Joseph loaded his pack, ready to continue his journey out west. He had been told of a supposed shortcut that would lead him straight to San Luces in three days flat by a fellow traveler, leading him to the path which he now traveled. Being a skilled hunter, Joseph figured that he would find no trouble in surviving out in the untamed wilderness. The first day was quiet, providing Joseph with little difficulty in the ways of navigation or survival. However, there was something quite strange about the forest which he traversed. He had walked through arachnid caverns and mythium mines without so much as a glance over his shoulder, but he couldn’t shake a feeling of dread. For there were no sounds to echo among the lonesome trees. Not a bird sang, nor a squirrel chirped, nor was there even a breeze of unusual weather. The sky looked clear, yet gray, as if the entire sky had changed colors. Joseph didn’t like the eerie aura of the woods, but he found himself brushing his worries off with a beverage he had received in a game of Rats back in Santa Santana. He put his stetson hat over his eyes and fell asleep behind a fire he had made from the still, dead wood of the trees around him. It was the night that first planted the fear in his heart… Screams and cries from the darkness crawled across his mind as they seemed to get louder and louder, filling his thoughts with horrors unimaginable. He had heard tales of terrifying beings of the night–beings that could carefully remove the skin of a human being, peeling every inch with surgical precision while the victim was still alive. He didn’t enjoy the thought. The next morning brought a new surprise. As he heard the screams from the night before getting quieter and quieter, hopefully with distance, he looked around to see unfamiliar surroundings. As he continued to look around, he saw differences… Not only in terrain, but in smell, in atmosphere. After a moment of careful consideration, he knew. He had woken up in a different place than where he had fallen asleep. Word count: 362
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James WilkinsI enjoy writing creative stories, but I find it refreshing to express my thoughts through blogs or journals. Archives
April 2024
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