Edward Foster,
we spent what seemed like hours on the road. Father Sebastian sat quietly behind the steering wheel, while I had my head resting on the side of the window. It felt like we were on an endless reel looping around, going nowhere.
Sudden cloudy weather came over the sky and hid the moon. It was just a dusted walkway on the side, with a repeating pattern of a lamp post and dustbin on its side. beyond that was a wall of trees shrouded in darkness.
It was sometime around ten o'clock. At atmosphere became similar to the time on the highway. I couldn't recall if I had seen any other cars that night. A sudden buzz and a thought came to my head. "Hey, Sebastian... how did you know that my parents died?", I asked, realizing that he couldn't know that.
Nothing, there was no response, I quickly turned around and the driver's seat was empty. "Huh?", I said, as I stared down at the accelerator paddle pressed down by an invisible force. I instantly released that the nightmare was not over.
I looked back at the road, only to see a telephone pole planted in the middle of the road. The car crashed into it and with that, lunching me out of the car through the windshield. With me griping the Red Cross as hard I could, the windshield felt like paper against my arms.
I flopped on the gravel and roll on my shoulder a few times before coming to stop at my side. I flipped over onto my back and stared at the night sky for a few moments in shock. I blinked twice waiting for my head to get straight. "What...the hell?", I said looking to my side and car and the pole had disappeared.
I picked myself up steadily and got back on my feet. I looked around confused and irritated. I couldn't recognize the highway, on that hand, I wasn't even sure if this was earth anymore. "Hey!" I yelled, "Is anyone there!", I yelled again, hearing only silence in response.
Scratching my head, I wondered what to do. Just then the world answered, in form of a loud bang, coming from up the road. Without having anywhere else to go, I started walking towards the sound. And kept walking for a few moments until I heard another gunshot. Now hearing it for the second time, I realized it was of a Shotgun.
Coming to it, I found an ominous house, with a path cutting of the road and leading into a clearing in the middle of the woods. Still standing on the road, I stared at the house. I looked empty without any light in or outside of it. The addition of the silent forest gave it a spooky look.
So I took a moment to contemplate whether I should go for it. Just then another loud gunshot went off and I understood the sign. I immediately started walking towards the house. The lawn had a "House for sale" sign hammered into the ground.
At that point, Father Sebastian's words ringed in my head, about the place we were going. Well Ignoring that this was Lauren's old home. I walked up the steps and placed my hand on the door nob.
It hit me again, that irritating feeling. I looked behind me and saw the road had disappeared. Now replaced with dense woods shrouded in darkness. It was as if the world was making a point . "yeah sure, I get it", I said walking inside the house.
With nothing much to see, I made my way upstairs towards the noise of struggle. I made myself quickly through it, with a straight hallway in the middle. The first two-door were for the kitchen and the washroom, as told by the labels on the closed doors.
Entering into an open space, preferably for a living room with a single door on the side, labeled storeroom. And then the staircase ran upstairs. The noise became more familiar, for sure it was someone grunting.
As I turned around for the second set of stairs, something flew and flopped in front of me. Looking at it properly, it was his severed arm still holding onto the Shotgun. "Oh...That's not good", I said to myself, as I came around the right corner.
There it was again, the mannequin, holding Mr. Taylor by the neck. With multiple holes in the wall. Making it certain that he wasn't able to hit that thing. Just then it drove its other hand into his stomach.
He let out a painful scream which soon died, as the blood gushed out from the wrist deep wound. "Ooo, that gonna hurt", I thought to myself. Taking that chance, I sneaked up behind it. Getting enough close enough, just to stab the Red Cross straight into its left shoulder.
As the blade ran deep and it dropped Mr. Taylor. The blood threw me off, giving it a chance to swing its right Arm around at me, as I ducted back dodging it. I came against the wall and the mannequin Jumped away from me.
It was now holding its shoulder with blood gushing out of the wound I gave it. "Ha! Bitch, so you do bleed huh?", I yelled at it while bringing the Red Cross in front for it you see. But then the mannequin paused for a moment then turned its oval face around.
It sprinted straight for the window on the other end and broke through it. "Wait, Come back here!", I yelled and now had to probably chase after it. I sighed, but then looked at Mr. Taylor on the ground, who was on his last breath.
"Oh, are you okay?", I asked pulling his head back. He looked at me with pain in his eyes, "What...who...", Mr. Taylor tried speaking, to puke blood out of his mouth. Trying his best to breathe, he grabbed on my sleeve.
"Don't...it, it is...That thing", Mr. Taylor tried to speak again. Only to lose strength in his arm and body, soon going limp. I quickly touched the hilt of the Red Cross, on his shoulder. "Alright do your work", I said wanting to save him.
I stared at it in silence as the Red Gem didn't shine and nothing happened. "Oh...I guess it doesn't work like that", I said, now seeing a dead man in front of me. "Well, I am sure you were telling me something important", I said getting up.
Walking towards the broken window, I picked up the Shotgun. "I am sure I can use it", I thought to myself. I looked out of the window, just a thirteen or fifteen feet drop or something like that. Judging by how much I had survived, I was sure jumping from this height wouldn't be a problem.
