Chapter 7 – Look Closer

Surveying my surroundings serves only to fuel my irritation; the narrative dictates I should provide you, (the readers) a detailed explanatory insight emphasising my rapidly rising anxiety levels, inevitably culminating in the despicable act of soiling myself.

Hundreds, if not thousands of years ago; an abundance of Geraniums blossoming in striking shades of red, delicate shades of orange and eye-catching shades of purple, blanketed these once picturesque fields as far as the human eye could possibly reach. Today however, the remains of those once beautiful flowers lay scattered in tiny patches across the moist earth; soaked not from natures merciful tears, but rather a sea of fresh blood, flowing from thousands of indistinguishable humans, eternally awaiting their fruitless hopes for redemption as they lie upon its darkened plains.

Truthfully, I care not for the self-righteous ideological principles or unrequited selfish ambitions driving these poor misguided individuals. However, carefully navigating a path between the shallow pools of blood and cacophony of dismembered body parts remains a cumbersome task and therefore I wish for not only their decomposing carcasses, but for their entire being to merely cease to exist.

As if a masochistic omnipotent being joyfully accepted my humble request, the vast field of rotting humans instantly vanished. The previously blood-tinged sky instantaneously replaced by an astronomer's wet dream: Suspended roughly 100 metres in the air on a tiny protruding cliff edge; the unforgiving jagged cliff towering endlessly behind my back, a bottomless whirlpool ominously inviting me towards eternal salvation directly beneath. The biting wind pierces my skin like a knife, forcing an immediate backstep towards the cliff. Raising my head towards the cloudless sky; as if in sudden response to my anxiety, the luminescent rays reflecting off the full moon shine directly upon me providing a small measure of calm, only to disappear shortly after.

All of a sudden, an irregular sensation sliding silently over my ankle causes me to glance downwards; an all-black meter-long viper slithers quietly above my thigh before wrapping itself comfortably around my waist. Raising its head until the sparkling whites of its soulless eyes are perfectly level with my own, a devilish smirk purses giddily across its lips. The definitive word "blood" hisses vociferously within my ears repeatedly, yet the snake's mouth remains firmly closed, as if I was suddenly thrust within a ventriloquist's horrifying final coup de grace. Seemingly content at having fulfilled its unearthly duties, the viper proficiently unwinds itself from around my waist, gracefully dropping to the floor before slithering into a tiny hole within the cliff-edge. Exhaling a small tuft of air, I turn resolutely towards the cliff and begin searching for a solution to this unnatural dilemma I somehow find myself thrust into.

Aimlessly sliding my hand across the rough face of the cliff inevitably proves fruitless. Dropped from hell into an even deeper hell, Hades must be rubbing his hands in contemplative glee... Though my suggestion would be for the God's not to act with such pre-meditated haste, especially when an irrepressible monster is concerned.

Temporarily retracting my hand; I glance up towards the sky until the shining light of the moon finally appears from behind an oversized cloud, instantly illuminating the wall in a shower of silvery luminescence. Subsequently, I become drawn to a few man-made indentations to the right-hand side of the wall, deftly highlighted within the moon's all-encompassing rays.

Deciphering the text would prove an impossible task, the illegible language appearing to be nothing more than an intoxicated man's unfortunate mistake. However, I remain unable to shake the mythical snake's constant hissing towards the nether regions of my mind, forcing me to grit my teeth in anticipation.

Firmly placing the palm of my hand against a sharp protruding rock; my eyelids draw firmly to a close before I find myself intentionally sliding my hand across, immediately ripping through every layer of skin as the familiar feeling of warm blood flows unabated down my arm. Tightening my fist once more so as to momentarily halt the flow; I raise my hand directly above the area of the wall with the indentations. A soft sigh escaping my cool lips as my fist begins to loosen; the blood flowing directly over the indentations as they begin to shine with a soft red glow like a macabre otherworldly painting.

A loud click from just behind the cliff-wall signalling the legitimacy of my actions. With an almighty rumble, a large section of the wall begins to raise from the floor, inducing a hurried step backwards in retreat. A darkened pathway eventually being revealed, endlessly stretching towards the unseen abyss, though miraculously lit by a handful of flaming torches embedded carefully into the walls. A soft chill reminding me of the precariousness of my current situation and the requirement for swift decision-making.

Bracing myself for any incoming surprises or traps, I take a step forwards into the unknown.

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"Hey you wake up!!!! Shu??? That's your name, right???? Come on I can't sit here all day!!"

"Sit??? What?? Wha…. What's going on???"

The very first thing I noticed was the sweet smell of Lavender, the unmistakable fragrance causing me to question my current location. Had I fallen asleep outside?? Had I been kidnapped and was currently being transported through a bed of flowers... Both highly unlikely situations if I'm honest. Wearily forcing my eyes to open, the scene presenting itself was possibly more incredulous then my initially contrived, highly-improbable scenarios.

