A deceitful face: A Blind Side

The brilliant flashed of light coupled with a booming sound of thunder woke Simone up. The noise tried to crush his aching skull, immediately adding to the many pains he now feels. An icy sensation prompted him to rouse from his half-sleep state and hauled himself to a sitting position, hitting the protruding rock with his head. The hell. The effect was instantaneous as shocks of pain travelled all over his body. He was still reeling from the pain when he felt a tug on his coat.

'We need to move, mister.' A tiny voice filled his ears. He wrinkled his forehead from the unfamiliar voice.

Old man? No. That can't be right. The old man's voice is not that high pitch. So who's calling him?

He furrowed his forehead and tried moving his body when the persistent voice kept pestering him to open his eyes.

Did old man Dmitri has a daughter? Huh? No. Impossible. This is Dmitri, the bloody old spartan we are talking about. That can't be...No. Impossible.

'Mister?' It continues shaking him. He cracked one eye open and saw a hand waving back and forth in front of him.

He stared.

'We need to move, mister.' That voice filled his confused brain. He cannot recognise that childish voice that kept calling him mister. Wait. That's not important right now. Why the hell is he asleep in the first place? Or more like when did he fell asleep?

'Mister?' He felt tiny hands pressed hard on his shoulder, shaking him once again, intensifying the headache that seems to permanently ache.

'Stop it,' he whispered hoarsely, doubling over as the sensation spreads. Ugh. I feel like shit. But the movement never stops.

'Hey! Damnation. Will you quit shaking me!' he bellowed, worsening his headache. 'Bloody hell!'

The movement stopped. Thank goodness. He sighs and massages his head. He scrunched his face with the nagging feeling that he missed something. He cannot wrap his mind around this strong pull that 'something bad happened. Really bad.

Fucking hell. His head's screwing him again. It's not the first time though.

He concentrated on recalling the past events, eyes closed in intense concentration. He remembered running, falling, and running again, and screaming... and a fucking blank. He cursed.

Something's missing. He knew it. He feels it in his fucking bones, but what?

He felt the tug again. His eyes followed, adjusting to the bright light, appearing now and then. He deduced that he was inside a cave based on the dome-shaped opening in the entrance. He can also hear the pattering of water droplets not far from his position, suggesting a downpour. He closed his eyes tightly and slowly opened them. The unfocused world sharpened. There is a small silhouette now hovering above him, the sound becoming clearer, a high-pitched voice calling him, so different from the old man.

'Oh, thank goodness,' she exclaimed in relief. 'You scared me there for a second, Mister.'

He groaned.

She gave him a wobbly smile.

He gave her a blank look.

Her face fell.

He stared long and hard. A beats passed before he spoke. Words came tumbling out of his mouth with confused familiarity.

'Du.....dumpster....girl?' Which gave him a resounding slap in the back of his head. He hissed and gritted his teeth so hard. The throbbing returned with full vengeance.

Fucking great. He massages the offending area while glaring at the perpetrator.

'Do you really have to slap me?' he asked with clenched teeth.

'Yes. You are being rude to me!' she said, amber eyes, offended.

'You are the rude one here!' he fired back.

'I save your ungrateful hide!' and shot him a deadly glare, arms crossed in indignation.

'Then thank you. Is that what you're waiting for? Huh?' He looked at her and sneered. Hell. It wasn't long before he woke up but this girl is pushing all the wrong buttons on him.

The girl stared at him, eyes kept on blinking rapidly, mouth wobbly and sniffled.

Shit. Nice, Simone. Making a girl cry.

'He....y.....' Bloody hell. He's not really fond of children. Especially crying children.

The sniffling continues. He panicked, headache forgotten, he pushed his body up, eyes wild in desperation.

'Hey! Do you have to cry every time I tease you?' he asked slowly, arms poised, palms up, trying to remedy the situation.

'You are a bully,' she said while wiping the snot with his discarded coat. His coat? This brat...

