the doors with her that coursed through her, dug through her skin and down to the bone. She entered the backstage area, or what was left of it. Dust had marked all the velvet curtains that littered the floor around her. Rusted metal steps, leading to the catwalks above where the abandoned remains of the old theater equipment lay, were left there like a child that recently played with them and had not bothered to put them away.
The rotting wood floor was stained with various liquids, some off which Octavia hoped weren't natural. In coherent writings had been sprayed on the walls speaking about how haunted and how uncanny this place really is. No doubt the work of some of the city's more colorful inhabitants. Octavia placed her candle on a decaying table and allowed herself to rest before she continued any further. She placed her instrument onto ground. Her cello landed on the floor with grace, her bow easing its way down with Octavia's help. The stage was a little further ahead but Octavia had to prepare herself before continuing any further.
Her heart was pounding and her mind reeling, trying to dismiss the shadows that gathered around her. They glared angrily at her, their lifeless accusing eyes made her cower in fear. They weren't part of her imagination, nor where they going to go away.
The spirits of dead people had long since abandoned this place from existence, they all gathered to watch. And Octavia was already in too deep to leave. Because she knew that if she did a fate worse than death would befall her. The shadows seemed to be approaching closer. Their angry glares becoming more intense as they did so. Octavia looked back at her candle. It was flickering, almost threatening to go out completely. Octavia reached into her bags and started a match, lifting it to the dying light. Illuminating the dark backstage area. The glares became so apparent of that Octavia would only identify them with sympathy. All the dark figures probably realizing her fear and anticipation.
The shadows retreated back into the darkest corners of the theater. Waiting until it was time for Octavia to begin…which was now. Octavia pulled her cello and bow onto her back and carried the candle into the center of the stage, where an isolated lone chair sat. It was spotless. As though it had been recently brought into the building by some unknown being.
However she would not need a seat, to play the cello she was required to stand. Moths had covered most of the velvet curtains that had opened as soon as she set her cello down.
Undisturbed by the sudden movements Octavia gazed down to what she could make out was the seating area. Her candle tried its best to extend its light down, but was wet with little success.
Octavia wasn't sure if 'they' were truly watching her but she swore that she could feel their eyes and apprehension, watching her every single move. Crimson seats that weren't filled with anything on this plane of existence were filled with something else…something with very little patience… Something dark and dangerous… Something unnatural...
Not a single spotlight shone on the lonesome young woman, other than the light from the faint candle that was teased by the cool breeze that swept in through the doors. Octavia set her cello upright and gripped her bow tightly and stood up, leaning on her instrument for only slight support. The voices had begun in Mir whispers, speaking ominous words and phrases. Octavia's ears twitched slightly at each word she was able to process. "Come to us…Octavia." Sweat had dampened her skin again as she remembered what 'they' had told her before she decided to come through the forest and theater.
"The perfect song would please them". Octavia remembered faintly. Her mind still focused on her task. "Then you'll truly be free from their hold". She then began flattering her bow against the cellos string. She pressed her hand onto the broad cord, and then began to play. Slowly allowing herself to ease her way into the song. She hadn't a single clue what she was playing. But she knew if her creative mind failed her now, Octavia would be among the cold hearted shadows.
A low c note resonated through the theater, hushing all the voices that plagued the place. She continued the smooth song, letting her mind make up everything as she went along. The voices still silent. The unseen forms only letting their eyes do the talking. Octavia managed to make eye contact with the very shadows that lingered in the rows, unknown to her if they were impressed. She could only feel their stares that were cold and sent chills down her spine. She struck a high d note and shut her eyes. Her body and mind were in tune with each other, guiding each other to create the beautiful music.
Despite her shattered life, images of what happened before her arrival to the theater flashed in her head. Her eyes accumulated moisture as the images raced through her mind. Her trusty friend, vinyl's twisted form flashed in her mind. Octavia faltered mentally but continued the melody. Another glimpse of her friend's corpse, lying in the pool of her own blood corrupted Octavia's mind. But she still continued. Vinyl struggled to hang onto the last rings of life before the medical staff arrived, to save her from extinction.
Octavia had run after the person that had harmed her friend… but gave up. She returned to vinyl's body, tears in her eyes.
Back on stage Octavia opened her eyes and watched the seats, as her candle flickered beside her. Hot tears ran down her cheeks, but never stopped playing. She continued with a new found determination. The last time Octavia saw her friend, was in the hospital barely hanging onto the final string of life. Octavia had to finish the song, even if that meant her own life to end. She would not allow the one friend who cared about her most die because of a mistake she made.
