The Prompt
After leaving Avise and Mr Dev, your character decides to continue their journey. They take the map out of their bag/pocket and begin reading it. They follow the trail and come to a haunted forest. They hear footsteps behind them. Something rushed past their head. They are scared and frightened as to what it is. Describe the pitch black darkness and the creepiness of the forest and remember to use all of their senses other than just sight.
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My Submission
My hand grips at my stomach as I wince in pain. Ever since I ate dinner with Avise and Mister Dev yesterday, I haven't been feeling myself. I'm sure it's not her fault. She did everything she could with what she had.
The dark recesses of my mind speak loudly, trying to convince me that she did this on purpose; she was trying to make me sick so I would have to stay there, or somehow she knew that whenever I get sick, my magic doesn't work. It must be some kind of sick joke, much crueler than the one I told to Mister Dev.
I shake my head. I can't let those thoughts linger. If I allow myself to go down that road, I'll end up like the heartless thugs back home. They'll lie, cheat, steal, or kill anyone in their way as long as it means their own survival. The streets have reduced them to mere animals.
I pull out the map again, looking for anything to distract me. As I squint to make out the lines, I am painfully aware of how dark it is getting. There's only a sliver left of the Purple Sun before it changes to the Red Moon. Normally I would stop and set up camp for the night, but if I'm translating the illegible writing on this map correctly, I should be close. If I just push through, I should be able to make it back home before the three days are up.
The scenery changes drastically as I stick the paper back into my bag. With every step, the trees seem to have fewer and fewer leaves clinging to their branches. I can also actively see the trunks of the trees shift from a light brown to a dark almost-black.
I pull my jacket tighter around my torso, aware of the odd drop in temperature. The cool air weighs heavy on my shoulders, willing me to lose my confident stride and walk slowly. I roll my shoulders as if the movement will cause the pressure to roll off somehow. I consciously straighten my spine and try to keep my head high.
My foot snags on a jutting root, hidden in the ever-growing darkness. I stumble slightly but easily regain my balance. The sound of my scuffling feet brings attention to the eerie, still silence. As I continue to walk forward, the only sound that accompanies my footsteps is a far-off whistling wind. The sound is so faint that I start to wonder if my mind is merely fabricating it to fill the void. The rhythmic pattern of my footsteps is altered slightly, as if my feet are stepping twice on the dirt trail...or like someone is following me.
I spin to face my stalker, hand adeptly pulling the dagger from my belt with the blue gem already pressed. I hiss in pain as he slices me on the arm. I aimlessly slash into the blackness. I hear the satisfying crunch as my blade makes contact with something. I reach out to grab the arm of my assailant.
To my surprise and chagrin, I feel the rough texture of wood. It was a branch that scratched me. Was it really just the tree?
Fear grips at my heart, squeezing with its paranoid claws. I attempt to swallow, my mouth dry with the bitter taste of my own saliva.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand straight as I feel the rush of cold air passed my ear. A bird? An arrow?
I spin again, pointing my dagger at nothing. I suppose it could have just been the wind, but I don't feel confident. It would be too easy for someone or...something to hide in the endless walls of black.
I can barely make out the blue glow of my blade. I have used this dagger many times to help navigate through the night, but in this forest it's as if the very darkness itself is smothering the light.
I grip the handle of my dagger even tighter and I clench my jaw in determination. The heat of my resolve thaws the icy grip on my heart. I did not come all this way to be spooked by a forest. Haunted or not, there are people who need me. I will fight every ghost and ghoul if I have to.
I will my legs to continue forward. To Tephin. To the treasure.
Nothing will stop me!
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Shut Up And Write - Assignment Book
RandomA book to keep track of assignments from the Shut Up and Write group
