Days Gone By

Night - 2

Throbbing ached throughout his whole body as the darkness ate away at his surroundings. What had happened he thought to himself as he attempted to figure out what was going on? Each thud and thump of his heart beating pulsated throughout his whole body. As though it were vital signs on a chart bouncing up and down. Raising a weakened hand up to his eye, he began to rub vigorously in a circular motion attempting to get his eye to open. Seeming all but sealed shut and heavy as raw iron ore. Finally, he would get his eye to peep open slightly. The thumping of his heart accelerated to a faster beat when he noticed the all too familiar scene from the previous night. Uncomfortable on the couch from that cabin in his dreams. Did he fall asleep in his daydreams about story writing? It all seemed so childish and irresponsible. The simple request of his grandmother Julia was all but thrown out the window from youthful negligence.

“I can’t be asleep…” His groggy body would feel static as he came to becoming more aware he was in his cabin and everything was as it were before. “I have to wake up I can’t be here.” Panicked breaths shuttered with his words as he attempted to stand. Staggering about the area he couldn’t seem to get his body to cooperate with what his mind was trying to tell it to do. Silence as before fell the cabin all but his stumbling footsteps along the floor. “Get it together Dan! Got to escape this place.” His eyes would dart around the area looking for anything suspicious or different than last time he was here. Everything seemed all in order as it were before.

“Where’s the big red beast at?” His mind wandered off in the realm of actually being curious for his only friend in this world. Despite the rough welcome, he did protect Danny when the situation was dire. He wouldn’t help but feel compassion for the beast for some unknown reason. The thoughts he was having all but erased at he heard the silence break around him. His large brown eyes would peer to the window.

Tap… Tap… Tap… The glass on the window was gently pecked. Followed by a soft feminine voice saying hello with an eerie omission. The startled boy could see red dots he could only assume were its eyes peering in at him.

Licking his lips and clearing his desert-dry throat he would play along and return the hello back to the window. His tone questioning but stern sounding.

“You remember me youth? I met you last night, I really like your cabin. Would you be so kind as to allow me in so we can talk?” The voice never raised above a whisper, yet somehow was loud enough to be heard crystal clear. Those what Danny thought were red eyes never flickered, blinked, twitched, shuttered, elevated or anything to waiver from seemingly staring at him.

The overly polite nature threw him back a bit. Uncertain of how to answer he thought he would be clever and respond with. “Can’t we just talk through the window?” Butterflies bounced around in his nerve-wracked stomach.

“I don’t see why not, now that you mention it. Yes, yes… Let us talk through the window.” With a soft décor to its voice, the response was not at all what Danny had expected. He felt he should be careful with this thing. The danger comes in all shapes and forms, especially in this limbo world he was all new too. “What do you think of this world human?” Its question was obdurate sounding as if devoid of feelings of any kind. As if a machine recording asks it.

His ears heard the question but his mind couldn’t quite come up with what he felt would be a decent answer. He took a seat as though it would help him think. “It’s unique to say the least,” his reply came slow and his words feathered lightly apart. “I can’t say it’s good or bad so far, it is similar to my own world. Dangerous, unpredictable, and mysterious.” Nodding his head at the end of his sentence he felt his words were chosen wisely. Now to counter-attack with a question of his own. “Why are you interested in me and my cabin?” A daring question that he felt begged answering. Pushing the envelope on the situation hopefully he could get a straight answer.

“It’s not very often you find physical world dwellers being aware that they can do things in their dream states. It is interesting and intriguing to see them considering they are a rare treat.” It’s voice whispered and monotone. It wasn’t quite the answer the cabin owner was expecting. “What keeps you coming back here? Are you even remotely aware of the capabilities you possess here?” Those red glow for eyes lost some hue to them as they bled into a softer purple color. “Do you even know why that big dog is so interested in you? Why he cut your arm?” Several questions pummeled the young man’s brain like a heavy rain beating on the ground. “Dream boy, you barely understand your own world, how do you ever hope to understand one that most of your kind doesn’t even know exists?” His face had grown concerned, his body withdrew, and his eyes darted about left to right then back to the thing outside the window.

Standing up from his seat he would approach the window, standing a few feet back from it, which made him feel secure. “I have thought of those things but I will eventually figure things out.” Avoiding too much eye contact since the change in colors. “Things take time to understand, it’s not like I have a teacher or a guide for these things. I have to learn as I go, despite what books may teach, or what may be learned from other people’s experience.” Bringing a hand up to rub the back of his head uncertain of where he was taking his conversation. “The way I see it, if it wasn’t meant for me I wouldn’t be here. There is a purpose for why things go the way they do. I just go with it.” Attempting to see if he covered all of its questions with one answer he paused.