The delicate features of the beautiful young girl smiling back towards me with an indescribable radiance, caused my heart to catch in my throat. Noticing my stunned expression induced a stifled giggle from the girl, sitting straight up whilst gently brushing strands of her glossy brunette shoulder length hair from above her exposed sun-kissed shoulders. Dressed in a dangerously small aqua-blue cotton bra and matching thong, perfectly accentuated this angel's fittingly small bust yet athletically toned body. Her lightly tanned silky-smooth skin sending tingles spiralling around my body as the unnamed girl carelessly shuffled dangerously close to my boxers, instantly inducing an affect she (thankfully), seemed as of yet, unaware.

"Who…. Who… Who are you????"

In cute puppy-dog fashion, the girl tilted her head to one side whilst carefully resting her index finger against her temple. A giddy smile plastered across the girl's face as she suddenly jumped forward a few centimetres, inevitably winding me in the process:

"I'm your new partner Alice!! Nice to meet you!!! Riley let me in and told me that you love these kinds of surprises."

"Ri…Riley???? Could… Could you come down from me… Please..."

"Did I startle you?? Sorry!! I was just trying to be friendly…. I should probably go." Alice's face instantly turned a bright shade of crimson as she dropped sheepishly to the floor, providing me a few precious moments to throw on some jogging trousers and a t-shirt. Perhaps it was due to a general self-conscious attitude around beautiful females, or possibly my lack of experience, (there's no comparison between myself and the insanely experienced Riley). However, a fervent voice cried out within me not to waste this golden opportunity as Alice trundled abjectly towards the door. Mustering some courage, I instinctively reached out to grab her hand:

"Matte!! Sorry I meant wait….. I'm the one who should apologise, honestly you didn't startle me and I didn't mean to sound so rude. I'm just not used to being woken up by an unbelievably gorgeous girl…. Straddling me…."

Alice covered her mouth whilst cracking a soft giggle. Why did I have the sudden urge to "protect her smile??" To coin a well-known phrase.

"Thank-you for the compliment… And it looks like I helped you forget that nightmare you were having!! Any-way I'm getting late for my induction, it was nice meeting you Shu…."

"Creed, Shu Creed."

"Alice Olsson!! I look forward to working with you!!"

Nightmare? Alice was right; within all the commotion of being awoken, I had completely forgotten the strangely realistic dream ending only moments ago. Suddenly glancing towards Alice's beautifully-shaped, toned behind as she reached towards the door handle, the curvature perfectly held within her cotton aqua-blue thong; a bout of realisation finally hitting me as I instinctively threw my weight against the door:

"Hold it! Where are your clothes??"

"Oh…. Riley said you'd be more surprised if I dropped the skirt and top. He said he'll make sure to return them back to my room."

"But… You can't go to induction dressed like that…" Glancing towards her skimpy attire, Alice's face instantly bore an uncanny resemblance to a ripe tomato.

With a slightly despondent shake of my head, I signalled for Alice to wait for a moment. Judging our height and builds to not be too dissimilar, I handed the seemingly absent-minded female a plain black t-shirt and some faded dark-blue jeans, (I guess Riley had a point about needing to bulk up).

Clearly unfazed at having to change in my presence; gazing nervously around the room was all I could do to prevent myself gawking like a mesmerised pre-teen. However, curiosity can only be curtailed for so long; my gaze returning towards Alice as her delicate features appeared from the hoody like those of a blossoming flower. Tilting her head towards the ceiling before smoothing back her silky individual strands of hair with a tender delicacy, left me entirely captivated.

Suddenly flashing me an appreciative smile, Alice proceeded to wrap her arms tightly around my waist. Momentarily drawing my eyelids to a close, the sweetest smell of Lavender coupled with Alice's tenderly soft embrace, felt undeniably euphoric. Would you accuse me of selfishness, were I to attempt to encapsulate this single moment in time, eternally?? Negative emotions such as anxiety and sorrow are surely immaterial in comparison.

"I'll wash your clothes before returning them… Later Shu!!"

And just like that, Alice was gone. How long had I stood motionless after her departure, caught within the never-ending struggle between lust and incredulity?? Things had undoubtedly taken a turn for the better and yet a hesitance remained. Held deep within the fragmented plethora of emotions within the far reaches of my mind, remained a dark secret unknown even to myself.

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Silently stood gazing towards my own reflection within the bathroom mirror; unable to hear the onrushing sound of water crashing continuously against the ceramic sink. My nervously trembling hand raises towards the faintly-noticeable bruise I deservedly received 8 hours earlier.