Damn it.
Damn it all to hell.
What made her think this was a good idea? What in the name of every deity she could recall from casually flipping through books with little intent to learn made her think this had ever been a reasonable idea?
If she wasn’t running for her life and could defy physics and logic she’d take a good few minutes to create a clone and beat the shit out of herself for ever even entertaining the thought of what she’d just done.
It was dark. When had that happened? She could’ve sworn it was barely sunset not long ago. Or had the sudden burst of adrenaline and panic that had slammed into her been so intense her own vision gave out. Sure it didn’t make sense but MOTHER OF GOD I HEARD SOMETHING, SHIT ITS RIGHT BEHIND ME!! Aubrey could hardly see in front of her, the only hint at the endless scenery she sprinted through was the sting of branches striking her across the face, like tiny hands trying to draw her back towards her eventual doom. Her breath was labored, chest beginning to ache along with her legs from the sheer strain of running. How long had she been moving? It felt like hours, days even, minutes, what? DAMNIT WAS THAT A BRANCH OR A CLAWS, FUCK FUCK FUCK Oh fuck she couldn’t even think straight anymore, her mind was set loose like a pack of rabid dogs unleashed from their chains to wreak havoc on whatever they could find: fierce, unfocused, and dangerous.
She was losing strength fast, her throat felt raw and she could taste the faint traces of blood in the back of her mouth, but whether it was from the overuse of her lungs or the injuries on her face- wait there’s more blood- how did it get there, it’s all over- Suddenly Aubrey felt the urge to gag rise within her, the metallic taste was suddenly all over her tongue and lips, tears started falling as her hysteria increased with the lack of knowledge of the source of the cascade of blood, which she wasn’t even sure was hers.
When she felt that she couldn’t keep moving anymore without collapsing into a heap resembling a lamb waiting for slaughter, Aubrey skidded to a stop and pressed her back to what felt like a tree, hands shaking violently as she searched her body in the pitch black, trying to find the injury. The sudden stab of pain in her forehead ended her search as she felt the high ridges of broken skin marking the borders of a nasty cut, her fingers suddenly slick as they were coated with the same dark fluid that covered her face, now mingling with the endless stream of tears as she fought to choke back the terrified sobs that threatened to join in her wheezing.
In her attempt to try and calm down, Aubrey listened closely for any sign that her aggressor was still following, but the eerie, almost unnatural silence of the woods around her gave no reveal. She needed a few minutes to catch her breath, and to try and rope in those savage hounds that were her thoughts.
It was such a stupid decision. She’d loved the mysterious unknown, anything feared by those she considered superstitious. I’ll just go to that house avoided by everyone, I said, it’ll be fine I said
It hadn’t been fine. She thought the fears surrounding the “Croft Estate” were just the ramblings of teens who liked to scare other teens and unsettle poor elderly folk who didn’t need that kind of distress. And for the most part of her journey, it seemed to be just that. Her original trek through the patch of forest that was said to lead to this house were peaceful, even if possessing a strange lack of wildlife. The only doubts she had were that she might end up trespassing on someone who was mostly harmless (she hoped) , but maybe a recluse, and that this silly adventure would only result in bothering said person....well shit now she was nervous about fucking up someone’s day.
Her stubborn curiosity at that point was all that pushed her onward.
And fucking hell, she should’ve turned after only one second of seeing that house. It looked normal, PERFECTLY NORMAL , why did she keep looking around, why was she never satisfied by a simple answer?? Why did she have such a gluttonous need to snoop around?
Aubrey was too confused about such a mundane result, despite being the one to suspect it, and ventured forward around the perimeter, in some sick search for SOMETHING out of the ordinary, like some stupid subconscious death wish.
Well she certainly got it.
She barely had time to register the sight she came across before turning to run, the strange impossibility of it hindering her normally heathy ability to process things quickly. Or had it not been so short? How long had she been standing there?? Maybe it was because....that thing seemed to break down everything she’d ever known in life, all logic and reason being flung out like a rotted pumpkin that had overstayed its welcome past Christmas.
It was small, like a cat, but it wasn’t a fucking cat OH NO, the snout and legs were all wrong, the legs especially, too long and strange like someone threw a spider and a lynx in a blender, but it was so much more than that, everything about the damn thing was just like that. You could try and compare it SOMETHING you knew, that you recognized, to give your brain some sense of familiarity but in the end it was too otherworldly, too incomprehensible, that all your attempts went to waste.
It had a hat, she could see it, red and a fabric she couldn’t recognize, the silliness of it should’ve eased the sickening horror that swam from her gut and into her limbs like a set of living tendrils slithering and latching onto her muscles and rendering her unmovable, but it didn’t.
Red and white, red and white, all that she could truly keep together was the colors, the shape of it still kept confusing her, throwing her brain around in a wild throng of thoughts overriding each other that a migraine threatened to creep on.
Then it smiled. Oh it knew she was there, from the beginning, and it even looked a little confused by her arrival, if you could even call the crooked shifting of its...face, an expression. But that grin, that gesture of acknowledgment, that silent addressing of her presence, took those sickening tendrils inside her and made them squeeze, like a snake strangling it’s prey. You could take the smiles of Hannibal Lecter, Norman Bates, and that living nightmare Alex from A Clockwork Orange, and combine them with the power of a nuclear fucking bomb, and it wouldn’t cover 20% of the intensity of the toothy display from this unnatural being. Aubrey had even forgotten to breathe, only able to hear the sound of her heart pounding ferociously in her ears.
