【1.09】
(adj.) someone who wanders or travels the world alone; a solitary adventurer.
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I, in fact, did not do any of the things I felt like doing. It seems I'll never get what I want.
Instead, I trudged along the best I could. I would have been found if I had stayed, however, I did consider rolling off the cliff. My body was cold and clammy, but my head was hot. I felt the burn of acid in my throat, and I attempted to push down any of my dinner that threatened to return to the outside world.
I threw up in a bush, in case you were wondering. I know you weren't, but you get to suffer with me.
For a few hours, I just wandered, and thought about Isabella. All I had was a scalpel and several layers of clothing. When I finally began to observe my new environment, I thought I was hallucinating. The wildlife surrounding me was fantastical. Strange plants and smells flooded my senses, and I took a small break under a comically huge tree.
It was early morning, I think. It was hard to see the sun through all of the trees, but I could see bright colors illuminate the sky. I admired them for a heartbeat, then, it darkened again.
I blinked hard and looked to where I once saw the sky. What seemed to be a dark matter moving towards me, was actually a living creature. Its limbs were gangly, and it was incredibly large, it looked as if it could snatch the sun from the sky. As it neared, its head lowered. Serrated teeth and red eyes became visible.
I shuddered and warily stood with my back to the tree. I didn't take my eyes off the beast for a second, not even to blink. Foolishly, I run to the left, into prickly shrubs. In a panic, I jerk away from the plants and run in the opposite direction. Long scrapes adorn my arms and the fabric of my cardigan and a few of the shirts underneath is shredded. I could feel blood seep from the wounds as I continued to run away from the shrubbery. Cold wind hits the wounds, and I curse myself.
To my surprise, the beast didn't chase and rip me to shreds immediately. Instead, it ran to the bush I had gotten tangled in. It sniffed the blood and attempted to grab the bush with its tongue. The beast jumped back the same way I had, tongue red with blood. It backed away far from the area.
I had an idea. A very, very dumb idea. I pulled out the scalpel. If everything worked as planned, I would live. So despite my better judgment, I held the scalpel just above my ear, and started running.
The beast's head moved quickly. Like a hound, it moved to the ground and smelled for its prey. I ran past the tree I had previously sat against, and towards the shrubbery. I moved to the side of the prickly plants, the side the beast wasn't on, and cut off the top of my ear. As expected, the beast stood and ran full speed towards me. Biting my tongue, and holding back tears, I threw the cut ear into the plants. I ran fast, without looking back, away from the beast.
I hear the beast shriek and feel the ground quake. I don't stop running until I reach a creek. My knees buckle at the shore, and I bend over, scooping the cold water into my mouth. I drink greedily.
Afterward, I stare at my reflection in the water. My skin is flushed, my hair is grimy, and my eyes are wild. I look like an animal. I begin to weep. Hot tears stream down my cheeks and hit my thighs. I cry until my nose is completely stuffed, and my eyes feel puffy. I can still feel my wounds: the ones on my arms are turning a sickly purple, and my ear is starting to scab. Dried blood stains my top layer of clothing, possibly my second. Each injury is pulsing.
I sigh deeply; I'm fatigued. The sun is visible from where I am and sits comfortably in the sky. It's about noon. The world starts to blur, and my head settles into the grass near the shore. I can't help falling asleep, and missing Isabella- missing how easy I had it a few weeks ago.
I wake up, and I'm in the exact same position. If not for the dark sky, I'd assume that I had dozed off for a few minutes. The creek moves gently, Its sound is soothing, and I nearly fall asleep once more, but something feels off. It's so minuscule, so irrelevant, that I wouldn't have noticed it hours ago, but somewhere near me is the sound of breathing.
To your left. My body tenses ever so slightly, and I force myself to calm down. Instead of running again, I slowly shift my head to the direction of the breathing. Leaning on the trunk of a tree, a demon watches me. Its form doesn't change at all when we make eye contact- or, what I think is eye contact. It's hard to tell when their eyes are positioned atop each other, and when they're in the dark.
"What do you want?" I can't find the energy to fear for my life.
"I could have killed you." Its voice is deep, and smooth, like velvet.
"Probably, yeah. It's not that difficult." The demon chuckles, and steps into the clearing. As expected, it- he's intimidating. He's tall, a weapon is strapped to his back, and his sharp teeth gleam in the moon's light. He's smiling.
"You should be trying harder to survive, it's hard enough out here for non-humans." He walks over, and silently takes a seat about three feet to my left. I huff.
"Surviving is hard, and I'm tired." He hums and looks off into the distance. It's quiet for a few beats.
"My name is (y/n), what's yours?"
"Sonju." He doesn't look at me, and I'm fine with that. I'm too busy fighting to keep my eyes open.
"If you're tired (y/n), I recommend resting." Steller take, Sonju. I listen anyway and fall back into a deep slumber. I hear a faint humming before the world dissipates.
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【Vault】
✘ Physically, (y/n)'s weakness is her ability to withstand heat. That never changes.
✘ The farm did send people to search for (y/n). Her tracker was found in the belly of a decaying demon. She was presumed dead.
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WC: 1052
I think this is the first chapter that I actually like after a while. Anyway, she's out of the orphanage, and I'm way more grateful than she is. It was so boring writing the escape, bleh. I love Sonju and Musica, and I'm excited to write their character's along with so much more~ As always, criticize me harshly, because how else am I going to learn.
kith,
rem
(ps. I watched Bo Burnham's new special "Inside" while writing this chapter. Haven't finished it yet, but I like it so far).
(pps. read the announcement on my account if you'd like to know why the title is different.)