Sokoa: Darkness And Dawn

Chapter 1

The water lapped over the shore and the trees were dormant. The sounds that made the night alive was the crackling of the fire in the camp and the whistle of the wind.

Ochola walked alone amidst the dark without an ounce of fear. She had heard of the scary bat- like creatures that ruled the night but she'd never seen them. To others, it was a reality, however, to her it was a myth, a mere story they made up to fill their wild imaginations.

The Arira tribe in Baoban had nothing more than a culture to cherish. Ochola never cared one bit about tradition regardless of the fact that she was the Chief's daughter. Her ego knew no bounds.

A shriek made her halt in her steps. The camp was still close. She could run back and alert the girls who were undergoing the purification ceremony. Something about that shriek forced her to look for it's source. If it was the Night Monster, she wanted to see it with her own eyes. She knotted her lapa above her full bossom and throttled forward.

The forest was not a place to wander about. At least, female guards were there to protect them. Ochola was the only one who felt it was unnecessary to be protected. What exactly are they protecting her from? A myth? The Night Monster wasn't real. Why couldn't they just accept that. It was a fact----The reality.

She snapped out of her head when the shriek tore through the night once more. The leaves of the trees surrounding her rustled uncomfortably. Someone was here. She could feel it. Fear was nowhere close to what she felt. The anticipation to prove the elders wrong. To show them their beliefs were all vain.

A shadow whizzed past her. She was poised like an Amazon. Her heartbeat increased like the rising tempo of the tumba. She waited for what felt like eternity.

A snarl jolted her backwards. She gasped. She rubbed her eyes and waited as the monster emerged from shadows. She stood open mouthed. Her widened eyes were fixed on whatever it was. The face of a man. His dark hair blended with the night. He had sharp edged teeth like that of a shark. And his body was completely black. His eyes were hollow-almost as if she was staring into a deep black pit. His face took the form of a skeleton. His cheekbones were quite visible in this illuminated part of the forest. This was just a dream. It will pass- surely.

He growled. The trees shook as the winged bats flew into the sky. She watched in horror as they gathered around her circling and scratching her delicate skin. She thrashed about. All her attempts to drag the ugly creatures off her body were futile. She did the only thing she could think of. She screamed on top of her voice. She waited for her rescuer but no one came. She was alone.

It wasn't real. It was her imagination. The Night Monster is a myth. She assured herself.

His hands clasped her arm and his finger nails dug into her flesh. He pinned her down. His fangs protruded- sharp like a dagger. He bent over to suck her blood. She whimpered. He could not. Her scent infiltrated His nose. He could not stand it. He hissed. His final blow landed her in oblivion.

★ ★ ★

What happened? The nightmare was over, right? Her eyelids flung open. She shielded it immediately with her arm to prevent the lights from blinding her. She gasped as she looked at her bruised arm. The scratches. It wasn't a dream after all. Her fair skin was red and the pain burned like a raw flame.

She was in an unfamiliar hut. It looked worn out. It needed more clay to seal the cracks on the walls and the thatched roof needed to be renewed. She glanced through the window. The trees were more alive now. The birds were chirping. It almost felt like a peaceful haven. She knew that she might certainly be at the edge of the forest.