Heart pounding, thoughts rushing- the soles of her shoes rhythmically beat against the concrete.
¨Hey, stop running already!¨ a voice snaps in amusement.
She only casts a glance over her shoulder, catching sight of coal hued orbs watching her from nearby. The world around her flashes with scarlet tones and swirling shadows seem to grab at her from every direction. There is but a second passing, but something cuts off her airway. She can't breath, and with a blink it is all gone.
Her footing disappears her for a second, and it is enough to make her stumble. Her hands slam against the ground. Sharp, burning pains radiate from her palms. She pushes off. Her body is propelled forward, with her gained momentum, and she continues running with every ounce of her strength put towards it.
A noose loops arounds her neck, cutting her escape off. She chokes as the scratchy rope digs into the column of her throat. She is jerked back.
All but helpless to the town's madness, she is now.
Gurgling, choking noises leave her as she is dragged backwards. The flesh of her back, even though covered by her shirt, scrap against the ground.
Her lungs burn as if soaked in acid.
Her hands try to fight off the rope, in order to free herself before it is too late. The loop around her neck tightens, and is too tight for her bloody fingers to work even a tiny bit off. A choked gasping noise leaves her, cut off though by her lack of air. The dancing shadows start to get to her.
¨You could be one of us.¨ Voices start whispering around her.
Her purple orbs roll up. By now she can't get her hands to work properly anymore, so they fall limp to her sides. Tree roots poking up through the ground invade her hazy and spotting vision.
¨Join us.¨ New voices continue. Deeper voices, ones she has grown quite familiar with, all chorus together with sick glee.
The sound of rope cutting through the air has her eyes frantically blinking away dots to see what is going on. There is the creak of an old willow's branches.
¨And the best part-¨ a voice deep and as smooth as honey hums. The shadows wait patiently at the edges of her vision.
A pale arm crosses the blurred, darkened view she has of the sky above her. The rope is pulled completely taught. Her body is jerked up and off the ground with the crackling of a branch. One last choked noise can be heard before silence takes over. The cheerful howling of a beast melds with a thundering burst of wind.
¨-all you have to do is die.¨ a gruff voice chuckles. Amber eyes stare up at the body as it sways with the wind.
┉3 Weeks Earlier┉
Some mediocre song blasts from the car's speakers. An aged and more than well-worn truck drives along a long, twisting route. The greenery around them seems to exist in a constant thick goob of green.
¨Stop sulking already-yoi.¨
A man, middle aged and with hair atop his head as blonde as the sun, sends a glare to his passenger. The teen in the seat simply slumps even more than she was. An overly loud sigh leaves her. The trees pass by is a repetitive pattern.
She watches the forest landscape with curiosity, but with a forcibly bored look in place as she is NOT happy with her current predicament.
Another dramatic sigh leaves her, and it is to be noted that she is fully aware of how she is acting.
Patience on her Uncle's part thins considerably. The man, whose expression is already of a sleepy or lazy seeming one, can't help but let his waning self-control get the better of him. He sends his passenger another side glare. His violet orbs narrow considerably. Those very eyes look back to the road before he accidentally sends the vehicle off the road.
The teen's mood is hard to ignore, and a sigh of defeat ends up leaving him.
¨You know, pouting isn't going to help-yoi¨
¨Fully aware.¨ the female answers back plainly. A small huff leaves her as she continues pouting (although she denies it mentally).
The teens eyes, a striking plum purple with lavender rings around her pupils, continue to watch the scenery.
A grumbling/gurgling noise fills the car.
¨Ugh- when are we going to get there. We've been driving for a day and 3 ¼ hours. I'm hungry.¨ the teen whines, thudding her forehead against the door handle.
Her uncle's frustrations almost but completely wash away with the teenager's shift in mood, as negative feelings tend to do with the teen's presence. At times other than usual, those feelings tend to be amplified.
¨2 hours.¨ he sighs simply.
A hum of confirmation leaves the teen, and not even a minute later soft snores leave her as she dozes off. Her weight fully slumps against the car door.
Right before she falls asleep the male can hear a mumbled "pineapple head". The man can't help but sigh. Once they get to town he needs coffee, and then sleep because coffee can only work for so long.