Lost: A Tale of Utmost Horror

LOST
A Tale of Utmost Horror
By Dark Liberator

My heart was racing. I didn’t know who I was, where I was, or how I got there. I tried to remember, but nothing would come. Looking around, I realized my surroundings wouldn’t be much help. In every direction, I saw trees; tall, grey trees with hook-like branches. Darkness seemed to fill the stretches between the organic towers. Jagged, monolithic rocks were scattered about the forest in a natural, but eerie, fashion almost as though the earth itself shoved up the anti-aesthetic blemishes onto this forlorn landscape. It was just the feelings that these images gave me that should have told me for what hell awaited within this loom.
The night, which is what I must assume it was since I couldn’t see the sky, was cold and dark. Even though the trees didn’t have leaves, their mingled web like branches blocked out all light if there was some. However, I could see things by some eerie glow, a malignant gloom that presided in places amongst the abysmal wood. The air had no trace of life; all it bore was the scent of lifeless decay and dry staleness. The forest was dead, and in a way, I knew it was not.
I felt something looking at me, but wherever I turned my gaze, there was nothing but darkness. Soon the feeling came at me from all directions, and I began to run. I went as fast as I dared, nearly missing huge boulders and trees. I seemed to run for hours, though I cannot be sure of that.
The malevolent forest seemed to be guiding me… but why? I could feel its malicious presence; I knew it had a sentient spirit, driving me to some unknown hell deep within its own heart. I looked over my shoulder repeatedly at the darkness that seemed to be following me and then I realized something; I was being routed. To where, I did not know, for I certainly could not see; and anyway, as far as I could tell, the landscape didn’t change.
Wasting no time to contemplate, I plunged again as fast as possible into the endless gloom, tripping a few times and scrambling like an animal back up to my feet. Suddenly, almost like with an animal’s timid instinct, I no longer felt the forest chasing me. It was watching me passively now; had taken me to where it wanted. There was a small creek, black in the night, winding like a labyrinth through the woods. I ran along its bank with all abandon.
Exhausted, I plodded as fast as I could until I reached a small rocky gorge. To my utmost horror, the gorge was strewn carelessly with random human bones. I looked closer and saw that some of the bones still had small amounts of flesh attached, cached in dry blood and slowly decaying into nothingness. Others looked as ancient as the rocks they lay upon. The placed reeked with the most rancid of scents, and you could feel an ever present hate established throughout time.
Within my own horrified bewilderment, I failed to fully take in my surroundings. I heard a muffled scream and a spine chilling snap to my left, and then the sickest sound of sucking and chewing, almost like a hungry lion with raw meat. I jolted my head over my shoulder and froze into the utmost petrifaction of terror. It was then, in that moment removed from time to ever haunt my sleep, when I saw it.
The thing was hunched over the corpse of a youth. I think it was a young girl, although the freshly mutilated corpse was hard to distinguish. Blood was splattered everywhere, and gore was dangling in gruesome suspension. However, these scenes didn’t compare to the true horror of the sight; they were even close to a reprieve from the terror I saw.
This creature, with stone grey skin soaked in blood, snapped its head up and looked dead at me. What a wretched face! Sharp teeth protruding around a long, dripping tongue. A nose that was sort of human, except that the tip seemed to be fused between the eyes so the nostrils pointed out. They flared as if sniffing the air and the creature’s mouth curled into the most grotesque smile imaginable.
Then its eyes narrowed. Those eyes! Those yellow, egg shaped eyes! The small slit of red, which must have worked as a pupil, emanated an infernal hue. The monster uttered a guttural growl, and the limp youth, clutched in its claw like hands, fell in a bloody heap of gore on the ground.
This aberrational beast crouched low, almost to all fours, and began to run. It ran in a staggering motion, swinging its long arms from side to side in an overbalanced manner. It panted like a hungry, malnourished hound being tempted by a dangling chicken. Its blood drenched tongue hung loosely out of its mouth, and its claws were in a poised position to grab at flesh. Getting over my horrified bewilderment, I ran.
Through the forest we raced, and it constantly seemed to be one step closer. The forest appeared to be enjoying its entertainment, for every turn seemed to be another obstacle that wasn’t there an hour before. I raced and ran, through all stages of exhaustion, even past the level of adrenaline. Only one thing drove me; fear. And right now, I had fear in excess.
Amidst my running, the image of the youth’s corpse came to my mind. I recognized it! But from where… I felt like screaming for I could not remember. If only I had a memory, some small morsel of who I was, and maybe I could put a name to that innocent, lifeless face. I focused hard on the blood drenched image of that face in my head, and finally came to me. My dismayed shock at the revelation nearly overwhelmed me; she was my niece! She was my only living relative, my charge to look after. She was the one whom I took in as a young child, and raised as my own. I loved her; I would sell my soul to save hers!
But why, then, did she die before me? Why wasn’t I there to do what I swore, to protect her? Why must it be me to see such a fine thing dead?! What did I do WRONG? I remembered then who I was exactly. And I wish, for dearest love, I didn’t. I had neglected her, left her, to my own evil greed. How could I have been so blind? She still lived with me, but she was more or less dead to me before.
Deep inside, I still loved her. We were walking, and she wouldn’t stop talking to me like I was her idol. Why couldn’t I SEE that enthusiastic sparkle in her eyes! I was blind, I foolish! AUGH! Alas, my god, WHY?
In a single moment the weight of the heavens fell onto my soul, my anger flowing through my veins like the greatest hate and greater still the fear in my throat. I was shuddering with my brimming rage. I wished I could turn right there and join my darling niece, but I couldn’t. The cruelest irony of life, instinct, drove me running away like a coward. And I ran like death itself was after me… and it was.
So finally, as I rounded a corner, I was back in the gorge. I was in the corner with the bloody corpse of the girl, the tortured relative that I failed to keep, and I was trapped. Then I heard it, that callous creature of enigmatic hate, slowly plod up to my back. It was right behind me, its breath froze the hair on my neck. I saw a shadow on the cliff face, a poised hand rising like smoke into the air.
Its long, spike like claw drilled into my thigh and my whole body seemed to go as cold as barren stone. It grabbed my left arm with its free hand, and with its embedded nail began to move slowly up towards my torso. I could feel that enigmatic appendage ripping all of my nerve cords, severing everything in its path. The pain was mounting so immensely that I emanated the most horrific scream that ever found its way to me ears.
Apparently, that was this foul monster’s cue.
Its jaws dung into my shoulder, its left eye staring insanely at me. The creature’s hands tore back, ripping my flesh in stripes of crimson. It then jerked its head back, ripping my jugular vein. The world faded out, until nothing but darkness remained.
That is were I am today, lost in the endless darkness. Lost, without a friend or my dearest niece to accompany me. Lost, on an endless imprisonment with my own fault and sins. Lost.

F.M.G.