"Stop it! STOP IT!" I yell, my voice hoarse.
I run faster and faster, chasing the elusive light in front of me. Twisting my neck, I see the vacant promenade of Bramble Court I left behind.
The fog is thick, dense, very horror-movie like. The sky is illuminated above me, bright, though the light appears from nowhere as there is no moon tonight. With no moon and no stars, the sky is a vast black light reflecting off the snow below.
"GO AWAY!" I scream louder still, beginning to panic.
Two shady figures approach from the opposite lane, swirling with the wind and staring directly at me. High-collared cloaks wrap tightly around their tall, grotesquely slim frames. The brightness above casts a dim shadow on their faces. I can discern only distorted features.
Who are they?
"Evelyn..." A faint whisper engulfs the air around me. It's chilling.
My legs begin to quake, my shoulders weaken, and a searing pain shoots up my spine. My body is weighed down –crippling under the tingling burning in my core. The figures are closer now and still watching me. Desperate, I crane my head in all directions looking for anyone to help, but tonight Bramble Court is empty for the first time since I've been here. A ghost town.
"Evelyn." The unsettling whisper draws closer.
Where is it coming from?
"Leave me alone!" I shout into the night.
I run faster and faster, heart pounding, until I reach the end of the courtyard. I push through the iron gate. My feet stumble across the cobblestones of the Square until I reach the sculpture.
My hands grasp the edge of the stone basin. The giant waterwheel churns and energy darts through the water in sparks of blue light. My knees buckle and I drop to the ground, curling into a compact fetal position.
The cloaked silhouettes stop three feet from my crumpled body. I peer up into the faces of two extraordinarily beautiful people, a man and a woman. Perfect caramel skin, dark deep-set eyes, and thick black hair complement their stunning figures. I relax, though I am uncertain why.
"Come," whispers the woman, outstretching her hand.
It's her. Her voice has been following me. It sounds foreign and familiar altogether.
"Come, Evelyn," she calls again provokingly. "It is time."
Paralyzed, I just watch, gaping into her flawless face. Her hand is only inches from mine now. Should I take it?
Part of me wants to, but I hesitate, and in that split second my fate shifts.
Her eyes turn black with fury and her soft hand turns into a callous claw with razor-sharp talons. In one swift motion, her grip ensnares my entire throat.
"Do it now," commands the man beside her.
Without a moment's hesitation, she squeezes and twists her talons into my neck. Her claw rips me open like a blade slicing through skin. The brisk air pierces my lungs. It stings.
I can't breathe. My neck hasn't felt this pain since I was pulled from the Pit. I will my core to burn brighter –a little more is all I need.
YOU ARE READING
ARRIVAL (ERA 1)
Teen FictionWhat if time chose you? After a tragic and untimely accident, young Evelyn arrives in an afterlife unlike anything she could have imagined. The year is 2701, in a distant land once known as the continent of North America. It is a land for fairytales...
