Blake stood with his back against a large tall boulder. Hiding from a few passing strangers walking with bright lights in searching. Seeing them pass he took a deep breath before continuing deeper into the darkness. Hearing the screeches of wolves getting closer behind him. The terrified screams followed by gunshots behind telling Blake just how close the wolves were getting to him.
"i just have to take my chances!" he thought. Despite all the armed men he needed fire desperately for protection.
He ran around a large rock face to quickly sit on the ground. Ripping up nearby tall grass along with gathering wood twigs. Fearfully working to make a fire as the sound of multiple things rushing through grass were moving toward him.
Just as he got the smallest fire going he lit up a large branch to make a torch. Swinging it behind him just as he hear a snarl. Turning just in time to scare a wolf back with the flaming torch. Glimpsing multiple wide open jaws full of rotting teeth.
The group of wolves backing away in almost a synchronized manner. Growling after snapping their jaws shut with a loud snap. Wolfs being so packed together when lunging for Blake they seemed like one hellish beast.
Blake swiped at them with the torch. Scaring the pack into breaking away from each other. Getting a good look at the disgusting beasts as they twitched around him. Bleeding cracked skin, little patches of fur. Sunken white eyes shriveled up to the point Blake wondered if they could see at all. The fire reflecting of the blood seeping from every little crack in the skin. Teeth black or broken from possibly attacking anything within reach.
One wolf took a snap at one of Blake's legs. Being scared back into another wolf with a wave of fire. The other wolf biting into the other by mistake of identifying as Blake. Ripping off a large half of the others skin. Starting a chain reaction of the others swarming the injured wolf in a mauling frenzy. Blood, meat and thick bloody slobber flying left and right from the twisting pile of screeching growls.
Blake saw his chance in turning to run. Quickly followed by the wolves noticing the moving light.
"dammit!" Blake spoke through gritted teeth as he ran. Seeing glints of reflecting eyes catching up with. Feeling one close at his heels he slammed the torch back to hit a wolf square in the side of its face. The creature letting out a chain of yelping screeches as it fled with a smoking face.
"i cant run, I have to face them!" Blake thought, feeling his chest constricting from the non stop running.
He stopped again with a swing of the torch. Scaring back the trailing beast. Watching each one carefully as they twitched around him. Staring with dried unblinking eyes.
"come on!" Blake yelled challenging with a step toward a few. One lunging to maul the torch as it was the closest thing. Releasing with a screech when it mauled all the way up to the burning half. Leaving the torch filled with bite marks.
"can these fuckers see anything?" Blake thought. The creatures seemed to know fire was bad as they avoided its heat when swung near them, however they attacked their own pack with little difference.
"one way to know" Blake spoke to himself. He swung the torch to scare a group of wolves into one another. Each attacking at the touch of another into a mauling pile of bloodshed. The other half of the wolf swarm coming dangerously close as the torch became less near.
He swung the end of the branch to smash into one of the wolves skulls. Scaring another off with the torches fire crushing into its side.
"fuck off!" Blake snapped at the remaining wolves. Just barely dodging one snapping toward his stomach as he reflexively grabbed it by, what was left of, the scruff of its neck. Quickly pushing it away with the flaming torch to its chest as he felt its skin separating in his hand with the thrashing it was doing.
The torch making its thrashing worse as it flurried in jumps with its head swinging in all directions with angry snapping jaws. Even the torch wasn't stopping it as its chest slowly grew on fire. Beginning to use it as its own form of balancing when trying to force its way to Blake.
Blake began flinching away as the creatures spit splattered all over his face to the point his glasses were difficult to see through. Blake thought of a quick action in pushing the wolf back just enough to slam it into a few other wolves. Having them get a hold of its spine aggressively to rip the burnt wolf apart.
He grew panicked at seeing his torch with an almost burnt out flame. The thrashing mixed with the wolfs seeping blood had burnt out most of the torch. In another risky move he threw the torch at the wolves to bolt for the nearby rock face. Jumping onto it to climb as the wolves rushed forward past the torch. Jumping up the rock wall to snap at Blakes legs.
