As night fell upon the village, the streets emptied, and the bustling sea of voices was replaced by the sound of crickets and the occasional rustling of a somewhat restless wind. The inn's dining area was the only source of activity audible from the halls, and even then, by the third floor, most of the noise was lost in the walls.
Amanda laid in her bed with her eyes open, too lost in thought to notice the remaining echoes of activity from the other side of the door. And as her eyes closed and her thoughts slowed, the echoes of the voices and the outdoors faded from her awareness. At the edge of sleep, she was barely aware of footsteps, but her mind assured her that the footsteps must have come from another tenant outside the room. Surely, not from the inside. Surely, she was alone…
As she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a forest on a dark, moonless night. She was acutely aware she was standing upright, but had no knowledge of how she came to this place.
Perhaps I'm having a brief lapse of memory, Amanda thought to herself. I'm sure I came here for a good reason. I'm probably low on that flower that only blooms at night. I keep forgetting the name…
Amanda reached over her back and felt her familiar crossbow in its usual place. She lifted it from her back and pulled on the lever until it was taut. She resumed her analysis of her purpose.
Yes, that's probably it. I never leave on a trip without those long-lasting night vision potions, unless I'm stupid and run out of the catalyst. I really need to organize my stuff more. Now, where are those skeletons?
As Amanda fingered a crossbow bolt and walked between the trees, it became clear that there were no skeletons nearby, or any monsters at all. In fact, as she kept walking, she still couldn't recognize where she was, and there were none of her usual navigation markers. She was starting to get nervous. As she reached into her pockets, she found them empty, nothing to light her way or give her any idea why she came here. Then, a disturbing realization occurred to her: she didn't remember how she got here, or even where she came from to begin with. No home. No familiar faces. No past memories.
Then Amanda panicked and turned her head. She aimed her crossbow and pulled the trigger. The arrow flew between the trees and vanished in the darkness.
I swear I saw a face! Amanda insisted to herself.
The face she saw was only a flash in her vision, too brief to identify. The only lasting impression Amanda could recall from the face was a… deep sadness. And that it was human. And that it wasn't a child. That much she was sure of.
Old, maybe. Slightly familiar.
Stop thinking about the face, Amanda ordered herself. It was probably just a trick of the shadows. Just ignore it. It isn't real.
Then a jab drove a deep wound into Amanda's side and knocked her backward onto the ground. Amanda gritted her teeth against the pain and fumbled with her crossbow, cursing at herself that she didn't re-span it after firing, that if only she had paid more attention, she could have shot at the thing before it attacked her.
"Oh… I am real... alright," a disjointed, unidentifiable voice spoke.
The face flashed in Amanda's mind again. It was a disfigured face, as if two faces had been pasted together.
"Why don't you show yourself, you coward!" Amanda cried out. But by the time she had her bolt ready and was back on her feet, the face was gone.
"I am… sorry," the disjointed voice spoke. "If… if only you knew, it... would still make no difference."
"If I knew what?" Amanda inquired, breathing heavily. She gripped her crossbow tighter, pressing the trigger just softly enough that it wouldn't fire.
The voice laughed. It was starting to become more coherent. "Oh, you... innocent little girl. So... clueless. So alone. You believe so hard that all your tough talk can save you from what comes next. I… admire your bravery, I… really do. But you're wrong."
"Who are you? How did I get here? Why can't I remember anything?" Amanda demanded, her voice starting to stutter with fear. "I… I swear! I will find you, and I will make you pay for what you've done to me! Even kill you, if I have to!"
"Don't fear the monsters of the dark..." the voice replied cryptically.
Then, it was suddenly clear, this was not an adage, but a threat. The groans and rattles and hisses of countless monsters became audible. Amanda swiveled her head and counted five skeletons not a leap away. There was no contest. She ducked and ran away as fast as she could. Arrows whizzed and thumped as they embedded themselves in the tree bark and the forest loam. Amanda tripped over spiders and shoved aside zombies as she looked desperately for a tree to climb, or some end to the forest of monsters.
But there was none. Amanda kept running, but her breath only got thinner, and her legs only got heavier. Eventually, she could run no more. She tripped and fell upon a rock, and struggle as she could, she could not gather the strength to push herself up with her arms before the zombies grabbed her and the fangs of a spider embedded painfully into her skin.
But then, there was a light. The pain and tiredness and shapes of the forest floor all faded away, and she felt someone grab her hand. In a fleeting moment, the mysterious presence became grand and filled her with warmth. She felt as if she could trust it completely, even give her life to it.
But then, the presence faded and all was dark. Amanda wondered with fear how she could suddenly give such unconditional trust to such a being which she had only just encountered, and seemed intent on hurting her. Then she wondered if, perhaps, between that first encounter and the moment when the same being saved her, an entire lifetime had passed, only to be wiped away. And the thought of forgetting so many things filled her with dread.
