Chapter 1
It wasn’t always like this, Damien thought as he stared out his window. The forest around the house used to be lively, with game running wild and lush green leaves on the trees. Now it’s pretty much dead. All that remains is darkness and death. The lush green leaves and grasses all turn black and withered, the hard brown tree trunks black and hollow, probably housing them. The grass no longer exists on the forest floor, just black hardened earth. There was once a creek nearby. I used to swim there with her. I used to watch her as her beautifully proportioned body swung on the rope making her look like a goddess as she peaked on the swing right before dropping into the water. She would come up from under the water right in front of me and her lips……but those days are long gone now. He couldn’t take it anymore. The creek was no longer flowing with water. It is dried up, a huge crevasse in the forest now.
Damien hated it; he couldn’t stop these thoughts - the memories. There was no way of knowing how much time had passed since they came. There was no way of finding them either. It is getting dark soon, he said to himself. There was nothing for him to do but sleep. His bow was always in arms reach, always with an arrow lying halway between the string and the wood just in case they returned. Ever since that night they hadn’t come into his home again but he could see the effect of their presence all around. His dreams were always flashbacks to that night. He couldn’t get them out of his head. Every night it was the same, he would lie down for the night and drift off to sleep only to be awoken by the screams. Everyone but him was gone in the house, taken too quickly for him to even see them being dragged away; to quickly for him to try and do anything to save them. The next thing he remembers is waking up, the echoes of screams still in his head. He wondered if he had dreamed it and walked around the house looking and searching. He went outside to check on his neighbors. He found them, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of them. Everyone in the town had been captured and all tied into a knot and left in a heap in the town center. Her face was staring back at him, begging for help. He couldn’t believe it. His Sarah was gone.
The guilt is what haunts him every day. Why couldn’t I help them – help her? Why didn’t they take me as well? What happened to me? Why – how did I fall asleep? Why am I alone?
Since that day, Damien has always kept his bow near him. He always wanted to leave but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. He didn’t know where to go. The forest started to die the morning he found everyone. He dared not venture into the forest. He waited for something else to happen, for someone else to show up, for a sign of what he needed to do – what he could do. Nothing came. He has been alone for about six months now. Every day he looks out his window, remembering. For the past couple of days he has felt something was off, the darkness is getting darker, and nights are getting longer. He somehow knows he won’t be safe for long.
Impressum
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 01.04.2013
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