Rune sat on the grassy hill, laughing as he watched the younger children chase each other around the dirt path that wound through the village. The air was warm and filled with the chatter of innocent joy. Rune had always been different from the others—quiet, often lost in his thoughts—but moments like these made him feel something close to contentment. For once, he could forget his constant worries, his shy demeanor, the pressure of being the quiet, unassuming boy. The children's laughter rang in his ears, and for a fleeting moment, he forgot about the world that always seemed to weigh on him.
A boy no older than six ran up to him, eyes bright with excitement. "Rune, come play! Come play with us!" the child urged, tugging at his sleeve.
Rune smiled gently but shook his head. "Maybe later. I'm just gonna watch for a bit." His voice was soft, and though he wanted to join, he knew his energy had limits. He wasn't like the others—always so loud, so carefree. Rune preferred the quiet, the calm. His attention drifted to the sky, watching the clouds float by.
As the sun dipped lower, signaling that evening was approaching, Rune knew it was time to head home. He stood up and patted the dirt from his pants, offering the children one last smile before walking back toward his modest house on the edge of the village.
His mother's voice echoed in his mind. "Don't stay out too late, Ru. You need your rest for school tomorrow."
School. Rune's stomach twisted. The thought of going back made him feel small, suffocated. The other children, loud and brash, always made him feel out of place. The teachers' eyes, filled with expectations, were too much. Rune didn't feel ready for any of it—not the lessons, not the pressure, not the loneliness that seemed to follow him wherever he went.
By the time he reached the door to his home, he could already hear the voices of his parents arguing inside.
"Ru, you need to be more responsible. You can't keep avoiding school like this," his father's voice was stern, but tired.
"I don't care!" Rune shot back, pushing the door open. His heart was already pounding in frustration. "I don't want to go! I hate it! It's not like it matters anyway!" His voice cracked, the frustration bubbling up as he stepped inside.
His mother's face softened at his words. "Ru, we've talked about this. You're going to school whether you like it or not. It's important. You can't keep running away from it."
"I'm not running away," he snapped, feeling the familiar heat of anger rising in his chest. "I just don't want to go. I don't want to be there. No one understands me!" His hands trembled slightly as he clenched them into fists, trying to control the wave of emotion.
His father sighed, rubbing his temples. "You're going. And that's final. No more arguments."
Rune's chest tightened. He could feel the familiar sense of hopelessness creeping in, the weight of expectations pressing down on him like a heavy stone. He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready for anything. "Fine," he muttered, storming out of the house.
Without thinking, Rune turned on his heel and walked toward the forest. His feet carried him away from the noise of the village, away from the suffocating demands of home. The soft rustle of leaves in the trees was a welcome distraction as he ventured deeper into the forest, his mind swirling with thoughts.
He came to a small clearing by the lake, where the flat rock he always liked to sit on awaited. The surface was smooth and cool under his palms as he lay back, gazing up at the sky. The water shimmered under the fading light, and Rune closed his eyes, letting the peace of the place wash over him.
For once, he could breathe.
He drifted off to sleep, his body relaxing into the stone, unaware of how long the hours passed.
Rune sat on the cool flat rock, his eyes fixed on the lake, the soft ripples of the water calming his restless mind. The laughter of the children still echoed faintly in his ears, the memory of the afternoon's games bringing a faint smile to his lips. But that smile quickly faded, replaced by the weight of the thoughts that always seemed to follow him—his parents' expectations, the relentless pressure of school, the loneliness that gnawed at him even when surrounded by others.
He sighed, the cool evening breeze brushing through the trees. "I just want some peace," he muttered to himself, lying back on the rock to stare at the sky. The sun was dipping behind the horizon, casting a soft, golden hue across the clouds.
A sudden feeling of discomfort washed over him, a nagging sensation that he wasn't alone. But as always, Rune pushed the thought aside. He wasn't one to easily trust others, and he certainly wasn't about to let his imagination play tricks on him.
The wind picked up, the once gentle breeze now turning into a howl. Dark clouds rolled in, blocking the last traces of sunlight. The peaceful scene shattered in an instant, and Rune sat up quickly, his heart pounding. He'd never seen the weather change so fast before.
"Maybe I should head home," he muttered, unease creeping up his spine.
But before he could even get to his feet, the first distant rumble of thunder shook the ground beneath him. The storm was more than just a storm—there was something wrong about it, a deep sense of unease that spread through the forest.
Rune stood up, looking around, confusion turning into alarm. The wind howled louder, trees swaying dangerously as the sky darkened to an unnatural black. The air felt charged, heavy with something more than just rain.
Suddenly, a loud screech pierced the air—a sound like a beast from a nightmare. Rune froze. His eyes darted around as the first of the monstrous creatures emerged from the shadows. Towering beasts with twisted, gnarled limbs, their eyes glowing an eerie red, began to crawl from the edges of the forest, moving toward the village. They were terrifying, grotesque, and terrifyingly real.
Panic surged through Rune. The ground trembled as a low, guttural growl echoed from deeper within the woods. These weren't just animals—they were monsters, things from beyond the realm of anything he had ever known.
Without thinking, Rune turned and ran.
His legs burned as he pushed through the thickening rain, heading back toward the village. His mind raced, desperate for answers, his heart pounding in his chest. "What... what is happening?" His breath came in sharp, panicked gasps. The storm was no longer a mere weather event—it was the harbinger of something far worse.
The village was in chaos by the time Rune arrived. The first thing he saw were the bodies—the mangled, torn remains of villagers scattered across the streets. Blood stained the earth, mixed with the mud and rain, as screams echoed in the distance.
Monstrous shapes loomed over the houses, their massive forms silhouetted by the flickering light of distant fires. Rune's legs felt like lead, his body moving on autopilot as he stumbled toward his home. He needed to get to his parents. He needed to make sure they were okay.
He reached his house, but the sight that greeted him was a nightmare. His home, once a place of warmth, now lay in ruins. The walls had crumbled, the roof torn away by some force too terrible to comprehend. The air was thick with the stench of blood, the remnants of his neighbors scattered across the wreckage. His body trembled, but he pushed forward, clawing through the rubble with trembling hands.
"Mom! Dad!" he screamed, his voice hoarse with panic, but there was no answer. He shoved aside debris, his heart pounding as he searched, eyes frantically scanning for any sign of life.
And then, he found them.
His mother, her body torn apart, lying in a pool of her own blood. His father, the man who had always been his protector, was barely recognizable, his body crushed beneath the remnants of their home.
A sob choked in Rune's throat, his hands shaking as he reached out to them. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening. "No... no, please..." His voice cracked, breaking under the weight of the reality he was forced to face.
But it wasn't just his parents. His sister... she was gone. There was no sign of her, no trace of her body. The emptiness was suffocating.
Tears mixed with the rain, but they felt like nothing more than a futile gesture in the face of this overwhelming destruction. Rune staggered back from the wreckage, his body giving out as he collapsed to the ground. "Why? How could this happen?" he whispered, his words lost in the wind. ..
Fate had taken everything from him.