The Voidwalker's Tale

I. Monsters and Melodies

The stars dotted the night sky in an odd pattern today. Sporadic, yet clustered at certain points. Almost as if someone was fishing, using black holes as bait. A scary yet really fascinating thought. Honestly though, thinking about it, my treks back home from the bar were always filled with very strange thoughts. I guess that's what the dead of night does, numbing your mind with the slow and rhythmic hums of nature.

My guitar sat snug in its case, swung across my back. The wind slowly swept across my face; taking the remnants of the bar's clammy atmosphere away. I really do love that place, but gosh it gets extremely hot in there. Makes my anxiety tick up a few notches, which I could really do without.

The forest started fading from my view as quickly as it had entered it. The smell of home immediately kicked my nostrils. Mildew and cheap cigarettes. Home sweet home. The street lights flickered, ruining my cadence, and the sounds of drunk men arguing entered my ears. Usually, that was accompanied by various gunshots, screaming women, and fists being thrown. Just the usual melodies of the Willowwood domain. Poverty district we are, but wow do we have spirit. Luckily, I didn't have to deal with all of it for long. I could see my small, worn-down abode nearing in the distance. Hopefully, my parents weren't awake.

The door handle felt cold as ever, and a bit too rickety for my liking. Of course, the actual door itself was super loud too. Looking around the living room I tried to scan everything I could. Even though there happened to be a pretty thick layer of darkness over it all. Thankfully though, I think my family is all asleep.

"Phew" I muttered meekly.

I slowly crept inside and shut the door behind me. I amble along our chipped wood floor, quickly flicking my head to the left and right, even while knowing no one would be lurking there. Ahh... stairs. The biggest killer of making it to my room undetected. Need to take these real slow; and after some centuries, the start of the upstairs unveiled itself. My brain kept subconsciously making sounds on the way up, like random footsteps around the house or clinks from the garage. Pure torture.

Just as I lifted my foot to the top stair, a bang from further down the hallway froze my feet in place. That couldn't have been my imagination. I could feel a scream start to build up in my throat. My mind was now creating thousands of thoughts a second, trying to come to a conclusion on what happened. Well, what I do know is that standing here won't get me any closer to figuring it out. The only way is to walk down this hallway, illuminated by just a single window. I tried to maintain a slow, yet consistent pace, which was extremely difficult on these bending floorboards.

Even after passing the window, there wasn't another sound. What if something was lurking in my parent's room? It was only a couple steps further... yeah, anxiety levels are definitely on high now. I cautiously peeked my head just enough so I could see inside their room. Just like with the living room though, I couldn't make out anything in this darkness. The smart thing to do would be to peek my head in further, but I don't think my heart could handle the thought of doing that and someone grabbing me or something.

After a minute or so of twiddling my thumbs and squinting my eyes, I position myself right next to their door; back against the wall. Trying to think of what to do, I stood still; and before I knew it, a giant hand pressed against my right shoulder.

"AHH-" I yelped and flicked my head to the side.

"Calm down, calm down, it's just me Rei." Landon sighed.

"Was it really necessary to sneak up on me?!" I exclaimed.

"I'm sorry Rei, but to be fair you left yourself wide open for a scare."

I sighed with relief. "Ahhh.. whatever, it's alright."

Now that I know it's just Landon in here and not a stranger, I let myself loosen up. "Are May and Lilia home too?" I asked curiously.