THE RUN
894 Words
chapter three
"Run."
For a second, I just stared at him.
I know that's not the smartest reaction when a terrified stranger tells you to run from a glowing-eyed monster.
But my brain was having technical difficulties.
The creature stepped out of the alley.
My heart stopped.
It wasn't human.
At least, not completely.
Its body was twisted and unnaturally tall. Shadows clung to its skin like living smoke. Its glowing green eyes locked onto me.
Not the boy.
Me.
"Oh," I whispered.
The boy pulled my wrist.
"Oh?" he repeated. "That's your reaction?"
"What else am I supposed to say?"
"Maybe something like, 'Let's get out of here before we die'?"
That sounded reasonable.
I finally started running.
---
We sprinted down the street.
People walked past us without noticing anything.
That was the weirdest part.
The creature wasn't hiding.
It was huge.
Yet nobody screamed.
Nobody pointed.
Nobody even looked.
"Why can't they see it?" I shouted.
The boy glanced behind us.
"They can."
"What?"
"They just don't remember."
That answer raised about fifty new questions.
Unfortunately, I didn't have enough oxygen to ask them.
---
We turned a corner.
The creature followed.
Fast.
Way too fast.
I risked a glance backward.
Big mistake.
The thing was gaining on us.
Its glowing eyes never left me.
Not once.
Like it had completely ignored the boy's existence.
Like I was the only thing it wanted.
That thought did not make me feel special.
---
We raced through a narrow side street.
The boy suddenly stopped.
I nearly crashed into him.
"What are you doing?"
"We can't outrun it."
"Then why were we running?"
"Because standing still would've been worse."
Fantastic.
I was trapped with a lunatic.
---
The creature entered the street.
Its shadow stretched unnaturally across the pavement.
The air became cold.
The kind of cold that crawls under your skin.
The boy stepped in front of me.
For the first time, I noticed a strange silver mark glowing faintly on his wrist.
"What is that?" I asked.
"Later."
"That's not an answer."
"I know."
I hated him already.
---
The creature growled.
The sound shook the ground.
My stomach twisted.
The voice inside my head suddenly returned.
Louder than ever.
"Awaken."
Pain exploded through my body.
I screamed.
The world blurred.
Green light burst beneath my skin.
I fell to my knees.
"What is happening?" I gasped.
The boy looked alarmed.
"No. Not now."
Very comforting.
---
The pain spread through my arms.
My chest.
My neck.
It felt like fire moving through my veins.
I looked down.
Thin glowing patterns appeared on my skin.
Like emerald-colored cracks.
"What is this?"
The voice answered.
"Remember."
Remember what?
I didn't remember anything.
---
The creature took another step.
Then another.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
The boy moved forward.
His expression hardened.
"Stay behind me."
I laughed nervously.
"As if I planned to stand in front."
---
Then something impossible happened.
The creature stopped.
Its glowing eyes widened.
It stared directly at me.
Not with hunger.
Not with anger.
With recognition.
The same way someone might recognize a king.
Or a queen.
Or a person they were never supposed to meet.
The street fell silent.
Even the wind stopped.
The creature slowly lowered its head.
The boy froze.
I froze.
The monster bent one knee.
Then both.
It knelt before me.
---
My mouth opened.
Closed.
Opened again.
Nothing came out.
Because how exactly was I supposed to react?
Hello?
Thank you?
Nice to meet you?
The creature remained kneeling.
Its head lowered.
Like it was showing respect.
Or obedience.
The boy looked more shocked than I was.
Which was impressive.
Because I was extremely shocked.
---
The voice spoke again.
Soft.
Ancient.
Almost gentle.
"They remember their ruler."
A chill ran down my spine.
Ruler?
No.
Absolutely not.
I was seventeen.
I forgot homework assignments.
I burned toast.
I once got lost in a shopping mall.
Nobody was calling me a ruler.
---
The creature finally spoke.
Its voice sounded like rocks grinding together.
"Found..."
I swallowed.
The boy's face turned pale.
Very pale.
"What did it say?" I whispered.
His eyes never left the creature.
"Nothing good."
---
The creature raised its head.
"Found... her."
The words echoed unnaturally.
Like multiple voices speaking at once.
Fear gripped my chest.
Because suddenly I understood something.
The creature wasn't hunting me.
It had been searching for me.
---
The boy grabbed my arm.
"We need to leave."
I didn't argue.
For once.
That alone should've proved how terrified I was.
---
We backed away slowly.
The creature didn't attack.
Didn't chase.
Didn't move.
It simply watched.
As if it already knew where I would go next.
As if it wasn't worried about losing me.
That thought scared me more than anything else.
---
We reached the end of the street.
The creature finally stood.
The shadows around its body twisted violently.
Its glowing eyes locked onto mine one last time.
Then it said something that made my blood run cold.
Three words.
Three simple words.
Words I somehow understood even though they made no sense.
"The throne waits."
The world spun.
The voice inside my head whispered one final sentence.
"The awakening has begun."
And for the first time in my life...
I was afraid the voice might be right.
End of Chapter 3
- Writer
