Chapter 2: Within Yourself Is Terror
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He had escaped into the woods under the protection of the dark, no one around to see him slip into the wooded land. It was practically early morning, the silhouette of the sun rising on the horizon, a morning fog casting an eerie glow throughout the scape.
Along the pebbled ground there was a cleared path, free from the looming trees and grass. It would lead into town, and from there, he would find a way to his aunt's home. He strolled down the path unfocused, mind preoccupied with how to continue life from now on. Sure, revenge was a priority, but how to enact it?
Going to his aunt's home was what his parents had told him was best, but he already knew deep in his heart there was no way they had spared her. The sole reason he was traveling so far was because he had no other place to turn to.
Perhaps he could seek out the family of his aunt's husband, but would they offer him shelter? Or the more likely action they would take, serving him to those ravenous monsters to spare their own blood.
Regardless, the first step should be to ascertain that his aunt was truly dead.
While walking along the path, he came across a wild creature up ahead. The beast was at least four times his size, resembling a bear, but with a thick layer of hard bone coating its skin instead of fur, protecting its joints and belly. The creature was walking on four legs but would occasionally stand up tall, snatching tiny prey right off the tree branches.
It didn't seem to notice him, so he was able to escape unscathed. He had no choice but to stray from the path and try to find a way to go around the beast, but in his rush to flee, he didn't leave any marks for him to recall his way back.
So he was now stranded in the middle of the forest, without a clue as to how to leave.
The day passed quicker than a snap of his fingers, leaving him vulnerable as the creatures of the night rose. He'd no shelter and could only lie beneath a tree. Thick trunk glowing with soft yellow light from the moss growing on its side, the numerous braches stretching wide, its leaves were a dull red from the reflection of light, looking like bloodied flesh swinging in the air.
It was late summer. The sun had set, but the heat remained. Blistering and unmerciful, his throat was dry as he hadn't drunk anything since the day before.
He clutched his dagger close the entire night, sleep unmanageable as he awoke with the slightest sound. The forest was alive despite the dark, branches snapping at the weight of whatever creature ventured over it. Even the trees seemed alive, swaying and whistling in the light breeze. Their roots extending several feet, seeming as if they would rise at any moment and drag him under the soil.
But his exhausted body could only handle so much and, unwilling, he succumbed to sleep, at the mercy of the first to survive the night. His dreams were just as abominable as his reality. He tossed and turned, fighting the villains in his mind and putting them to an eternal sleep, just as he would the ones in the waking world.
He awoke in the morning with all of himself intact, no sign of animals attempting to reach him. The sun shone down harshly still, powerful even in the early morning, and his throat burned, begging for water.
He stood and stretched, taking in his surroundings as he walked through the forest. There was no sign of water nearby, but he knew there must have been a source. How could all creatures survive else wise?
His stomached joined the protest soon, bellowing its need for food. As he passed by small animals, he held his dagger tightly, attempting to slay the tiny things. There was no greater shame than losing to something so miniscule in comparison to yourself. Even vermin could escape the wrath of an inept fool.
The continued hunger and thirst amplified his anger, he stormed around, screaming his rage into the empty air, throwing rocks and kicking leaves as if it would produce any fruit, instead it took more of his energy, leaving him worn-out, utterly exhausted.
Although he couldn't scavenge any meat, there was quite a variety of fruits and berries. He just had to be sure not to eat the wrong ones. He mainly picked through the ones he'd seen other animals eat, though that meant there weren't many left on the bushes when he got his chance to feast.
They were a dark blue, growing in bunches, and tasted slightly sweet. It seemed ordinary, so he ate and ate until the bush was empty.
While his search for water didn't go as planned, he did stumble across a cave, the cool cavern a reprieve from the summer sun. He decided to make it his camp for now, wishing on every star it wasn't the lair of some other wild beast.
By the time night had rolled around again, he had eaten his weight in the forest's vegetation.
