DON'T LOOK BACK. Whatever you do don't look back. That's what the voice inside Gola's head screamed persistently. That's what common sense told her, what the movies and the books told her. It's what her father had told her when she'd awaken to the inhumane sound of her mother choking on her own vomit. With watery crimson rimmed eyes he'd put a firm hand on her shoulder as he assisted her back to her room. Don't look back he'd warned. Whatever you do don't look back.
Just as she'd done that night with her mother, regrettably she threw a wary glance over her shoulder.
She looked back.
God save your soul if you shall ever find yourself running frightfully through the deep dark wood and make the grave mistake of looking back!
At first she saw nothing save for the outline of tress illuminated by moonlight. Heard nothing but her ragged breaths and hammering heart thundering in her ears. Unsettled but unimaginably exhausted she decided it was as good a time as any to slow her pace.
Make that the second dire life costing mistake she'd made. Only when you're out of the woods and in the clear are you allowed a breath. Gola smith was still shrouded in darkness.
"Hello?" She shakily breathed out, sensing a presence.
Only silence replied. So in silence she scanned her surroundings. The hair on her arms stood at attention. Her breathing grew heavier.
Everything was wrong.
Gola covered her mouth and strained her widened eyes to see something she hadn't before. To see something that wasn't supposed to be there.
A whistling breeze, rustle of leaves, rubbing of branches and deep breathing poured into her ears.
Calm down, Anxious Anne! She scolded herself, placing another hand over her mouth to further muffle her disoriented breathing. The deep breathing only seemed to sink deeper.
Almost Nearer.
A blinding realization struck her heart making it skip a few beats. Those deep breaths didn't belong to her.
The sound that she had ignorantly believed to be a horse exhaling out of it's nose tore through the heavy breaths and harsh breezes. Repeating and stringing together like a most terrifying song. The truth came to moonlight, a massive midnight hued goat with glowing crimson eyes that sliced through the darkness, appearing ready to pounce.
As if she'd just looked Medusa dead in the eyes, Gola stood still as a statue. Absolutely frozen in fear. Though her mind raced with no less than a million thoughts. Notions of how a goat could possibly amass such a magnificent size, how a goat could have such a deep blood like glow to it's eyes.
Wondering if the goat was valid or some wicked demonic perversion. But mostly her mind screamed darn it, darn it darn it! As if those magical words would vanquish the great peeved animal.
The almost phantom like goat kicked dirt back with one of it's front hooves, bowing its monstrous head almost respectfully, though Gola knew it had full intent on ramming it's enormous twisting colorless horns right through her heart.
A morbid calmness settles over her. An acceptance perhaps even a welcoming that tonight she will perish.
The burden of a mortal heart will trouble her no more. Her problems will settle amongst in her ashes. Her worldly problems will meld into flowers.
By dying she may not win. But her death will certainly end the game. If the demon prince has no reason to threaten Yona, she'll be safe. With no reason to threaten Beaumont, he'll be safe.
Gola clenched her eyes shut. Ignoring the voice deep inside of her which wept loudly about not wanting to die.
Primal was the cry of what sounded to be a thousand wolves growling in sync trumpeting through the air. Not only was the aspiring martyrdom Gola knocked off track but the vicious big bad demon goat too.
A deep gasp rattled her chest before she hesitantly pried her eyes open only to see another gigantic monstrous animal bolting towards her. Tonight was simply not her night. As she stood frozen once again her mind failed refrained it 'darn it' song.
Surprisingly enough the vast Carmel hued wolf snapped it's mega fangs at the demon goat instead of her. Like a fool she watched as the wolf stood protectively in front of her foaming at the mouth and snarling.
The crimson eye'd goat swiftly let the wolf know it was not impressed. It thrashed wildly, somewhat bucking, somewhat darting straight at the wolf, striking down several innocent trees in the process. The wolf howled, bellowing a defending war cry as it jogged to meet the force of the enormous demon goat.
The two beast fought to kill as they clawed, bit and thrashed each other ruthlessly. Somehow they'd split apart and now paced in circles. Sizing each other up. Something about the ferocious gleam in their eyes shouted blinding hatred and an ill history.
The wolf threw a final advising glance over its shoulder at Gola who was still frozen in fear. When their eyes met an understanding was met. She sprinted away, trying her best to ignore the familiarity of both beast eyes. It felt as if she'd been running for years when a road came to focus.
She'd decided it had been at least half an hour but the night was threatening to break at the rising peeks of sunlight. Time is just a shadow demons plaything after all. So it didn't surprise her that the dark wood had eaten the night, that on one side she'd entered at midnight and exited the other no more than two hours later at sunrise.
Not too far ahead she could see lights of a road side dinner twinkling like stars. Just when she thought she'd never reach it, she'd bursted through the door and collapsed into a bench at the entry. Unable to find it in herself to care about what she must look like to other dinners.
After twenty minutes of flexing her toes and mumbling to herself about murdering shadow demons she waddled to the paying booth to be seated. No one came. The dinner was deserted. Not willing to wait another minute Gola waddled further in reasoning that when the manager finally arrives at work she'll tell a story about how she was chased into the woods by an axe murder or something.
As she slowly sauntered the racket of China and silverware clashing danced into her ears. So She followed the noise like an invisible rope leading. At the dead back of the restaurant a lone girl dressed in a vintage lace dress, huge hat and exaggerated makeup up dined silently.
The closer Gola got to her the more the wrongness of the girl became clear. Her clothes were mouth eaten in many places, her sting of pearls wrapped around her neck like a noose, her eyes empty voids and the strings. The almost invisible strings wrapped around her waist, hands, arms, legs and feet. As if she were a puppet doll.
"Nyx?"
