With a loud crunch, he steps forward. The darkness is overwhelming and it's hard to make sense of the shapes around him. Carefully he searches for tall, looming trees in front of his frowning face as he tries to make his way onwards.
As he stumbles through the thick forest, a light burns his eyes and floods the earthy ground beneath his feet. A crack startles him; he jumps, afraid of what is out there. The swishing sounds of the wind echoes through the silence. The bright light flickers gently as he gazes upwards, attempting to find the non-existent moon. Creeping nearer to the light causes him to realise where he is – outside a crumbling, ancient, mouldy mansion.
He wishes he wasn't there. He wishes he was under a comfortable, cosy blanket. He wishes he had never left home all those years ago. Suddenly, a piercing scream rings across the forest, shaking everything in its path. He flinches in terror, like a dog scared of fireworks. He doesn't want to carry on, yet doesn't have a choice.
He's so close now, he can almost see what's inside the window where the light is pouring out of. Almost, but not quite. The house tempts him, invites him out of the cold and into the warm. Leaves are swirling rapidly, trees are dancing savagely, and rain is thundering down onto his back.
Just as he's summoning all of his strength together, ready to tear himself away, a baby cries. Its wails and screams stab him like a knife, over and over again. The pain becomes so unbearable that he reaches into his chest and pulls out his heart. With a small whimper, he crushes it.
His broken heart lays in a million pieces next to his cold dead body on the forest floor. The light flickers before fading out completely, vanishing forever.
YOU ARE READING
The Stories of an Immortal
AdventureRandom short stories about different adventures in a variety of places, times and situations, from the perspective of a time travelling immortal.