Octavia stretched out the last note on her cello, a lump caught in her throat as she did so. She dropped her bow to the ground as well as her most prized instrument. The whispers started again drowning out the silence. Octavia allowed her mind to jerk back to her lifelong friend. Vinyl was in a hospital bed, kept alive by some sort of miracle. Octavia dropped to the ground and huddled close to her cello, clutching it tightly as she cried, imaging her soul mate close once again.
Her song was complete and now they were judging. Octavia allowed herself to demonstrate her sorrow, when the wind swept in through the cracks along the walls, and blew her candle out
The shadows started in whispers, then voices, then shouting. Octavia's crying stopped suddenly, and the theater became quiet once again…
Every musician's fate,
Chapter two
Unpleasant meetings
Vinyl was awoken by an awful headache, her eyes squinting tightly to try and yield the pain. But wasn't successful. She stopped and sat up slowly and prudently, trying not to worsen the distress. The smell of her lavender blanket gave her a weak smile, but suddenly faded away when she realized Octavia wasn't around. Normally she was in the oak wooden chair that was placed next to her white sheeted bed. Vinyl frowned and started to drift into thought. "Where is she?" vinyl softly said to herself. The clock on the wall was making that overwhelming clicking noise; it made vinyl feel a little uncomfortable. She looked to her left, spotting a small table with a glass of water on it, immediately grabbing it with her cold hands. She put it straight to her lips and drank the whole liquid in seconds. She stared at the empty glass for a few minutes, trying to figure out what to do about Octavia's sudden disappearance. She was in no condition to walk because of her fractured leg. But she was determined to discover why Octavia wasn't around. So she got out of bed and started to test if she could move properly.
She began to slowly and cautiously walk around the white painted room, testing herself and her balance. When she was satisfied, she headed to the cream colored door and opened it with her hand. She took in a deep breath and walked out of the room.
She now stood in a dimly lit hallway that was also painted white. Small light bulbs were evenly spaced out between each other, and cast small streaks of light on the walls and floors.
Vinyl still felt a little woozy from the unknown figure who hit her around the head with some sort of club, but that didn't affect her curiosity about the whereabouts of Octavia. Nobody was around, as if they had just abandoned the hospital.
Vinyl started to feel butterflies in her stomach. That feeling told her something wasn't right. She felt…agitated. She then heard a strange noise. It sounded like wood that was being twisted or snapped. There was also a rustling of leaves. It made a long, endless breathing noise that sent chills galloping up vinyl's spine.
"Is anyone there?" She asked nervously. But there was no reply. Only heavy breathing from the 'thing' that stood around the corner.
Suddenly the wood began to creak louder, as if it were in pain and began to move away from vinyl, heading in the opposite direction. Vinyl slowly peered around the corner, her eyes searched every part of that corridor trying to find source of the noise. But it had vanished. She sighed with relief.
"What the hell was that thing? An alive tree?" She asked herself with confusion. Her head began to hurt again, as if her skull was set on fire. She put her hand to her head, trying to weaken the pain. She also felt dizzy again, but her curiosity overcomes her pains and dizziness. She walked to the exit door, pressing her fingers on it and pushing it open. The fresh air of the landscape filtered her lungs, making her feel and act livelier. Another weak smile formed on her face, but once again died away as she spotted the grey skies. Small drops of rain then fell down, hitting vinyl's forehead in the process. She ran to a nearby bus stop and stood under it for a few minutes, waiting for the water to give up.
Vinyl looked around her environment, trying to figure out what town or city she was in. Then she spotted a sign that said 'musician Ville' on it. A tsunami of fog then swallowed the hamlet
Making it hard for vinyl to study her surroundings. She did however see two lime jade colored shaped eyes, peering through the mist and staring right at her. Those eyes sent chills up vinyl's spinal cord, causing a sinister shiver to flow through her body. Her fingertips had pins and needles, her whole body became numb, and her eyes filled with shock and fear as the creature headed towards her.
However it disappeared before she could get a good examination of it. Leaving her confused and bewildered.
W ithout warning the mist cleared vastly, opening up a new… horrific sight. Musicians Ville was not a lively and colorful town anymore. But an abandoned, wrecked village that seemed…wrong in some way. It was restricted of life. The houses were damaged beyond repair. The trees and plants were more like shades of grey in a painting, making the place look dim and dull. Some of the houses had writing on them, which were written in a crimson liquid. That caused Vinyl to stuttered back when she read them.
