Rimsha Bashir
10/25/2014
With clothes drenched in sweat and hair plastered across her forehead, Erra bolted through the lingering leaves, swiping away the dangling branches. The moon beamed brightly through the thick foliage, sprinkling rays of white on the mossy, green forest floor. Erra scampered around until her lungs burned and her stomach threatened to rip open her throat. She reached for a nearby tree and felt skin scrape the rough bark as her knees gave out. Sinking to the ground, she let the wet moss seep into her clothing. The whole forest was layered with a damp carpet, moist with mud condensation. Her chest rose and fell as she struggled to catch her breath, a pressure building inside of her ribs that threatened to break free. It felt like it would tear open her flesh and claw its way out into the open air. Her muscles ached and her stomach cramped—she suddenly had the urge to vomit and lurched to the side, dry heaving. She coughed and wiped her lips, feeling dizzy, then sank back to the ground, cold and wet. She pressed her fist to her mouth, digging her fingers into her cheeks as pressure built behind her eyes. She was going to explode. Gritting her teeth together, Erra clenched her hands so tightly her nails bit into skin; nothing was more frustrating than the throbbing that pulsed through her whole body. She fought the pressure as best she could . . . but finally broke down.
A sudden pressure gripped her shoulders, hauling her off the dirt floor. She thrashed around, flailing her fists left and right, finally finding a target. A grunt slipped from the stranger's lips. A realization swept in immediately recognizing her only sibling, her brother.
"Lucas," she murmured in a despaired tone, as she struggled up to her shaking feet. A sense of safety overwhelmed her as she began to make her way back to their temporary camp.
"Luna, I found her," announced her brother to another figure, hovering over a small flame. Her best friend's shoulders slumped out of relief, hobbling over to the two siblings and embracing Erra with a content expression. With a sigh, she leaned over to Lucas, sending him a warning.
"She can't run off again," Luna whispered to him only, "We can't afford to lose her. We're already lost in this forest and we have nothing to eat."
"I swear we should have never come on this camping trip," He shook his head with disappointment, "I'm sorry," he muttered, his eyes were glazed and drained of hope.
"I'm tired," Erra mumbled, stumbling in her footsteps. Her best friend sighed again, catching her in her feeble arms, and murmuring soft words of encouragement in her ear.
"I'll take her back to the tent," Luna told Lucas, carefully pulling his younger sister into the dismangled structure of the tent. Her body was light and easy to maneuver around, gently pushing her down into the blankets tumbling out of the raggedy sleeping bags.
Erra's eyes were red with deep bags under her lids as Luna peered at her, pondering over what her best friend had become in the several days they had been trapped in the forest. Her dark hair had matted against her forehead and her cheeks had claimed a pale color. Her skin was clammy and cold at the touch and she refused to accept any warmth from anyone or anything. "Erra, please. You'll get sick," Luna admonished her, knowing that that was exactly what her friend was. Sick. She wasn't someone unrecognizable. It was foolish for her to even think of such ridiculous accusations. She swiped back her golden locks behind her ears as she crouched down next to the delirious girl, pulling the blankets around her shivering shoulders. "Just get some rest. When you wake up, everything will be better. There is nothing to be afraid of," she reassured, squeezing her friend's hand tenderly, "We love you, Erra." The whispered comment was lost to the other girl as she fought desperately against dream and reality in her mind. Sighing at her mostly failed attempts, Luna proceeded out of the tent, joining Lucas by the blazing fire.
"She's sleeping," she murmured hollowly to him, wrapping her arms around herself to absorb the heat, "What if she doesn't get better, Lucas?" She swallowed thickly, shaking her head a bit in disappointment as well as remorse. His light blue eyes stared into the dancing colors of the fire, watching sparks freely bounce from one point to another. The sticks and leaves crackled under the flames, burning a small trail of smoke into the air.
"I don't know," his voice cracked, identical to Luna's, exhausted with emotions. The two hovered over the fire, observing as the tinder frolicked around interminably.
Startled, Erra woke up with images printed permanently in her mind. She sat upright, momentarily confused. It took her a few seconds for the memories to come flooding back. She waited for relief to come as it usually did upon realizing that her nightmares weren't real, but her heart continued to beat erratically. It seemed to be speeding up, and she suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. Her lungs were constricting. She sprang to her feet and grabbed her shoes, pushing her way from the tent and into the cool, night air. Her eyes wildly pranced around her surroundings, searching for anything familiar in the unknown. But it all seemed so strange. Nothing looked the way it had. With hazy eyes, she stumbled awkwardly, cracking a branch and stepping on a couple of leaves as she attempted to move around. She heard a concerned voice in the distance where a bright flame hovered, but couldn't make any sense of what it was.
