1 Shadows

Panting

Rustling

Dry leaves braking from heavy footsteps laid upon it. The night was engulfed by an unusual darkness, no moon, no stars not even a single light to shimmer the vast forest. Sounds of crickets, owl howling and rustling of the leaves resound in the lengths of the wood. Gasping could be heard in the midst of the dense forest.

Pit pat pit pat

Drops of water began to hit the ground. Sounds of raindrop hitting flesh could be heard in the forest. A lone figure trying to catch her breath was leaning on her knees, hair drench by the sudden tears of heaven. Even in the darkness her pale skin could be seen, she is like a small light in the dark. She lifted her head and her eyes seems to hold its own light. She seems confused, scared, her eyes quiver in fear as she look ahead yet determination was present in her eyes glowing like fire subduing the fear and confusion she felt.

She straighten her body and started running again, fatigue was evident from her slow pace and unstable footsteps. Big mossy trees surrounds her, she cannot see very well because of the darkness and the rain restricting her eyes to open. A root that was a little above the ground tripped her, a sound of flesh hitting the damp ground echoed through the dense forest but there was no scream nor squeak was heard only a small 'ugh' came from the girl.

"AHHHHH!" the girl was about to stand up but the scream startled her making her fall flat on the ground again. She lifted her head, her chest was heaving up and down in an unnatural way, the hair on her nape and shoulders stand on its end under the robe. She shiver not from the cold wind that hit her but because of the familiarity of the voice. 'No…!' she whispered and suddenly rose to her feet. Her eyes dilated from the unshackling of fear she's trying to subdue. Looking around all she could see was the endless darkness. The howling of the wind is the only thing she could hear, the piter pater of the rain turn quiet. She could clearly hear the loud thumping in her chest. She continue panting, keep on turning around, small beads of water formed in her eyes, knuckles turning white as she try to lessen the trembling of her body.

"WAAAAHHHH! Sto… Sto…" she whipped her head to the direction of the heart wrecking scream, tears glide down as she turn. Her whole body shake 'M… Mo…m' her voice hoarse, she subconsciously staggered backwards, horror was evident from her drained color. There she saw a woman in bloodied robe, sitting on a wooden chair, her arms was tied on the sides of the chair and her legs were tied together. Two wooden plank was placed in between her legs and two dense shadow was holding both the wooden planks. She recognize the woman, it was her mom, no mistaking it.

Her eyes widen, "uhmmmAAAAAHHH!" The two dense shadow pull the planks towards the opposite direction parting her mom's tied legs. She was preparing to run towards the shadow to stop them but her foot was tied by vines pulling her down, to her surprise she was already half buried. "MOM!" she screamed on top of her lungs, tears flowed like falls from her eyes to her chin. She keep on pulling herself using her hands not moving her sight from her mother. She was sweating so hard, it was unknown if it was still the rain that dampen her robe or it was sweat and tears or maybe a mixture of the three.

"STOP! PLEASE!" she pleaded as the ground keep on pulling her deeper. The woman in the chair seems to notice her then she smile at her lovingly, hiding the pain and the fear in the back of her loving gaze. The woman's smile was reassuring her that she is alright, but her situation was certainly not. Then the shadows pull the planks again and as if trying not to worry her, the woman hold back the scream, turning it into muffle sounds of squirming, she maintain the smile but this time it was an apologetic one. A tear slide down like a crystal rain drop from her eyes not being able to hold it back she screamed so loud that the girl who's head is the only left above the ground felt that the earth shake.

She cannot speak, she was quivering even her body was buried already, her face was white now and her eyes red. Veins popping from her forehead, eyes dilated. The tears flowed freely putting any water falls into shame.

Her chest tighten, she couldn't breathed not because she was buried but because she cannot do anything. Every part of her heart was being shred into tiny pieces. The woman's crumpled face was etched in her mind, her head was facing the dark sky then suddenly her heart wrecking scream turn into horrifying howl of a demon.

In a flash the woman's face turned to her, eyes black, blood flowing from her eyes and ears then it zoom in to her face. She was horrified and her pale face turn to gray, eyes almost falling out of its socket, she screamed at the top of her lungs. The horrifying face of a demon was only inches away from her with a smug smile in its place.

She closed her eyes waiting of what will happen next…