House of Lies

Instinct

I am running. Sweat drips down my forehead, it trickles down the back of my neck and slides down my spine. My legs and feet burn with agony, my muscles scream and beg at me to stop running, and my eyes prick with tears from their protest. But I will keep going.

I don't know where I am running to, but I do know that I must not stop, that I'm better off dying than stopping. Raw, animalistic, instinct tells me the path to take, tells me not to stop.

The forest doesn't have a path. It's dark and the trees reach out their claw like branches to scrape and scratch and my face and legs. The rough terrain causes me to fall over multiple times but each time I hit the ground I seem to be filled with a new determination, a new lust for my unknown destination.

All of a sudden I hear a deafening roar from in front of me. Before I have time to react I am knocked back, a huge, lion like creature is atop me. Its huge paws hold my shoulders steady to the ground and its huge head looks towards the glistening full moon. The creature lets out a deep, savage, howl which somehow manages to speak of both indescribable pain and indescribable power. It turns it head towards me and licks its lips, exposing flashing white teeth that are like razors sharpened by knives.

Blood drips from my shoulders and my head feels dizzy. I close my eyes and death welcomes me with its black smile before gaping, dumbfounded at me as I slap it and turn around. I force my eyes open and force my arm to reach out and grab something, my fingers fumble around and they stumble upon a stick. I pull it close to me and just as the creature is about to sink its teeth into my neck I jam the stick into it gums. It jumped back off me with a shriek. Blood poured from its mouth. I stood up, staggering drunkenly. The creature made to pounce for me again and I swung blindly at it, making contact with its shoulder and knocking it back more.

This time it was my turn to attack. I swung a blow at the creature and the stick connected with its skull. The creature fell to the ground – dead. Now that it was still - and I didn't fear for my life -I could see that it was rather beautiful. It had a rich golden coat that rippled and stretched over its muscles. Its head was regal and majestic and it looked remarkably peaceful. I smiled sadly and laid the stick gently beside the creature before beginning to run again.

I ran for what felt like hours, the undergrowth slashing at my legs and arms and face, cutting up my clothes like a meal. Eventually I stopped. Something told me I had found my destination. A small wooded hut lay expectantly in a small clearing. I walked up to the door and turned the handle. Locked. I took a small stick that was lying on the ground and tried to jiggle the lock, it didn't budge. All of a sudden panic took over me. There was something in that shed that I really needed. I shoved at the door kicking and banging it relentlessly.

Eventually the door caved in revealing a small room with a table and chair. I walked in cautiously wondering what I was looking for. Without warning something moved within the room and I jumped back and screamed. A girl had appeared in the shed, she looked in her early twenties and she wore a white wedding dress. Her dark hair was long and tidy; filled with small, delicate clasps that were pinning it back. Her makeup was neatly done and her skin was so flawless it resembled porcelain. She looked almost familiar. Suddenly I gasped. "Is it, is it really you?" I asked. The girl smiled before nodding. "I can't, I can't believe it!" I leapt forward to hug her and I swept her up in my arms, tears springing in my eyes. "I can't believe I've finally found you!"

I placed her back onto the ground, a grin wide on my face, and watched as she cocked her head expectantly to the side. A thin lipped smile plastered on her face. As my euphoria died down I noticed that she had a blooded knife in her hand. A stinging pain surfaced in my abdomen and I collapsed onto the ground. I tasted blood in my mouth. I placed my hand on my stomach and I felt the warm, dark, liquid on my fingers. I opened my mouth and searched for words, but none came.

My brain followed my body as I lurched towards her, fighting my body's impulse to lie there and die. My hands clawed at her face, a burning instinct inside me controlling my actions. She removed the knife from her wedding dress belt and attempted to stab my neck. I grabbed her arm and we struggled for the knife. The blade glinted menacingly in the moonlight that shone through the shed window. I elbowed her in the stomach and she let go of the knife. We both scrambled after it as it clattered on the floor. I reached it first, hastily picking it up off the floor before twisting around and shoving her to the ground. I held the blade at her neck.

She stayed deathly still, the same tight lipped smile on her face. But this time I noticed something. The smile didn't reach her eyes. No, her eyes were filled with terror. I reached my hand to her face and placed it on her chin. She began to struggle violently but I remained calm and still. I peeled the porcelain mask off her face and we simultaneously let out blood curdling shrieks. 

Her face was bloody and her skin was peeling. One of her eyes was missing and the other seemed to be melting down the side of her face. Her nose was crooked and her tan skin deathly pale. With a malevolent smirk she took a pale hand and removed the perfect wig from her head, revealing unevenly cut, damp hair that was slicked back to her head with sweat and grease. She leapt forward and tore the knife from my hand. So horrified by what I was seeing that I could barely move. She wrestled me rashly against the wall and took the knife to my throat. "Any last words?" she seethed through sharp teeth.

"Everything you ever told me," I gulped, "it was a l-"

I woke up in tears and in a pool of my own sweat. I was breathing heavily. The full moon stared at me through my bedroom window and the stars glared. "She's dead." I whispered to myself. "It was just a dream."

The moon sighed as I fell back asleep.