“So… what you’re saying is you don’t think for yourself? Do you just go with the whims of the unknown? Tell me,” A small petite female hand of a pale moon complexion would place itself on the glass. Fingertip tracing something along the glass pane. “Do you have the courage to see what I wrote for you on the window?”

The candlelight flickered as if it felt the same unease as the young boy before the window. His mind all but caved into itself when he thought back to the message on the mirror. This creature was dangerous he thought to himself. “You can reach the physical world, you wrote me a message on a mirror… You have been expecting me.” He announced as though he had all but solved the case.

“That matters not, what matters is the here and now dream walker.” She knew he would connect the dots since she had given him a straight line to trace.

Approaching closer to the mirror he would huff hot air on the window and lightly fog up a small portion of it. Unable to make out the message he continued his attempts to fog up the letters she had written. Kconk Kconk was what it read, “knock-knock…” Whipping around to face the door gently a tapping could be heard on its wooden surface. Glancing back toward the window he noticed those ominous eyes were gone. “Who is it?” he softly spoke perhaps he would get a name, or a silly joke to ease his tension.

“Elsa, who else would it be? Silly dream walker. Are you enjoying our time together?” the voice seemed less stoic and more amused. That odd sense of courtesy still hinted to its voice each time it spoke.

“Elsa.” Danny announced aloud, “So I’ve got your name, now I need to know what you are.”

“You have but to open the door human, and you shall see.” Its reply was quite prompt to his requisition. “You can always just throw me out should you not like me. Like you did with that moon beast.”

With a frown he would approach the door, his left hand reached and grasped the knob of the door. His breath was uneasy and erratic. His pores were spitting sweat out in large droplets, l*****g his bottom lip with a fierce intensity as he opened the door with impetuosity. His curious nature was craving the knowledge of what it looked like. Did the face match the voice? Was this all a trick? Is it a girl?

The door unveiled nothing, but an empty porch and steps much to Danny’s disappointment. His right foot almost crossed the door frame as he came to his senses. “No no no…. You want me to step outside. This is some sort of game for you isn’t it Elsa. Like some cat playing with a mouse! Well, I’ll let you know this mouse is not falling for this trap!” His triumphant declaration was stifled by the strange sound of growling off in the near distance. A gurgling grumble, Danny’s mind could only match to a cat purring with a mouth full of water to the sounds he heard. Swiftly shutting the door. “Good try Elsa, you are some weird cat demon monster! Good luck getting in here!” Feeling good he had outsmarted her, he turned around only to find those orbs of purple light peering at him from the window all over again. The noises he heard were behind him on the other side of the door possibly in the yard or just across the dirt road.

“It’s not me doing that, but you are funny to watch,” Elsa responded from her usual spot at the window. A small dainty giggle arose from her as she watched Danny go from the confident back into panic mode as he picked his jaw from the floor to turn back to face the door.

“If that’s not you then what is it!?” his voice trembled in fear as he eyed the door and the strange noises emitting from just outside of it now, small guttural growls. With a loud shriek a heavy slam against the door rattling it violently, he jumped back a few inches. Knowing full well it was just outside of his door and whatever it was wanted in. “Elsa, wh what is out there!? Won’t it come after you if it sees you?” He turned away from the now occasional banging on the door towards the window. His racing mind was attempting to piece together trying to use Elsa as a means to know what was going on outside the door.

“Heh, I know what it is human, I could possibly help you get rid of it should you allow me inside so we can sit and enjoy each other’s company face to face. Or…” her soft voice would trail off softly into silence. Purple glowing orbs would turn into their red hue like her original presence. “We can wait for it to get in and possibly kill you.” Loud shrills from the front door enunciated her request was most reasonable of an offer.

Heavy breaths came from Danny as he quickly thought about her being inside with him she may not do any better herself. What was the lesser of two evils? Could that thing really get inside if he didn’t want it in? That was his understanding was his safe place was inaccessible to those he didn’t want inside it. Should he take that chance? So many thoughts racing through his panicked mind, but the fear of the unknown and possibly dying overruled it all as he commanded Elsa to aid him.

Not a moment too soon as the wooden door splintered from being smashed into once more, Danny’s head would throb heavily his body would feel as though he were hit by a Taser. His muscles would spasm uncontrollably and his head pounding would match his fast-beating heart. With everything happening to him abruptly would leave him no option but to collapse on the spot like a seizure victim, he was helpless on the floor his eyes watching the door break open more and more with each vicious ramming the screaming creature. Quivering on the ground, vision blurred and blackened he managed to peep out. “Elsa… come in… help… me…” his weak voice couldn’t have been heard over the thing screeching and pounding on the door but it was all the young man had left in him. His worst fear would be realized as the creature burst through the door, a hideous amalgamation rushed in. From what Danny would see of it, it looked like an animal of sorts, an overly large maw full of broken and jagged teeth. Its furred skin was mottled and matted with strips of flesh missing exposing muscle and tendons. Its mouth stayed a gape tooth too large to actually close its mouth. Its facial features looked like a canine of sorts, however disturbing as it drew close to the limp young boy on the floor. Its facial skin would peel back showing its grotesque skeleton and tendons that laid underneath. If Danny weren’t already paralyzed from whatever ailment befell him, seeing this about a foot away from him certainly would have ended in the same result. He was struck with an unshakable fear as he starred uncontrollably at the horrific beast before him. Despite his attempts to shut his eyes, it ended in failure. He was locked on to the predator before him, those feral savage large light brown eyes. Closing in on its prey the monster seems to be savoring it’s soon to be an all too easy kill.

