Chapter 10
As hope withers, replaced by fear and bone
Eric suddenly jolts awake from a restless sleep; his body drenched in sweat. He looks around
the room and turns towards Emma. Her breaths are now so shallow that they are almost
imperceptible, but she is still alive. He watches her struggle with each breath, his fear and
worry growing with each passing moment. As Eric looks up at the starlight above, a sense of
bittersweet sadness washes over him. The clear night sky is filled with countless stars, a
beautiful sight that contrasts sharply with the bleak and desperate situation they are in. The
stars twinkle and gleam brightly, seemingly untouched by the chaos and suffering
happening on the ground below.
"Hey, im sorry" Emma suddenly spoke, her voice barely a whisper, she suddenly took a deep,
shuddering breath. For a moment, it seemed like she was going to say something else, but
before she could utter another word, her body convulsed, and she lay motionless on the
floor. The room was suddenly silent, the only sound being the sound of Eric's ragged
breathing. Eric took hold of Emma's limp hand as he gently shook James awake. James woke
up with a start, his eyes widening at the sight of Eric's tear-streaked face. "What's wrong?"
he asked urgently. Eric's voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke the words that hung
heavy in the air. "She's gone," he uttered, struggling to keep his voice steady. James fell
silent, his eyes filled with sorrow and disbelief as he processed the news.
Their heads turned in unison towards a person sleepwalking. It had become a familiar but
eerie sight over the past few months, but this time, something seemed off. The person's
movements were disjointed and uncoordinated, their eyes staring blankly as if they were in
a trance. Eric knew it was generally better to leave sleepwalkers alone and let them wake
up on their own, but something about this one seemed different. The way it moved with a
strange sense of purpose made him feel uneasy. As the sleepwalker made its way towards
the locked door, James shouted out, realization dawning on him. Eric's mind raced as the
pieces fell into place, and a feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. James pointed
towards the sleepwalker frantically trying to get to the door. "Stop that one, it's heading
towards the door!" Eric jumped into action, lunging towards the sleepwalker before it could
reach the door. Time seemed to slow down as Eric lunged towards the sleepwalker, but it
was already too late. The sleepwalker had reached the door and unlocked it, causing it to
swing open with a deafening creak.
Everything was deathly silent for a few moments as the sleepwalker abruptly jolted awake,
the cacophony of the angels' howls filling the air. The survivors in the room exchanged
worried glances, their hearts racing with fear. Eric wasted no time, diving towards Mark's
gun and quickly getting into a ready position. His mind raced as he tried to prepare himself
for the inevitable confrontation. Eric raised the gun, trying to steady his shaking hands as he
aimed at the open door. He felt a chill run down his spine as the sound of the angel's howls
grew louder with each passing second.
James moved quickly, urgently in his voice as he ushered everyone towards the back door.
"Come on, everybody! We need to move fast! Head towards the emergency exit at the back,
find a place to hide!"
Eric's gaze fixated on the angel that was making its way through the open door. Its once
silent movements were now becoming increasingly unsettling, as its arms extended towards
unnaturally long proportions, and its eyes, which were now completely black, sprouted with
a web-like pattern of pure white pupils across every inch of its being. Eric recognized the
angel as the same one that had taken Mark's life just hours before. Now, it moved with a
flurry of unnaturally long appendages, lashing out in every direction. More angels soon
appeared, their hands still held in a praying position, as if worshipping their unholy and
broken god.
Eric felt a sudden and intense headache pierce his brain, the pain quickly spreading to the
depths of his mind. He winced and grasped his head, struggling to focus amidst the torment.
Out of the corner of his vision, he spotted a small boy, no more than nine years old. However,
instead of fear or confusion, the boy's face seemed to radiate joy, as if the chaos was some
kind of game to him. Eric began to move towards the child, intending to save him, but as he
did, a running person swiftly obscured his vision. In its place, the boy he had seen moments
before was gone, replaced by the haunting figure of the angel.
Eric reacted quickly, firing his gun and hitting the angel in the leg, causing it to stumble to
the ground. Without hesitation, he moved towards Mama Luna, who was struggling to move
due to her advanced age. The room was filled with a chorus of pleading voices, pained cries
and death rattles. However, the sound that rang out the loudest was the haunting chanting of
the angels, drowning out all other noises. Eric wrapped an arm around Mama Luna's frail
frame, carefully supporting her as they began to make their way out of the room. He moved
slowly, mindful of her advanced age and the fragile state she was in. Mama Luna's face was
lined with wrinkles, her eyes filled with tears streaming down her cheeks, mixing with the
blood splattered across her skin. The exhaustion etched on her features was apparent as she
struggled to keep up with Eric's pace. Mama Luna spoke, her voice trembling with grief. "An
angel killed Emma, ripped her apart." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. It was
clear she didn't realize that Emma had already passed away before the angel had attacked.
