Eventide

upon the ground her red tears fall
a final thought to end them all
if only she had seen the lies
she could have saved herself in time

---

Her heart beat in the dark, a distant sound in the fog of her confusion.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Blood rushed through her ears, roaring like an angry waterfall, crashing down upon her with relentless fury.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Something tickled at the back of her mind, teasing her with careless abandon, waiting for her to snatch the bait. She grabbed at it, reaching with tired muscles, straining towards the faintest hint of freedom...

Boom.

Thunder. Lightning.

She was in a brightly lit room, flashes of golden electricity dancing in the windows. A desk sat directly in front of her, polished wood shining softly. A bell sat on its surface, placed amoung scattered books and stacked papers.

Ding.

She tapped it curiously, watching the metal shimmer.

Ding. Ding.

Something clinked, clattered, flashed; keys. They were glinting from a hook on the wall, swaying gently. They were behind the bell and the desk and the books and the papers. Waiting for her.

Ding.

The way was blocked by a cabinet, but she crouched, inching through carefully. Her skin brushed against the walls, eliciting a shiver. She was through. She grabbed the key.

Ding.

She whirled around, alarm coursing through her veins. The bell sat, still and innocent, shimmering. Polished, just like the desk. The surface of the metal flickered as another bolt of lightning lanced across the heavens.

Polished.

Ding.

Eyes, bright as the lightning, dark as shadow. Blinking. Looking at her.

She ran through the first door, keys slipping, falling, clattering to the ground as darkness enveloped her.

----

...the elevator plummeted, wind whistled, he screamed. Screaming.

Rock bottom.

----

---

Blackness. Empty space, groping for purchase, stumbling-

The door creaked. She tumbled through.

It was bright; the room was well lit, and glass sconces shimmered upon the walls. There were no windows, but the storm roared in the distance, pounding against the bars of her prison.

Boom. Boom.

She stepped forward hesitantly, the keys in her small hand clattering to her feet. The sound of the metal echoed in time with her heartbeat, drilling a rhythmic pain into her skull.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

It was warm and inviting; elegantly carved cabinets lined the area, and a rich rug was laid out upon the floor. Several vibrant paintings hung upon the walls. Her hands trembled as she scanned for any signs of danger. A second passed. Two. Three.....

Nothing. There was …nothing.
Why was there nothing? It was… empty. So empty.
It had gone quiet.
Empty.

She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, but any sound she made would break the silence. It coated her like paint, suffocating and sticky, seeping through her skin and into her blood and staining it black, black like the shadows that lurked behind her eyes. She wanted to close them, shut out the strange stillness, float in the darkness and the safety. Close her eyes and block out the pain that surely lay ahead. But when would she stop running? She couldn’t. She opened her mouth, tried to breathe, clutched her chest as her lungs constricted. Air. She needed air.

The lights flickered.

She choked, her fingers digging bloody gouges into her skin as she forced herself to breathe because she needed to hide, needed to-

She heard it through the hurricane of blood in her ears. Him. Roaring in the distance, the shatter of glass, whirlwinds of malevolence coming for her, coming to devour her, coming to end her. The lights flickered again. Sobbing, falling to the ground; dragging herself forward. Closer. Closer. Another sound joined the Rush; static started to buzz, growing louder and louder with each passing moment. Almost there. Almost safe. The static crackled and popped like a spent lightbulb, until-

"Psst."

Not him. Please not him.

"Pssssssst."

She whipped her head around, searching for the source of the voice, frantically scanning, but all she saw was black. The lights had shattered, glass glittering on the floor, edges sharp and jagged. She had to find him- if she could just look, he would run away, he would leave her alone. If she could just look him in the eyes- where- WHERE WAS HE-?!

Boom. Boom.

The thunder hammered like the beat of a drum, heralding her doom. She was out of time.

The Rush was upon her, slamming her against the walls, dragging her through the glass, up, down, sideways; her head spun, her scales throbbed. She tried to scream but it stole her voice, sucking it from her lungs like a vaccum. Helpless. She couldn't think, couldn't feel. Everything was numb. She wanted it to end, wished for the peace of oblivion, but still she flew; down, sideways, up. Bones snapped.

...and... all was still.

She lay there, splintered and senseless. Minutes passed.

When she awoke, she did not feel pain; rather, an odd sensation weighed down her limbs, a sort of sluggishness thrumming in her mind. The lights were back on, brighter than before, cheerfully glowing in their braziers. Blinking in confusion, she looked down.

Horror grasped her, and she scrambled away from the floor, trying to escape what she was seeing. As she moved, she saw her bones shift through what little was left of her flesh. Choking on disgust, trembling and terrified, she reached out a talon, groping along what had once been her leg. Her talons sank into the slimy substance, brushing against the bones beneath.

He had made her into a monster. Shaking, she lifted her face to the ceiling, black tears spilling down her oozing cheeks.

What have you done to me?

Hopeless and anguished, she let the darkness swallow her, collapsing to the floor in a broken heap.

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