'Hey?-----' pointing at his coat. 'That's my------'

'I should have left you in there!' She shouted with blazing eyes pointed at him. He swallowed hard.

'If my, being alive is a hard pill to swallow, then you should have indeed left me there?' he countered.

'Then you would be dead, too. I cannot take it. My conscience cannot take another burden.'

Wait, too?

'Too? What do you mean?' he pressed. Now that he can think and see clearly, the old man Dmitri is nowhere to be found. Where is he?

'Where is the old man? Have you seen him?'

But the girl clamped her mouth suddenly, refusing now to talk. She shuffled with her feet, face pale, teeth biting onto chapped lips, an indication of nervousness.

He narrowed his eyes. The feeling of uneasiness creeps up to him. He knew something happened and this girl knew. He looked out the cave's entrance. The pull became strong by this time.

Outside. He's outside. His feet started moving even before the action registered. A tug halted his steps, he glanced down, found the scared face of the girl, heads shaking in objection. Another lightning flashed, like the memories, he did not remember, suddenly assaulted him, like a broken record. Nonstop.

He blanched, paled, and shivered in fear. Disbelief evident as he realised what happened.

No....no...no..no..... He shoved the girl and ran-walk outside through pouring rain. He refused to listen to the voice of reason inside his head as emotion overrun his rationality.

'Mister! Mister! Wait! Mister, stop!' she kept shouting at him, following behind. His erratic behaviour is worrisome. They cannot afford to stay here for long. They needed to get away, fast.

She tried to grab his shirt but he continued walking briskly, leaving her. Her small legs cannot keep up with him tripping a couple of times to catch up to him but he kept on walking blindly. He's in shock.

What to do? What to do? She stopped, gazed at his departing back, bit her lips as a ridiculous idea popped. Stubborn guy. He gave her no choice. She looked for a sturdy stick around the area and luckily found one. This is enough. I think. Just hard enough to wake him up. She cannot afford to knock him out. That would be a big problem for her. She turned to check on him, his figure getting smaller by now.

This will do. And ran after him.

**********

Simone couldn't tear his eyes from the carnage across the forest floor. Blood splattered all over the place as bones were scattered by scavenger animals that dared to return.

Where is his body? He wondered as he wandered around the area where he sure the old man was. Where? Not here. Where? Frantic, he hurried down the path downward. Reaching, he scanned the area for that particular tree. The thunderstorms continuing onslaught hindered him to navigate successfully. He flicked his eyes to the right at the same time the lightning shone the place his looking for. At first, he saw nothing, just stones, bushes and few trees. But the unmistakable dark coat bunched drew his eyes down to the last tree. He hastily ran towards it, lowered to one knee and shoved his palms to his mouth as he gets closer. Buried halfway to the ground was the headless body of the old man Dmitri. His dog chain is still attached to his neck and the guns on his hand. He sat back stunned. He swept his gaze over the trees, expecting the monster to be there but there's only open space beyond and nothing else.

What am I going to do now? He is not the type of person to feel helpless but he sure's feeling that way right now. Ever since stepping in this hellhole, everything did not go according to plan. He felt overwhelmed and trapped. He had no way to radio for help. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. He keeps punching the trunk of the tree as if to release the emotions he cannot express. His breathing grew harder and harsher. He couldn't think straight. The suffocating feeling seemed to tighten around him. Damn it. Damn it all to hell!

He stood up suddenly, he turned, ready to flee from the woods, but his foot slipped on the rain-dampened soil. He stumbled, sending him tumbling further down, arms pinwheeling for balance. He rolled and came at rest near the bush line. Simone remained fixed in place, lying on his back. He stared up, allowing the drops of water to wash away all his memories. He reached and tried to capture them in his hands. Goddamn it.

His throat closed up, the painful shot jolt from his heart, pulling his emotions into haywire. Shock and horror clamped his mouth shut. His body weakened, shaken.

'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!'

