May 26th,
I wish I could say that I was enjoying my pleasant walk through the forest. The golden glow and scent of maple and cinnamon surrounding us as Emily and I were searching a way to get back to the real world.
But that wasn't the case.
It was midnight. The rain and thunder were quite violent that night as the wind tried to shred my into pieces. I was only thirteen. I wanted to run away from home after my father left us, but I couldn't. The guilt I felt was too painful for me to leave my mother.
Way too painful.
"AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUHHHHHH!!!!"
I could feel that terrible pain for the huge chunk of flesh missing from my face. It burned and felt cold at the same time. The burning sensation was new to me, though it would be an understatement to call this only a "sensation."
It felt as if my entire face was on fire.
My vision grew blurry as the blood mixed with the rain and sudden rush of adrenaline a moment ago made me feel weak. I stumbled as I tried to run away.
"EMILY!!!! EMILY, WHERE ARE YOU?!?!" I shouted into the night, hoping to get an answer.
Even through this horrible situation, I still needed to find Emily. I didn't want her to feel what I was feeling right now. She's already had too much pain for one lifetime.
"ALEX!"
I heard Emily answer with a shout that rang through the storm.
"I'LL GET TO YOU!!! JUST STAY WHERE YOU ARE AND KEEP SHOUTING!!!" I shouted to her.
I followed her shouts through the storm. I stumbled my way through the rain and wind, hoping that the thunder wouldn't knock me off balance.
"ALEX!"
I saw Emily only a few meters away and ran with all my might towards her.
"EMILY, WE NEED TO HURRY," I shouted to her. "LET'S GO BEFORE SHE-"
*SHINK!* *SPLURT!*
I felt myself arch backwards as something pierced right through me. I looked down to see the sharp metal rod that pierced through my skin. A strong stream of blood gushed out of my chest.
I didn't even bother screaming at that time. I just looked up at Emily and muttered one word to her.
"Run..."
I fell sideways and landed on my right shoulder. I stared straight at Emily and smiled, reassuring her that I would be fine before she could even have a chance to complain. She nodded and sprinted away, a stream of tears flowing from both her eyes.
"Wow, that was quite rude~," the voice of my mother said. "Please don't run away from me like that again~! Otherwise, your punishment will be even worse than this one!~"
In one of her hands she had an axe, and in the other a kitchen knife. And with this metal rod still pierced straight through me, she now had a total of three weapons.
All I could do was chuckle a little at how hopeless the situation was, then protect my head at all costs. I knew that the pain that would come was going to be a horrible experience for me, but I didn't want to die.
Through all those stabs, all I tried to do besides scream was think about how my life would go with Cole and Emily. I thought of us building our own house inside that beautiful forrest with our own hands.
I felt both my hand getting smashed against branches on the ground until every bone in them was broken. Blood poured out as many of the bones were sticking out of my hands.
I thought of how Cole and I could spend every night sleeping beside each other. I wanted to feel his head resting on my chest again.
I felt the metal rod getting pulled out of my chest violently. What followed were countless strikes with an axe straight at my chest. Chunks of flesh flew everywhere as pools of blood began to form below me.
I thought of how Cole, Emily, and I could go for long walks into the woods as we took in the beauty and smell that it had to offer us.
I felt my feet getting stomped on until every bone inside them was broken. Then, I felt my legs getting jacked by an axe until they were completely hacked off.
There was nothing I could do but scream, think, and protect my head at all costs.
The sun finally rose, finally ending my seemingly endless night of terror. I stayed laying on the ground in a fetal position, still protecting my face.
I stayed in that position for hours, waiting for someone to come and help me. I was still laying in the ground in the forrest. This forrest wasn't my world though. I was still in that horrible world. I knew I had to get out of there before night rolled in, but I was just too afraid of dying. I just kept my hands protecting my face and stayed in the same position.
"Alex?"
I felt like it had been years since I last heard that voice. It was that voice alone that had finally broken me from that position that I lay in. I sat myself up onto my knees and just stared at her. The sight of her holding her hand out to me was one that I could only describe as a angel guiding the way through darkness.
I got myself up and slowly walked to her. When I was only a short separation away from her, I dropped to my knees again and hugged her tightly. Then...
"Ha...Ha...Aaaaauuuuuhhhh...HI...AAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGHHHHHH!!!!!"
I cried. I cried in front of Emily. In front of a little girl. However, I didn't feel embarrassed. In fact, I felt comfort. Like I had someone to lean on a little for support. This made me miss Cole even more than I already did.
I felt Emily parting my head softly with her hand. She didn't mutter a single word to me. She just let me cry my eyes out for hours and kept giving me pats on the head. I didn't hold back on any of those tears. I fully expressed my pain to Emily. I showed her all of the emotions that I've kept bottled up inside me for years through those wet years of mine.
I finally stopped crying after hours had passed. I got myself off my feet, experiencing a slight head rush from it though, and wiped my face off.
"You're quite a crybaby you know?" Emily joked.
"I know." I said.
"I can't imagine what you had to go through last night. All I could do was run and cry while I heard you screaming in pain."
"I'm glad you did though. I can't let my daughter get hurt you know!"
Emily smiled softly.
"Such an overprotective father."
We started walking out of the forrest. We crossed the endless road and went back into our own forrest. The forrest that we came to know and love.
"We're going to have to find a way to beat those two worlds right?" Emily asked me.
"Unfortunately, yes." I said to her.
"I know we'll get through it. After all, I still have to meet my new mother as well."
I laughed a little after she said that.
"Hey, what's so funny?" Emily pouted.
"I'd say more like new father." I said to her.
"...heh?"
I guess I had a little explaining to do. This was going to be a long talk.