DARKWOOD
1052 Words
THORA'S POV
Something fell on my upturned face. It rolled down my forehead. I shifted, groaned at the pain that followed the movement.
I opened my eyes. I stared up at the dark night sky filled with millions of tiny twinkling dots. Thunder rumbled in the distance. More drops of rain fell.
Clenching my teeth against the pain that riddled my entire body, I gradually sat up. I was sitting in a field of low cut grass that stretched as far as the eye could see and I was all alone.
This thing that made me shiver was... cold, and the leaden feeling in my heart was... sadness. Somehow, it seemed to me that I was experiencing these feelings and emotions for the first time.
As the seconds ticked by, I realized that I was not supposed to be here. I was supposed to be...
"Oh no. No," I moaned, as I found I didn't know who I was, where I was or how I had gotten here.
I clutched my head, pulled my hair, rocked back and forth.
Remember... I had to remember.
Suddenly there was a dim memory of something.
I closed my eyes and saw clouds, the sky. Then there was a sensation of falling.
The pictures in my head kept fading with every passing second. Panic made my chest tight. It was getting harder to breathe.
And then I heard it. A sound, getting closer- a sound of movement.
It was headed my way.
My heart raced. I tried to stand up. Everything began to spin. I weakly sat back down on the grass, breathing heavily.
"Someone's over there," said a voice. Then louder. "Who's there?"
The next instant, I was blinded by a strong white light. I put up my hand to shield my face.
When I lowered my it, I saw people, lots of them. They were all staring at me, their mouths and eyes wide open.
"Well, damn me to hell!" exclaimed the bearded man in front of me, breaking the shocked silence. He had a long, braided beard. His eyes were so wide they seemed to bug out of his head. Without taking his eyes off me elbowed the man beside him in the ribs. "Nolan, are you seeing what I think I'm seeing?'
The man, Nolan, swallowed. "I think I am, but maybe we're having the same daydream."
His voice was low, hushed, wondering.
More people came up the path. Most of them held long, sharp looking things, some of which were stained red, which glittered in the moonlight.
They crowded around to get a closer look. There were gasps of surprise, and all of them started talking at once.
"Who is she?"
"How did she get here?"
"She looks like a goddess-"
"-Or a witch!"
"Look at all that hair."
Nolan turned back and called out, "LIGHTS!"
The entire place was flooded with bright lights from big glass things on the walls that looked like small moons.
Nolan suddenly jumped back and nearly fell over in surprise.
"Holy s**t!" he shouted. "She's naked!"
A low, piercing whistle split the air.
The crowd surged forward. I shrank back.
As the bearded man raised his hand, they all fell silent at once and stepped back a little.
"What the hell!" the man muttered to himself.
I opened my mouth. I wasn't sure if I knew how to talk in this language these people were using, but I found myself saying, slowly, "Who are-"
I stopped at the sound of my voice.
It sounded strange, like a... chime. Yes, that was the word.
It did not at all sound like these people's voices. Judging by their increased gasps and mutterings, they thought so too.
"Who are you?" I continued and the words flowed faster now. "Where am I? Who- who am I?"
Someone laughed but it was cut off abruptly.
"Who are-" The bearded man broke off. He ran his fingers through his long hair. "What do you mean 'who are you'? We should be the one asking you that. What the hell are you doing in our pack, and close to Alpha's house too?"
He glanced at a big structure in the distance.
"And don't forget to ask why she's stark naked," Nolan chipped in.
His eyes kept traveling over my body.
"Yeah. That too," the man said a little impatiently.
I said nothing. I was scared now and trembling slightly.
I started to realize I could be in trouble. These people looked dangerous.
"Well? Say something, girl!" a tall, lean man said.
He had pushed his way to the front.
I shook my head, whimpered.
The bearded man made an impatient gesture.
"We've stayed here long enough. The Alpha is expecting us. Let's get moving," he barked. He pointed to some persons behind him. "Grab her and bring her along. We will question her later."
Nolan dragged his eyes away from me to say, "She could be a spy."
"Spying on Darkwood pack?" the tall man said with a hiss that showed the silver hoop rings that pierced his lip. "She must have a death wish then." His voice sank into a low murmur. "Remember how Alpha Jax executed one of his mistresses just for challenging him? Think what he'll do to a spy."
Two big men came towards me.
Frightened, I shrank back. With my back against the tree, I tried again to stand up.
As I did, something warm and wet dripped on my foot.
It was then I noticed the liquid flowing in a steady stream from my arm.
The skin there was cut open.
I looked down. My lower body was drenched with the liquid, but my hair had covered it from view.
The liquid had formed a crimson pool on the ground around me.
Temporarily forgetting the men, I rubbed the red stuff on my arm. It didn't go away.
I felt pain and wondered why I got weaker the more the stuff flowed out of me.
My vision began to blur.
"Somebody grab her!" the bearded man suddenly yelled. "She's bleeding to death!"
"She's bleeding?" someone echoed.
"Oh s**t! That's blood!" another shouted.
A tunnel of blackness closed in around me.
The last thing I remembered was a pair of strong hands grabbing me as I fell.
- Writer
