𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐞 彡 - 𝐣𝐣𝐤 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 - 𝐄𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐬.

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E P H I A L T E S .

"Even in the depths of hell will remain the slim hope of bursting out into paradise."

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Light breathing could be heard in an empty tunnel as you laid on the ground, resting peacefully. A tranquil smile dotted your lips. Silence travelled across the land, tapping in your eardrums like a serene lullaby luring you to sleep. You gazed above, the shade of charcoal filling your vision, enveloping you in a comfortable embrace. Even as you closed your eyes, the same raven colour remained. There were no disturbances and no troubles to dwell on here, just clouds of serenity that kept you afloat.

For once in your life, there was finally peace in your life. It was just you—you and the darkness. In this safe haven, you had nothing and no one to worry about–

"Where is that wretched demon?!"

"You monster, come out here!"

Barrages of ferocious cries abruptly thundered in the abyss, shattering the placidity you had achieved after so desperately pleading so long for it. Rackets of booming footsteps echoed, quaking the ground beneath you. You shot up at the rash sensation, your pupils darting around to find the source of the shouting.

Your breathing grew harsh as you began to tremble. You buried your head in your knees, shadows consuming your sight. You despairingly squeezed your eyelids shut. You wanted nothing more than to return to the blissful heaven you had just experienced. Yet no matter how much you hid, searing ambers invaded the corners of your vision, warning you of the turmoil that would arise.

You wanted nothing more than to disappear right now.

Your hands flew to your head as they yanked down the hood you were wearing even further. You hoped that if you compressed yourself small enough then the people hollering would leave your wretched self alone. But, the enraged cries only resonated louder. You gulped, releasing a deep, shaky breath before slowly looking up, terror buzzing in your features.

In the distance stood a small yet extremely frightening mob of men that had gathered. Adults, teenagers, boys—they all were racing in your direction at tremendous speeds. Some of them wielded pitchforks and gardening tools, striking them up in the air as if practising how to stab them into someone. Others carried huge torches that they lunged forward with, the roaring ambers actively clawing out, ready to scorch anything that came within their proximity. The blood lust that radiated from them flooded the area, making tears prick in your bulging irises.

You began to scoot back for every step they made towards you, your anxiety sky-rocketing. You then scrambled to your feet as the distance between you and the mob decreased significantly, causing you to gape at them in horror. Why were they coming closer?! They needed to leave you alone!

You watched in horror as they kept running, the glints from the men's weapons matching the determined gleams in their faces to close the gap between you two. You didn't know why they were chasing after you, but one thing was for certain:

They had to get away from you.

They only continued ton though, bolting ahead while they wore vicious expressions. The crowd growled, their gazes all focused on hunting down a certain prey, a certain monster. They continued to screech curses as if they were throwing down bait in hopes of luring out the demon.

"Show yourself, you witch!"

"You don't deserve to live!"

Their voices were growing too close—they were almost here! You had no time to freeze up, to cry out for help—

All you could do was run.

You instantly spun around, making a sprint towards the opposite direction of the raid. The fear that bubbled in your gut began to pump into your legs, pushing them to speed up even further. You couldn't let them come near you; you wouldn't allow it!

"That's it—that's the demon!"

"Men, after it!"

The noises of the stampede grew more rapidly, heavy stomps now slamming in your eardrums. You screeched as you saw a pitchfork screech on the floor, landing a few feet ahead of you. You slammed your eyes shut to run even faster while your calves were shoved to their limits.

BAM!

You winced, letting out a small groan. You rubbed your head which was where most of the pain had sprung about. You cursed the thing you had collided with before you blinked, being met with... a huge wall.

Shit.

You turned around, your pupils widening when the mob you thought you had outrun suddenly stood ten feet ahead of you. You stepped back in terror. Wicked grins sparked from everyone in the mob, travelling from one side to another like a fire spreading as they crept towards your figure. You froze.

Was this finally your time...?

You backed up against the wall, attempting to further yourself from the men even more. Tears streamed down your streaks, your hands flying over your mouth while your rapid breathing making you choke up. The chaos around you grew exponentially as the battering of the sounds ransacked your mind, tearing it apart. The curses of abhorrence, the sizzling of the torches, the clinking of gardening tools, the cacophonous storming of marches, the despicable cackling—they kept coming closer and closer, overwhelming you to the point of begging.

"Why are you still alive?"

Please, don't keep going.

"You're such a disgrace."

Why won't you stop?

"You're a burden to this whole town."

I can't handle this, please.

They had all the good reasons as to why they were cursing you out; you just refused to believe it—you refused to face what you had done.

"You should die!"

That's it; I can't do this anymore!

You took in a deep, shaky breath, ready to plead for all of them to stop.

"Y/N?" A distant voice rang in your ears.

Who was that? You examined your surroundings frantically, trying to discern who that voice was, calling out to you.

"Y/N! Please wake up!"

The mob looked around in confusion, befuddled on who was shouting out the name of a monster. You took this chance to start running again, hoping to find out who was searching for you.

"Y/N! Come on now!"

The crowd began to stir up again, their shouts growing when they realised you had disappeared. Yet, their noises didn't matter to you. You were focused on what was in front of you, actively searching for the angelic voice lending out its hand to you. The sounds around you became muffled as a light began to slowly consume your vision. The voice called for you one last time as you shut your eyes, allowing yourself to be welcomed into the heavens that bestowed you.

"Y/N—"