He sat in the dark, tracing his finger along the edge of his blade while staring at the moon. He didn't make a fire for the sake of not alerting others of his location and also because of the lack of necessity.
It was quite pleasant, honestly, letting the shadows engulf him, painting him almost as dark as the thoughts running through his mind. It was as if he'd become obscure. He could see the creatures roaming outside his sanctuary and felt as if he was the predator. As if he could subdue any being that stepped into his haven.
He spotted a rabbit, quietly chewing on grass, simply a few feet away. And he kept watching, keeping his eyes trained on the white creature, twirling the sharp tip of his dagger against his finger. A moment of pain as the skin split, a drop of blood trailing down the metal until it reached the hit.
And it felt as if something possessed him in that moment.
In a trice, he'd thrown the blade. It hummed as it spun through the air, black metal veiled in the night, the milky white edge of the blade glowing in the moonlight. The blade moved swiftly, landing just a centimeter away from piercing the rabbit's flesh.
The creature immediately scampered away. He watched on. He sighed in disappointment, standing to retrieve the blade.
Strands of the rabbit's snowy fur was laying in the grass, contrasting against the green of the grass.
Afterwards, he simply laid on the hard rock of the cave floor, squeezing his eyes shut and wishing for sleep. His body was protesting, desiring water, and despite the plentiful of berries he consumed, more food.
But in the end he drifted to sleep, worried mind at ease.
The moment he woke, he was panting, mouth dry and head spinning. He was sluggish as he stood, clinging to the cave wall to stay upright.
He stumbled his way outside, looking around in a daze. There still wasn't a place he'd found for water, so the best he could do was consume more berries. In such a rush he couldn't even stop to check if they were edible, simply shoving handfuls into his mouth and letting the sweet fluid quell his thirst, if only minutely.
It did indeed help his overwhelmingly parched throat. He slumped down beside the bush, cradling his head in his hands as bitter tears lined his vision.
He refused to let them fall, holding back every cry that threatened to escape him. Letting that anger go to the Earth as he pulled flora from the soil, cutting his hands on some of the sharp weeds.
He simply laid in the dirt for a while. It must've been hours, but it felt like the strands of time were being pulled by his degrading sanity, feeling as if only minutes had passed.
Even the bites of the insects nibbling on his skin were unworthy of his care. Everything felt dull, the world felt bleak and colorless, joy was no longer a belonging of his.
When he finally gained some composure, the sun was still high, but certainly about to start its descent.
With the time he had left, he trudged through the woods, remembering to mark the trees in case he had to return. He walked for minutes on end, the green all meshing together in a maze, the looming trees sheltering him from the sun at the very least.
It felt like he was walking in circles, but truthfully, it was just his mind playing tricks, every flower mirroring the last and every bug stationary since the moment he passed them.
Eventually, his exhaustion won, and he returned to his cave haven, slumping against the wall and admitting defeat. He was sure death would be awaiting him once he closed his eyes, and he would greet that being with fury, thrashing as he was dragged to the life beyond, sorrow would be his self.
His shut eyes opened a final time, turning to look at the scorned world outside.
There in the grass he spotted a rabbit, perhaps the same as the one from the previous night. With a resentment towards this creature, uncaring and unaware of the harshness of life, he traced his dagger, the cool metal slicing his skin at the slightest touch.
With spite he threw the blade, enough hatred to imprint himself into the earth, so that he may be remembered to at least the frail animal.
His force wasn't overwhelming, but his zeal made the blade sing a tune of exuberance. It spirited the wind, slicing the air and finally imbedding itself into the rabbit's leg before the poor animal could as much as react.
The rabbit was quiet for a moment before it let out a chilling scream, thrashing in pain for a moment before stilling because of the torment.
The atrocious sounds knocked him out of his daze and he quickly stood to grasp what he had just done. As he approached, the rabbit thrashed again, large eyes glassy, as if begging him for mercy.