“Hey there, umuga. Leave that human alone.” That familiar quiet feminine voice was heard behind the beast, swiftly it turned about and shrilled at the shadowy figure in the doorway. “You picked the wrong human to mess with, he’s got protection.” Slowly coming into view of the flickering candles her small human feet pushing wood splinters and chunks out of her path. A tiny human girl came into view from the darkness. Her skin white, but strange black veins ran across her flesh from toe to head. She wore a simple overlarge t-shirt of red looking as though it were a dress. She stood there idle in view, her arms limp to her side head tilted slightly to the side. Her eyes were black as night with orbs of red as the iris. Standing an almighty almost five foot in height the girl looked no older than Danny himself. She was supposed to be his rescue? The umuga as she called it would bow up its muscles becoming tense. Elsa stood there never moving from her spot, the only thing changing is her eyes filtered into yet another color a dark yellow hue took over her typical red. The beast took to the air with a mighty jump towards his female victim. Only to find itself slamming into her as though she were made of solid stone. With a keen swiftness, the umuga began swiping its catlike oversized paws at her batting heavily against her, however, she did not move from her spot even a flinch. Puzzled by this the creature held fast looking back at the easier prey on the floor. Rushing over to Danny laying there quickly it would snag up the boy by his shirt and pants waist area in its teeth, clenching its jaws holding tight to the young man, it would retreat with its victim out the window in a thunderous burst of glass shards. The window shattering left the boy with some small scrapes and cuts along his arms and face as did the beast that carries him. Off into the darkness, the umuga fled with it’s what seemed to be the next dinner item. Danny’s head throbbed and agony wracked his body to the point of unconsciousness.

“Uhhhmmm, hmmm, this was not at all how I was expecting this to turn out.” Elsa’s open response to the situation that just befell her. She stood starring at the burst out window. With a small sigh and a flick of her fingers to knock some loose strands of red hair from her face. “Now I really have to save the human, Jamak will owe me big for this one.” A smile crept upon her bow-shaped lips as she made her way out the window in pursuit of the umuga and Danny. “Don’t worry human boy, you’ll be safe.”

Being violently shook around in the never-ending darkness re-awoke him, the helpless young man found himself d**g through tall grass and other various terrains. Being blind to all things around him horrified him beyond any measure. The absolute darkness that surrounded him, knowing what was holding tight onto the midsection of his shirt and pants. The hot breaths covering his body as the umuga huffed and puffed running with haste towards some location, most likely its den or feeding grounds. Danny felt like a newborn baby, totally helpless, and at the mercy of whatever divine beings laid domain over this limbo, he was trapped inside. His mind raced with all sordid thoughts some competent, others were morbid and dreadful. Despite all of them, he knew they meant nothing without action to back them up. His body still wracked with pain his head still matched the high paced beating of his heart. It all comes to a sudden standstill as he was dropped to the ground, he could feel moist dirt and the occasional pebble in his hand. The sounds around him mildly echoed as though he were inside a cavern or large hole. He could of course also hear his capture breathing heavily around him. He knew not what it was doing but he knew it couldn’t be of good intentions. Hearing small sounds of shrieking coming from several sources led Danny’s mind to run wild amid the chaos. This creature wasn’t getting food for itself, it was getting food for its offspring. The yipping and screaming sounded like a tiny version of the mature adult that captured him. Feeling a small cold prod against his leg would make Danny jerk away in response. His blind rolling to the side led him into the path of two tiny paws sinking claws into his calf muscle. Reaching down he batted away the assailant, his adrenaline was pumping at its peak, and despite all of his excessive pains, he defended himself. Sitting up he found one pounced upon his back in no time at all. Biting into his shoulder muscle, needle-like claws spurred into the lower back. He fell backward in an attempt to stop the attacker and it worked stupendously. With a scream as it was slammed to the ground, Danny knew he at least delayed that one. How many more could there be? He had to use his ears to judge but there were some much ruckus and noise around him he couldn’t make out how many possible. Yet another attempt at attacking him but this comes from several locations. Jumping on his legs the creatures bit into his calf and the other his thigh. A third pinned him back by ramming into his chest knocking him fully prone. These tom cat-sized hellions began really taking a toll on their victim’s body. Clawing, biting, and scratching at their prey’s soft flesh. As he continued his defense he began to wonder if they were simply playing with him as a cat does a mouse before killing it. None of the attacks were overly pronounced just enough to damage and cause mild flesh wounds.

