Hollow Nightmare

I was lying motionless in a forest clearing, surrounded by a short circle of flames and what looked to be men with the heads like that of a crow, dressed in hooded cloaks. Their presence poisoned the air, greasy feathered with nothingness in their eyes. A distant chanting began to creep slowly in to my body, led by one of the crow like men, his black cloak had a blood red trim, he gently held a book that seemed to be alive. I could somehow feel its pulse and its greedy desperation. My skin tightened as I tried to get myself from the floor, but I was pinned down by a force I could not see. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. Inside my head I was thrashing, kicking and screaming as the leader stepped closer in rhythm to the chanting. My pulse increased with fear after every step, as did the books. Pure fear and adrenaline now coursing through me and I was powerless to avoid what I knew was coming. I could feel the chanting increase in both volume and tempo, like tiny ants with icy stingers on their feet, enveloped my body from the toes up as the leader neared my side.

The book was placed gently on my chest. The creature then reached in to its cloak and drew out what looked like a long purse. From it, the creature unsheathed a long, thin, deadly sharp dagger.

The chanting
My pulse
The book
The breathing of the creatures

All together as one, as the dagger raised high above my chest dropped.

I awoke gasping for breath, sweating what felt like glass, I was shaken to my very core. I wanted to forget about the horrors I had escaped, but they remained.


Word Count : 297