“Where am I? Where? What is this place? ” Mia whispered in her own mind, slowly gathering the courage to open her eyes. There was a murky smell around her and a stench of faeces. It was a very horrible place to bare in. Moreover Mia had a severe pain at one side of her head . She was leaning against a damp solid something that was supposed to be a wall. Mia felt around herself with both her hands. Her clothes were all wet and there were blood strains here and there all over her body. But strangely, apart from her head, she didn’t feel any pain anywhere else. She tried getting up but right at that moment something sharp clawed at both her legs.
Mia immediately fell back as she let out a cry of pain. But she was quick enough to cover her own mouth with both her hands so as to stop the sound from echoing. There was water logged here and there all around her. The place she was in was swampy yet the surface was solid as rock. Her hands were free though her legs were trapped in some sort of a jaw, that gnashed it’s teeth deep into her flesh if she tried to move. Mia wisely made herself as comfortable as she could and tried recollecting what had just happened with her.
She was sitting tight at the place Lin had left her. Even though her gut feeling was begging her to run as far as possible from the place, she had stayed put for Boshu to arrive just as Lin had promised.
It was dark. It was still. Not even the leaves moved in their branches. The only sound that accompanied her was the distant noise of arms clinging and soldiers yelling. It was coming from the Fox camps. It was good though. It was better than being left all alone. It was giving Mia comfort to think she was in some sort of a company.
Just then, all of a sudden, Mia had felt somebody looking over her shoulders. A creepy, chilly feel that makes one’s throat dry that makes the stomach coil, that makes it feel as if there was an ice cube placed just inside the core of our heart. There was somebody, something, watch Mia from the back. She turned back with a sharp move and took her pocket dagger out to face whoever it was.
” Who is it? Who is there? Come out right now. ” She took a step back as she commanded, ” I said come out already. ”
Then there was scuffling sound and from the darkness emerged a figure even darker. As it the gloom was it’s cloak, it blended with the absence of light in the area. It’s very presence reeked corruption.
“Who? Who are you? ” Mia asked taken some more steps back with urgency.
It kept on coming at her with equally paced without bothering to give an answer. Mia kept going back swinging her dagger at random full speed trying to keep the intruder at bay, till help arrived. However there was nobody else in sight.
Mia tripped on one of the pebbles trying to run at that moment, knowing full well here dagger stood no chance at the enemy in front. She tripped and fell on one of those hay stacks, kept as cattle fodder. The moment she fell, there flew from amongst it, a million fireflies, lighting the darkness with a moment of light.
As Mia turned to check how far her pursuer was, she saw a very familiar face bending down in her direction.
“Father? ” Mia’s voice acted of it’s own accord, involuntarily. It wasn’t her father though. She was sure of that. The face looked very much like her father but much much younger and smaller. It’s features were enhanced too. But there was something wrong with the face. It had no colour. No blood. No life. Moreover it had a foul aura about it. It was elegant yet ugly. Though Mia’s senses didn’t work as aptly as Lin or her father, she could tell very well that it gave her the same feeling like she had when they were almost attacked at the wolf lands. The thing that had come at them and the thing in front of her was the same. It didn’t take Mia very long to figure that out.
It extended one finger and traced the outline of Mia’s hair. Mia shuddered at its touch. Her heart refusing to beat in fear. The thing then took ita sweet time inhaling it’s own finger with joy as it left Mia’s face.
“Ahhhhhh! How I have longed for it. ” His eyes were growing moist and big with pleasure.
He jumped in front of Mia, looking eye to eye. Mia trembled as it’s breath burnt her face. It slowly stood up then grabbed Mia by the hair and pulled her up face to face as well.
Mia yelled in pain. That made it smirk. It grabbed Mia with the other hand at the hip and pulled her close. Mia closed her eyes, unable to take any more of it. It brought its mouth close to Mia’s ears and said, ” I like it. Cry out a little more. ” With a smile so evil, even the devil would be ashamed of it. It pulled Mia with a jerk by the hair, but she kept mum . He smiled a little wider at that. It released Mia’s hair and brought it’s hand infront of her eyes, so she could see it probably. It slowly let it’s claws unsheathe as Mia looked in horror. With yet another smile he jammed his claws into Mia’s skull as she let out a blood coiling yell for help. Everything after that had faded from Mia’s eyes . Her hands were covering her unborn child. Just like a mother bird when she puts herself in harms way, trying to protect her eggs, when a snake invades her nest.