EDIT: I do have plans on adding to it... Which is why it's here and not in the drabble room. But if enough time passes by and nothing's been added, it should get moved and I'll make the neccesary changes. ><;
Twisting Shadows
~The waking world it lies,
telling of sunshine entwined with fear
take back unto what you would do
Fall into my Chaos~
The black mists were threatening. Choking, swirling monsters of lustful torrent swallowed the girl whole. Outstretching arms, fingertips grasping at loose cloth, they pulled her through the void with mere protest to battle their seemingly dead onsaught. No... Scratches felt but unseen racked along flailing limbs, and she cried out in pain. She shouldn't fight them, it was futile... but she didn't care. Not... The mist swirlled high, higher than she could see if she had tried to gaze passed the attack. It wasn't fair... again... not again... She finally screwed her eyes shut and collapsed. Her screams had been choked from her throat, the vibrations swallowed whole in the cloud. It didn't matter now... Her feet hit solid ground, the warmth of the mist subdued, and she suddenly felt very alone. She didn't want to open her eyes, she knew what she would see. Not here... not here again... She opened her eyes.
Wincing in pain, she almost closed her eyes once again. The light was bright, much brighter than she remembered. Then again, as her memory served, she had always visited this world while the sun slumbered far off in the distance. It had always been night. Night to her day. She sighed. It was the same, and yet... not. The more modern town in which she had been attacked in her first visit was in shambles, but still, somehow, the same. Just one step, her foot clanking on the cobblestones of a once well-used road, just one. She spun slowly around, her knee-length skirt flying out around her in the slight wind. Walls surrounded her it felt, for they enclosed the entire town. Trapped, like an animal. She shivered and dragged her sweater closer to her body with the wraping of her arms around herself. It wasn't the cold that made her shiver.
"Ahoy dere, girly," came a voice and she froze.
Was she to be attacked again? She looked up and froze. Guess so. The holder of the voice was a rough older man who looked like he should reek of booze, but oddly smelled like nothing other than dust. It wasn't is appearance that scared her, it was his look. "No..."
"Get back 'ere!"
She ran. It's a shame she wasn't very graceful with her escape. Catching on one of the many gouges in the cement she found that if one foot gets trapped, the whole structure goes toppling. Pain raced along one knee, forearm, and hand. Fight it. She fazed out slightly, almost happily returning to her world, but was struck back in with the harsh reality. Her hair fell down around her face, flying against her eyes and getting stuck in her nose due to the nice wind who blessed her lucky fate by picking up; she couldn't see a blasted thing. The man approached, she heard his heavy breathing, and she knew she could not pick herself up in time to run again. Bracing herself, she waited for the man's intentions. Maybe she could fight him off. FLARE!
The sound that came then could not be described any better than with the word: "Swoosh." She heard it so clearly as so that she even brought back to a moment of another life, 'Everything with you goes swoosh doesn't it?'. 'Life is funner with swoosh.' Ah her friends. Would she ever see them again? She was lifted, her eyes were closed, she didn't want to see what was happening. The man was running. That was odd... She sniffed. Wait... this wasn't the same man. Her eyes opened to see a fuzzy outline of another... man? She could not focus on him. One second he was the spitting image of a crush from a time forgotten, and the next he was a fuzzy resembalance of a character in a show she had watched once. It confused her, but she was use to this. The world of illusions had many lies.
It was a while before they slowed down. Almost even longer before they stopped. Hunger did not plague her, nor did thirst. Such necessities were useless in this place. Those belonged to the citizens of the world, not to invaders such as herself. Her feet went clack as she was set down. Was she weak? She must be because she fell instantly onto her swollen and injured knee. Pain laced up, but she bit her lip to quell her reaction.
"You're hurt."
She looked up and forgot about trying to focus to his blur. "I fell. I shouldn't feel the pain but..." she stopped. He wouldn't understand that. She looked around. They were before a hole in the rock, a cave of sorts, of a giant mountain that otherwise appeard to be conformed of trees. Large evergreens. She had never seen this place. Where was Flare...?
"Sometimes," the voice broke in, stern and almost uncaring, "you can get lost in the image."
She looked back to him, her head swimming. "I... I need Flare..."
"No. No you don't," He said simply and easily plucked her up from the ground and dragged her into the hole.
