Chapter 7: Shadows
541 Words
I was floating in the ether, free from gravity, free from weight.
Free.
It was dark all around me. There was a distant light far, far above my head...Like a distant star twinkling in the inky blackness of space.
I felt alone. I felt tiny & insignificant...and yet, I felt watched.
Somewhere, somewhere in the shadows, I knew I was being watched.
Instinct kicks in.
I had to go.
I had to leave...escape even...
The Light above me...!
I reach for it.
It was close yet oh so far...
Whispers...Hushed voices and whispers begin to fill my ears.
...No. I don't think it'll kill me...
I hear a distant voice speak.
....shut up! Don't say that aloud...
Another distant voice spoke.
Who were they...?
...That damned Binding. It ain't safe. Anything with a one-way contract is a recipe for disaster. Good fu-...
...A god but not the god...Things in the middle of things...I can't even comprehend it....
I reach for the "star" and find myself "swimming" upwards.
I reach for the light. It was a great deal away, but I wanted to get there...I needed to get there.
Something compelled me to go...
Did it lead somewhere? Will it lead somewhere? Was it simply a false bastion of hope?
I didn't care. I had to get to it...
...Don't! You're...What in god's name...? The voice of a panicked man rang out in the darkness.
...I told you, It was for BOTH of us, not just me or you...We both benefit from this cycle... Another voice spoke, this time it belonged to a woman.
...You screwed us both! A Paradox?! Are you insane?!
...You needed to break the cycle! Don't pin this on me! You wanted this too!
I didn't want to get stuck in a-...
I continue to swim through the darkness.
My heart pounded within my chest.
My head throbbed with pain.
I needed it.
I needed the light.
I was a moth to a flame...
I felt unseen eyes watching me with keen interest, like bacteria under the slip of a microscope...
The light grew larger, now shining on my face with a warmth that gently kissed my skin.
I smiled.
The light...
It was comforting...
It was safe...
It felt like...Home.
Another voice speaks...
...We've only just begun...We must Harvest it all...
I feel a force grab me by the shoulders, by the waist, and by the back of my head.
Another voice speaks from the darkness.
...Interesting. You are interesting...
I am pulled away from the light and thrown further into this encompassing darkness.
That beautiful light was now nothing more than a speck...The light now felt cold and distant, like the beacon of a distant lighthouse in the midst of a storm...
I tried to scream but no sound escaped my lips.
I felt fury boil within my heart.
I wanted that light! It was for me! I had to go to it!
But the darkness did not listen to my silent rage, it continued to pull me deeper into this blackness...
I tried to speak. I tried to yell. I tried to rage to the light...but the force did not listen, it did not care.
My gaze focused on the light until it was swallowed up by the shadows.
I felt nothing but anger and l began to lose consciousness as I felt coldness envelope my body.
I was pulled away from hope, pulled away from an escape...
And now...I was sure something had tagged along with me.
What it was...I did not know...
All I knew is that whatever all this was...
It was just the beginning.
- Writer