He kicked one as it came close, knocking it back to land onto the remaining wolf pack. Unfortunately this one wasn't ripped apart like all the others who knocked into their members. He swallowed thickly as he looked down at the circling staring eyes.
"shit, now what?!" he questioned himself. He couldn't even see the ground from where he was. He had no idea where he could jump down to get a good running landing. Waiting till morning being a terrifying thought as his grip was already getting painful as he held onto the rock.
Almost choking on his spit when two bright lights flashed onto him.
"don't you move or we'll shoot!" two strangers yelled as they run over. Blake looking down to see the eyes swarm off in the lights direction. He leapt off the rock with a painful landing, still painfully blinded with lights as well.
"hey don't-!" one started to yell before a wolf leapt to latch at his moving arm. Others swarming over to topple the two down. As Blake heard the screaming begin he ran off in the direction he faced first when on his feet. Carefully avoiding trees as he ran. His heart leaping into his chest when he heard the screams die off. Stopping to find the nearest tree he could to climb.
Going up one to a high thick branch he could lay on with no trouble. Catching his breath to stop the wheezing as he laid still. Watching the darkness below till he saw the reflected eyes swarm along his trail. Pausing around his tree with the sounds of sniffing followed by screeches and more growls.
"bastards are relentless." Blake thought, watching them with a glare. Looking up when he heard gunshots over by a pair of far off flashlights wandering through the trees. Looking around quickly for whatever they were shooting at. The wolves below racing off toward their direction.
Blake let out a sigh of relief, laying his forehead against the branch to help regain himself. Looking up again to carefully remove his glasses in desperate need of a clean. Wiping the disgusting slobber off the glasses with his shirt before putting them back on.
"much better." he thought, seeing at full view again. Getting a long good look at his surroundings. Far out tops of trees and mountains in the distance. A smidgen of morning light peeking to turn the sky a lighter color just enough to see distant silhouettes. Looking up to see the sky still so very full of stars.
"hi. … hope you're doing better than me." Blake spoke quietly to the sky. Thinking on if lynn and Jessica were watching or not.
"i bet your laughing at me being in this tree lynn. Just like the time I was swarmed by geese at the lake. Took you forever to get them away with the leftover drive through fries." he thought with a chuckle. The laughing slowly dying down to be taken over by building tears. He put both his hands together in a prayer like position. Setting the ends of both up against his face. Taking in slow deep breaths to fight back the tears rising. Feeling them gone he dropped his hand down.
Staring down to the dark ground. Thinking of what his next move should be.
"i can't stay in this tree till morning. I'd be a sitting duck if those strangers spot me up here if the sun rises any higher. I can't go down with those wolves either." he thought. Swallowing thickly at the distant screams and screeches sounding off in the distance.
"how far up am I anyway?" he thought, looking back down. He felt at a branch above him till he felt a large pine cone. Yanking it off to hold away from himself. Letting it go to listen carefully for its sound. Waiting a bit longer than he expected before hearing the pine cone clatter below.
"definitely don't fall." Blake swallowed at the realization of how high he was. He looked back out to the far horizon to gaze across it. Trying his best to be patient in letting the time pass, but all he could think about was fleeing the area soon before actual light hit the whole sky. Constant reminders of why he shouldn't get down sounding off every few minutes. Either it being screams of pain or screeches of hunger.
As more and more light rose, Blake felt pressured to lower down the tree. Taking a deep breath as he carefully scanned the below darkness for any unblinking eyes. Seeing none, he cautiously made his descent. Stopping almost at every branch on his way when ever he heard some sort of noise. before realizing it was himself making the noises on the way.
Upon reaching the ground he stood against the trunk. Scanning his surroundings for anything again. Nervously walking out into the darkness with as little noise as possible. Hiding against another tree not far as he heard wheezing approaching.
"fuck, feel like i am being chased by nick and laird again." Blake thought at the memory of having not been so diligently tracked since them.