"Octavia is with me…she is mine now..." her eyes widened in shock. Her mouth dropped open. Her body didn't move. And a small burst of air that she swallowed had caught in her throat, causing her to splutter and cough. "Was this a prank?" She asked herself.
Vinyl looked up onto a grass covered hill. And spotted a woman with black hair, a grey coat and big innocent eyes. On her back was a dusty, blemished cello that was scared with long claw marks. Vinyl thought this was the woman she was looking for. That this was Octavia. But she was soon disappointed when she noticed her eyes. They were a deep intimidating red. Not a purple like they were supposed to be.
"Octavia…?" vinyl shouted with a questioning tone to her voice. After those words were spoken the grey coated girl turned and ran away, heading towards the dead forest that was stretched beyond the hills and valleys. Without hesitation vinyl followed on after her, sprinting into the forest as well. Her eyes were focused on this new eyed Octavia. Vinyl's chest pumped faster and faster with air. Her heart beat rapidly, almost as fast as light itself.
Suddenly vinyl's body gave in, and she collapsed to the ground. The smell of her own sweat filled her nostrils, as she watched Octavia run into a faraway building. When she entered it, the darkness swallowed her whole. Vinyl struggled to breathe while she lay helplessly in the dirt, desperately trying to inhale oxygen. Then her eyes began to close slowly, whilst small pains found themselves in her chest.
"Oct…octav…IA" she managed to say before her head fell to the ground.
Every musician's fate
Chapter three
Nowhere to go but inside
Vinyl awoke in the dirt, her eyes slowly opened as her body began to vivify. She swiftly arose from the ground, desperately gasping for air to be inhaled into her lungs. She pressed her hand hard onto her chest, trying to yield the pain that hammered at her heart. But this was a stubborn pain, not willing to give up. In panic vinyl unwilling stuttered to the nearest tree and lent on it for slight support.
Her hand that touched the dark treated bark felt the dry cracks that made their way up the tall tree. Her big blue eyes looked at the other trees that surrounded her. Their wicked, stretched out branches reached into the gloomy skies, as if they were begging for sunlight. No leaves swung from them, making the ground seem like a sea of browns and maroons. The forest she stood in was infested with darkness, even the sun surrendered to them. Shadows lingered behind the trees and plants, making the area look like death itself.
A sudden squeal echoed out of the broken and aphotic theatre.
"Octavia?" Quietly sounded vinyl. Nobody answered except from hushed whispers that plagued inside the lonesome building.
"Vinyl…I need you to join me inside." Said a voice with a posh, calm tone to it that vinyl new well. This was Octavia's voice. Vinyl felt that same feeling inside her stomach. The feeling she felt at the hospital.
Then she heard that same wooden creak. The same leaf rustling and the heavy breathing. But this time it approached her at a faster rate. As if it was angry. Vinyl swiftly ran through the decaying doors that had, 'entrance' pinned on the frame and disappeared into the Cimmerian air inside.
Vinyl found herself carefully pondering the shadows around her. They glared at her with a smug-like expression, silently laughing at her. She bite her lip with fear, until it began to draw blood that made its way into her mouth, causing her tongue to quiver at the sour after taste.
Vinyl's heart began to pound like a drum, causing her to become quite dizzy once again. She could feel the fear building up inside her, making the shadows seem more and more intense. On the roof was a collapsed hole that had streaks of light shin through that hit the stage and shone on the girl with red eyes. Vinyl looked up at her and gasped.
"Octavia? Is that you?" she asked in astonishment, whilst the cold breeze blew at her back that swept in through the cracks along the walls.
"Yes vinyl it's me." Replied Octavia. Vinyl walked cautiously towards the stage, watching every shadow that moved in the corners of her eyes. She passed through the rows of ripped crimson chairs. And eventually stopped when she was a short distance from Octavia.
Octavia's body was strange. She looked ghastly, but was also see through. It was as if she were a ghost.
"What's going on Octavia? This place is wrong. Why does your body have a strange glow around it? What's going on?" Shouted vinyl with a questioning tone to her voice.
"The curse of music vinyl. The curse of music…" said Octavia with a low pitched voice.
"'the curse of music? What the hell are you going on about?" She demanded, whilst tears sprung in her eyes that rolled down her face and dripped to the floor.
"The fate of all musicians" announced numerous ghost-like aspirations that appeared next to Octavia.
"It happens to everybody that learns how to play an instrument in this country." Said a man dressed in an out of fashion top hat and trench coat.
"The curse of the timber wolf" he said
"I don't believe you! There's no way any of that is true!"