***********

A distant shout made her flinch. She swung her head towards it. More muffled voices followed. Someone screamed. She bit her lip. Clutching the stick, she hastens her steps. Her heart hammered with growing panic. She rushed to the fainting sound into the forests. She had an idea of what triggered such a reaction but hoped that he would not be too shocked by what he will see.

Emerging from the shaft of aligned trees, she found him kneeling on the ground, hands holding his head, shaking in denial.

She stopped a foot from him, heaving, and looked around. The blood was washed by the rain but the body lay there, broken and lifeless. She opened her mouth but stop. She let him mourn. He needed this. The rain continued to pour. Thunderstruck as lightning flashes across the dreary sky. She closed her eyes and dragged her tired body to the ground, shivering from the compressed cold air.

She opened her eyes. The same dead scenes lay around them. The stick loosens on her hand. She can still see his shoulder shaking. It must have hurt him that much for him to cry. What happened here was just a bad dream they both wanted to disappear but this is all real. The old man's death. Her gaze fell on him again. This is the first time that she saw a grown man cried and she decided that crying from someone is not good for him or her for that matter.

She might be ignorant in the way of the world but seeing him like that, she rather not be too attached to anybody. People tend to disappear and leave others hurting. Emotions are a weakness she cannot bear to tolerate. It is exploitable; a mistake. In the end, they will all die and she will be left alone, again just like her family; an irony. But why am I so adamant about keeping him alive? She does not understand at all. This conflicting perception is so new to her she cannot act on it accordingly. Maybe because he's the only person with her right now and they both experience the same thing.

She scratched her head from her wayward thoughts. The rain slowed down to a drizzle. The grey sky started to dissipate, showing partly blue sky and the shy sun peeking from the horizon.

It is time. They needed to go. It might be cruel to leave the body but they have to.

'Mister?" she started but nothing came from him, neither a twitch nor tilt from him. 'We need to leave,' she told him slowly.

He sat completely still for several minutes, then he stood with difficulty, slightly swaying on his feet.

She waited. A tense silence reigns between them. The chirping of insects and birds are the only noise that can be heard in the quiet forest. She refrains from interrupting him, so she listens.

Finally, he looked at her. He raised his grief-stricken jade eyes on her. She looked into his eyes. She saw the pain, loss, and regret in there. She recognized them because those are the emotions she saw last in their eyes before they left her too. Funny that she tried to disenfranchised herself of those emotions because of their failure.

'We need to g-------'

'I need to bur---------'

They look at each other.

'What did you say?' he asked her, voice dead.

'We need to get out of this forest soon.' She reiterated quietly, afraid he'll explode once more.

'I need to bury him first before I leave. I will not leave him here.' He said. She hesitated but rejected his suggestion.

'No.'

'Why?'

She countered. 'It's useless to bury him here.'

'Then I will carry him out here and bury him somewhere else.'

'No.'

'What do you mean?' She wetted her lips, nervousness coming back full force. She did not want to tell him anything, but for her to convince him how dangerous it is to stay here paramount anything on her mind right now.

'Don't you find it strange that there are no other human beings aside from me? From us?' she asked him. She shivered just remembering that night, two years ago. The scream of terror, the bloody carnage, and fire blazing decimated this place.

'It was them. They killed all of them. Don't you understand?' She grasped his hands. 'We need to leave. Please.' She is now begging him. 'You...…will die here.'

He scoffed at her. 'Then how come you are alive?' he demanded.

'I------I do---- I don't know.' Because she really has no way of explaining how she is still alive after all these years.

'I don't believe you!' and he started walking away from her towards the body. 'You can leave me here if you are so afraid to stay.' He told her as he was leaving.

'Why can't you believe me?' she shouted.