Blake went off with a bolt when he saw the wolfs shining eyes come a little too close. Finding a little relief that it was only a single wolf following now. He ducked and jumped over rocks, logs, and ditches to lose the wolf. Having no luck as the wolf remained right at his heels. Blake getting a scary shock when he fell down into a shallow river. Raising up to splash out onto the other side to continue his running. Hearing a splash not far behind him.
"fuck, fuck, fuck." Blake wheezed out. The asthma forcing him to look for a safe resting spot. Running to jump up onto a large boulder. Laying down at the top of it as he looked at the wolf running up. Blake having some time to rest while sounding like he would pass out any minute with all his wheezing. The wolf below sounding exactly the same with shaky desperate wheezes of air.
"yeah wolfie, me too." Blake sarcastically thought over the breathing issues. Glaring at it all the more when he heard it trying to screech out between its wheezes.
"hey! No, shut up!" Blake snapped at it through angrily grit teeth. Waving his hands at it in the hopes it would distract it into being quiet. Having no success in that he looked around for possibly anything to throw. Grabbing a handful of moss growing on the stone to toss down. Distracting the beast momentarily as the handful fell onto its head.
"shut up!" Blake snapped at it, throwing down a handful of small roots he ripped off next. The wolf wheezing down in confusion at the strange objects thrown at him. Looking up to try and see Blake a little too fast as it had its head twist a little backwards. Hearing multiple cracks as the wolf turned its head in searching while in the turned over position. Unable to see Blake from its line of sight it turned with its head twisting down into a more normal position before wandering off with a wheeze.
"perfect." Blake thought, rubbing his head of a minor ache.
"now can I go 5 feet without a issue, please!" he mumbled sarcastically to himself while slipping down the large boulder.
"wonder if Vals having better luck. Probably." he grumbled to himself. Doing his best to silently walk through more darkness.
"psychopaths have all the luck around this twilight zone." he thought, momentarily looking up toward the starry sky past the tree silhouettes. Spotting another high edge he could camp on with a new fire. Running toward it optimistically as he grabbed fire materials along the way.
Climbing up with little annoyance with a sigh of relief at reaching the top. Being a good 10 feet off the ground with no way up but to climb. Starting up another fire against a wall that went even more higher up to a towering cliff edge.
"ill need a vacation after all this." he thought while rubbing two sticks together. Building up the sparks into a low warming fire.
"maybe a little more reading before I head out again." he thought, pulling out the book.
"2001 January 15th
the beasts have been suffering great losses recently, but i am not comforted as much as I expected. Those shadowy demons growing in numbers within the forest. I have yet to tell anyone else about them, however I may soon have to.
"2001 February 23rd
my people are growing desperate to survive. Were all holding up in the church hall with barrels of fire. Singing in chorus or reading of my gospel giving relief for a time from our hunger. Sleep being more manageable as the screeches of hunger from the wolves seem to have slowed.
Their prowling of the town streets slowing as well following the disappearance of the shadows in the forest. God is all powerful and no demon can ignore his command to be sent away. Our patience may be finally paying off.
"2001 march 3rd
some have tried making warm clothing from the wolves coats. Yet there is no fur on them with the skin being far beyond damaged with oozing infection. People have turned to eating the dead as we have run low on food.
Val somehow managing to convince many to hold out by eating tough roots. Hopefully my canned supplies don't get as desperately low or ill be forced to eat the disgusting things.
"2001, April 23rd
the wolves have almost been driven off. Over half of the diseased pack killed with their bodies burned. They don't like the light as it hurts there eyes. Probably because they never seem to blink. The dead wolves we looked at had eyes as dry as raisins.
Val still demands that we move, but I see no purpose. The wolf plague is gone and soon I believe the crops will again flourish. Having Val give me some negative murmured words over the whole matter we all suffered through. I am sure though that the words were not really meant. Being something that will go away with the hard times. This must all be a test of our faith.
A recent message from the lord has told me to remove all outside technology's, excluding my radios allowing the spread of his word. Immediately after the command I handed down god's word. We destroyed the only tractor we had, the corded phones, digital watches, the machinery in our meat house. All gone in sacrifice for our lord's loving paradise in the end. Or at least half of it is, I kept a few things to barter for outside supplies too difficult to make.