"Don't believe me then. But you'll believe me when it's your 'turn' to join us. That thing that's been following you around is a timer wolf. Made entirely out of wood. Its hair are made from leaves. And it has no heart. One thousand years ago a battle was fort here in these very woods. A battle between the English and Norwegians' . A warrior called the 'wolf' was killed in this forest. And he's been haunting this very country for musicians ever since. To play songs and melody's for his amusement.
Vinyl became bemused. Her head struggled to take all of this evil information in. the shadows laughed at her confusion and began to shift themselves away from hole in the celling that cast small lines of light.
A brand new mist drifted in through the doors of the theatre, and drowned the seating area with an unmissable gloom that sent chills up vinyl's spine.
"Looks like he found you. We'll see you soon then" said the man wearing the trench coat with a chuckle. Octavia looked at vinyl with a faint smile and disappeared suddenly.
"No...Please don't leave me here." Said vinyl quietly. She fell to the ground and began to sob loudly. Then she heard claws scratching the walls outside the theatre. She wrapped her hands around her eyes tightly, so that she couldn't see anything.
Paw steps of wood clopped against the ground that headed closer and closer towards the crying rock girl. Then they just stopped.
Vinyl felt a warm breeze brush against her delicate skin. She removed her hands slowly and opened her eyes. She gazed up into two strange green glowing egg shapes that hovered above her. She raised an eyebrow to the sight. Then a heavy breathing noise echoed from two oddly shaped nostrils. A Sharpe wooden thorn that took the shape of a claw reached up to her chin and pushed up her head. The thorn dug into her chin, slightly causing distress around that area. Its wooden, gagged teeth formed a menacing smile. A smile of which caused vinyl to become pale. Its strong breath blew her mane slightly. She then gulped her last breath before the creature swung its claws to her face, knocking her out instantly and leaving three deep gashes in her cheek. She landed in the remains of the dusty velvet curtains that littered the ground, groaning in pain whilst she fell unconscious.
Every musician's fate
Chapter four.
One of them
"Ugh…where am I?" vinyl grumbled, getting up and taking in her surroundings. She was still in the dimly lit theatre, which had a dusty atmosphere and moth eaten chairs all over the place. Vinyl started to examine the theatre better, to get more familiar with the place. She didn't get a good image of the echoing building, when she first entered because of the alarming shadows that made her anxious.
She then recalled and remembered the 'timber wolf' slashing at her face. She put her hand to her cheek at began to assess the damage that it caused. When it pressed her skin, a darting pain raced there and caused her to swiftly move her fingers away. Small droplets of the crimson liquid that flowed through her veins stained her white fur, causing her to frown slightly. Looking around in eagerness, she noticed the paint on the walls was peeling of and sent a damp aroma into the air. That smell made her muzzle cringe. The shadows were still lingering inside the building, as if they were waiting for something. Vinyl still felt paranoid; intimidated almost. Darkness was not the correct word to describe this place but the only one that seemed appropriate.
It wasn't warm or cold, wet or dry. It was as close to nothing as it could be. The air was thicker with the haze, darker then black that filled the theatre. The floor was uneven and rough like gravel yet vinyl's feet still echoed with each step.
"Octavia?" She cried into the gloom, but she received nothing in return. She could hear her own heartbeat, like an echo in a deep cavern, but with no visible walls to carry the sound. She wasn't sure why, but she was compelled to keep moving. Putting one hoof in front of the other; hoping that by wandering around this place she could find some kind of sign or hint to where Octavia is.
"Where are you Octavia" she tried again her voice echoing in all directions. Growing louder rather than softer as moments past.
"Make it stop!" She cried, curling up on the ground and covering her ears with her hands again. Blocking out as much as the sound as she could.
"Please". And without warning the echo ceased and left her in an eerie silence. Vinyl clambered to her feet and began to run. Unsure which direction to take or how to escape this confusing place. She was too afraid to use her phone to lighten up the place as she didn't want to know what caused the echoes to become louder. This place wasn't like anything she had ever seen and she didn't trust it. It reminded her of something that might have come from 'his' twisted imagination. The timber woof. That thought triggered a reaction of vinyl. She stopped running, panting softly for breath. 'He' was the reason she was here. Though she couldn't find any 'other' to blame. Vinyl's thoughts were cut off. Her ears twitched when she heard the soft sound of scratching summon behind her. She started running again, this time sobbing as she did. She didn't know what was coming but she knew it was important not to get caught. She ran from the sound then stopped, digging her feet into the gravel like floor in confusion. When the sound came at her from a different direction. She recognized the felling of dread and knew that she had faced whatever this was before. She faced it just after Octavia disappeared from the stage.
