Escape

It hurts...

My head hurts...

A throbbing pain wraps around June Somber's head. A pain that won't subside anytime soon. June clenches his head in response to the piercing pain and feels a wet sensation flowing down his cheeks. 

"I'm bleeding?" groaned June, still dazed from the unrelenting headache, possibly the worst pain he had felt.

Reluctantly, June forces himself to ignore the pain to his best abilities. He surveys his surroundings, but his eyes won't focus correctly. After a couple of seconds, he had an idea where he was. The room he resides in looks like a cell of some sort. His neck is binned by a chain that connects to the ground below him. Crawling to the barred exit in front of him, he sees another cell that has a shadowy figure. Nothing could be seen of the figure besides its scrawny body and hair spreading down to its shoulders.

"Hey you, What's your name?" croaked June with a raspy voice.

The figure was unresponsive for a moment before finally giving a weary answer, "Alisa... Alisa Tudor."

"do you know where we are? Why are we locked up in these cells? Oh, and my name is June Somber, by the way." June asks.

"Instead of wasting your breath asking stupid questions, you should save your energy." She replied with a cold but sorrowful voice.

It seems like I won't be getting any info from her.

After that, there were no further conversations between the two. June still kept on questioning his situation as time slowly passed by. He couldn't grasp where he was or how he got there in the first place. To make matters worse, he couldn't remember most of his past besides his name. To ease the pain, he stopped thinking and began resting to save his small amount of energy.

A change finally occurred as time passed. Footsteps could be heard from the long passageway to his left. As they got closer, a faint light began to grow. Holding this light is a middle-aged man with a gloomy look. While June stares at the man warily, an object is thrown into his cell. With a clang, a key drops to his feet.

Before leaving, the unidentified man softly says, "I'm sorry, but this is all I can do for you. May god forgive us for our sins, and may he guide you two through this misfortune."

"Wait, Don't leave yet!" June screamed, but the man didn't bother.

Damn it!

At least leave a clue on what's going on, doofus.

Without further delay, he grabs the key to release the chain. Soon, June rushes over to free Alisa from her bindings as well. In front of him lies a woman riddled with scars. Her rag-like clothes couldn't hide the horrifying experience shown on her body.

"Can you walk?" June asks with a worried look. Alisa begins struggling to stand but ultimately falls back down. June then grabs her and positions her on his back.

"I'll take that as a no." He sighed. 

She's light… 

Her weight didn't affect him much physically but weighed on his consciousness a bit. With her condition, It's surprising that she's still alive. 

June picks up the pace and treads down the dark hall. Eventually, he reaches a simple wooden door. While carrying Alisa, he awkwardly opens the door slowly. On the other side lies something he would've never guessed. Dead bodies litter the ground, soaking the land with blood. Many of the bodies had long claw marks spreading across their chests. While a few seemed to be missing limbs. June gulps nervously as he continues to absorb the sight in front of him.

What happened here...? 

What could've caused this carnage?

What about the man from before?

I couldn't have been too far behind him.

"how long will you be standing here for?" Alisa whispers in his ear.

He was finally snapping out of his thoughts, June moved. With a mountain behind him, his only choice was to go forward. Venturing down the forest ahead, there was an eerie feeling. The deafening silence constantly put him on edge. June could only move so fast, holding Alisa, especially when the only light source was a full moon in the sky.

Hopefully, I find help soon. I'm not sure how long we can keep this up. I don't want to abandon Alisa, but at this rate, my energy will give out with her on my back.

Roughly 15 Minutes pass by June pants and says, "I need a break. I'm going to put you down, okay."

Setting her beside a tree, June rests next to her. With his headache, June's journey hasn't been easy. Although it's manageable, it has affected his abilities to an extent. Every now and then, his vision would blacken for a split second, which felt like an eternity for him. He couldn't comprehend what was happening during those moments. In that blackened world, he feels a strange connection. Something was calling out to him.

Suddenly, Alisa weakly tugs his sleeve to attract his attention. Looking in her direction, June feels her gaze.

"You should run before it's too late." Alisa mysteriously says.

Her eyes gave a faint glow, which soon dulled. The eyes of a person who saw a glimpse of hope only to realize it was an illusion. Just about when June was going to question her, a stick broke in the distance. Alerted, June stands to face the source of the noise. In the darkness, the creature is barely visible. 

"Run! You can't fight it, so leave me here While you escape!" Alisa yells with all her might.

"SCREEEEEEECH!" The creature screams as it inches closer at an incredible rate.

F**K!

I can't run away with it moving that fast!

Using all four limbs to run, the creature covers the distance between them in seconds. Five meters away, it leaps with inhuman power. With its claws, it attempts to pierce June right through his chest. Barely June manages to avoid its strike by a hair. After dodging, June grabs Alisa and distances off from the creature. Looking at it, he realizes the creature's long arm completely pierced the tree, rendering its arm stuck. Given the opportunity, June carries Alisa and begins to run with a spark of hope.

"SCREEEEEEEECH!" The creature yanks its arms out, leaving countless splinters in its arm. Enraged by the pain, it dashes towards June with all its might. With adrenaline kicked in, June ran as fast as he possibly could—each step filled with the intention to live. Closing in on them, the creature Leaps once again. Instead of stabbing like before, it slashed with its left claw. Noticing this, June Jumps to the side, avoiding the blow. In doing so, he leaves Alisa rolling on the ground beside him. Quickly getting up, June prepares for the worst. He stares at the creature and waits for its next move. With a Deep growl, the beast dashes once more. At this moment, June instinctively raises his hands into the air and clenches them. Suddenly, the world around him blackens.