Afternoon fabulous readers!
Sorry I'm late on my update I've got carpal tunnel so writing is kinda hard right now :/ Anyway I will continue to try to update this once a week in the future.
I'd love to hear what people think about this crazy story!
Enjoy :D
~Somewhere Else~
Gray sand clings to Clara's skin. She can feel the gritty texture covering her body. It's warm here while a cool breeze tickles her skin. Somewhere nearby is running water. Clara can hear its soft burbling noises as it flows over rocks and stones. She lays there in the sand waiting for some other new sensation. Her mind is too muddled for anything else.
After awhile Clara finally decides she should open her eyes. That seems like a good safe plan. It's an action which takes a lot more effort than it should have. Her body is drained of energy. She feels like she ran for miles only to collapse here, wherever here is exactly. She's stalling. Slowly Clara blinks open her eyes and immediately has to close them again. The purple light of the sun is blinding.
Wait, purple light?
Shielding her eyes with a hand Clara sits up. The sand shakes loose from her skin and clothing, falling off in sheets. She inspects the salt and rock crystals still clinging to her hands. Why would there be sand here? Clara can't remember there being sand before. Though she's having a hard time focusing on anything in the 'before' category. Also wasn't sand more of a yellowish color? This is all a light dove gray.
Clara squints up towards the sun waiting for her eyes to adjust. Once they do Clara has a hard time processing what she's seeing. The sun is at its zenith glowing high above her. She can feel it's warmth on her upturned face. It looks almost the same as usual except its traditional orange coloring is tinged with purple. The shade of the sweet lilacs which grow in Clara's front garden. This strange phenomenon makes the very air appear dusted with lilac, like she's looking at the world through Victorian glasses.
Clara is quickly coming to the realization that something is seriously wrong. Nothing about this place seems familiar. All the shades and colors are either muted or wrong. She isn't sure if it is wholly because of the violet sun or if everything is simply a different color than it should be. There is no vibrancy here. Part of Clara knows this should probably worry her, but she feels too numb for much of any emotion at all.
Maybe I'm in shock, Clara thinks rationally, that makes sense. When bizarre shit happens people go into shock.
Of course, Clara can't remember what happened to make her go into shock in the first place. She glances around trying to catalog her surroundings. She's sitting on a small sand bank beside a river. The water flows lazily, lapping against the shore. It's so clear she can see the rocks and stones which line the bottom. It's like looking through glass. Tiny, dark fish dart about in the current oblivious to her presence.
Clara's gaze follows a trail of drag marks from the edge of the water through the sand to where she is sitting. It seems like she dragged herself out of the river and passed out here. She must have been lying on the bank for a long time because she isn't wet. Even her clothes are dry. Stiff and coated in more sand than she will probably ever be able to get out, but dry.
The river sparks something in her memory, this all has to do with water.
The river is surrounded by forest. Tall, dense pines spread out as far as Clara can see. Their needles are so dark they appear black. The more she stares at them, the more Clara is certain the needles actually are black. Jet black. It's as if this forest is formed by the shadows of another. And these trees are merely the darkness cast by the real thing. She finds the idea deeply unnerving.
Clara averts her eyes from the dark pines. Her attention is grabbed by a flash of light. A few hundred yards up the river is a bridge. It has to be one of the most beautiful things she has ever seen. The light of the sun catches on the jewel incrusted white metal it's formed from. The cast iron twists and spirals creating an intricate railing and archway which covers the expanse. Sparkling stones are inset throughout the design. They sent reflections scattering across the river below. It's extravagant and seems highly out of place in the middle of a forest. A rickety old wooden bridge would make more sense.
A wooden bridge! Everything comes rushing back to Clara. Sam and Nina dared her to jump from Broken Bridge. She remembers hitting the icy waters but not resurfacing. Instead she kept sinking and sinking. Then nothing else. Clara must have blacked out.
"Oh shit, I'm dead!" she cries in disbelief. "I drowned!"
But then where the hell is she? This lonely expanse doesn't really seem like Heaven and there are no eternal flames so it probably isn't Hell. Not that Clara believes in an afterlife. Though she's clearly somewhere. She remembers that the Underworld in Greek mythology involved rivers. Since Clara still knows who she is and isn't chard to a crisp this river probably isn't Lethe or Phlegethon. Maybe it's Styx?
No matter what river this is just sitting here won't help her any. Swallowing down her rising panic Clara drags herself to her feet. She dusts off her clothing. Everything feels solid and real. What if she isn't dead after all? Either way she's stuck here.
Heading towards the bridge seems like the best option, since who would build a bridge unless there's a path leading to it? And hopefully that path leads to civilization of some kind. She starts off in that direction. The closer she get to the bridge the more detail she can make out of the design of the twisted metal.
The complex patterns are more than just geometrically interesting, they actually form tiny scenes. Deer, wolves, and birds weave in and out of depictions of hunters and royals. They look like they tell a story or perhaps a series of myths, none of which Clara recognize. That bothers her a bit but at least the designs indicate that there are other people here.
The bridge does indeed connect to a wide dirt path which disappears into the forest in both directions. There are deep ruts cut into it. Wagons or carts often traveled this way. There are also many trampled footsteps. A large sign hangs across the entrance to the bridge reading, Royal Road.