He stopped in his tracks and turned, giving her a deadly glare. She thought that she can talk reasonably with him after what happened but no, he is set on giving him a proper burial. Numbed with fear, she stumbled towards him, needing him to understand the severity of the situation. They'll be back. She's sure of it. This season is their feeding time. Any remains from the previous hunt will be recovered, eaten up to the last bone. No remains allowed. Dead or alive it doesn't matter. Food is food for them. Buried or not. He did not see the horror she saw in here. It's useless. Why can't he understand it? Frustrated, she throws the stick she picked up earlier at him, missing the target at all.

'You suicidal, derange and an idiotic lump of empty muscle brain, the excuse of a person. The worst kind of human. Go and get killed. I won't stop you, no more,' and promptly walked away from him, seething in anger. She stomped her feet letting him know how ridiculous and stupid he was for not listening to her. She is so mad right now. She knew and understands the need to bury his companion but...….in here... It will be useless and meaningless.

He did not move, too stunned to comprehend

He did not move, too stunned to comprehend the turn of the event. She was gone----he raised his hand, pinched his cheek to see if it was real. He searched her with his eyes after some contemplation. There was no sign of her: no more whining, and no more of her incessant pleading. Yet, he felt bad about it. She really helped him a lot but he drove her away, bastard that he was.

He went back to the tree where the body of Dmitri was. He picked up his dog chain, searched for the bag of ash. It was wet. He pocketed both of them. Now, how to dig up a hole, he searched for anything he can use to and found none. Shit. He pursed his lips, trying to think of ways to finish what he intends to do with the body. He should have had asked the girl if she has at least a shovel she hides. Minutes of looking for a suitable tool for digging, he found a sturdy branch not from where he landed when he fell earlier. He settled for it and begun digging a grave. He was so concentrated on his work that he failed to sense the presence behind him.

'Have you seen anything like this before, Mister?' a voice rose from behind, startling him. He turned abruptly, branch on hand, as he prepared to attack the person.

'Whoa! It's me, Mister.' She backtracked when he brandished the large branch at her.

'WHAT THE HELL? You almost gave me a heart attack. Quit sneaking up on me,' he roared. 'Didn't I tell you to scram or you are just stupid to sneak up on me? I could have killed you!' he said, squinting in annoyance at her.

'No. Yes. And No,' she calmly replied. 'Here-----,' handing him a shovel, 'this will the work faster.'

'Is this a shovel?' and gave her a look.

'No. That is a stick. Of course, that is a shovel,' she returned his look, unimpressed of his slow pickup.

'That's not what I'm asking, you brat.' he said, growling.

'I know. You need to crack up a little bit.'

'Look who's talking. You are the one who walked out earlier.' He bit back an insult.

'But I came back. Be thankful and hurry up. I am a bit generous today. So do your thing,' she reminded him.

'Acting like a boss, aren't you now?'

She glared at him. He only shrugged and started digging again.

The sound of shovel meeting the wet soil, squelching, accompanied them. For almost an hour, he completed his ritual and went back shoving soil to the body. She went and collected wildflowers and stones to mark the burial site. He kneeled in respect and dusted his jeans, picked up the shovel and signalled her to move forward.

She led him out of the area towards the centre of the town, then to the port, the former port. They were walking in silence which she appreciated when he started talking.

'What you said earlier, about the thing that killed the people, is it true?'

She stopped and turned. A soft wind blew over them; she can taste the salty sea from where she stands. She clasped her hands behind her, dirty shirt dancing with the gust, dark, inky hair swayed as her eyes speared him.

'Look around you,' she ordered him which he did eventually after a minute of hesitation. His emerald eyes swept across the rubbles of woods and concrete among other things that littered the area. And yes no humans present except the two of them. He thought that the war that broke two years ago was the reason behind the decimation of this place but... There is something at play here…. Different from what they thought was.

'It was the thing that chased us to the cave, wasn't it?' he asked even though he already knew.

'Yes.' She answered and walk away from him straight to the path directly in front of them. He followed her behind, silent.

'How come then that you are alive?' he reiterated his question earlier.