"Wait," she protested, "where are you taking me and why..." He didn't answer but half smiled. She frowned. Tossing her onto a couch he then disappeared from her sight. "This makes no sense..." she mumbled to herself.
She heard shuffling and looked up. "It never does." A new man, this one much older than the other. He was plagued by the same condition as the other, only his bluring similarities took on more older images to reflect the difference.
Suddenly... the overwhelming urge to go home took her by the hold. Closing her eyes, drawing her injured and uninjured knees up to her face, she pushed at her consciousness. Take me home... Nothing. Please... or take me to Flare... She had never been in this place without him, her soulmate. The other half who was trapped her. But something in her kidnapped state was being cruel. She was not to have either of her wishes. She opened her eyes to see the older and younger staring at her. "Well, out with it."
"Out with what?" Asked the older, calm and full of wisdom.
She sighed. "Why am I here? Did you drag me here?"
"Technically... I did," answered the younger with amusement.
She grew very impatient. "Well then, I'm going." She stood up and began to walk towards where she remembered the exit to be. A cold but warm sensation on her injured leg made her stop and look down. "What the..." A strange child, an almost baby girl, was licking at her leg. She was intently cleaning away the dirt and bits of rock that had gotten stuck in the wound.
"That's Alice."
Sudden realization came to her. "You need me to take care of the girl... For christ sakes, I am not. A. Mother."
The younger man almost snarled, it was a strange noise. "We trust no one else!"
She glared. "What? Why! You don't even know me!"
"We know enough," spoke the older one, putting them both to silence. Where they stayed for many moments.
Alice urged the girl to sit back down and then proceeded to crawl into her lap and snuggle happily. The girl had no choice but to relax and pet the girl's sunlit head and trail her fingers through the long locks. The silence was eery to her. "I'm sorry," she finally said.
"For?"
"My outburst. I shouldn't be here, is all."
"And where would you be?" Asked the older.
She thought a moment. "Sleeping."
"That's not a place," replied the younger one, lacking the irritation the statement should have had.
"Perhaps," she countered, the irritation not escaping her, "but it's where I should be!"
Alice whimpered and she stopped. She sighed. This was going no where. "Names," she demanded after a bit.
"Van," said the older one pointing to the younger, "and Seit," he pointed to himself. After, he pointed to her and she sighed again.
"I have too many names. I hope you don't mind if I give you one to call me for now since... My main is hunted." At their nodding she continued, "Alaysa."
They nodded, accepting.
She was in the world but one night at that visitation... but time sped up or passed without restrictions to true clocks while she was there. A month seemed to pass by. She was told of what they wanted from her, and she complied. Freedom was a mere word, no longer a belief, as her mind grew hazzy to her real life in the strange passings. The brother's, as she learned them to be, grew attached to her... but her attachment was only for the child. And it was only when she suddenly had fear for the child's life that time slowed down.
She heard the brothers arguing about a sacrifice. It was to happen in a time yet, but something had gone wrong. With keen ears she stopped by the brother's room and listened.
"She's bonded with the girl. It's not safe to seperate them now. Blood will be spilled, but I will not have it be hers," Van whispered, angry.
Seit came back calm, as he always did, "It has to be done. The child must be taken care of. She will learn to let go of her."
Her eyes widdened. They were going to kill the child?
"It doesn't have to be her. Sacrifice anyone else but leave-"
"Van. Enough. You grow too loud. We do it tonight."
She scrambled to back away from the door and returned to what she refered to as the living room. Van threw the door open and ran out, visibly angry and she gulped. This was not good.
"He's having a bad day," Seit said, suddenly right next to her.
She jumped and suddenly felt on the edge. "Um, that's too bad... I should check on Alice." The child was napping in the room the two girls shared.
"She's fine. I just saw to her."
Lies, she thought, but held her tongue.
He moved closer, too close. Invading her body space he brushed a single breath to her face and she shivered. And backed up. "Don't fear me..." his voice was suddenly addicting. She felt her vision haze even further than his dissasembled image was. He was drawing closer.... so close that they almost could... all she had to do was move foward... She closed her eyes and-
Flare! She jolted to her senses and elbowed Seit in the chin. He cried out in pain but couldn't even react fast enough to her throwing her hand out and having strange dark strands of binding dark-light enclosing around him. She didn't even wonder where it came from, she just picked herself up and ran to the girl to escape finally away from the deranged siblings.