"Erra...Erra, what are you doing?" she heard the voice waver a bit as if she were something to be scared of. Her hands clenched tightly by her sides as her feet moved on their own mind. Her eyes narrowed onto the objects in the hands of her friend, shocked and frightened. Her panicked mind couldn't understand that it was just kindle for the fire and that there was nothing to fear.
"How could you do this to me? You're my best friend!" Erra cried out, gasping as her shaking body trembled at the scene she was forced to watch.
"Erra…" Luna pleaded, stepping forward. That was all it took to send the girl off of her rocker. An anguished wail echoed in the sinister forest as the dark haired girl leaped forward and clawed her nails desperately at what she thought was a traitor she should fear. The sticks and leaves in Luna's hands fell with a tumble into the fire, raising the flames to a higher length. Sobs wracked the girl's body as Erra snatched a rock surrounding the flame, crying out at the heat that burned her palm. This gave the golden haired girl an opportunity to attempt to crawl out of her attacker's way. She struggled, clawing her hands out as her knees scratched against the surface. It didn't take long though for Erra to find her way back.
"Why would you? You betrayed me!" Erra cried out as she swung her arm out at her friend, the rock present in the palm of her hand. Inflamed weeping reiterated in the evil forest as the rock soon shed a new color—red.
The sound of shallow breathing echoed loudly in her ears. She wanted it to stop forever. Squeezing her eyes shut, the sound only seemed to get louder. She tried desperately to drive out the sound and her fright. Her eyes opened once again to stare down at the golden locks of her traitorous best friend as she gasped for breaths. Erra saw red smeared across her forehead and her limbs were tightly pressed together as she struggled to gain oxygen. Luna gurgled as she choked on her own blood, coughing intermittently. Her mouth was agape in an unsettling way, blue, cracked lips parting to reveal broken teeth and a swollen, bloody tongue. The sight only seemed to frighten her further, encouraging her to smash the rock once more. A tight grunt slipped from Luna's lips for one last time before her head slumped to the side. A small pool of blood widened on the dirt floor, the liquid giving off a shiny appearance from the blazing fire. The light fleeted from her eyes as if running from the evil it had witnessed. She felt her fear vanquished due to the silence that now embodied the night.
Dropping the rock with a loud thump, her hands rose to her face, pushing aside the dark, sweaty locks away from her eyes. Erra cringed as she felt wetness touch her cheeks. A gasp slipped from her lips as she peered down at her hands, finding a similar color to them as was on Luna. Swallowing thickly, she stumbled to her feet, pushing aside the lifeless body of what used to be her best friend. Exhausted, she stared down at her hands once again, finding them looking quite different than before.
"No, no," she uttered and shook her head, as if the movements would shake the thoughts out itself. Breathing a bit erratically, she followed her feet in the dark, whimpering quietly as she stumbled around. Every sound seemed to announce its volume louder with every step. She gasped as her feet tripped over a thick root on the forest floor, sending her rolling a few feet forward. Groaning, Erra lifted herself off of the ground, warily gazing around her surroundings. A delighted expression rose to her features as she spotted a small stream only a little further in the distance. It took her several moments to reorient herself before she arrived to her destination. Her eyes drooped a bit in disappointment as she cast them at the dirty water flowing with what appeared to be clumped particles of dirt. How could she drink this?
Her eyes gazed up at the sky momentarily, observing the broken pieces of space through the clumps of branches and leaves. The moon was guarded by the dense gloomy cluster of clouds. The sky depleted of light as the moon decided that she was no longer worthy of anything pure. Her body felt drained of energy as she stared up into space. Perhaps it was not a blessing she was given, but a curse. Numbness began to sink in as a sudden drop hit her cheek. Droplets of water plunged onto the earth and disturbed the peaceful stillness of the tiny stream. Feeling hollow inside, Erra dipped her hands into the stream, mechanically going through the movements of washing away any remnants of what occurred that night.
He was seated on a larger rock, a stick in one hand, and a sharpened blade of a Swiss army knife in another. The blade would start near the center of the thick stick before sliding down roughly, scraping off the bark. His monotonous actions continued for quite some time. It had been his attempt to escape the messed up reality he was forced to suffer through with his younger sister. She was no longer recognizable. He didn't know what to do about her. Luna had asked him and he had been completely dumbfounded. He had no answer and that was what had stumped him more than everything else. This couldn't go on for much longer. How were the three of them supposed to survive in this forest without any resources? No food, no water, nothing. They couldn't do this. Whose bright idea was it anyway to take an impromptu camping trip into these deserted woods? Why hadn't anyone come looking for them?
Lucas sighed heavily. His shoulders slumped as he picked up the few sticks he had been aimlessly sharpening. There was no purpose for it. It was just something to pass the time, but somewhere in his mind, he felt the urge to save the bundle of sticks. He swallowed thickly, rising to his feet with the twigs and his knife in hand. A sudden shriek caught his attention, startling him in his footsteps. Alarmed, he proceeded forward, wanting to check out where the sound had come from, but also a bit frightened of what he was going to find. What if it was Erra? Or Luna? Had an animal attacked them?