I threw the Shotgun out first and then jumped behind it. Falling flat on the ground but quickly got up whipping dirt off my face. I picked up the Shotgun and started my march inside the woods. With each step, I could only hear my breathing and the crunching of the dead leaves underneath me. The only unusual thing in this unusual situation was the smell.
This wasn't my first time inside a forest, the smell of trees and wet soil. Was replaced by the smell of clean air. As if I was in a field or a room. The scattering didn't take long to hit my ear. I turned towards it on my right and I quickly aim Shotgun up. Then again it came from my left and this time I aimed and fire.
Only wanting nothing more than to blast this thing to the fucking moon, the blast came out more powerful than unexpected. More like dynamite going off and blowing the trunk of the tall tree in front of me. Even scraping chunks of the other in the blast radius.
I stood in my place as the dust cloud rose, blowing my way. I quickly closed my eyes and pulled back the barrel, loading another Shot into it. The Mannequin took the chance. I heard it coming at me, with leaves getting thrown about underneath its feet.
I opened my eyes just in time to see its right arm coming at me from the top. I quickly brought up the Shotgun to block it. The strike connected with the Shotgun. The force Shot my arms downwards.
Keeping myself up on my feet, the mannequin turned its back at me and Shot its foot straight into me. It again skunked into my stomach, but this time things were different. The force blew the air of my mouth and my eyes bulged out, but I was still fine.
I fell back on my feet and looked back up. Saw it coming back at me, brought up the Shotgun at it, and fired. At the right moment, it shifted to its side, causing the blast to shave off its left arm completely.
But the mannequin didn't care, it still charged at me. I pulled back the barrel again, while It came at with another slash with its only arm. Rather than shooting, I fell forward on my knee. Its arm went over me, while I brought the Shotgun up and touched it on its abdomen. With a smile, I pulled the trigger.
But nothing happened. It took a moment to realize that the Shotgun had run out. "Dame it", I said regretting. It gave a quick swing of its right leg and I tried my best to dodge backward.
Only for the Shotgun and the Red Cross to get kicked out of my hand and landed behind me. I looked at it, with the Red Cross sticking out of the ground. The mannequin didn't waste time and shot its left leg into my stomach.
First time in my life I felt everything internal getting tossed around. But that wasn't the worst part. The force launched me into a tree, with my back crashing into the truck. And then sliding on it to the ground. The fear of death loomed over me, as I saw the mannequin walking towards me then bending down and picking me by my neck.
It lifted me until my feet were off the ground. I stared at its face, with blood still dripping from its torn shoulder. Slowly it started to tighten its grip around my neck, making me realize that it was going to crush my neck.
Then came the feeling of suffocation and my eyes rolled to the side, coming at the Red Cross. I still hadn't understood how to use it and still haven't found Lauren. I raised my hand towards the wanting it to come back into my hand and the Red Gem lit up in response.
Spaced swirled around between and the Red Cross, and then it shrank causing it to break out of the ground and into my hand.
As soon it touched my hand, the pain went away. The Mannequin quickly released me and kicked my abdomen into the tree behind me. I crashed into the trunk, breaking the tree bark with my back.
But there wasn't any pain anymore and I was still on my feet. I looked up it and gave it a wide smile. It again tried kicking me with its right leg, but this time I twisted my body, dodging it, and wrapped my left arm around it, securing it.
Next, I smiled at it as I jabbed it to its thigh. The mannequin's whole leg blew up into a mess of blood and flesh. While it fell on its back. I walked towards it, wiping the blood off my face. While the mannequin tried its best to crawl back away from me using the only remaining limbs it had, I wiped the blood off my face with my arm.
My grin went wider with anger, as I walked towards it and stepped onto its abdomen. The mannequin stopped and gave me a chance to drop on it.
I raised the Red Cross over me had and with a wide grin, I jab it straight into its chest. Then pulled it out and stabbed it again. Then pulled it out and stabbed it again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. While the blood kept pooling out of its wound and went everywhere.
"How is that. Are you enjoying it!", I yelled at it, while repeatedly stabbing it again and again. Until it would satisfy me.
But, then... something unexpecting started happening, its skin started cracking.
Confused, I pulled out the Red Cross and paused for a moment. The cracks reached all around its body. Turing from pieces to dust, reviling the body inside.
As the Mannequin shell disappeared, tears rolled down her cheeks, while she gurgled blood up out her mouth. The anger subsided, as I started at Lauren's face. "Lauren?", I asked...
She coughed up blood, "Ed...Edwar...d?", she said bearly being able to speak. The moment shook me and I stood still on her, dropping the Red Cross on the ground. "What...no, this can't be happening", I said in a hushed tone with strength leaving my stomach and my hands trembling.
I wanted to call out to her, but couldn't. My tears came rolling down. I couldn't do shit, excepting watch the fading light in her eyes. After all that wait, her head tilted to the side. I reached out my hand and placed it against her face. It felt cold, as she stared back at me with dull eyes.
Suddenly something snap in my head and my body froze and fell on the ground beside her. convulsing uncontrollably until the darkness took over. In the final moment, I saw the body of Lauren beside me and undoubtedly a pair of footsteps approaching from behind me.