There was many doubts spreading among my flock. I know how desperate they were to keep the technology's for food gathering. Marta needing to cast out a few who dared accuse me of hiding food. Like the voice of god needs to hide it. I obviously need to stay healthy and strong over all others.
The disease among my flock has been spreading among all the doubters. I warned them that their faith had to stay strong if they wanted to prevail. I am beginning to feel that even one of my holy hands grows doubt over me and the lord."
"2001, June 10th
the lord has again requested the burning of items. Not the valuables I have kept, but the marks of the beast. The markers of the outside world. Photo IDS, licenses, cards of any kind as they were used in the outer world for sinful gains or the tracking of the beasts cattle.
I told my followers who hesitantly gave me all they could. Most being burned right there in a pit of cleansing fire. Other cards used for money I also kept for buying supplies.
The lord is happy with the cleansing I have done. I only hope I can offer more to the lord when he asks. I will forever be faithful to the end.
"and I thought Knoth was delusional before." Blake thought. Looking up to the sky for any light. Finding just a little more peeking at the horizon. Still a good many more hours before seeing any big changes.
"must be, like, 4 in the morning." Blake mumbled.
"who needs a sleep schedule?" he thought with a yawn. Now that his chest was no longer squeezing him to suffocation he had to move on. Grabbing a large branch to light. Snuffing out the fire before he slowly headed down. Holding the flaming torch in his mouth to climb down easier.
"where should I go?" he thought, reaching the dirt. taking a few steps forward to slowly look in various direction. Stopping with a pained hiss.
"goddamn little!" Blake hissed as he kicked away a cactus he walked into. Sweeping out the offending needles from his leg.
"are these things purposefully finding me?!" he grumbled, attempting to regather his bearings by the more lighted horizon.
"okay the sun rise is that way. So I should head that way and ill hit the river … or the city. Which evers first, I don't care." he talked to himself as if with another.
Walking on the lookout for any threats. His heart skipping a beat on nearby screaming followed by the hearable sounds of eating. A harsh reminder that being up high felt a whole lot different then being on the ground.
"find the river." Blake repeated in thought to keep himself calm. finding himself walking in a faster scared pace. Taking deep breaths to gather himself. Remembering what all the therapists said to him on how to avoid anxiety attacks. A pained knot growing in his stomach at remembering those offices smelling of sterile hospital cleaners.
Even after Jessica's funeral he couldn't escape the reminders. News talking about the incident, even more so after it was discovered to be no suicide.
"Something about her neck not being broken right, or not bruised properly to have died from hanging." he remembered.
The police came to his house the next morning. blake having been interrogated by his parents knowing he was there that night broke down in tears about it. Police came to interrogate him too in an unfamiliar setting with some kind lady. Having to go over all the details for a second and finally a 3rd time at trial when he saw that man with the marked face in orange. Standing up to answer all the questions. Having the stressful feeling of not being believed as the trail went on.
Then came the tapes. Apparently the father kept a recorded diary on his thoughts. Especially the sexual ones. Many obsessing around Jessica that made Blake ill in the court. Halfway through them and the judge had Blake escorted out as they grew too dark for a child to hear. His guilt of not staying growing all the more as Loutermilchs intentions seemed so suddenly obvious.
By the end of it all, it felt justice wasn't served. The guilty man getting off on manslaughter with only serving 2 years. Having no other evidence to possible sex abuse on the body, or intent on killing Jessica. The man's supposed story being that Jessica was a troubled girl who attacked him on the stairs. In defense she was pushed down where she died accidentally. Fearing the law he set up the false suicide and meant nothing negative of it. The jury bought the mans words, seeing him as such a kind man who helped so many. It had to be just a simple slip up, who cared what he said on some personal home tapes. No other children stepped forward about any abuse. So they handed him a slap on the wrist.
