Wicked Hearts Of Stone

Chapter 9

The land was vast and bare. Small shrubs scattered across the rolling hills. In the far distance the mountains peaked to the sky.
I was tired and weak. Mentally and physically drained from the lag few days encounters and events. My mind was shattered with the millions of questions constantly running through my mind.
I was placed in an unknown land that I've never seen, and seen things I've never heard or even dreamt on. My only motivation was survival. To get back to Luca, to my home. To explain and bring to light what father has done. His horrible crime against his own daughter. They must of run out of food by now, and having no money, I couldn't image how hungry Luca must be. I didn't have a single drop of sympathy for father for what he was feeling, knowing he would have spent all the money on booze, not caring about Lucas wellbeing. But I knew too well that money would only last for so long before father turned on Luca.
I needed to get back home, soon.

"Pick up the pace." The creature demanded, he was a few meters ahead of me. I was struggling to keep up with him. My feet dragging and limping through the dirt and grass. Dizziness swooping through my body from lack of water and food and exhaustion.
My ankle screaming to stop, and my wounds open and weeping but I needed to keep going.
"What are you?" I say trying to distract myself with some conversation, but the man doesn't reply
"Are there more things... like you? Out here?" I say again, desperate for any answers.
"Yes and no." He replied sharply.
There was a moment of silence while I tried to make sense of things, connect some dots.
"That wall, to the south," I begin, heavily breathing in between my words. "Is that a wall to keep us divided from things like you?"
"Technically, yes." He replied again. But frustration grew within me from his short and snappy answers. He wasn't giving me anything.
"But why? Why are we separated from you? Are you better than us? Hiding in a lavish world we aren't allowed to be apart of?" I scoff at him. I know I was poking bear, but I needed answers.
But he immediately stops, as do I, frightened from him response and still wanting to keep some space between us.
His hands clench into a ball. He stood there for a moment before treading back to me, fast.
I take a few steps back as he halts in front of me. His face was dull, emotionless, but his body was clearing showing me he was tense and angry.
"What?" I say staring back at him.
"This world is nothing but lavish." He spits out, his arm gesturing to the landscape around us.
"This world, from what you know, is heartless, it's cold, it's deadly. You humans won't survive a single day out here with us. This wood takes and takes from you until you have nothing left." His tone laced with venom. Not once breaking his deathly glare at me.
"I suggest you stop asking dumb fucking question, and get a move on. Now." He says as he pivots and continues walking.
The rest of the walk was in silence as I didn't dare ask another question.

The day felt long, unnaturally long. My ears were ringing and my head was pounding. White snd black spots dancing in my vision and I start to stumble more with each step
I collapse to my knees, legs and arms shaking. The land was burden of any buildings. As far as I could see we were no where near any shelter, any safe places.
"We need to keep moving." He says, standing above me. His tall body giving me some shade from the expose of the sun.
"I can't." I whisper out. My lips stinging from being so dry and cracked.
"Get up." He demands again, but I couldn't. Tears fill my eyes as I feel defeated. I was dead long ago. As soon as I came into this unknown land, that was it. I am never going back.
"You humans. You're all so weak." He said with pity.
And I had pity towards me. I fought to keep my family fed, fought to keep Luca alive. Never asked and never took any offer for help. My burdens was my own.
I tuck my leg underneath me, and I heaved myself up with my legs that felt like jelly. Pain shooting through me like electric bolts, but I push them to the side.
I managed to stable myself, dreadfully looking on the horizon knowing we still had a long while to go.
The sun was starting the sink, and I wouldn't want to imagine what goes on here at night with no light, no shelter, and no warmth. I certainly didn't want to catch myself alone out here.
I managed to take a few steps while the creature watches me and my every move.
I only managed to get a few paces in before my legs give out underneath me again
"Fuck!" I scream in frustration, hitting the hard ground. A notice loud sigh coming from him.
"We can be out here any longer. I'll take you to where we need to be, but I can't guarantee your human body will be able to handle it very well."
I was confused for a moment until I felt his grasp on my shoulder and before I knew it I was spinning.
Spinning through darkness with mist and beams of lights all around. I didn't know which way was up or down anymore. I felt like I was both falling horizontally and being flung parallel. I instantly start start feeling nauseous, my vision was spinning as I couldn't keep up what was happening around me. Flashes of light and darkness made me feel like I was falling through a wormhole or another dimension. My body under immense strain, being twisted, pulled and squashed all at once. Ringing in my ears become louder and louder. It was so quiet that it was painfully loud with nothing.
But what felt like forever finally stops. I felt ground, and I felt gravity and still air once again, but my body and head hadn't caught up and adjusted that it's over.
The white in my vision became brighter and my arms tingled and went numb.
I started falling again until I hit the ground face first. I tired to open my eyes but they wouldn't let me. My body couldn't handle any more and protested. I heard some muffled sounds but I was too tired to make it out. Everything went dark and quiet as I hit slumber like a rock falling into water. Deeper and deeper I went into sleep. Unable to resist it as it swallowed me up