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Prompt 4: The village always has dull weather during the daytime, but it's easy enough to navigate through. Though the sky is cloudy and little light breaks through, by nighttime the climate changes. The air cools rapidly and within an hour of the sun setting, a chilling mist rolls from the forest and covers the village. It is almost suffocating and inhaling it even for only a moment will result in hallucinations. The visions are terrifying, often including shadows covering everything, the sensation of eternal falling, and the appearance of a great beast attacking. These hallucinations are always frightening and can last anywhere from a few moments through the entire night. There is no way to dispel the fog and it is too dangerous to stay outside past sundown.
The stories surrounding the mist and its affects had been around the village for a while and both Order and Chaos alike all agreed that it was not to be trifled with. Those who had been out a little too late, caught unawares by the seeping mist, had all told stories of horror and strife that she had been unconvinced by at first. However as the days had drawn on and more of the rumours circulated she began to suspect that there was perhaps a kernal of truth to what they said. In short, the young woman had concluded that if so many spoke of the same experiences at the same time, then it was highly unlikely that the isolation of this region had all affected them at the same time and in the same way.
She'd yet to experience the mist herself, much preferring the confines of the warmth as the sun began to go down. She was a creature of comfort, and when the chips were down it was safe to assume that given the chance she would much prefer to be curled up in bed than outside when a bite was in the air. Whether she was powered or otherwise, she liked to be warm and it simply wasn't like that out here. If it had been snowing in Destiny City then it was almost guaranteed that she would be inside for that as well!
Saving the city, or whatever it was their kind happened to do (something she still wasn't sure of) was a task that could wait.
This evening though time had gotten away with her and before she'd realised the mist had coiled around her feet, clambered up her legs and had begun to shroud her vision. It didn't take long after that before she started to see things, hear things. She didn't know what they were but the overwhelming sense of dread sent shivers down her spine and tightened its grip around her heart in a manner that threatened to cause it to burst. Anxiety did not become her and yet here she was, distressed and uncertain of exactly where she was.
Her options were limited though and remaining outside seemed like a fairly unwise decision even to her addled mine; and so she walked, in no particular direction. She could only hope that she was headed towards the village and by extension she would find some sort of house to take refuge in. At this stage it didn't have to be her own, she'd taken anything. Nevertheless with each step it became harder and she couldn't help but whimper as the shadows that had once been fleeting became larger, more ominous and seemed positively determined to follow her.
Something was watching her.
Tears drew near and her footsteps slowed as something much larger appeared in front of her. Was this where she met her end? It made no sound and yet it stared down at her, hunger within its eyes. An arm rose to swipe at her and then -
Nothing.
A firm hand grasped at her shoulder and she was unceremoniously hauled inside one of the buildings, the sound of a door slamming and her vision soon cleared, only to be greeted by the thunderous expression of an all too familiar senshi.
It was at that moment that she really did cry; relief and fear culminating into something that was probably not the prettiest of sights.
Word Count: 580