Blake remembered feeling so hollow during the chaos after. Reporters swarming his house shouting labels of him being a liar or a victim. His parents constantly fighting under the pressure of being constantly on the news attention. The divorce was the straw that broke him for a time. Having him run away in the freezing snow to break down crying at a park 6 blocks away.
Lynn was playing around the grounds when she heard him crying in the colored tunnels. Meeting him inside to help him calm down. It'd been months since he saw lynn having been taken out for homeschooling by his protective parents. Lynn was the only one to help him for a long time before he was sent away.
His parents saw his breakdowns, all the anxiety attacks followed by hospital trips for serious asthma attacks. He was just getting into his teenage years when they shoved him into a health hospital. Staying in and out of therapy sessions his parents could hardly afford. He was never truly sure if those sessions helped him overcome his issues or if lynn helping him did.
At what was suppose to be his 2nd year of middle school he stood alone outside the new building. Feeling massive relief when lynn came to help with the huge adjustment. However, he was never truly accepted by his peers. Rumors spread about his mental hospitalization, being pulled from school, that court case all over the news. Getting glares or laughter from passing students as rumors twisted together. The one he despised most was that him and that disgusting monster were dating till a jealous spat arose.
He heard all the names from the sports teams. Not even allowed in the locker room when the others were there. Staying out till the bell rang and they were transitioning to other classes. Going in early to change got him pummeled and thrown out into the gravel. Constant prank calls were sent to his house, shouting obscene things or insults. The rumors did have many swarm as well. The girls he assumed did it because of the bad boy record. Losing interest fast when they realized he was as soft as a sponge inside.
Lynn did her best to help him. Sitting with him at every lunch, helping him fight all the abuse, happily accepting when he asked her to go with him to the various dances or school celebrations. Despite her reputation in the school being beyond repairable being with him, she didn't care. Focusing more on Blake being lifted enough to make it through the day.
All the bad days passing behind him when entering high school. The insults growing too old for anybody to use against him. With lynn by his side the girls stopped trying to use him for some gain. After everything cooled down his parents grew back together again. For a while things were looking up. Then his mom grew ill. Passing only a few months after she remarried his father. After that his dad just seemed to die inside. His time left wasint long after she went.
Blake stopped to wipe away the blinding tears. Sucking in deep breaths of air while trying to quiet his sniffling. He removed his glasses to wipe his arm across his eyes to take away the pooling tears.
"come on." he breathed in, replacing his glasses onto his face. Taking a few choked swallows as he wiped the tear streams from his face.
"they wouldn't like seeing me cry like a big baby." he thought with a choked up sad chuckle. Trying to cheer himself up with minor success. Looking up when he felt more water land on his face. Rain beginning to fall across the forest. Blakes hopes slowly dying out with the flame on his torch. Even worse was his adrenaline wearing off to let his leg have burning pain around the bite.
"no use beating yourself up Blake. You were young, you didn't understand the situation." he remembered one therapist telling him. Him sitting there on that ugly brown leather chair.
"why don't you go outside today, it's nice and sunny. You can play around in the fresh snow." the therapist spoke to him in that annoying cheerful tone. They always made him feel like he was too young to understand death, too young to understand depression. As if him being sad was just to get attention.
Always avoiding talk of death whenever he wanted to speak about Jessica. Feeling so strange when he was practically scolded for it. Like Jessica's existence wasn't important and should be forgotten. Trying to steer the conversation to something more "cheerful" like pen colors.
"lynn and Jessica wouldn't let me be like this. I can make it, I can get back, I'll let everyone know about this land of horror so I can watch it burn." he swallowed, looking at the burnt out torch in his hand. Tossing it into a puddle forming by his feet. Stepping with a hard wince at the pain shooting up.
Wandering forward with little thought to his surroundings. The screams all seemed to have stopped as far as Blake could tell. Without a single glimpse of a wolf from the darkness.
"please let me find something up ahead. How far could a river be?" he thought in exhaustion. Kicking a cactus out of the way just as he barely avoided walking into it.
"i don't mean a damn cactus either." he grumbled. Holding his pained leg a little to try and distract away from it.