After a moments deliberation Clara chooses the side of the road she's already on. She isn't a fan of heading into the creepy forest but obviously by the wear on the path people do this all the time. It can't be too terrible.
The sun all but disappears the moment she passes under the canopy of the pine trees. It goes from noon to dusk instantly. The silence is absolute. All she can hear iss the rustle of the breeze in the branches and the soft, distant call of birds. Clara shivers and hunches her shoulders. At first she worries that she won't be able to see where she's going. Then little lights appear along the path. They are placed every few yards keeping an even white glow on the ground.
Clara kneels down to examine one. Up close it looks like a small white flame dancing just above the soil. She doesn't see any electrical wiring or any other means of power. It really looks like a tiny bit of fire just floating there. Clara reaches out cautiously to touch it expecting to feel heat; instead the flame is cool and doesn't burn her skin. It's like dipping her finger into water. The hairs on the back of her neck raise. What is this, the Land of Oz?
Clara continues on the path for a long time. She's actually starting to calm down. Nothing's happened and she hasn't come across anyone else. At some point she comes to the conclusion that she isn't dead or dreaming. This seems rather pointless for death and way too realistic for dreaming. It left only one option. Clara is somewhere else.
Where exactly that somewhere else happens to be is what freaks her out. She's read books and seen movies where this kind of thing happens. But that's fantasy, this is reality. Clara wonders if Sam and Nina are still waiting for her at Broken Bridge or has enough time passed there that they assume she drowned. What will they tell her parents? Will anyone ever know what happened to her?
Clara wills herself not to start crying.
Crack!
A twig snaps in the forest to her left. Clara freezes, holding her breath. She peers out straining to see into the gloom. Something moves between the trees. She lets out a small squeak of fear before clamping her hand over her mouth. More things move in the darkness. Large, lithe shapes. Prowling shapes. They are all around her, circling the path. Her heart is beating in her throat. Clara stands quivering like a frightened rabbit.
Glowing red eyes turn on her. Seven sets of cold, hungry eyes watch her from the darkness. Clara can make out the shapes now. They are wolves. Wolves the size of horses. They move like smoke through the trees. Their dark, shaggy hides are translucent. Yet their fiery eyes and gnashing teeth seem all too real. The spectral wolves are unlike anything Clara has seen before.
A low growl tears through the silence. She can sense the predatory hunger behind that sound. And some primal part of her knows she's on the menu. One of the wolves growls again, a low rumble which vibrates though the trees. It takes a step forward, stalking its prey.
Clara bolts. She runs knowing there's no escaping the spectral giants. They will overtake her in seconds. She screams, running blindly, imagining hot breath at the back of her neck. She can hear them, feel them behind her. Clara runs faster than she's ever run before. Her chest is burning and she can't catch a breath. She keeps going.
Her foot catches on a root sending Clara sprawling onto the loamy earth. Her heart is in her throat. This is it. She squeezes her eyes tight not wanting to see the wolves before they attack. They are growling and snarling. They are right next to her.
Suddenly Clara hears a twanging noise and one of the beast lets out a great howl of pain. Looking up in surprise she sees a flaming arrow sticking out of the chest of the nearest wolf. Another fiery arrow flies past striking a second wolf. The pack howls and whines in fear and anger. A third arrow sends the pack running. The ground shakes with their paws as they disappear into the forest.
Heavy footfalls come down the path. Sore and bruised, but otherwise unharmed Clara sits up. She hopes her rescuer is better than the wolves. She's leery of anything in this place. After a moment a man comes into view. He's tall and handsome, she can tell even in the dim light. His dark hair is short and sticks up, and his blue eyes sparkle. He wears a long, dark coat with brass buttons which makes him appear even taller than he is.
The man watches Clara with a mixture of amusement and surprise. He must not come across strange girls in the forest too often. A bright, slightly alluring smile spreads across his handsome features. Clara's heart stutters against her will.
"Well, hello there." the man grins. "What's a pretty young thing like you doing out here all by yourself?"
Clara doesn't answer. She isn't sure about this situation. He doesn't seem very threatening, at least not towards her. Though, he does have a bow over one shoulder and what looks like a sword at his belt. An armed stranger flirting with her in the middle of a dark forest is more than a bit unnerving.
He guesses what Clara's thinking. "It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Jack, Jack Harkness. What's yours?" He holds out a hand to help her to her feet.
"Clara Oswald."
Jack waits until she's dusted herself off before speaking again. "So what are you doing in the middle of the Lost Woods by yourself?"
"You're here by yourself." she points out.
He laughs, "I work here, I'm a Huntsman."
"A Huntsman?"
"Yes, I track down the Nightmares." Jack says.
Clara nods as if that sentence makes any sense to her at all. "So where are we exactly?"
Jack frowns, "The Lost Woods."
"Umm…and where are the Lost Woods, like what country?"
His frown deepens. "The Lost Woods is unclaimed that's why it's lost. How did you get here?"
Clara hesitates knowing how weird this is going to sound, though maybe people just magically appear by the river all the time here. "I don't know. I was in England and then I was here. I woke up near the bridge on the river."
Jack's eyes widen. "I don't know where this England place is, but this is Shades. Wow, this is a new one even for me. You best come with me, since I can't leave you out here to get eaten. Besides Alonso's making stew and you look like you could do with something to eat."
Clara nods and allows Jack to lead her out of the forest.