But the blade had buried itself into the creature's skin, possibly even the bone. Even if he were to let it escape, it would be dead by the morning.
And so he gave it the only mercy he could. Cruelty was laced with kind intentions.
He removed the blade, and the rabbit attempted to limp away, but before it could get any further, he raised the dagger high before plunging it into the soft flesh of it, stabbing its neck and halting all of its movement.
It was quiet then. The world seemed to freeze, as if balking at what'd he'd just done. Such a child could commit an act of atrocity, taking life from a being free of sin.
He stared and stared and then the rabbit's sealed eyes opened, bloodshot and different from what they should appear. Far too human to belong to this creature. And then its other features followed, contorting until they resembled a soul already perished.
His brother's look of spite bore into him, petrifying him with an ire that had never been directed at him so palpably.
He stepped back in fear, disbelief, utterly terrified.
The head opened its lips, teeth bloodied as it spoke.
" Look what you've done to me brother, you've let me meet such an end and yet you dare to accept death so easily? "
Those eyes were cold, glaring unspoken charges against him.
He shook his head, unwilling to believe he was the reason behind the death of his brother.
" You're wrong! I've nothing to do with it. I- I had to watch both our parents die because of you! You've killed us all! "
He screamed at the phony, its mouth twisted into a mocking smile.
He jumped in surprise and fear, feeling a hand touch his shoulder. He turned to then see his mother's ghostly white face leaning down next to him.
She smiled, her eyes equally unkind as his brother's.
" That's untrue, isn't it, my love? You ran like a coward, abandoning your family. You couldn't even protect Simon. "
It was then that Simon's mangled form appeared from the shadows, limping towards him, bloody tears running down his face.
" S-Sire, why have you done this to me? " The boy whispered, voice haunting him despite the quiet tone.
He shook, running from out of the cave, the head of his brother still staring unblinking from the ground.
" Don't run again, face us, coward! "
They all surrounded him then, leaving him unable to escape their wicked gazes and poisonous words.
He screamed, pulling at his scalp and begging for them to fade. They couldn't be real. They were surely his mind playing humorless jokes.
" You've killed us! Coward! "
They echoed repeatedly, over and over, until even he believed the words to be true.
He bit back his tears, clenching his dagger and letting his own frustration consume him.
Raising the blade, he slashed Simon's throat. It sprayed onto him similarly as days before. The demon was then subdued as the ghost smiled and fell to the ground, fading into the dirt.
He glared at his mother's form, stabbing into her stomach and slashing until her middle was left gaping, organs visible as blood poured like a stream.
He didn't care, turning to his brother's head. Despite it only having a head, it seemed the most fierce, unafraid even after watching him disperse the two others.
" That's right, kill me, brother. Kill us once more, as you've already done. "
It spat, digging the guilt into his being. But he cared not for words of a fake, raising the blade high and slamming it into the wretched thing's skull.
Hammering his blade again and again, until it was unrecognizable, head blown open and revealing bone.
Even then, it smiled up at him, no longer alive but haunting still. He let his blade fall to the ground.
Screaming into the empty air, bloodied hands clawing at his own skin. No beast approached him even then, the anguish of his roars keeping them quelled.
And then he was manic, laughing at the sight of the mutilated bodies lying on the ground. A sight of his own creation, a vivid nightmare painted by his mind.
Then he was boneless, weak. His body fell to the ground beside the bludgeoned rabbit, looking nearly as innocent as the animal had been.
He was left hanging on the edge of death for hours. His dehydrated body succumbing to the nature of the world.
And just then, as it seemed he would breathe his last breath, the heavens mourned and gave their mercy.
Weeping tears for him to live on, shadowing the moon in a veil of dark clouds. Raining down endlessly, washing away the blood, but not the entire evidence of what had transpired.
Leaving him there in wet soil, once again given a chance to live on.
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