The thing had said something, and the possibility of it understanding human speech was enough to drown whatever it was that had been said. It spoke, IT FUCKING SPOKE TO HER and it sounded gleeful, and that was the final thing registered before the rush of energy barreled her over like a cannonball to a brick building, and her once immobile state was thrown out of proportion to make way for her now running for her life.
The cackle the beast chucked at her retreating figure still rang in her ears like an unholy choir, as she recalled the gut wrenching terror that gave itself life and screamed in agony all the possibilities that would result in the chase she’d begun. For when she turned back into those woods she’d heard the clear sound of thumping hands-paws-feet-who fucking cared following close behind. More words, sickeningly cheerful trailed along with it but she had been too occupied trying to keep distance to even try to hear, and she was damn sure she didn’t want to know what sort of threats it was trying to infect her already derailing thought process with.
Now she was here, crying from despair, pain, confusion, some anger, all emotions boiling deep in her with the sludge that was the imminent dread that promised her death. Her knees were about to buckle, even just standing wasn’t enough to relieve the burning from previous state of running, but she didn’t want to risk putting herself in more danger by sitting down, so she bit her lip in response to the cramping in her legs, fighting the urge to scream in agony from the wound on her head, that felt like it was trying to open more anytime she crease her brow. How did it even happen? Did that....thing catch her? Did she hit a bad branch? Even the most recent memories were in a jumble like a fallen house of cards she was trying to organize to no avail. Her hitched breathing was still heavy and erratic, the faint sound similar to a sputtering engine pushed to its limit, ready to break down. Her skin was raised in bumps, from cold or other reasons she couldn’t tell, her brain too focused on her injuries and the spitfire still moving in her veins, urging her to keep going even when she could hardly stand against the tree.
Her rest not yet being interrupted, Aubrey was starting to feel the tiniest bit of relief, theories of death and destruction were beginning to wane. Maybe she’d left the creature’s territory, maybe it got tired of chasing her-
Everything in her head came to a halt and sank like the Titanic when a sudden noise pierced her hearing. It was rough, like a growl mixed some form of clicking with the after-tone of sharp nails on a chalkboard. The anxiety spiraled back into commission as her eyes darted around, trying to catch what direction it was coming from, which seemed to be from all directions. Was she going mad?
Then it grew louder.
With great dismay she realized there was only one other place she hadn’t been searching; her head snapped upwards and sure enough, there it was, clinging to the bark above her, the same maniacal smirk, out of place eyes...and its fucking chest was wide open. This is hell. Im in fucking hell and that thing is Satan. A goddamn mouth was sprouted in her midsection, a gaping abyss that seemed to hiss like it was its own entity. That blood curdling laugh echoed once again before the spotted mass of sharp points, crooked limbs and fur launched itself at her in a flash , striking her on the face before hopping to the ground. Aubrey clutched at her mouth, a hoarse cry spilling from her throat. Her bottom lip was split harshly open, she could FEEL the obvious space where it had been torn wide like paper. The same gagging sensation re-emerged as the wound spilled itself into her mouth to where she had to spit large amounts out, while any contact against the exposed flesh sent jolts of pain through her face like lightning. Amidst her frenzy, she noticed that the beast didn’t make any other move, just watched her from the shadows in amusement. This was all just a game to it, a silly hunt. And this hunter liked to play with its food.
Once again, she ran. Aubrey tried to multitask, yanking her sleeve past her wrist to press against her open lip to try and stop the bleeding. She didn’t even know where she was going, the forest that was once too quiet for comfort now seemed to be alive with hellish noises ringing in her ears. Terrifying laughter, more taunting from that voice that was having too much fun causing her pain, scraping of claws, gnashing of teeth, all piled together to override her other senses to where she couldn’t focus anymore. Was it in front of her, behind her, everywhere?!?!
All of a sudden the ground fell out from beneath her, and she was falling, crashing, body thrown around uncontrollably down something hard and scraping, her form twisting to try and stop her plummet, before landing on some form of solid ground-
CRACK
The sound was less like a twig and more thin tree being snapped as a feeling worse than all she’d just endured pulsed through her entire body like a train at full speed, and this time, she let out a proper, heart stopping scream. Opening her bleary eyes, Aubrey wasn’t sure if she could even move, splayed stomach down, when out of nowhere a numbness fell over her, the excruciating pain gone, though still in the back of her mind. It had to have been her arm, that noise, that terrible sensation, it was the only solution.
Particularly because she was damn sure her right hand wasn’t supposed to be touching it’s corresponding elbow....in fact the only thing keeping the hand she could no longer feel connected was a few strands of skin and meat, her clean broken off bone glistening in the moonlight that previously evaded her. The shock of the entire night had drugged her over to the point that she could hardly react properly anymore. She tried to take in her surroundings...this was cut grass...that was...stone...cut stone...not regular rock...a porch?...This...this was a house? No, this was that house..And....
There it was.
Oh fuck...
It seemed to walk, almost skip in delight towards her, that grin never leaving its wide mouth. Even getting a proper look didn’t help her understand it better, only made her more confused and afraid. She tried to move away, skitter, shuffle, anything, but this time she physically could not move, and it was just because of fear. It didn’t react and kept its natural place until it was right next to her, examining her decimated arm with that same childish glee as before, now turning that demonic expression to her.
It suddenly hopped up, landing on Aubrey’s shoulders, a small voice erupting...was it humming?
She felt it’s...hands...and claws...grasp the hair atop her head tightly, another reaching under her chin, digging into her flesh. Even out of sight, she could feel that devious simper burning into her skull, beaming with pride, could practically sense its utter excitement about what was to occur...and speaking of such..... the position of its appendages along her head made the situation entirely clear.
She was done for.
“Happy Halloween, little dove. You and I are going to have a lot of fun.”