The Greatest Fear 1
She was alone. That was all she knew, even before she opened her eyes. Not where she was, why she was there, or even who she was. All she knew was that there was no one there. She opened her eyes and, without moving her head, looked around. Something inside her was telling her that there was danger for the awake. Firelight flickered in her quickly retracting pupils, the only light in the darkness of the night. Her eyes flicked away and registered that nothing could be seen through the darkness. There didn’t seem to be any danger, but the feeling persisted and so she lay perfectly still, eyes shut to slits, facial muscles relaxed, breathing the slow, deep breaths of one asleep.
As she breathed she noticed a faint metallic odor in the air. It was familiar, like something she had smelled everyday. She heard branches snap as a heavy object came through them. Her eyes moved toward the sound and she saw the reason for the feeling. A huge, heavily muscled man was coming through the brush heading for the fire, hand resting lightly on the hilt of the longsword that hung from his belt.
Her nose twitched, reacting to stench of unwashed human, as well as the metallic scent that grew stronger with each step the stranger took toward her. As he passed by her “sleeping” form she caught sight of the sword glinting in the firelight. It was dripping with a red liquid that she instantly recognized as both blood and the source of the smell. At the sight of the blood pain flared from many wounds on her body, and she bit the inside of her cheek to stop from screaming, and tasted the coppery blood that now flowed freely into her mouth. Her eyes flicked back and forth frantically trying to find a weapon or a way out of this place.
All her eyes saw was the shredded bodies of other people, people that may have been her friends. People that may have been her enemies, but who was to know? The man shifted his weight, and her eyes flicked back towards him. He knelt by a cluster of bodies touching the neck of one then another. Each time he pulled his hand away he shook his head.
As he neared her, a plan formed in her mind, and as he knelt near her she sprang up grabbing the sword on her way up, slicing at his back in one fluid motion as she twirled in midair. He yelled as he went down. She hit the ground on her knees, pulling him over and grabbing fistfuls of his worn leather jacket, shaking him, yelling incoherably, asking him ‘Why?’ over and over again. His replies grew more and more feeble as blood drained slowly out of his back. She kept shaking him until she heard a dull snap as his neck broke and knew he was dead.
She slumped down staring at the corpse next to her in a mild form of shock. She started to tremble and scream, shaking with unborn sobs. It had all been so easy, grabbing the sword, slicing skin to the bone, breaking the man’s neck. It had been so familiar. She looked around at the bodies, twenty in all. She looked down at where she had flung the sword and stared.
There was so little blood on the blade for so much carnage. The man’s words came back to her then. “I didn’t!” “I swear; I just saw the fire!” And at the end, “No, please don’t!” If he hadn’t killed these people than who had. She stood and stumbled away in to the darkness.
As she breathed she noticed a faint metallic odor in the air. It was familiar, like something she had smelled everyday. She heard branches snap as a heavy object came through them. Her eyes moved toward the sound and she saw the reason for the feeling. A huge, heavily muscled man was coming through the brush heading for the fire, hand resting lightly on the hilt of the longsword that hung from his belt.
Her nose twitched, reacting to stench of unwashed human, as well as the metallic scent that grew stronger with each step the stranger took toward her. As he passed by her “sleeping” form she caught sight of the sword glinting in the firelight. It was dripping with a red liquid that she instantly recognized as both blood and the source of the smell. At the sight of the blood pain flared from many wounds on her body, and she bit the inside of her cheek to stop from screaming, and tasted the coppery blood that now flowed freely into her mouth. Her eyes flicked back and forth frantically trying to find a weapon or a way out of this place.
All her eyes saw was the shredded bodies of other people, people that may have been her friends. People that may have been her enemies, but who was to know? The man shifted his weight, and her eyes flicked back towards him. He knelt by a cluster of bodies touching the neck of one then another. Each time he pulled his hand away he shook his head.
As he neared her, a plan formed in her mind, and as he knelt near her she sprang up grabbing the sword on her way up, slicing at his back in one fluid motion as she twirled in midair. He yelled as he went down. She hit the ground on her knees, pulling him over and grabbing fistfuls of his worn leather jacket, shaking him, yelling incoherably, asking him ‘Why?’ over and over again. His replies grew more and more feeble as blood drained slowly out of his back. She kept shaking him until she heard a dull snap as his neck broke and knew he was dead.
She slumped down staring at the corpse next to her in a mild form of shock. She started to tremble and scream, shaking with unborn sobs. It had all been so easy, grabbing the sword, slicing skin to the bone, breaking the man’s neck. It had been so familiar. She looked around at the bodies, twenty in all. She looked down at where she had flung the sword and stared.
There was so little blood on the blade for so much carnage. The man’s words came back to her then. “I didn’t!” “I swear; I just saw the fire!” And at the end, “No, please don’t!” If he hadn’t killed these people than who had. She stood and stumbled away in to the darkness.
posted by Elie at 4:29 PM
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