Awakened

Adrianna always loved the woods at night. She felt enchanted by them, taking long walks under the moon and gazing at the stars, which seemed brighter out in the middle of the forest. At times Adrianna felt she wasn’t alone, as if something or someone was watching her. She felt no fear, however. Adrianna rarely felt fear; something that her mother had warned her would get her into trouble one day.
It was on one such nightly walks in the woods that Adrianna’s life was changed forever. A summer storm was reported to be on its way, though the sky appeared clear and starlit. The full moon shone bright, a sphere of silver upon a velvet black sky, and although Adrianna knew the threat of a storm was real, she could not stay inside on such a night as this.

Adrianna left the house wearing only her long, white nightgown. She had no neighbors who would see her as she lived in her parent’s summer cabin, which was located miles from the nearest town. The summer breeze felt cool upon her skin, gently lifting her waist length black hair and causing her gown to gently billow behind her. She imagined that should anyone happen to see her they might think she were some kind of ghostly apparition. She smiled to herself at the thought and left the safety of her front porch to make her nightly journey into the woods on her familiar path.

As soon as Adrianna entered the woods she realized something was different. She started off on her familiar path and noticed another pathway she had never seen before shooting off of the one she normally took. Adrianna’s curiosity got the better of her and she decided to walk down this unfamiliar path, to see where it would lead her. The moon was bright as she started down the path, careful not to trip over the weeds and vines that nearly obscured the crooked pathway. She began to feel uneasy as the woods began to thicken and the moonlight began to dim. The feeling that she was being watched crept upon her though she reassured herself it was only her mind playing tricks on her. Thunder crashed in the distance and she realized the storm was fast approaching.

I’d better get back home, Adrianna thought to herself, a dull feeling of panic rising in her chest. Turning back the way she came she stopped abruptly. The path she had been following had disappeared under a thick growth of nettles. Fighting the panic that was gripping her heart she walked over to a fallen tree and sat down, resting her head in her trembling hands. Again she felt as though she was being watched and, gathering her courage, she peered into the darkness. Her mind couldn’t comprehend what she saw at first, the sight was so strange. The form of an extremely tall man stood only a few steps from her, although his eyes were like no man’s she had ever seen. His red eyes peered back at her from his dark face and he smiled wickedly, unfurling his black silken wings.

At the realization of what was before her Adrianna stumbled to her feet and screamed, running deeper into the woods. She could hear the beating of wings behind her, and she knew the creature was not too far away. The storm erupted full force, sending torrents of warm rain down upon her and making the way even more treacherous. From somewhere off in the distance she heard the tortured screams of a woman, sending chills down her spine. Her heart beat wildly as lightning struck; illuminating the forest to reveal blood falling from the sky in the form of rain. Terrified, she continued on through the blood soaked forest towards the endless screams until finally bursting through a clearing in the woods.

Adrianna stood in a large meadow. Although the storm still raged around her, the rain had turned back into water and the terror began to subside somewhat as she looked around at her surroundings. The meadow had a strange feel about it, as though it didn’t belong in the woods. No flowers grew in this meadow, and the tall prairie grass that grew waist high appeared to be dead. The wind picked up sending chills down Adrianna’s drenched body, and she wished desperately for the comfort of her home. Turning slowly, Adrianna searched the woods for any sign of her pursuer, but although she sensed his eyes on her, she could see nothing but darkness.

Adrianna stood shivering against the cold wind, her mind trying to grasp what was happening to her. Her mind was swimming with images; the overgrown pathway, the demon, the blood falling from the sky. The images swirled inside her mind, and she felt as though she were going mad. Grabbing her head she sank to her knees, the dead grass piercing deep into her skin. Fear had taken hold of her again, and she sat paralyzed, unsure of what to do. Her thoughts were shattered by another scream, although this time it was quite close. Jumping to her feet she peered through the rain in the direction of the scream. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she could see what looked like the top of a large box not too far away from her. She heard the woman scream once again and she realized with horror it was coming from inside. Cautiously she approached the object until she stood only inches before it. Dead grass and twigs obscured all but the top of the box, and cautiously she began to clear the debris away. Another desperate scream erupted, causing Adrianna to quicken her pace until finally a small clearing was created. Adrianna looked on in shock. What she had thought was a box was actually a crude iron cage. The bars were old and rusted and inside it she could see the form of a woman chained to the bars. The woman wore chains on her arms and feet, a metal collar around her bleeding neck. Her clothes were mere rags and her hair hung in long, black masses around her frail shoulders. She was breathing heavily, beating her head against the sides of her prison. Adrianna came closer to the cage and grasped the rough, jagged bars with shaking hands. The woman inside looked at her with eyes full of anger and Adrianna let out a small scream, releasing the cage and stumbling backwards. The woman could have been Adrianna’s twin.

Adrianna turned to run and came face to face with the demon that had been pursuing her in the forest. His fierce eyes bored into her soul and the wicked smile never left his face as he lifted an elegant hand and pointed to the cage. “No,” was all Adrianna could cry out, though she knew the demon was giving her no choice. She turned and faced the cage again, approaching it as one would approach a pit of vipers. The woman had come to the front of the cage, and was staring with hate filled eyes at Adrianna. Reaching out a trembling hand, she touched the woman who let out one long tortured scream. The world went black as Adrianna lost consciousness.

Adrianna awoke to darkness. Reaching out her hands she could feel something moist and wet. The substance entombed her and she realized with increasing horror that she had been buried alive. Frantically she beat against the soft substance, ripping at it with her hands. From somewhere outside she heard tortured screams mixed with evil laughter and she fought with every bit of strength she had to claw her way out of her grave. The screams were becoming louder and she was beginning to feel the tomb give way. At last she broke through, staring into the clearing sky and heard something fall beneath her. The world spun as Adrianna looked down at her feet. Upon the ground lay a woman split in two. The woman’s face, Adrianna’s face, stared up at her with terrified glazed eyes, her blood-drenched gown torn in half. Adrianna backed away from the fallen woman and put a hand to her mouth, fighting off the urge to scream. A broken chain hung from shackles on her wrist. Her neck hurt and she felt the metal collar that dug into her flesh. She looked around for the cage, but it had been replaced by the body of her former self.

Confusion and shock turned to a strange, cold peace. The demon now stood quietly beside her, his large black wings forming a canopy above them. “You are free now,” he whispered into her ear as he took her hand and led her into the unknown.