“Carmen, do you think you can make it through here?” I asked her; enunciating my words to make sure that she understood. I felt like I was speaking to a toddler as she continued to stare at me blankly. Her warm dark eyes had turned distant and lifeless; void of any comprehension or emotion. I sighed and gestured for Phoebe to follow me. We knelt down and began to make our way through the maze of branches and trees. Beneath the canopy of black moss, the world became shaded and bleak.
A mildew stench filled my nose and a slight burning irritated my eyes. I sensed something around us and caught glimpses of things that darted in and out of the shadows; stalking us. We pushed on, climbing over and through branches; often tripping on camouflaged roots. The presence I felt began to multiply, and I knew that we were being followed by not one, but a group of….something. I could feel their elation, as if anticipating something.
“Did you see that?” Phoebe whispered in terror, as a shadowed figure dashed in front of us.
“I think we’re being followed,” I informed her in a low voice. All of my senses switched to high alert as a hair-raising scratching sound filled the air. Carmen stopped dead in her tracks and became rigid, as she stared at a spot in the distance with an expression that gave me chills. She looked…possessed.
“Stasia watch out!” Phoebe turned abruptly; shielding Carmen from what she had seen. I looked forward just as a being stepped out from behind a blackened, dead tree. It looked human enough, but it was hunched in such a dramatic fashion that it was impossible to know for sure. Skin and muscle hung from its exposed bones as it stood at least eight feet tall, even hunched over. I grabbed Phoebe’s hand and quickly dragged her and Carmen in a different direction. With Carmen’s rigid movements and the amount of obstacles, we didn’t get very far. Another being leapt into our path and a chill went through my body as my eyes landed on her. Limp black hair hung over her cheekbones as her shining black eyes bored into mine. Her skin and muscle were all intact, but a torn, dirty maiden dress hung off of her. Her demon eyes fell onto Carmen, who began to walk stiffly towards her.
“Carmen! Don’t!” I pleaded. Phoebe lunged forward and grabbed her arm, but Carmen pushed her so hard that Phoebe went flying backwards, landing hard on her back. In a moment of clarity, I put myself between Carmen and the woman. Carmen looked through me, her face contorted unnaturally.
“Carmen! Listen to me!” I put my arms out to stop her from walking. “Stop!”
Realizing that my tactic wasn’t working, I wrapped my arms around Carmen and easily tossed her to the side where she landed in a heap; unmoving. I turned just in time to see the skin begin to melt off of the woman’s face, as more and more of the beasts showed themselves. The woman lifted her arms slowly and glanced around at the others; signaling them to drift back into the shadows.
“Stasia! Help me!” Phoebe shouted from several yards away. Thick black vines had pushed up through the ground and had begun to wrap around her legs. I ran to her side and attempted to cut them away with my dagger, but they could have been made of steel from all the good it did. As the woman continued to slowly raise her misshapen arms that were currently dripping skin, more vines pushed through the earth below me and crawled up my ankles. They secured themselves around my thighs, and I fell to the ground as they methodically inched their way up to my waist. The harder I fought, the tighter they became. I could hear Phoebe’s screams as she was dragged across the ground past me. Carmen had also succumbed to the vines and they began to drag her away as well.
“Let me go!” I screamed hysterically, as the vines dragged my body across the parched landscape. I coughed and choked as the soot pressed into my eyes, ears, and mouth. I felt every root, every rock, and every bump as I was raked across the ground. I remembered self-directed anger shooting through me, as I realized that all of the abilities and affinities in the world didn’t help me when I wasn’t near the ocean. I felt my energy being sucked from me, seeping into the dry dirt.
I closed my eyes and gave in to the pain, the hopelessness, and the numb fear that had attached to my mind. My world became filled with a never-ending blackness; pain and misery wrapping around my heart and keeping me company as my wounds were reopened and my blood smeared behind me. When I finally felt the movement stop, I was unable to move or even open my eyes. Limp and fading into unconsciousness, I barely heard Phoebe’s shouts. She was laughing. Or was it crying? I couldn’t make it out. I just wanted to rest. I’d feel better after I went to sleep…
“Wake up!” I felt my body being shaken violently and my eyes flew open, suddenly alert.
Phoebe’s tear-streaked face was right above me; a wild panic filling her eyes. “Get up Stasia! Get up!”
I attempted to talk, but it just came out as a groan. I lifted myself up on my elbows and twisted into a sitting position. A burning heat was scorching the right side of my body, and I cringed away from the red glow that suddenly filled my vision.
“What is that?” I asked hoarsely, squinting and shielding my already burned and torn skin.
She pointed to the source of the glow, and an intense fear crept up my spine. An immense river of lava flowed slowly and silently towards the dark horizon; bubbling and devouring everything in its path. Carmen’s dead eyes flashed in my mind.
“Where’s Carmen?” I insisted as I swiveled my body; searching for her.
“Over there,” Phoebe squeaked. I followed her stare to a figure that was standing dangerously close to the river. I was about to call out to her, when she turned abruptly and began walking towards us. She strode right past us, turning on her heel and then stared down on us.
“Carmen! What are you doing?” I yelled at her; determined to get through to her. Instead of answering, she began to chant in a foreign language as she focused on the lava. As she continued to chant, small streams of lava travelled up the black earth, winding towards us. Unable to stand, I crawled frantically away from the heat I could feel nipping at my feet. Phoebe was able to move faster, so she was several yards ahead of me when the earth opened up. As the lava burned through the soot it crumbled easily, creating a wide gash I couldn’t crawl away from. The dirt gave way beneath my fingers and as it slid down, I was helpless to stop my body from following. I twisted onto my stomach and crawled at the deteriorating dirt in vain.
“Phoebe!” I shouted, as a wave of soot filled my mouth. I lost sight of her as my body went over the edge. Then I stopped; my body dangling over the void below. Something had grabbed my arms, and in a split second I was lying on the ground yards away from the river and the conjured lava streams. I convulsed on my side as my lungs struggled to expel the dirt I had breathed in. The tears in my eyes succeeded in washing my eyes out enough so that I could open them briefly. The world sloshed and blurred as the tears continued to flow. I felt a hand squeeze mine and I turned my head to the right. The tears poured down my face, clearing my vision and revealing my rescuer.
Chapter 38
A wave of cool, refreshing sea water crashed over me and washed away my pain. It soothed every cut, every burn, and even the knife wound I could still feel throbbing in my abdomen. The smell of sea grass wafted around me and sent a comforting numbing sensation through my mind.