She merely shrugged her shoulder. Even, she does not know. 'I don't know.'

He looked at her. 'Can't believe? Me either.' and gave him a pained smile. 'I woke up one day two years ago to these carnages. I thought I was going to die that day but...

'You did not?' he supplied when she paused.

'Hmmm…..' She hummed.

'You said that they will not leave any trace of alive humans..... Or anything to that matter... But here you are....' He trailed suspicion on his mind. He has been thinking of this since he woke up but that thing... It did not....maybe he was hallucinating or it was a trick but that thing just ignored her altogether. He thought they are mindless predator but it has intelligence. He was sure of that.

They are now near the port. He can see the small vessel anchored. 'Why stay here? Why did you not escape?' he asked her once again trying to understand this bizarre girl.

She did not immediately answer. She was still walking ahead of him. He waited. Why is he following this girl, he did not know. All the events are connected to her if anything. His instinct is telling him so but he cannot sense anything from her which was a red flag. He needs to know. She knows too many but shares too little. He was thankful for her but he cannot trust her yet. He does not know her at all. For all, he knows that she can be one.....of them... He shakes his head. No... No. No... That would be ridiculous.

'Who are you really? Dmitri and I did not expect a survivor here but here you are, thriving even. No reports came out that someone was living off this place after the war. So how are you alive after all this time?'

He did not know if she heard him but he will bet every last penny he has, which he does not have at the moment, that she knew more than she lets on. What really happened here was a mystery. For people to disappear without a trace, the unidentified monster that attacked them, and this girl, he is pretty sure are all connected at some point but how that biggest mystery here.

'Hey!'

'Look at the ground,' she said.

Simone stared at the ground, found steams awash with the black swirl of mist bursting out the cracks. What.....? He dropped to his knees to inspect the black mist surfacing from the ground. No not ground at all. The surface was not solid at all, he now realises. He flexes his feet and hand, soft and moist. He stood up, eyes seeking her, questioning. The soft ground trembled all of the sudden. He almost lost his balance if not for the girl's hand steadying him.

'What is happening?' he asked, eyes narrowed in deep suspicion.

'Shhhh,' she placed her forefinger on her mouth, signalling him to shut up. He looked down on her and saw that no black mist surrounds her at all. What is happening?

'They've been so agitated,' she said softly, tilting her head to the side, smiling at him and sobered up. 'You are asking too many questions. I don't like it,' eyeing him up and down.

'What do you mean?'

She shook her head, ignoring his question. 'I was really trying to…..to keep them at bay….. But....agitated...…. shhhhhh...' she grasped her hair in a painful grip, wincing.

'H...hey!' he tried calling her.

'Shhhhhh….' She is now walking back and forth, muttering. What the hell? He needs to leave. He tried moving his feet and find it it's stuck, the black mist now up to his torso.

'…..now? ...can't.....really? But will it be okay? ...…No….'she stomped her feet in anger. 'I...I need to... Shhhhhhh... he will hear you.'

'Dumpster girl?' he called her slowly and tried removing his stuck feet. He inhaled softly when it loosens and walk back silently, eyes on the girl. her feet in anger. 'I...I need to... Shhhhhhh... he will hear you.' He continued walking backwards when all of a sudden she shouted.

'It's spreading,' she realized and turned towards him. Instead of amber eyes, violent red stared at him, intelligent red eyes but a hungry one. His heart thudded inside realizing his situation.

'What are you talking about?' He asked her, trying to stall much needed time to plan for escape.

Her face contorted, teeth elongating, 'something's active inside of me...…it's telling me to.....to...what?' she frowned, her now appearance changing rapidly. He wasted no time and run but even before he takes ten steps, he was stopped by the very same monster that chased them….no….. Only him…and killed the old man.

'Where are you going? I am not done with you yet.'

He remained motionless as he stared at the creature that killed his master and will probably kill him as well. He tried to locate the bubbling fear inside him but anger fully engulfed him, rooting him on the spot.

