AFTER IT'S TOLD
Chapter one
Fallen
A/N: Hey! This is my first story I had ever written (or typed).Phew. Writing this took me days (and it's the first chapter. O-o;) . And being a creative person and all, I tend to be tense and nervous about sending my work to the public. And it ends up making my typing like crap. But anyways…. Enjoy! :)
I never had to run. In fear. The warm sun streamed cold rays onto my skin. The wind picked up speed as well as the surrounding shrubs I ran through blindly. Suspended branches from the bushes cut my skin as I run by them. As if. They are wanting me to slow down. I wince at the pain, but I kept running. And running. The cuts I was bearing felt like they weren't even there. Running so fast that the pattered and helpless floral below grasp at its last lust of life. Not as athletic, jumping clumsily over logs and dead shrubs. My legs were giving out. I had to stop. I ran into a massive clearing, a meadow. To the northeast of the bundle of bushes I entered from, a lone tree. The last of the energy I had, drug myself to the base of the tree. I slumped along the side of the tree. I curved my spine to an uncomfortable angle, hiding the shame and sorrow I had to boast. I threw my arms above my head. Digging my fingers into my hair. Wanting to rip them out, strain by strain. I choked out my words.
"mom….. dad…. please… come back…."
I knew they weren't going to come back. Never in a lifetime. My struggling words altered into silent weeps. The back of my throat started to form a knot. Tears rolled down my face, stinging my cheeks and the edge of my chin, dripping into the dark ground beneath me. The pain was too much. I cried for hours. Sniffles and sobbing, I fell into a deep trance.
Smoke. That's all I can see. The air was hot and thick. I barely couldn't breathe. I was standing in a brown dirt patch of charred grass. My head was locked in place. Looking up, the smoke cleared for my perception, the sight almost stopped my heart. My house was on fire. The house that I grew up in. Made memories. Suffered learnable and valuable hardships of life, was engulfed in flames. Wooden supports beams broke and collided with other smoking wood. The betrayed fell to the ground, projects streaks of fiery red stars. The windows were shattered due to the excessive heat from the house. In any minute the house would implode.
The sight paralyzed my body. I couldn't tear my eyes away. I was trembling. Shaking vigorously. My heart was racing. My hands were stinging with the burns that consequence my escape. I attempted to move my numb hands. They were holding something. One wield a box while the other help some sort of jug. But I couldn't look down at my hands. Something prevented me from doing that.
A disembodied voice whispered through the thickness of the smoked air.
"Hehehehe…." I looked around, confused, but frantic.
"Wh-who's there…?" My natured voice was certainly masked with fear.
"Look at what you've done."
The words were cold as ice. Goosebumps crept up my spine and the hairs on my body risen. My words shaken.
"Who are you…. what do you want from me?!"
A little girl stood in front of me. She was wearing a light orange tee shirt with a pair of brown shorts. Below her collar bone area, a medium green stripe crossed her shirt. She was wearing no shoes. As if the burning ground under her did not bother her at all. Her feet were dirtied from the debris and smoke. The dark brown hair covered her eyes. But it could easily be told that she was staring up at me.
Her neutral smiles flexed into a demonic grin.
"Hehehehe…. how can a human like you be so naïve?"
Her grin grew wider.
"You killed everyone whom you hold close to. Not aware of your sights nor sorrows."
I tensed, "What are you talking about?"
She glared at me, amusement sparkled in her eyes. If it was a bad, dark joke.
"I would look at what I am wielding, if I was you."
I lifted my clenched hands. I stood in disbelief. One hand had a box of matches as the other gripped tightly to the handle of an oil can.
I stammered, "no…. this can't be happening… this is all a mistake…"
The girl tapped the knife patiently. Brushing along the blade, deep, but drew no blood. She smirked.
"You should be punished for your sins, no?"
I shuddered and grasped at my throat. I spat out blood as it stained the dirt and my palms. I fell to the ground, looking up at her. She was towering over me. One eye still hidden while the other was dark. It glinted with a red aura.
"Your soul is mine!"
The child rose the knife. Thrusting the blade into my terrified body. Repeatedly. I cried and I screamed. Her malicious smile had burned into the memory of my now fragile mind. It was like I was stuck in a loop hole. Of her stabbing me over. And over. And over. Her giggles faded to inaudible. And the slashing of skin and flesh silenced. Finally, bittersweet silence.
I shot my eyes open. It was just a dream. Thank god. My ribs were tight against my insides. The uncomfortable position I was in when I slept, wasn't the stake of it. The hard breathing I've done through the remaining night sent a burning sensation every time I took an exhale. I laid there. Bringing my arms and legs close to me, almost like an armadillo. I whispered in my hands, "Where am I going to go…?" I knew no other family members other than my mom and dad. I was the only child. Mom told me stories about the experiences and adventures she took when she was a little kid. Mentioned relatives. But whenever I asked her if when we could see them one day. She responded with, "Soon." And no matter how many times I asked her the question, I get the same response. Same with dad. I stood up, with the branch of the tree supporting my weight as I raised. Last night's nightmare flashed through my mind. The house. That girl. That smile. The matches and the oil can. I let out a stressed and unstable sigh.
"It's just a dream, "I leaned against the tree's side, "just a goddamned dream."
I steadied myself as I stood on my feet. My legs still tired from the running I did yesterday. I managed to walk into the bushes that flanked the tree from the back.
"I'm not gonna die here." I muttered.
My change of attitude shocked me even. Why do I feel like this? Why am I filled with such…. determination? I kept walking forward.
"Everything… will be alright…" I was lying. I had to be.
"Everything…. will… be… alright…." Stop lying.
"Everything will be alright…. Everything will be alright…..Everything will be alright…"
I was lost in thought. I didn't know where I was going or stepping onto. My foot suddenly caught on something. I tripped and fell forwards. Beyond me, a deep pit devoured my sight. The only sock I was wearing slipped off cowardly as I descended amongst the darkness. I closed my eyes, in prayer. The tears converted the blood I shed.
"mom… dad…. i'm coming home…"
