Lux : The Protector

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

     When he opened his eyes, he wasn't on the clearing but Lenny found himself lying on the cold mossy ground in the middle of the woods and feeling a little bit light-headed. Confused, he sat up and gazed around nervously. The fog had grew thicker and it was hard to see a thing except for those tall, thick trees towering above him with huge branches that prevented light from passing through.

He rubbed his arms briskly through his sleeves and rose to his feet. How he got back there, he had no idea.

A rustle came from behind him and he quickly turned around to look.

"H-Hello?" he called out.

He didn't even recognize his own voice. It sounded groggy and distant.

The woods can be a mysterious place where unknown creatures dwell. Lenny had always known that for a fact but didn't really take it seriously until now. He heard rustles and scampering from all around him as if something from behind the mist was running around in circles, surrounding him.

A snap of wood and a weird sound was coming from behind him. Lenny gulped and slowly, steadily turned around to look.

"What the..." he blurted out, his voice trailing off.

There was a dark figure crouching over the ground that was just a few meters away from him. Lenny's eyes widened and he began to tremble. He tried to run the other way but instead, his foot got caught in the tangle of roots making him trip. Everything was swaying.

The figure raised its head up towards him with a low growl.

Lenny stifled a scream and tried to scramble away. He knew he looked pathetically like an idiot but he didn't care. He had to get away to whatever creature the thing was.

Now the figure stepped slowly out from the shadows, towards him. He scrambled faster backwards, almost crawling-running until his back hit a trunk of the tree. He was trapped. A few more steps and the creature would reach him and most probably, eat him, too.

The creature stepped even more closely to him with its long slender legs. For a second, Lenny thought he saw a familiar flash of red hair.

"Greg...?" he breathed.

It was coming closer and closer until the light from the moon shone over it, revealing its face.

It was the girl. He was pretty sure about that. It had to be. But her face was matted with blood, fresh blood that dripped down her chin. She stared down at him and snarled, showing a pair of very sharp canine teeth protruding out her mouth.

Lenny's instincts were to duck and cover himself with his arms while he screamed his head off like hell.

Then he woke with a start.

This time, it was for real. He gasped for breath, panting as he looked around. He was back in his room and in his bed. The sunlight shone through his window, creeping on the bedroom floor. It was morning. And he's back in his room as if nothing happened. He wasn't in the woods. No girl. No monster. He mopped his face with his hands. Maybe it was all just a dream. It wasn't real. He was safe now.

Still feeling a little dazed, he climbed down his bed and felt his head throb. Lenny winced as he clutched his head, padding straight to the bathroom down the hall. He splashed cold water into his face to wake his weary soul up. He inhaled deeply and looked up.

He saw his reflection in the mirror, the bluish purple bruise under his eye still visible. His eyes travelled towards his hair and saw something stuck in between his hair. Reaching up, he plucked out a leaf from his head and noticed a small gash on his forehead. It hadn't been there yesterday. It was the spot where he was struck last night.