Deadwood (The Chronicles of Mistar - Short Story)

···Delfie Caramon

Bastendin 19, 40318 BW···

The sun blinded me, blinking away the dried tears in my eyes.

I felt like I was dreaming. There he was, leaning over me, his eyes filled with concern and worry. For me, I thought, rubbing my eyes, but I couldn't remember anything. My visions were blurring.

Did it really happen? Was my cave really covered in crimson blood?

Then more memories flooded into my brain, everything that happened after I started acting crazy. It was still kind of a blur but I remembered him carrying me, asking for my name, and me actually giving it to him. Most of all, I remember trying to kiss him, but missing and kissing his chin instead. I felt embarrassed, so I closed my eyes, looking away from his enchanting dark navy blue.

I bit my lip. My head started to ache.

"Delfie?" he asked, concern in his voice.

I glanced back at him, daring myself to look. I knew him. He was the boy at the edge of the park. The one I watched, kinda obsessed over. Again, I felt embarrassed but also sick. I'm pretty sure I vomited into my mouth. It tasted like stomach acid and bad breath.

"Delfie?" he said again. "Are you okay? What do you remember?"

I groaned, turning on my side, holding my stomach. As I did so, I recalled his name. "Minkin...," I said breathlessly.

"Yes," he said behind her. "Do... do you remember anything."

Groaning again, I blurted, "I hate it. That's a stupid name. It sounds like a slinking animal ready to pounce and kill."

I didn't mean for it to be funny but he laughed away. I then wanted to laugh too, but it only made my stomach hurt more.

"What would you prefer?" Minkin asked, leaning his over mine to look me in the eyes. I closed them, not ready for close confirmation.

"Not Minkin," I grunted. "Wait... what even happened? My brain... it feels like it's going to explode..."

Minkin pulled away. "I know how you feel," he said softly, regret in his voice. "It's my fault. Out of all the places... the cave under the waterfall was the only place I thought would be safe. Do... do you remember anything? Anything at all?"

My eyes widen. Of course, I remembered.

"Everything," I said, my voice barely a whisper. I winced when another pain pierced my head.

He then grabbed my arm, trying to turn me over. With a guttural scream, I pushed him away. "Don't touch me! I can't, I can't, I can't. No, no, no. I can't, I can't..."

I could feel the panic attack coming on. I sat up, rocking myself back and forth. Holding my arms, I bit my finger, trying to replace mental pain with physical pain. It didn't work. Flashes of splattered blood, dead animals, and the waterfall turning red took over my mind. I saw dead bodies, the deadwood covered in spiderwebs and dead bodies. It was horrifying. Unable to hold in my screams, I let them loose, letting them echo from tree to tree.

Only then, was I able to take in my surroundings. It was the deadwood. The cursed deadwood. The falls were close, their soft roar not far away. Looking at my hands, I saw the blood from the cave. It hadn't been washed off and I started to scream again.

When Minkin tried to touch me again, I saw him. He was in a vision. He was responsible for everything.

I shoved him away, my screaming stopped. Instead of fear, I now felt anger. I could feel my gift coming, stretching its limbs to my heart, wanting me to explode, so I did. I let it take over. My hands warmed, trying to burn off the blood. They turned orange, pulsing with energy and heat. When I touched my clothes, they burned to a crisp.

But I felt it. My energy was dissipating. I barely used my gift, so I had no control. Because of the loss of control, my energy went quick. I could feel myself start to fall, only to be caught by his hands. Minkin's hands.

He screamed though. My body to hot to hold. He dropped me and I fell with a thud. The sun was the last thing I saw before I passed out, my heart racing with heat.