Beyond Her Final Breath (Book 1- Shadowland Duology) | Wattys2015

.Chapter Two.

Added on 12-5-14

A gunshot echoed in the late evening air. It echoed off the mountain sides before being followed by a scream. A girl's scream. It pierced the air, scaring the flock of birds in a nearby tree, their black wings catching on a wind current taking them away from the horror unfolding below.

"Evelyn!" The voice was filled with horrified sorrow. "No!"

Sobs and choked cries of sorrow filled the once peaceful evening. An ache filled the world as it felt an innocent life slowly slipping away.

Storm clouds rolled in in the distance.

"Please," the voice begged. "Please don't leave me." The voice was hoarse from screaming and crying, but it still managed to pass through trembling lips.

Day faded away into Night, and Life gave way to Death. The girl's young soul got carried away on crow wings, disappearing along with the last rays of daylight.

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The woods were silent, save for the occasional raven cry. Light from the full moon bathed the trees and dying leaves in a silver glow, washing over a curled up figure on the forest floor.

The raven cawed and flew away.

Dark blonde curls were plastered to the boy's forehead. His clothes were splattered with mud and dark splotches. The faintest touch of crimson stained his long fingers, a smear of red on his cheek, too. His cheeks were damp from tears, now drying with every cool breeze sweeping through the forest.

His eyelids twitched before opening. His eyes flickered from side to side, panic evident on his face. Where was he? How did he get there?

With a grunt, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. His hands were braced behind him, keeping him upright. His jean-clad legs stretched out before him, covered in mud and leaves.

He blinked, rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, and looked around him.

Ancient oaks and tall pines towered high above him, their branches and leaves creating a skeleton-like canopy. The ground was cold and the fallen leaves under him wet with rot.

The boy had no recollection of getting there, or even where he was.

He pushed himself off the ground. He attempted to wipe the drying mud off of his jeans, but it only rubbed the dirt in more.

His fingers picked the twigs and leaves out of his hair, dropping them on the ground below.

A dark cloud blew in front of the moon, submerging the boy in darkness. He stumbled through the dark, his arms outstretched and his feet catching on gnarled tree roots and fallen trees. Branches swatted his face, leaving shallow gashes on his forehead and cheeks. Something caught the material of his gray shirt, and he tugged on it to get it free.

With a rip! the boy got free. He staggered backwards, falling over his own two feet. Instinctively, he put a hand out. His hand caught on the rough bark of a tree. There was a quick sharp pain and then warmth bubbling out of his skin.

"Ouch," he hissed, shaking out his hand to get rid of the sting.

The moon came back out, illuminating the dark world once again. The boy inspected his newly acquired wound.

The blood almost appeared black from the lack of light. The cut wasn't too deep, but it stung. He clenched both hands, determination suddenly flaring through his veins.

His nails dug into the tender skin of his palm, but he continued along. The weak pulse in his palm was oddly distracting, and he opened up his injured hand.

He groped around for hours, until the faintest pink streaked through the sky.

Almost too faint to hear, the hissing of tires on wet pavement met the boy's ears. He staggered toward the noise, relief flooding through him when trash started to litter the ground.

His foot kicked an empty soda can, and it bounced along the ground, rolling to a stop when it reached the road.

With a sigh of relief, he recognized where he was. Staying just far enough in the tree line not to be seen, he followed the direction of the road into town.

The edge of town came into view, marked by a sign proudly claiming the town's population of two thousand.

The boy skirted along the edges of town, trying to avoid being seen in his current condition. Luckily, his house was near the edge of town.

From the forest, he spied his brick house sitting silently on Maple Street. The town was quiet, everyone still in bed son early in the morning.

He crept out of the trees, his heart pounding against his ribcage. He placed a hand over his furiously beating heart, afraid the sound might wake sleeping neighbors.

He crept down the slope, his feet at an angle so he wouldn't fall. His house grew larger with each step.

He glanced around him warily before grabbing the spare key under the flower pot. He stuck the key in the hole and turned it to the right quietly.With a soft click, the door swung open.

He slipped out of his mud caked shoes, piling them under the rest of the shoes for when he had time later to clean it.

He crept up the stairs, skipping the step that always creaked. The boy walked into his room and grabbed clean clothes before retreating into the bathroom.

After turning on the shower, he stripped and stood under the warm water, letting it wash off the mud and blood.

He scrubbed out his hair, the water turning a dark red. His palm throbbed and stung from the shampoo finding its way into his cut. He picked out the blood stuck under his fingernails, all the while wondering what the hell happened to him.

Quickly and silently, he shut the water and dried off.

In his room, he hid the dirty clothes under a pile of laundry. He would figure out what to do with them later.

He snuck into bed, the sun just rising over the mountains and shedding it's golden light on the world. And the world mourned for the lost innocent soul, hiding its grief in bathing sunlight.

So I added this in on 12-5-14. If you haven't read this, I suggest you do!! It was too long to add on to a chapter, so I made it it's own chapter.

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-Sophia ^_^