Pernicious- True Evil

Chapter 7

A sharp stream of light pierced Astra's eyes. She lay on the ground with nothing more than blue skies lingering above her head and an itchy mat below her body. She could feel the moisture in the air and could almost taste the smell of flowers from a fuzzy bush covered in small pink floral buds that stood directly beside her.

She was at the edge of a hill covered land, choking with emerald grass and speckled with tiny pink flowers. The dirt no longer moved on its own and stood still under the roots of the plants. Nearby, she could see a thick curving river slicing the land in half, flowing into the mountain range beyond and giving life to everything around it. In the far distance, on the other side of the river, she saw a land almost desolate of life except for a few barren trees surrounded by boulders of all sizes. It was a strange contrast to the lush area she found herself in. The rolling hills seemed to be cut by the river and the other side was strangely flat.

Surrounding her was a disturbing amount of life. Between a variety of colorful insects and moving clouds of what appeared to be flocks of some sort of a bird-like animal, there were species unknown to her all around. Though she knew she should be afraid, for some reason they didn't even seem to notice her presence.

She slowly twitched her fingers, then toes, before she finally could move her arms which seemed like a close to impossible task at first. It was strange to use her muscles after her body had refused to allow her to. Her body felt like it had been beaten with a two-by-four and any of her skin not covered in cloth was itchy and uncomfortable. Though she had not thoroughly examined herself, she was sure she was covered in bruises and knots and she could feel a nasty bump on the side of her head. She knew she could move, but she was so sore she wasn't sure if she even wanted to or if she would rather just lay there.

Then the thought hit her like a train. Where were the men who were protecting her? Did they die fighting those monsters? Was she captured by her enemy?

Lifting her hand, she wiped her mouth. Dried blood. Why was there blood on her lips?

She shook as she struggled to push herself up. Damn her weak muscles.

Only ten feet away from her, a plump creature the size of a cat approached. It had long floppy ears and large blue eyes. It curiously sniffed the air with its tiny yellow nose. Covered in brills of some sort, it waddled towards her before cocking its head to the side. it appeared as though it was trying to figure out exactly what she was, but then quickly became distracted by a bug and chased after it, stretching its claws out and snapping hungrily.

Why did her skin itch so much? She looked down and realized that she was still on the mat. Although it was scratchy, it was well made, with an intricate decorative pattern woven in the center. Did this mean they were still alive? Did they somehow defeat the demon?

She turned and saw two men quietly whispering to each other by a tree not too far from where she sat. Her chest raised. Alek nodded his head and pointed in her direction. The other man turned. Her heart stopped. He was no human. He was the demon she saw approaching before she was knocked unconscious.

She pushed herself back and bit her lip. Peering through his long black eyelashes were golden, red, and blue speckled eyes, nestled in a bed of darkness. Every time he blinked, two separate eyelids folded over each of his eyes, moisturizing them with a shiny film. The off color of his skin made him look almost dead with cheeks that sunk into his face. Though most of his teeth were flat, he had two very distinct incisors that were twice as long as the other teeth and sharp enough to tear skin. He wasn't as tall or muscular as Alek but he looked ten times scarier.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't even know you had woken up yet! I'm Sagan. What's your name?" he asked in a friendly tone, holding his hand out to shake hers. She glanced at the bracelet. He was the one who was dragging her.