The Darkness Within

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

October 11th, 2012

Many people say that the minds of animals are different from the minds of humans. I begged to differ. When I ran I felt like I was more animal than human. I felt free, like a panther as it runs silently, but swiftly under the dense covering. 

I had left my lonely downtown apartment seeking a release from my hectic life. A slight drizzle of rain came down, as I ran through the thick covering of the forest. Small branches wisped pass my face as I dodged through the trees. A flock of birds flew away in a ruckus a few yards away from me. Thinking I must have scared them off I continued to run. 

I heard a sharp crack of a stick breaking, but placed it out of my mind, thinking it was just some animal.

I was wrong. 

In the back of my mind I knew I was being followed. My suspicions were confirmed when a set of large ruff hands grabbed me around the waist and tried to throw me to the ground. At 5’7 I wasn't very tall, but I made up in my strength and agility. 

I wiped around elbowing my attacker in the throat delivering a kick so hard to the head it would leave most people unconscious, but not this guy. He got up with a grace every dancer preys for, and there wasn’t just one of him. Three more men stalked out of the shadows advancing very quickly on our little rumble.

I quickly turned around hoping to run in the other direction. But instead ran into what felt like a cement wall. I staggered back and was grabbed behind and thrown to the ground.

I looked up to see what I had run into,

Victor Mikklesen.

Narishka Draycott’s, Queen of the Andra Kingdom, henchman. I wondered what honor I had to be beat down by such a man. Pfft.

“Get her up!” He growled to the other men. They obeyed. Roughly pulling me up by the shoulders.

“Want to tell your girlfriends to lay off a bit?” I asked. I wasn't going to die with out some sarcasm. In return he backhanded me so hard I swore I saw stars.

“Your Trespassing.”

“Whose land?” I asked. I knew for a fact that The Andra Kingdom was stationed somewhere in Europe. Plus, I was pretty sure Narishka herself was held up somewhere in Hell, probably on vacation.

 "Queen Narishka.” He said. And straightened up like she was right there with us.

“Bull Shit! Since when?”

“You will speak to me with respect, human.” He curled his lip at the last part as if it were a disease.  No one had any clue what The Andra Kingdom were, but we knew enough to know that they definitely weren’t human.

“No.” I mumbled. I hated being told what to do.

“Victor, what should we do with her?” The man to her right asked.

“We’ll take her to-“ He was cut off by a noise so high pitched I was sure every piece of glass within 20 miles had shattered. 

“Shit, we’ll have to take her with us.” He growled. “Throw some cuffs on her.”

“The hell you will!” I yelled as I struggled against the abrasive hands.

“Shut her up!” Victor yelled.

I felt what could only be the butt of a gun bashing me in the back of the head, then I was thrown into a black oblivion.

* * *

I didn’t know how much time had passed, but when I woke I found myself in a small clearing. My vision was still cloudy but I could see small groups of people scattered about the clearing. I tried to move only to find I was tied to a tree. 

“She’s awake!” someone called out. It felt like someone had driven spikes into my temples. wondered if I had a concussion. 

“Untie her, and bring her to me!” A woman called back.

Someone came up behind the tree and roughly untied me. I was dragged across the dewy grass, and tossed in front of a throne, yes a throne, in the middle of the damn woods.

“Hmm…we meet again at last.” She said with an evil smile.

“What, who are you?“ I asked, I had never meet Narishka in person. 

She ignored my question, “What is your new name now? I didn't bother to find out before.“ 

I didn’t answer her. I wouldn't have answered her if I had any clue what she was talking about either. She asked again, louder this time, I just stared at ground.

“Esbjorn, pick her up!” Narishka screeched. I was treading in deep water here. I was grabbed by the arm and jerked to my feet.

“What is wrong with you girl, are you mute? How hard did you hit her Victor?”

“I hardly touched her, she’s just being difficult.” He replied as he kicked me. “Speak human.” He growled.

Yeah I was being difficult, this woman made Hitler look like a teddy bear. Instead of scaring your kids into cleaning their rooms and brushing their teeth with bogymen stories, you’d tell them stories about Narishka Draycott. Those kids would be angels for a year.

“Ugh, I don’t have time for this!” She yelled throwing her hands into the air. “Throw her in the cage!” She yelled out along with one of the evilest laughs I’d ever heard, everyone else joined her. What the hell was in the cage?

“You want us to knock her out? She might be a little to hard for us to handle.” A blond man to her right chocked out, he was practically on the ground he was laughing so hard. I didn’t know what was so funny, but it really pissed her off that it was about me.

Narishka waved her hand in the air. "Do with her what you want.” She sighed, as if she were tired. And with that she was gone. Poof! Just gone, as if she were Chris frickin’ angel.

I was dragged over to a cage in the darkness at the edge of the forest, and thrown in, hitting my head on the floor. I heard a deep growl just as the blackness of unconsciousness blanked me. Again.