Chapter 5: The Demons Inside
AN: MWEHEHHEHE Took forever to update xD My AN's are never going to get longer in any of my stories, I think. Oh, and check out my new Inkblossom story (for fans of Inkheart) Cheers! ^.^ P.S. I also decided to go on a 1000 words per chapter rule :D
I resurfaced with a mouth full of water, sputtering and coughing as I dragged my half-drowned body onto land. I laid there for a moment, enjoying the sunshine on my wet fur. I let out a few breaths, testing my lungs to see if they still worked.
I was going over to talk to Galbelmz to talk about what a drop that was, but then I realized that nobody else had resurfaced yet. I quickly rushed over to the lake where I saw that I was a mess. Hair was losing color, and….hey! These weren't my accessories! I had a golden bell around my neck and a carrot in my mouth. I stared wide-eyed at the reflection in the lake when it suddenly jerked.
I stared closer and boy was that a mistake. The reflection reached out to grab me as I squealed, realizing what was happening. More reflections gathered around reaching out to drown me in the cool, seemingly harmless water of the lake. Water bubbles surged to the surface as I was dragged deeper and deeper into the cold, dark waters….
I woke up, gasping for air, when I realized that I wasn't in a lake at all. My friends were all pitching in to help bring food and water to our makeshift shelter. I quickly hopped out of bed, not wanting to miss out on anything, but the second I was on my feet, I collapsed to the floor and groaned.
Galbelmz, who was nearest, grabbed my limp body and placed me on the bed once more. He mumbled, "At this rate, you'll never get better…." Everybody crowded around, and as swiftly as a jaguar could cut a throat, I was asleep. Needless to say, everyone else continued with their busy work.
A few hours later….
I raised my head drowsily and dragged myself out of bed. It was nighttime, but I saw a figure sitting outside. I walked over there, and with my stumbles and pointless mumbling, I was surprised the figure couldn't hear me. When I got near the strange figure at night, I saw it was Artelemisia, my best friend ever since we were small. She was tracing letters in the dirt, and when I came even closer, she sighed.
"Whazzup?" My jumbled words were released out of my numb mouth. I cleared my throat and said, "What's up?" Artelemisia jumped, not noticing me the first time. She mumbled, "Nothing, go away," but I knew something was up. I sat down next to her, and talked to her soothingly.
She managed to give me an answer, but it was too soft, I couldn't hear it. I didn't want to make her mad by asking her to repeat it again, so I just talked to her about the stars. "Aren't the stars glorious? So divine and beautiful." My eyes twinkled along with the stars.
All she responded, in a dull, empty voice, was, "Stars remind me of death." She got up and walked into the woods, the shadows swallowing her up. I gazed after her, looking sadly at the dark, looming trees.
I got up and crept back into bed, falling fast asleep, until I was awoken by terrible shrieking. I jerked up so suddenly that my head hit the back of the bed. I rubbed my head and got out of bed as everybody else started to peek out of their bedrooms too.
We were split up in several search parties, as the only one missing was Artelemisia, who was sharing rooms with Dawnlite and Ichigoluv. I was on a search party with Ethonatron, Luckyjustin, and Bigzzz, and we nearly trampled all the grass we came across. We finally came to a fork, and the three of them, went to the left, and I went on the right, which just so happened to have a spooky cave and bats (thanks a lot).
I came across many unpleasant encounters with large spiders and bats, until I saw a clearing in the cave with one beam of light coming through the center, and Artelemisia was sitting quietly in the shadows.
She let out another ear-splitting scream, and it echoed off the walls, making it seem even louder. She grimaced as she turned around to look at me, and she suddenly fell writhing on the floor. She was battling the demons inside- we all battled them before, something we believed existed when they really didn't, but Artelemisia's demons were a lot more powerful than any of ours.
I came closer to her, but she slapped my hand away, letting out a deep-throated growl. "Rrrrrrun," she rumbled like a dog. Then the transformation happened, as she grew horns, wings, and even a nasty set of fangs. Her eyes were blood red, and she glared hungrily at me. I stumbled back into the corner, not wanting to get any closer to this horrible, ugly creature. What had it done to my best friend?
I let tears fall out of my eyes, light ones, as I reached the wall. I felt a rock and grabbed it. I was about to throw, I saw the real Artelemisia fighting to gain control as she whispered, "Help!" but the demon quickly took over. I reluctantly threw it, bouncing harmlessly off the creature's ear.
It smiled as it came near me- a gruesome smile. The creature is snow referred to as an it, because it is no longer my best friend. I tossed harder, knowing that I wouldn't hurt Artelemisia unless the creature was very weak. I just needed to defend myself until help arrived, and I continued to throw rocks. The beast reared up lashing its front paws, as It leaned into slice me to shreds.
AN: What will happen next? :3