Speeding in his steps, he gathered all of his nerve and trekked across the forest back to their makeshift camp. In between that time, a shower had begun and rain pelted down on his head. Shivering from the cool temperature of the falling water, he huddled and moved quicker. His feet crashed over the decaying moss and wrinkled leaves, racing as he tried to catch up with the rain. Lucas was entirely soaked by the time he reached back to the camp. The only way he could even recognize the area was because of the faint outline of the tan colored tent. The rain pelted on its roof, making a beating sound with every drop. His eyes squinted through the raindrops, searching for the source of the sound he had heard earlier. The fire had been put out by the rain, giving off a terrible stench as well as a trail of smoke lingering in the air. Lucas stumbled forward, his shoes splashing loudly in the puddles left among the branches and leaves.
He was panting by the time he reached the smoldering remnants of their fire. The smoke was clouding his vision, leaving him unable to observe his path. Coughing, he waved his arm wildly in front of his eyes and attempted to proceed forward. A surprised yelp slipped from his lips as he felt something trip his foot, leaving him sprawling with his ankle bent at an awkward angle. His palms softened his fall, though they were scraped harshly by the wet sticks. He winced as he tried to move his ankle again, feeling a shot of pain soar up his leg. Grunting, Lucas eventually had up righted himself, glancing over his shoulder to see what he had tripped over.
"No…" he muttered, his light eyes widening in disbelief. He shook his head in despair, falling to his knees next to the soaked body. "Luna, no, wake up! Come on, please. Don't be...you can't be...Luna. Wake up!" His hands grasped onto the limp girl's shoulders, desperately shaking them, but inevitably getting no response. Lucas cried, hanging his head in between his shoulders as he soon came to the realization of what happened. Sniffling, he wiped his face and struggled to his feet. Swiping away his wet hair from his eyes, he searched inside of the ragged tent that started this whole mess. As he expected, the area was vacant with the sleeping bags measley tossed aside. He inhaled deeply, his hands finding the sharpened sticks he had tucked into his belt.
There was only one conclusion he could come up with. Erra was beyond saving. There was nothing else he could do. He was alone in this wild forest with his delirious sister. She was no longer someone he recognized, family. Was she really the sister he thought she was? The part of her he had loved had succumbed into the darkness within her. With a strangled cry, he crouched down next to Luna still body, shaking a bit as he looked at her. She didn't deserve this. She had mountains of potential that dissipated into the oblivion that was forced upon her. His hand unsteadily reached forward and pressed her eyelids down, closing them. The moon's bright light encompassed her limp body as she lay angelically on the ground. Iridescent fireflies hovered in the air, giving passage to the heavens. Now, she only looked like she was asleep, not taken away by death. Except, this sleep was eternal.
His hands gripped tightly onto the wooden instrument, a wave of anger taking over. This was not his sister. His sister was not some deranged monster who would kill her own best friend. His sister was long gone, and she was never coming back. With a deep breath, and his logic clumping together in his mind, he hiked across the woods in search for Erra. He needed to end this once and for all. Lucas didn't have a concrete idea of what exactly that entailed, but he knew that the consequences would be severe.
It was taking far too long for him to navigate around the wilderness. He knew the place better than either Erra or Luna did, but that still was not enough to get them out of this forest. His hands pawed out at tree limbs, his ankle aching as he attempted to maneuver around. After several minutes of aimless wandering, he heard a slow rush of water. His eyes brightened a bit at the thought of finally drinking some water that hadn't fallen from the sky. His eyes worked faster than his limbs, however. Before he could take another step, he spotted the familiar dark hair of his younger sister, stuck against her back as she hollowly stared at the dirty stream water. A sharp breath escaped his lungs as he watched her with widened eyes, unsure of what to do now that he had stumbled upon her.
She seemed distracted, oblivious to everything going on around her. Her eyes were only on her hands, watching them with a mixture of emotions that she couldn't quite comprehend. His first instinct was to call out to her, sympathize with her like he did every time she got in trouble because of some random kid at school. But here, he couldn't. It just wasn't possible in his mind. His sister murdered someone. Did she know the consequences of it, or did she just believe in some cruel nightmare? Was she dreaming? What was she thinking? Before he could stop himself, his feet had made a movement forward, crushing a clump of leaves loudly. It was then that time had stopped.
