Blood Shadows
A/N: this story is actually an essay I wrote for school back in grade 10. It was entitled "Shadowland". I thought that I could use it now, as a sort of twisted tale. No names are mentioned, but the characters should be pretty clear to the very regular readers. Enjoy.
The cold mist crept into the dark room through the broken window. The fading light of the evening made the room eerie and quiet; the only sounds were her breathing and her teeth chattering. The blanket she was wrapped in was dirty and smelled of used motor oil. She wasn't sure where she was, but she knew she wasn't meant to be found.
A noise like the roar of a wild animal started up outside and she jumped. The thick ropes that bound her ankles and wrists cut into her flesh as she moved, causing her to gasp in pain. A flickering shadow moved over the window, and she froze with fear. She earnestly wished her Protector would come and rescue her.
Another distinct sound broke the short-lived silence; a key turned in the rusty lock. She knew it was the depraved person who had kidnapped her, and she feared as to what his ultimate motive might be. The door creaked open and he stepped into the room. He shuffled slowly towards her and removed the oil-soaked blanket. The cold instantly took over her actions, and she shivered uncontrollably. He forced her to her feet, and she hopped towards the door.
She realised that the room was a single, broken-down hut in the middle of a dense, cold forest. He bent down and cut the suffocating ropes from around her raw ankles, allowing her to stumble freely. He marched her down a steep bank towards the sound of running water. The river, flowing swiftly through the valley, was the only source of direction in the almost pitch black night. The trees loomed up around them, creating a natural, yet intimidating cage that seemed impenetrable.
The cold mud soon squelched up between her numb toes. The river stretched away on either side of them, silver in the brilliant moonlight. A movement behind them caused them both to abruptly turn. A shadowed figure stepped towards them and she recognized him instantly as her muscular Protector.
Her deranged Kidnapper wasted no time. He knew he had to take away the only thing that meant anything to the Protector. Her Kidnapper wished he could have tortured the Protector's reason to live, but there was no time for that. He pulled out a small, 9mm pistol and shot her three times in the chest. Her Protector gasped and rushed forwards. He caught her falling body before she hit the soft ground. Her cackling Kidnapper disappeared slowly back into the dense, cold forest. His task was complete.
The unblinking stare that greeted her Protector was too much for him to bear. The body of his love lay on the muddy river bank, bathed in seemingly innocent moonlight, as a howling scream that had never been heard before or since echoed through the forest, down the valley and into the cold night. It left behind a broken man, and the lifeless body of the woman he loved in a grotesque pool of blood. The Blood Shadows had devoured her.
The End
A/N2: I hope you liked (or hated) it enough to leave a review. Thanks.
S