Eric's expression grew somber as he processed Mama Luna's words. The realization that
even his friend's corpse had not been spared from the relentless torment added an extra
layer of bitter sadness to the already dire situation. As they were making their way out of
the room, Mama Luna suddenly stumbled, her footing giving way beneath her. Eric tried to
catch her, but her frail body was too light and she fell to the ground with a thud, her frail
bones cracking in the process. Mama Luna let out a shrill scream filled with pain, the sound
echoing through the room. Her usual sharp voice now had a shrill, guttural quality, like that
of a young girl crying out in agony. Suddenly, a sharp, tentacle-like appendage made of wood
but seemingly alive and pulsating with life, pierced through Mama Luna's side. The sight was
horrifying, as the appendage writhed and moved like a living creature, its surface covered in
countless eyes. Eric watched in horror as the tentacle, attached to the angel, retracted,
dragging Mama Luna along the ground. Blood splattered onto Eric, the sight of her being
yanked back towards the angel leaving him reeling. Blood poured out of her nose and mouth,
and her body was limp like a ragdoll being tossed around by a child. Eric stood frozen,
unable to react as he watched the horrifying scene.
Mama Luna's face contorted in pain and agony, her mouth opened in a silent scream, blood
gurgling out with each ragged breath as she tried to shout. As her gaze met Eric's, her pupils
dilated before rolling back into her head, signaling him to run. Her limp body hung from the
tentacle like a rag doll, her pain and suffering etched onto her face. It was a horrifying sight,
and it was clear that she had let her soul free from its mortal prison.
Eric was paralyzed with shock and disbelief. His mind tried to make sense of the horrific
scene he was witnessing, but all he could feel was a sense of helplessness and despair. Just
as Eric was about to turn and run, the headache returned with a sudden burst of pain, so
intense that he almost toppled over. He stumbled, regaining his balance with great effort,
trying to shake off the debilitating effects of the headache. Eric stumbled and ran, his
backpack weighing heavily against his back with all the items he had packed for survival.
The pistol at his belt and Mark's rifle in his arms made him feel like a war soldier struggling
to escape a battlefield. Every movement felt heavy and labored, but he pushed himself
forward, driven by the urgency to get away from the nightmarish situation unfolding behind
him. With each step, Eric felt the headache slowly subside, fading into a dull throb. Despite
the lingering pain, he pushed through and made his way towards the back door, his body on
autopilot, driven by a desperate need to escape.
As Eric made his way out, his eyes fell upon the small girl he had helped now laying
motionless on the floor, her torso ripped apart into two as entrails poured out of the upper
half of her body. Her father was also laying near her seemingly have shot himself at the
sight of his child's death.
Eric stumbled out of the back door and fled into the thick forest behind the school, the
sounds of the chaos inside fading into the background. He pushed himself further and further
into the darkness, the pained screams and the unearthly howls of the angels slowly
disappearing as he distanced himself from the school. He ran as if his life depended on it, his
feet carrying him through the trees and brush as the pain subsided and adrenaline coursed
through his veins. After running for what felt like an eternity, Eric finally gave in to
exhaustion and collapsed to the ground. He lay on his stomach, breathless and panting, as
the cold, sweet scent of the forest filled his lungs. As he lay there, tears streamed down his
cheeks, the weight of the trauma and grief settling over him like a heavy fog.
As Eric lay on the forest floor, his mind drifted to the memories of Mark, Emma, and Mama
Luna. Their shared moments together flickered through his mind like a movie reel, their
laughter, joy and sorrows all blending together in a bittersweet mix. The memories stung
him like salt on a burn, a constant reminder of what he had lost and the pain he was now
enduring. Eric closed his eyes, trying to block out the pain and the memories, but they kept
resurfacing, vivid and unshakeable. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions, grief, anger,
regret, and fear all swirling together in a painful maelstrom. He felt vulnerable and alone in
the vast darkness of the forest, the cold and the silence only serving to amplify his despair.
As Eric lay there, his thoughts racing and his emotions in turmoil, the exhaustion finally took
hold. His body, drained from the escape and the emotional turmoil, succumbed to the
tiredness, and slowly he began to drift into a restless sleep. Tears streamed down his face,
mingling with the dirt, sweat and snow as he succumbed to the darkness of
unconsciousness. Eric's sleep was filled with a haunting dream. He saw the same laughing
boy, his face a mask of disturbing joy, playing with the corpses of his friends and
companions like toys. The images were vivid and grotesque, each scene more nightmarish
than the last. The boy's laughter rang loudly in his ears, making his sleep feel less like a
reprieve and more like a descent into madness.
Eric stirred from his uneasy sleep, his body jolting awake suddenly. His eyes opened slowly,
the tears frozen to his eyelids from having wept in his sleep. A cold morning breeze greeted
him as the soft light of dawn filtered through the trees, bringing with it the sounds of
chirping birds and the rustling of leaves. The peaceful atmosphere seemed an odd contrast
to the nightmarish events of the previous night, creating a sense of confusion and
discomfort.
As Eric sat up, resting his back against a tree, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of
loneliness. He rummaged through his bag, searching for something to occupy his mind and
distract him from the crushing feeling of isolation. The forest was silent, save for the
occasional bird call and the gentle rustling of the trees, which only added to the sense of
emptiness he felt.
------------------------------XXXXXXXXXXXX------------------------------