It happened just some years ago, but it's difficult to believe that this world was once peaceful and people can roam free majority of the time, and the only thing you will worry are some wild animals and thieves.
Now, everyone have to hide, especially me and my adopted little brother.
“There they are!”
Mother kept ahold of my little brother and Father had me in his arms as they kept running.
“It's no use!” Mother yelled through her panting.
Father screamed, “What should we do?!”
I squeezed my eyes shut as I held my chest tighter, burning while my body's cold. I took deep breaths in my Father's chest despite having trouble breathing, because his warm scent gives out hope.
“We should get them safe, at least!”
“I have a rope!”
I held my father tightly.
I shrieked as I felt Father jumped.
“It's not working!” Mother yelled. “Get Philip!”
“Wha—”
“—There's no other way! Get them somewhere.”
“No, we must—”
“—The kids must come first! I need to do this!”
“No, Leena! You t—”
“—You must—” Mother gasped. “Just take them, dammit!”
I looked up. Mother's glaring. This is the first time they disagreed this way... Are they . . . fighting?
“Okay.” Father immediately took my little brother.
She kissed our foreheads as she touched our heads. “I love you all.” She held Father's shoulder and kissed him, then quickly ran away as he immediately ran on another direction.
“Where's—”
“—Quiet! They're coming!”
I squeezed my lips and Denis held my hands.
Father was running for quite a while until he stopped in a secluded spot and put us down. He grabbed some leaves and threw it on a hole of dirt beside us.
“Father, you can't fit there,” I said.
He re-arranged Denis's cover. He's breathing deeply.
“Diana, protect little brother and yourself.” He re-arranged my shawl. “Make sure to never let anyone else see his eyes. And never, ever, tell or show anyone your scar and where you get it. Got it?” He held my cheeks.
I slowly nodded. “Yes, Father.”
“A—Are you—”
Father held Denis. “Take care of each other. Protect each other. Got it?”
Denis started crying and he shook his head as he grabbed his arms, but he let him go roughly and then pushed us together in the hole. “Be quiet.” He held our cheeks and looked at me. “I'm leaving it all up to you.”
As I touched his hand, he immediately let go and arranged the roots of dirt to help cover us. And a familiar sound appeared. I immediately held Denis's mouth and held him tight. He wrapped his arms around me as we watched lights a bit far a way pass by, along with a few boots nearby.
We hugged each other tightly as people screamed.
“Monster! Run!”
“Run!”
Shadows of tentacles appeared as people ran and lights went wild. Then, one tentacle pierced someone and then pulled it away. They kept screaming and running.
I gulped as my chest burned. The memory flashed. I shook it away as I held my brother furrher who dug his face on my chest.
“Why are they here!”
“Curse those—Ah!”
Another one got pierced as the silhouette of the huge oval-shaped monster appeared, with its huge mouth wide opened, tentacles piercing and pulling people in without any bias or choice.
Did Father did this? Those beasts only, ONLY, comes out at day unless their sleep has been disturbed. Also, I don't think there should have been one here.
I kept my eyes open as the scene went on until everyone has gone away. Yet we kept silent. If we are going to leave, we may do it early in the morning or so.
I gently checked the bag Father gave me. I didn't look through all of it to prevent as much noise, just enough for me to think for the night of a plan. A bag of money, my medicine and bandages, dried fruits, an extra clothing, a map and he also left a small machette on my belt.
Light appeared and my heart skipped a beat.
“Oh, there you are . . .” I looked up at a young man holding a lamp.
“Thank goodness.” He pulled my hair out of the hole.
“Diana!”
“You and your cursed brother are going to be burned to death, you bunch of monsters.”
I tried to kick him as I held his hands. I was too loud! I should've just stayed still!
“N—No! No!” Denis crawled out. “Don't hurt he—”
“—Did your monster of a family did when they killed mine!?” He yelled and pulled off his hat, revealing his full-amber eyes with dark irises like tentacles in the center. “You have those eyes, which means you're related to the witch who started all of this.”
“He didn't do anythin—”
“—Shut up!” He kicked him.
I gasped. I looked around. I have to protect him!
He began pulling his ropes from his pocket. My eyes widened.
“Sadly we already stabbed your mother to death. Your father will be burned alive. We might bury alive you because you should be—”
I pulled a knife from my pocket and stabbed him from the back.
“Aah!” He let me fall.
My chest hurts, but I quickly stood up, went away a bit and then ran towards him. I pushed him and then quickly grabbed a leg before he could hold me. And he screamed as he fell down the ground.
“Diana!” My little brother wrapped his arms around me.
“Ah!!! Help!!!” The man twisted.
I am taking deep breaths as I pushed Denis away and pulled my small machete out from my pocket and quickly went to the guy. As he's trying to get up, I threw the blade straight to his nape. It took a couple more to make sure he's dead.
Then, I put it back in my sheath and went to Denis.
“Get the bag.”
We pulled the bag out and then I put one around my shoulder as he held the other bag.
“Is—Is y—your chest okay?”
I put his hat back on him and wiped his cheeks filled with tears and snot with my sleeves.
I suddenly feel like people are nearby.
“No time. Let's go.” I held his hand and we ran. I wanted to check his pockets but we must leave as fast as we could.
My eyes blurred a bit as I remembered Mother and Father. I quickly wiped myself and continued running. One of my eyes are already slowly going badly. I can't cry right now.
It's really difficult to believe that eight years ago, it was not like this at all. Why did we have to be born at this time?
❇ ❇ ❇
I don't know when this dream happened, and I forgot to note the date I wrote the draft, but I think it was at 2021. At the very least, I do know that the monster in this dream looks like those in Among Us, an online game that was very popular during the pandemic.
The dream was like a film. I think it even has that narration in the beginning of films, and it told how this world changed due to a witch who woke up these ancient monsters. I saw a few scenes and even the climax, in some way. And a scene here is actually one of the scenes that played during the dream.
This is like, an imagined prologue of that dream. Names are made-up.
Saturday, July 8, 2023