'Oh! ….. You remembered him, right?' She exclaimed enthusiastically, her voice now close to him.

'H…..how?'

'Hmmmmm?' Sharp fingers trail behind him. 'It just happened.'

He remained silent. He should have listened to his gut instinct. This girl. This girl's dangerous.

'Oh come on, don't be shy. You were very talkative a few minutes ago. What's with the silent treatment now? Were you shock?' She gently smiled at him.

'Of course, you are. You know it was very hard to keep acting in front of you especially when you were asleep, so vulnerable. I tried telling myself not to eat you on the spot and I did not but you were so persistent with your invasive questioning earlier. I tried accommodating you but your voice keeps grating on my nerves I wanted to kill you. 'She shouted at the end, eyes bulging in fury.

'I will kill you.' he levelled her with his eyes, cold fury stained his voice.

She laughs maniacally, bowing and clutching her belly. 'Kill me? Oh, that was a good one. So hilarious' stared at him and laugh again.

He merely looked at her, in a flash she disappeared and reappeared in front of him, hand poised on his neck. 'And how do you propose doing that? You do not have your weapon plus the odd is against you, two to one.' She tilted her head, inspecting him more closely and grinned. She was right in delaying her plan.

She released his neck, jump down and walk towards the creature hiding behind the tree not far from them. 'How about this, if you defeat him,' pointing at the large creature, 'and me,' pointing at herself, 'then you can go. No catch. As long as we are unable to move, then it is your win. Here, your weapon. I picked them up for you.' And throws his swords at him.

'You'll let me go?' he laughed at her, disbelief lacing his voice.

'Sure. You don't believe me?' She shrugs. 'Your choice.'

'Why did you not kill me? You have lots of opportunities to do so.'

'I like you.'

'Bullshit!'

'Look! This is why you are alive. You entertain me. Others cower but you.....' She shivered in delight. This was the first time she let loose her beast. So addicting.

'The girl...what did you do to her?'

He unsheathed his swords, poised and ready to attack. The large creature stood up.

'Oh! The girl...' ruby eyes wrinkled in amusement. 'It's a secret.'

He grits his teeth. Rage mounting to erupt. If he dies here, he'll drag one of them with him to hell, if he's lucky then the three of them too will go to hell altogether. So he was entertainment in her sick game? I will make sure to give them a hell of a lot of them.

He ran towards the large one, aiming for its feet when his feet stopped moving at all, yet his body sailed mid-air. What? He trailed down and saw the girl, smiling up at him, licking her hands covered in blood, his blood. How? He did not feel anything until it was too late. He was soaring in the air towards another beast.

'Do not eat him!' The girl shouted. 'Just hold his arms. Restrain him.'

The impact was painful. The giant ended up crushing his shoulder and dangled him 20 feet above the ground as gravity keeps pulling him downwards. The girl threw away his swords to the ground.

It was a pathetic fight. One-sided at best.

'This is great. Are you losing hope now?'

He glared and spit at her.

'Oh... he still has spunk in him…. I like it…...now what to do?' she taps her fingers on his cheek, piercing his skin. He winced at the repeated action but it was none compared to the arm that was shoving on his gut. He coughs up blood from the assault.

'Sorry. I got too excited to see you in pain I forgot that you are a human. Now onto the next,' she said. The giant grunts and keeps shaking his arms.

'You want that? Okay.' And rips his arms altogether. He shouted from the immense pain, blood pouring continuously.

'Don't pass out on us, we're just starting,' proceeded on puncturing him over and over again. He can barely hear the tearing of his skin, the slash and the scent of his blood. He was in and out of consciousness, his mind broken from the inside.

'Shhhh. It's almost over. Clenched your teeth and...…..' He did not know what happened but the crushing of his heart barely registered when blackness covered his slipping consciousness.

What a pathetic way to die.

He can't even avenge his master and friend.

He can't even kill down those who killed them.

I can't face them.