Dark

They stood, their hearts racing and their feet trembling. Their bodies were drenched in sweat from the extreme cold. They had water drops on their foreheads that were salty. They fixed their gaze in all directions. They pleaded in hushed, trembling tones for only one thing: to be lost. You could argue that they felt secure in the tiny layer of darkness that separated them from their presumed predator. They were dancing while being restrained by their deepest fears. The encompassing darkness plays both sides' biggest asset and vulnerability, so it could be anywhere.

The minutes flew by in the blink of an eye, the weather grew colder by the minute, and a sharp, pungent odor of something unknown filled the air. The trees extended back and forth as if to communicate in their direction. A clear piercing noise, an abrupt cry, and a loud thump were heard along with the eager flapping of flitting birds and the crushing of leaves. After a gunshot, a steady footstep could be heard in the distance.

What would ultimately happen to them was on their minds as they stood there. Yes, they had been arrogant and had disregarded the instructions not to roam in the woods after dark, but it had all been done for a good cause and to show a point. Sure, it might make no sense to other people, but it made perfect sense to them. However, this does not indicate that they deserved to suffer a poor outcome since they had not injured anyone, at least not severely enough to put most of them in danger of dying.A strange, though subtle gargling sound broke the peaceful night's malign innocence. One was smacked in the elbow, side of the abdomen, and face with a hot liquid; they instantly realized one had puked due to the disgusting odor that followed. Though their rapid movements in response were enough to reveal them, they couldn't afford the luxury of making a sound due to how repulsed they were.The previous, distant footsteps appeared even more steady at this point, and it appeared that a sizable amount of ground had been traversed in the right direction. One assumed a fighting position with their hands and jaw tightened, while another quavered and finally released the pressure of pee against their stomach walls, and the third, who was still recuperating from throwing up, attempted to push the horrific thought from their minds. The final one stood up and dashed out into the distance, revealing the seeming safety of their hiding place.

Prior to the footsteps of their predator rushing in their direction from a distance, they had a good few minutes of protection. Though it was a difficult choice, they were forced to make it. They all raced out in separate ways in an instant, thinking that one was safer than the other.

I extricated myself from the branch. Its sharp, pointed tip appeared to have sunk several inches. I made every effort to get to my feet. I quickly felt a continuous trickle of blood dripping from my ass cheek onto my lap.

I stopped jogging and sprinted toward it while clenching my fist. A fist slammed firmly against my lower chest as I got closer, sending a shock wave through my chest. The hand was not excessively large, but the force with which it was delivered caused me to fall to the ground. I was unable to breathe because I could sense time standing still. I forced myself to a nearly sitting position, gasped for air, and my eyes and lips were wide with dread. I felt a continuous stream of air slowly flood down my lungs, as though I had temporarily forgotten how to breathe. Consequently, this is how it felt. It may not have been the best idea to torture her with her inhaler in the past, but it all worked out in the end when we got together and I made sure she was safe.

Her inhaler was in my pocket and she was someplace outside, I realized as soon as I realized it. What would she do if the situation arose? I have to get through this at all costs. I was prepared to resume my work feeling a little more at ease and with a rush of adrenaline from the realization. My back slammed hard against the ground, loosely dispersed sticks and stones stabbed at my spine, and I felt its weight on me as I lay powerless on the ground as if it were waiting for me to regain even the slightest bit of strength before pressing its hands against my throat with what felt like the force of its entire body. Again, I was unable to breathe. However, something terrifies me much more. I knew that was a cheap perfume.

"How do you like being down now?"

It… Our streamer, the video guy, was there. We heard the gunshot and his scream, but he was already dead.

Well, I'm not really dead... Guess you guys fell for my cheap ploy. You know, it's the simplest thing in the books.

I hardly managed to say more than "What?" My body went into autopilot, my hands gripped firmly to the ground, and my legs kicked up into the air until I ran out of breath and could no longer hold on.