As if both of them were watching a bomb tick away its last seconds, a pair of similar eyes made contact. One had lost every bit of emotion and humanity it could, while the other was opened with fear. His chest clenched tightly as his hands inconspicuously reached for the sharpened tools he had created. In that split second, both of them seemed to break out of their trances and snap. Erra had quickly shot off of the ground, snatching up whatever material she could. She had seen the items in his hands and with her crazed mind had come up with several inane scenarios where her only family was out to get her. Lucas pushed off of the ground, attempting to race after her. He gained a further distance than her, having always been the more athletic one of the pair. She threw a large rock behind her in attempt to wean him off. It nearly hit him, but he carefully dodged her attacks. His ankle pained him and nearly gave out several times but he kept going. He had to finish this.
Stretching his arm out, he snatched her flailing limb and roughly pushed her against a tree. A scowl settled across his lips as he pressed his arm across her neck and held the wooden instrument over her head. He settled his weight on her lower body, making sure she would have no opening to escape. Lucas was panting, his shoulders rising and lowering rapidly as he attempted to slow his heart beat again. Erra seemed to be in some similar stage, trying to get some hold on reality as she was being wrestled with. They struggled momentarily until Erra seemed to give up.
"You killed her! You killed your best friend!" Lucas growled, pushing her body back onto the tree, his previous emotions of anger seeping in again. His words didn't seem to sink into her mind just yet. Incoherent mumbles were announced from Erra as she babbled nonsense out that she believed. What had happened to her to make her this way? Was it the lack of food and water? He was fine. Luna had been fine. So, why hadn't Erra? Why had the fear of death taken over only her? "What's wrong with you? Why did you have to do that? Why...Erra, I need to know," his voice began to clog up, "I can't do this. I can't hurt you..." Lucas shook his head, but he knew the sad truth. "But I have to. I have to end this." This seemed only to drive Erra ballistic. What she had thought had been confirmed in some twisted way. Her brother was trying to hurt her.
"No!" She cried out finally, thrashing around in his arms, coming to a realization. Something was wrong. She hadn't quite comprehended just yet what it was though. He squeezed his eyes shut, taking a shuddering breath as he rose the wooden tool up high into the air and prepared to plunge it into her head. As he was prepared to swing it down to her skull, he was hit by all the memories he could possibly have of his younger sister. He felt nauseated by the time he remembered the two of them at a young age. Sweat dripped down from his hairline as a singular tear streamed down his face.
The fall leaves swayed as they slowly made their way to the grassy backyard. The sound of laughter echoed in the distance with the relaxed setting. A girl at only three feet hobbled to the wooden swing set while a lighter haired boy followed behind, chasing her. The girl laughed as she reached the swings first, using her small hands to clutch onto the rope threads while her brother caught up to her and snatched the other swing into hand.
"I bet I can swing higher," his voice challenged in a haughty tone. He proceeded with climbing onto the swing's seat and achieving a higher level than her.
"No!" The girl protested with a whine, plopping down on the swing and furiously pumping her legs without a care in the world, attempting to gain height. An innocent melody of laughter followed as the two children raced to gain more elevation on the other.
At that moment, the stick was thrown out of his hands and onto the mossy floor. His mouth was agape in shock as he was weaponless. Erra seemed to be surprised of her own actions as well. He no longer had any motivation to continue. His hold on her was still tight, but he made sure that he was no longer hurting her, but rather trying to help.
"Erra...I just want to help you," he murmured to her, attempting to convince her.
"No, no, no you don't," Erra muttered wildly, shaking her head as she sobbed. Her hands clenched by her sides before they opened and wiggled around. She was having a hard time understanding what was going on.
"Please, it's me, Lucas," he begged her, holding her hands together in the palm of his own hands. He was going to try whatever he could now to get her out of this forest and get her some help. It didn't matter anymore. She was his family and people should never turn their backs on family. "I love you. I love you so much and I'm never going to let you go a day without knowing that. You've done some terrible things, but everyone has. That doesn't mean they can't be redeemed. I'm going to get you help," he promised her.
"I don't want help. I-I…" Erra broke off into sobs, sniffling as she struggled against his strong arms. Lucas pulled her off of the tree, wrestling her into a tight embrace. "Please, Lucas. I'm sorry...I'm so sorry." A wave of nausea moved over her, leaving her cheeks covered in tears. Her face was smeared with red, and was dried and cracked in some places.
"You're my sister. No matter what," Lucas consoled her, wrapping his arms around her. His hand stroked her dark, dirty hair, calming her down as she whimpered and cried into his shoulder. She nodded her head in agreement, finally seeing reason. The light had returned to her eyes with a sudden feeling of emotion sweeping over her. The realization of the malevolence in her heart dragged her onto her knees in fear of her own evil. Both siblings lowered to the ground, grieving over loss of friendship and innocence. The moon hovered brightly over them, shining through the cracks of the trees. It sent its purity into the world beneath it claimed by the internal darkness in hopes of discovering the lost goodness buried within. The search began for redemption.