His body was all but given out collapsed to the dirt. He felt a rumbling occurring from the very earth he lay upon. This seemed to startle his would-be attackers and their parental guardian as they seemed to be making odd chirps as if a baby bird seeking its mother. The earth shook uncontrollably and the tremors got more and more severe within moments of each other. A strange bursting of dirt, gravel, and other earthly matter blew out from near Danny’s position. A small hand grabbed hold of his.

“I’m here human,” Yellow eyes dimly lit up Elsa’s face. “It’s good that you’re blinded by darkness, you don’t need to see this.” The glowing orbs rose up well above her normal height and then turned away from him. As her back turned away from him he heard rapid movements, blows being landed, and all sordid types of sounds from screaming to hissing, death rattles, and animalistic moans of grotesque proportions. The only thing that could be made out was those yellow eyes being seen whipping around the area of the prone boy’s body. After a few moments, a sickening silence befell Danny’s ears. No more shrilling, or anything.

“Elsa, are you there?” He couldn’t see her eyes anywhere amidst the infinite void of darkness that surrounded him.

“What a silly question dream boy, of course, I am here.” She would make her presence known in the traditional sense of simply showing her eyes to him. What used to fill him full of fear has now warmed his heart at the sight of. Elsa could see the badly damaged boy reaching out for her, his hands wet from fur and blood. Small cuts adorning his body. “You’re one of the most entertaining humans I have laid eyes on in many years.” She would reach out and grasp his hand into hers. Watching his muscles twitch in fear of not seeing it coming made her realize just how helpless he was in darkness, and yet somehow he fought against seven umugas. Tugging at his hand she would help pull him up to his feet. “Come on we have a long walk back to your cabin.”

Being lifted to his feet he would stagger about all but entirely spent of energy. Slumping into the direction of Elsa as she pulled him along like a kid at the park. “Elsa, slow down I can barely move.”

“We have got to get you back fast, there are more things out there, things that even I dare not entangle with. Should we cross something that devastating I will leave you to die human, you’re fun, and unique… But not worth me dying for.”

“Fair enough.” His response was apt as he did his best to keep up the pace in the darkness. Given a small amount of time he saw the candlelight flickering way off in the distance he knew he was almost there.

“For displaying such animosity for survival, I have a gift for you human. Once we reach the cabin I shall give it to you.” Her announcement for a reward made Danny move with much more hustle, she could feel slack in her seemingly dragging him along the way by his hand.

The two would eventually come to a fully restored cabin, with no visible damages seen as if nothing had happened. Danny would be eager to rest on the couch. “I’m spent Elsa, I got nothing left to give.” By candlelight, he could see all the cuts, scrapes, and bite marks that marred his body. “Those things really did a number on me, I can only imagine what this is going to look like when I wake up.” He would see Elsa make herself at home on her knees resting beside him. He would watch her fling her long red hair to the side so she could reach the back of her neck, she would unfasten a chain necklace.

“Your reward human, you deserve it after what you just went through. Consider this trinket a means of apology for me failing to keep you safe.” She would reach out to place it around his neck, looking at it he could make out it looked like an owl head with gems for eyes. “This will help you see things better in this world, so you’ll never be lost in the darkness again.”

Placing the necklace on him did nothing he felt with the exception of the cool metal touching his skin. “How will this help me see in the darkness?” He questioned as he finally eyed her strange features without distraction. “And what might you be? You look like a human yourself, but your eyes, and those black vein things all about your arms, legs, and body.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at her closely.

Grunting with annoyance, “Yes human we appear similar but I am Ignis Fatuus. A spirit, a wisp, and to some a demon. Strange way to show appreciation for the gift you have been granted.” Her lips would purse giving him a look of irritation. “You simply need to be in darkness for that charm to work. I have had no use for it for many years.” She would look down at herself. “I have no time to describe why I look the way I do, just be grateful you’re still an alive boy.” With a long draw of air deep into her nostrils, she placed a hand upon his forehead. “Just relax and rest, you need to do this so you can recover.”

Puzzled by what she said he felt her irritation was enough to keep his mouth shut, for now, he simply laid back on the couch and relaxed. The silence was quite welcome after his terrible experience earlier. The silence was broken by Elsa getting up and making her way out the front door. Leaning up to see what she was doing. His concerned look in her direction gave her reason to speak about her doings.

“I am simply going outside, it’s easier to watch over things out there. We cannot discuss much considering you need recovery time from today’s endeavors. There will be plenty of time in the future for understanding and becoming familiar with the torrid realm that you find yourself in. But for now, relax human and rest easy.” She made her way out the door at that.