"Go away" vinyl pleaded. But the scratching just got louder. She ran as fast as she was able too, but the sound still grew louder. It wasn't too long before her body began to ache and she worried that it was going to fail her. The little hope she clung on to, threatened to go out, like a weak candle flame. Vinyl then saw a faint outline of a chair, before running into it and tumbling to the floor. Vinyl's eyes then slowly closed as she banged her head when she fell. The scratching noises then softly faded away in the darkness, as she fell unconscious.
Suddenly vinyl felt a chill run up her spine and her eyes flew open in the face of the monster that pursued her all this time. But it wasn't. Instead it was herself. Or at least another version of herself. This vinyl however had no eyes. Only two great balls of darkness where her eyes had once been. Vinyl screamed and jumped back to her feet in panic. But dark vinyl only smiled and offered out her hand. Where a shape bloody knife rested. It didn't take long for her to start running again but the pain in her body compelled her to slow down slightly. The dark mist grew thicker as she started to tire. Her chest constricted as she gasps, unable to suck in a second breath from the weight of the mist. Vinyl's leg muscles bust with sharp pains as she ran. The dark vinyl wasn't far behind her, chasing her with ease. Vinyl then fell into a deep puddle in the theatre. Dark vinyl caught up with her, pushing down vinyl's head into the salty water, trying to force the life out of her. Vinyl screamed and thrashed in the water, looking at her twin until she broke free at last. Gasping and shaking as she dragged herself out of the wet liquid.
The mist began to change again, this time it cleared and revealed a brighter theatre. Vinyl looked over her shoulder at her dark twin who galloped towards her, still clutching the knife. Vinyl ran again and headed towards the backstage area, hoping to lose this wrong version of her. Each chair she ran past got more twisted and more mangled as she went along.
Suddenly vinyl found her twin bringing the knife around her throat.
"It's the only way. I never wanted this but the timber wolf will destroy me if I don't kill you. It's you or me. I'm so sorry." The dark vinyl cried, but suddenly lost her grip when the timber wolf grabbed her by his dagger like wooden teeth and pulled her away, swallowing her with a few chews. The crushing of her bones and the tearing of her flesh made vinyl throw up.
Vinyl's eyes darted nervously at the living tree that stood before her, blood dripped from his wooden mouth, slowly forming a puddle of crimson liquid on the floor. It looked at vinyl with satisfaction in its lime green eyes that turned red shortly after vinyl went pale. It then used its thorn like claw to point to a dusty mirror that rest on the decaying wall that was behind her. She turned her head slightly and looked at it. She then swiftly turned back to the wolf that stood there patiently waiting.
Vinyl took in a deep breath and gulped. Sweat ran down her forehead and she walked towards the mirror. Using her hand, she wiped a cycle of grime of it, it reveled vinyl's face. Her hair and face were how they should be, but her eyes and the three gashes were glowing red. She gasped and retreated backwards a little, until her back bumped into the wolf's cold wooden chest. It looked down to her, staring into her eyes with a faint smile. Its warm breath hit her face, causing her to cough slightly.
"Your mine now 'DJ'" it said with a very low pitched voice that echoed throughout the theatre. Octavia then appeared next to it, a hint of shame in her face whilst she stared at the ground.
"Octav…" vinyl tried to scream before a wooden paw was put over her mouth.
"Quiet mortal" said the timber wolf.
Every musician's fate
Chapter five
Your fate is mine
"I am the leader of your life. I decide your fate now. You. Belong. To. Me." Said the wolf in an intimidating tone that caused vinyl to cower slightly. Octavia stood there silent, As if she pretended we weren't even there. A shallow wind blew in through the decaying entrance, making Goosebumps appear on vinyl's skin. She suddenly felt something wrap around her legs. Something that caused sharp pains to attack her ankles.
She looked down and saw two vines with thorns on them curling around her legs that slowly made their way up to her knees. Blood oozed from where the thorns dug in, causing distress all over. A dam of tears broke in her eyes and began to flow down her soft cheeks. The vines progressively got tighter and tighter until eventually vinyl heard her own legs snap and crack. Her muffled screams went unnoticed as the vines continued their way up her body. Her waist and pelvis then was crushed, then her ribs, then her shoulder blades. Until eventually they wrapped around her throat.
"At least this way the end will be swift" vinyl said to herself, whist not being able to breathe oxygen into her lungs.
Her sight then began to fade away, like her life was. The last thing she saw before the vines crushed her windpipe was a tear run down Octavia's delicate cheek.
"Goodbye Octavia"…
