Evander's eyes widen impossibly as his brain slowly tries to take in what happened to his wrist. Although he can see an impossible colour of red coming from his own body, it doesn't register to him that he has been harmed. Coldness reaches around his ribcage and up his spine to the base of his cranium. He can only do a single blink before another spray opens upon his pale skin. His mind rushes to the present and yanks his hand back to his body, staining his already dirty and torn blue shirt. The blood coats and soaks down the material, painting his stomach through the thin shirt. His blood feels cold and all too real. His heart catches up and then pain bangs in pangs inside his wrist muscles.
Evander lets out a choking cough that didn't seem to want to release from his lungs. Snap. Adrenaline kicks in, forcing his whole body to jolt back and slam down backwards onto the grass underneath him. His body screams to get away from whatever is in front of him that caused him such pain. His eyes are unfocused as they try to focus, wavering at anywhere that's a shadow in front of him. His lungs cough out as air spreads back inside his throat. The oxygen feels too cold inside him that it feels like it is ripping holes through his organs as it travels throughout his body. But still, he wheezes hard and fast, trying to swallow more air that only creates air pockets in his stomach. He can't get enough air. He needs more to be able to function.
Blackness caresses his vision in blinks. He blinks trying to clear the tears from between his numbed eyelids. Evander scraps his elbows, right hand and feet in his hurry to scrape his body away from the looming pain in front of him. The one he can no longer see. He blinks harder. Focus eyes! Focus! Please! Evander begs, really crying to his body to work hard to move him away. Away! Away away awayawayawa-
Thump. Thump. Thumping noise starts up that is not the sound of Evander's heart in his ears. Like small steps. Like small legs. Like a small body carrying itself closer down towards the scrambling backwards young adult human. There is breathing other than his. Coming closer. Evander is still shifting backwards, tearing the skin in his palm as he twists himself around onto his stomach. He claws with his uninjured hand up from where he came. Past footsteps that ran excitedly towards a single goal. A small goal he was given. To survive. And already, he is failing.
A chuffed hmph! sounds behind Evander. Evander doesn't want his body to stop moving. Yet it does. It slows and becomes stuck. In fear. With fear. Becoming fear.
"Scared. Scared. Scard. Ed," Evander whispers with no breath.
His breathing is fast. Faster. He feels something's weight on his back. It presses down harder as though claiming its prey. The hunter is proud. What a fine catch. A weak meal though. Evander imagines the feeling of teeth and blades ripping his flesh apart. He can feel it. It hurts. But it is not real. He is only laying on the ground with his left arm stuck under his body. He feels too big but too small. But he is average in size. He is not dying. He is in shock. He will be fine if he treats his wounds. They are not deep.
Yet he stays still, wanting everything to stop so he can escape. To gain the energy to chuck whatever is on him away and to run back around the house inside. Where it is safe.
And then, the weight is gone. He is calming down. He calms down. Closing his useless eyes, he slows his breathing, and his mind follows. Evander becomes conscious of the two long pains on his wrist. It feels red and quickly becoming irritated underneath him. He pushes his injured arm out and the trapped blood quickly pools around the limb, desperately rushing to stop and heal the wound. Evander has control of himself again. He feels able to move his whole body but reminds himself to take it slow.
He opens his eyes, seeing grass that wants to poke him in the eye. The blades stick up his nose and tries to twist between his lips. It feels uncomfortable. He lifts his face from the things then inhales through his nose. The air comes in easier, and his lungs only burn a little from previous abuse. He lifts himself with both arms, feeling his left not to be incapable of use. He slowly lifts himself with weak and stinging muscles, managing to tighten his legs to his body as he gets up to a sitting position on them.
"WOw, that was some reaction. You never received a scratch before or something? Thought you almost died there," a raspy gritty voice chuckles from behind Evander.
Evander jerkily turns his upper body around toward the voice and finds the gnome he saw before through the nook window. It looks the same. It's ceramic red hat and facial hair are unmoving. The blue and red painted body remains still, and the keys dangle from a clasped fist. The … gnome spoke? Evander looks over the gnome but sees no other creature around. He looks back at the gnome and stares.
"BWAH-"
"AH!" Evander shouts from being startled by the gnome that suddenly came to life.
"What the fuck! What the hell in fuck, man!" Evander's whole body goes back into panic mode.
"Haahahahaha! An amazing face! My favourite is when handsome rich faces like yours are twisted in pain like that! Yes!" the gnome hurrahs while spinning around happily.
Evander stares at the thing in horror as he clenches his chest's racing heart. "That's not funny!" he suddenly gets angry, trying to vent his emotions inside him out, "It's not funny, you brat!"
"Who're you to call an old man a brat?" the gnome gives him a one eyed glare, then breaks out into a grin, "'Cause yer right! Hahahaha!"
Evander feels insulted and hurt by thing laughing creature. He would like to feel relaxed, but the thing is, he doesn't know the creature is. He hadn't seen any ceramic gnome monsters in the game. Is it a shifting spirit that takes possession of objects? It is definitely playful like one. Or is it actually a special type of gnome? Evander's mind is lacking somewhat at the moment from both scares. He's starting to feel very sluggish which is the opposite of what he wants. He holds his hand up to his head to feel his forehead beating hotly. From that position, his injured wrist wafts the scent of copper up his nose. He wants to spit the smell out his mouth but holds it in and breathes out the smell that still sticks around after exhaling.
"What, what are you?" Evander asks the gnome still laughing in front of him.
"I was waiting for you to ask me that! Ahem!" the gnome centres itself, clearing its throat to begin speaking in a narrator voice, "I am god- Naaaaaaaah, I'm the devil, yo! Ahahahahaa!"
The gnome starts up their laughing again. Evander sighs and pushes his stinky wrist away from his face. His eyes catch the keys in the gnome's hand, watching as the large ring of multicoloured keys swing around from the gnome's chuckling. Evander doesn't really care what the creature is anymore after finding out it would rather make fun than tell him anything useful.
"Uhm, so, devil. The Devil? Or is that just a fun title? But- I kind of need those keys in your hand. Could I-"
"Nope! I'm not letting you have these until you sell me your soul," the gnome grins, uplifting its large moustache.
"Ah, why not?" Evander tries to keep calm and not shove the thing in the face and grab the keys, remembering that the gnome had previously harmed him, "I really need both my soul and the keys."
"Dooooon't care. If you want them, come get them," the gnome dares with grinning and mischievous eyes staring directly into Evander's dirty face. The devil winks while holding the keys above his head but not past his shiny red hat. "Or you can start running, don't you think?" the gnome points over its shoulder with its other hand.
Evander takes his eyes off the gnome and to the trees behind the gnome. There, a foot coming out the trees. A leg slowly appears under the dark light of the cloudy grey sky, then a hip and a naked waist. Slowly, a sloshing sound begins to tumble through the trees. Swoosh. Like a waterfall. Water rushing towards him. More legs appear in the treeline and then faces. Gloomy dead faces with bleached grey skin and bruised bodies. The mouths fall open, showing large sharp sabertoothed fangs. Liquid drips from the bodies. They're wet like water.
The smell of old luke-warm water reeks in the air, reminding Evander of the same thing he smelled upon coming to the cabin. It was coming from these creatures? These creatures that Evander remembers seeing something similar in the game. Water Vampires.