"You simply had to bully everyone you believed to be inferior to you, didn't you? I did try, you know. I did everything you forced me to do, and I even had my own sister expelled just so you wouldn't be able to have her. I'm not sure what sort of spell you had on her, to be completely honest, but I wasn't about to let her become a pawn in one of your shady schemes. What's funny is that my parents didn't even pay attention to me. I warned them that you were trouble, but I suppose your pleasant demeanor at family dinners also managed to fool them. Well, how do you like being on the other end of the rope because I for one love this section of the rope I am on. But I hope you enjoy your journey to hell," he would say, appearing to be the tough one. It occurs to me that the only terrifying things in this place are a would-be killer and a few duped runaways. Didn't he genuinely want to save the two of you? It's too bad you wrecked everything. You understand that even if we survived everything, I would still have tortured you both, so I suppose it's better that you pass away?" I moved closer to him as he was now whimpering somewhat less loudly. His right hand appeared to be seriously injured, and the closer I got, the more he attempted to crawl away. The stabs must have been fairly deep. Although he began it and I had to put an end to it, I did feel a little sorry for him. How had I missed that previously when all I could see was the dread he was experiencing? I could now clearly see the curves of his glasses in his silhouette.

I'll stop chatting now since I have to leave. Somewhere out there is my love. You know, somewhere in the midst of your attempts to kill me, I realized that I did, in fact, like her quite a lot and that since she had been running a large distance, she might need her inhaler at some point. Funny thing is, despite all the beatings I have given her and the times I have denied her access to her inhaler during one of her attacks, she still lives with me and always professes her love for me. That woman is strong. I don't want her to pass away, therefore... I need to get her an inhaler, but she doesn't have one yet. You know I can't really leave you in this state. You truly irritated me. Now what? You pose no genuine threat, therefore... Just let you go, please. I got up and turned to go, but I couldn't leave him there. What if he did something else? I said, "See you if you live. I was scared. But I wasn't a killer. I can't let someone else have that kind of control over me once more. I went back to where he was still sitting and noticed that he was no longer whimpering.

"On second thought, I think you need to go… like die" His second good arm was probably his major source of support because as soon as I grabbed it off the ground, he dropped heavily to his back. He screamed loudly yet quietly. I briefly considered gently lifting him to talk things over, but if my father has taught me anything, it's that showing kindness is a sign of weakness.

I raised my shaking arm and put my thumb at his wrist. Knowing what I wanted to do made me nervous, but I had to be a man. A tear landed on my cheek. More tears were streaming down my face as I severed his wrist with the knife in my hand, my whole body trembling as I did so. The knife was now blunt. My entire body trembled, and I doubt I will ever be able to forgive myself.

With what little power I still had, I got back up and turned around.

"Well I guess that should do it.. if you survive I guess I'd be seeing you in school and maybe then I'd reconsider hitting you anymore cause you'd be a real man" I'm hoping he didn't detect the tremble in my voice. I could never, ever display vulnerability. I moved forward, and that's when it happened.

My palm instantly clinched around the left side of my chest as a loud, deafening sound filled my ears and a sharp pain stabbed at my nerves. I'll give him credit for being a good shot, but I was an idiot.

There it was,those ideas that had been bothering me all night. Maybe dying was preferable to the life I was fighting for, maybe not making it out of here was better than making it out. It's not like she ever cared for me, not even after I told her what he had done to me when I was a child, so I wouldn't ever have to see my dad again. She frequently referred to me as insane and unmanly… It happened again at that precise moment. As he crept into my bed and started yelling names of women I imagined he had whored with, I felt his unclean hands brushing against me. He put his fist to my face and put his rough hands on my skin while playing with my penis and slipping his tongue in. after realizing what he had done, the excruciating pain as he beat me until I bled. Maybe everything is real, maybe everything is supposed to end this way. Maybe in the end I'm not a man enough.

I knelt down as I overheard him mumble a few words. When I finally understood what he had said, my eyes sprung open.

"They were not safe at all"

As I tasted my life slipping through my breath, I simply sighed. I summarized the evening. Actually, it has passed this point.

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