༺The Evil Within༻Memory's Captive

V. Long Way Down

Entry #4

Our servers lasted long enough to examine the two subjects' interaction briefly before crashing. The last glimpse we had of them was the male crumpling to the floor, grasping at his head. Probably my imagination, but I could have sworn I saw a figure looming behind him.. As if it were the cause of his pain... Could it be...? No. That's impossible. His consciousness cannot live without a body, can it?

- Marcelo Jimenez

❁

Everything was numb. She didn't know how long she had been out. At this moment, she didn't even care. She just wanted to get out of this nightmare.

She awoke in a completely different environment, lying face down on dry grass that itched and tickled her porcelain skin. Claire rose stiffly with a groan, holding a hand to her pounding head before glancing above. It was midnight; stars swam in the ocean of blackness and the full moon cast a milky glow to the land below. If she weren't still so baffled from the recent events, she would have spent this moment to appreciate how beautiful it truly was.

But there wasn't any time for something so redundant. She needed to find help.

She rose and patted the leaves and grass off her denim skirt and jacket. Her beige undershirt had unfortunately been torn by a stray twig underneath her, and her navy blue jacket was stained with splotches of blood. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, but forced herself to toss the thought aside.

The air held that same eerie, stagnant feeling as it had in the city, though it was much cooler and she could hear the faint scurries of animals and calls of nocturnal birds. Her evergreen eyes darted here and there. Trees, trees, trees. Everywhere.

She huffed a peeved sigh and began to trudge forward. As she advanced through the dark woods, a dirt road seemed to slowly unveil itself before her. Only, she could have sworn it literally appeared beneath her very feet..

She shook her head. What the hell was going on?

Hours passed. Or was it minutes? She couldn't remember. Everything looked the same. Was she walking in circles?

Her thoughts raced and worry festered in her heart. Lightheadedness afflicted her already aching head. Her legs felt weightless. Before she knew it, she was yet again falling to the ground.

The last thing she heard was a guttural snarl from behind her.

❁

Claire awoke with a crippling pain in her spine.

Something held her by her shoulders. Something strong. She dreamily mumbled something incoherent and blinked. She was moving. No, she was being dragged. Head hanging limply as she struggled to waken, she mentally cringed as she felt sticks, roots, rocks, and who knows what else scrape against her bare legs.

A sickly growl sounded from behind her. Her captor no doubt. Its breaths were heavy and phlegmy. Normally she would have panicked and tried to escape, but at this moment she couldn't. It was as if she'd been drugged. Her limbs refused to submit to her will.

Her vision eventually cleared, though she would have rather remained blind. Shacks and dilapidated cottages passed by her. In the windows or gaping holes in the walls she spotted a stray haunted or two eyeing her with glowing white orbs. 'Great..' She grumbled silently.

When all hope seemed lost, a spark of hope ignited when she spotted a gift from God. An axe, lying in the shriveled grass just in her line of reach. The only problem: any movement of her arms would alert her captor.

Trying to limit her movement as much as possible, she reached a foot out to kick the axe's blade closer. Claire couldn't suppress a grin at her luck. She immediately wrapped her booted feet around its blade before she was dragged away.

Shuffling it slowly but surely towards her limp arms, she shakily reached for the handle...

"GGRAGH!"

No time to waste. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the mildew coated handle and swung with all her might. The haunted's vicious cry was cut short and reduced to choked gurgles of blood as its throat was sliced clean open. The head fell with a thud whilst the body convulsed violently on the ground.

Claire scrambled to her feet, wincing at the spiking pain in her neck and stings of her minor wounds. She heaved a huff of relief. Looking around, she was thankfully far from the other haunted's sight. Maybe if she was careful she could..

Her heart stopped.

In front of her lay a bonfire, crackling noisily and illuminating the area around it in an orange hue. Only, wood wasn't feeding the fire.

Corpses were.

Rotting carcasses of people. Not haunted. Once living and breathing being's capable of feelings. Now reduced to mere fuel for the hungry flame.

Her breaths came in short exasperated gasps. No. This wasn't real. This was an abomination. She took a stiff step back before feeling something grab her ankle. A scream tore from her throat.

The upper half of a haunted lay at her feet, hissing and spitting violently as it clawed at her leg. Its lower half was nowhere to be seen, and brown blood and guts gushed from its torn middle. She yelped and kicked her heel straight through its throat, but it only gurgled out a growl and tightened its iron grip.

It yanked harshly and she fell the ground face first. Lifting her head almost immediately, utter horror streaked her features. The flame was growing stronger, louder. The bodies within it howled and screamed in agony, begging pitifully for mercy. Blood oozed from the corpses and formed an ever growing pool of crimson.

Before her body gave out, a figure appeared in front of the fire. A horridly familiar figure..

The shrouded creature stood stone still before her, tattered, blood stained cloak drifting gently in the breeze, before ominously extending a shadowed hand towards her. Its silver, piercing eyes felt as if they had gouged into her own soul, searching her inside and out whilst sucking away her life force.

Everything faded to black.

//Hello everyone! I've said it before and I'll say it again, I can't possibly thank you enough for reading my crazy fanfic. Remember to leave a vote/comment if you like it or want to discuss anything about it! Have a blessed day and see you in the next chapter!!\\