Time seemed to pass so slowly as he walked. The rain stopping some time ago yet no sunlight has come up. Blake beginning to question what time it could be. Nervously considering that maybe he was accidentally walking in circles the whole time.
"should I go back?" Blake thought with a twisting stomach. His swollen leg sending up waves of pain.
"do I even know where back is?" he continued, looking behind him toward more darkness.
"i can't be this lost." he mumbled, looking around in vain. Barely able to see a few trees nearby. He sighed with a few steps forward to continue on. Jumping when he heard a noise. He spun his head around to look. Staying still as he waited for any other sounds to hear. Not hearing anything more he slowly turned back to face forward.
"probably just a bird or something. Other things live here too besides the wolves." Blake reasoned to himself. A huge sense of being watched growing to make the hairs on his neck stand up.
"it's nothing." he repeated, heading forward.
A hand suddenly grabbing the back of his collar to yank him to the floor. His skull slamming into the dirt causing momentary dizziness. Blake pushed to stand up to his feet, stopping at the quick sharp feeling of a blade pushed against his throat.
"wait, wait, wait!" Blake shouted in panic. His eyes locked shut in terror at not wanting to see his demise. Ready to beg for his life while laying frozen at the dirt.
"fallen?" the voice spoke above him, the knife being removed from his throat. Blake opened his eyes to see Vals bright blue ones looking down at him. Her body covered in thick mud mixed with bunches of twigs and leaves. Leaving no question as to how she so easily snuck up on him.
He let out a breath of relief at the sight of a familiar face. Carefully sitting up while catching his breath. Slowly recovering from his mini heart attack when he looked back at Val.
"what did you do that for?!" he questioned, anger bubbling up into his tone. Before Val could answer they ducked back into the dirt from the bright flashlights scanning over. The armed men walking closer in a search party fashion of a long row beside each other.
"i thought you were one of them. Follow me close." Val whispered to Blake. Carefully walking off while remaining low to the dirt. Blake followed without a word before stopping after 2 feet.
"we cant stop here." Val whispered urgently.
"i cant walk like this." Blake hissed in pain.
"why? What's wrong?" Val questioned, examining over him.
"a wolf took a chunk out of me." he whispered, showing the large bloody spot on his leg.
"can you follow me for at least 10 steps?" she asked, carefully looking toward the strangers looming closer.
"like I have a choice." Blake spoke through gritted teeth as he saw how close the men were getting. Carefully he followed Val while they avoided the lights. His leg shaking from the excruciating pain. When they finally stopped he dropped to his knees. Landing in a thick mud and cursing at it. Trying to get himself out of the mud until Val stopped him.
"lay in it." she told Blake. Getting a look of disbelief from him when he looked at her.
"its freezing! I am not laying in frost covered mud!" he whispered loudly.
"you can't move, so you have to hide. Cover yourself with mud so they won't see you. They'll pass over and we can move later." Val told him as she started covering him with mud without permission.
"fuck its cold!" Blake shivered as Val forcefully pressed him entirely into the thick mud.
"shh, they're coming over." she shushed him as she carefully laid on top of him. Blake getting a spike of anxiety as Val laid on top of him. His body tensing up at the unwanted body over him. Breathing becoming difficult at his chest tightening up. The cold not helping his body relax in anyway either.
Blake tried his hardest to stop shivering with the men coming so close. Holding his breath when the lights shown over them. Blake just seeing how many thinks Val had covered herself in. practically having a whole bush of tumbleweeds covering over her. Mud covering her so thickly only her eyes shone through. Those disappeared as well when both of them closed as the strangers got close.
He looked up at the men with held breath. Flashlights waving over them with one man standing right by both their heads. Blake studied over the closest mans outfit. Trying to figure out where they may have come from. There were many reports he had done in the past about various police or attack organizations. Stopping to stare at a recognizable patch with a strange M of white on blue.
The longer he stared the more he recognized it from some place, but where?
"i know that symbol." he absentmindedly spoke out loud. Causing Val to claw into his shoulder to make him quiet. Blake realizing his big mistake when the men heard him.