While running with the small bundle in her arms she wondered how stupid she could be. She never asked why two brothers would have a small child in their care. She hadn't even pushed on the topic of why she was meant to do so rather than a girl more willing. The entire time she had cared for Alice she had been little more than a prisoner. Now one of them had the nerve to come on to her! The child was going to be safe.
Never have actually seen much beyond the cave, she was surprised to see a tower nearby. Strange flying contraptions passed through every few minutes it seemed, like a train station. It stood towering above and into the clouds, made entirely of steel. No windows, no glass. She hoped there were stairs, as she rain towards the building, because she was going to get up there and catch one of the flying 'things' to get away from here. Once gone, she'd find Flare and he could find care for the child. Flare... Where are you?
Tossing aside the doors she found the stairs before her. What kind of a place was this anyway? No time. No thinking. She began the climb. Her legs ached, the child squirmed, and she almost fell enough times that she grew frustrated. "We have to get out of here Alice!" She was reduced to tugging and dragging the child by hand.
"Alaysa!"
She froze. Seit was still stuck, she could feel her binds still holding him down. He wasn't even struggling. In fact... he seemed as calm as ever. But Van... Van was below her and approaching fast. "Stay away from me!" She screamed and tugged on Alice.
Alice, however, didn't want to go more than ever now. "Van!" She cried happily and tried to decend to him.
"Alice no! He's going to kill you!"
Alice stopped. Her small lips drew into a pout of confusion. The one going by Alaysa almost cried from not just frustration but from the pain the look caused her. "But... he's Van..."
"Alice... Please..."
The girl, having taken the older one as her mother, complied. She ran back to her and grasped her fingers tightly. They turned and began to climb faster than before.
Van, having gained alot of ground, cursed under his breath and continued screaming at them both, desperate to get htem to stop.
"I won't let you hurt her!" She screamed back to him, having gotten into the top room. She breathed relief when she saw the room had a large, sturdy door with a lock. She pushed Alice to the far back wall and ran to heave at the door. She pushed, hurry he's coming, pulled, he's so close now... heaved... She could see his hand go out towards her's... The door slammed shut and she flung the lock into place. Safe. Alice was whimpering. Van was screaming, a reply lost through the thick door. She heard nothing but her own breathing.
Alice was whimpering... She turned around and looked up. One last flight of stairs and they were free. Alice was crying... She approached the girl and beconed her to her. Alice wouldn't go.
Van was screaming, and hurling himself at the door. The noise of his body coming into full contact with the steel thudded and vibrated the room around them. She couldn't hear anything but the thudding... and Alice's crying.
"Alice, please, we're almost free," she pleaded, desperate.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
It filled her ears. Alice is crying... She shook her head. Van is screaming... She felt weird. She shook her head agian and held her hand out to the child. Alice scrambled further away.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The door was breaking, she could hear it. Van was screaming... Alice was crying... She was... she was... Her vision went red. They had to get out! Van was going to get them and kill them by the sounds of his tone, even if she couldn't understand him. Alice was shrieking, Van was screaming, Seit was... laughing? Her vision went black just as Van threw himself through the door.
Blood. It filled the room. She opened her eyes to see Alice was no longer crying. Alice... Alice was... everywhere. Pits and peices of the child filled the room. A small glob of stomach sizzled on a stair, the acid still fresh, and intestines... She closed her eyes and let out a wail. Why did he have to do it? Was she next? She felt her vision go blury again and she welcomed the blackout.
When she woke again, it was not long later. Slowly, she was forgetting it all. Something wiped at her mouth, she supposed she was drooling. She had tried to save the child but failed. The blood painted and bile stinking room haunted the edges of her vision. Why? Why the girl? She looked up to see Seit gazing intently at her, silent. Van was wiping at her with a wet cloth. He was completely clean himself, but something about this disturbed her. Isn't that today's shirt? She fazed out a bit more. Her world was calling to her now.
"I tried to tell her..."
"I know Van, I know."
"Did you enjoy it? You sick b*****d."
"..."
Van whiped the blood and flesh from her fingers and underneath the nails and she felt herself falling back towards her own reality. Her night was over, their day ending. The vision of the room soaked in blood swam before her before she would forget in her waking day.
"Does she know?"
"I think not."
The blood soaked wall that spelt out five simple letters: S H A R E
"But she will be back."
