Agony. Agony is the only word to describe my condition. I have no memory of what has happened in the last hour or so; the last thing I remember is being dragged away by the shadow man. Now I lie here in the entrance of a cave. My arms and legs are bound together with thorns. My shirt and pants have blood splatters on them from where the thorns have cut so deep into my wrists and ankles. My ankle is in worse condition than before. There is no doubt—it is broken, badly.
I look around. I'm alone, but I feel as though I'm being watched. “HELP!” I cry, but no one is here to listen, “HELP ME, SOMEONE! PLEASE!” My voice is dry and hoarse. I feel dehydrated and sore.
Every muscle in my body aches. I try to adjust myself so as to support my sore body, but my skin just tears worse against the thorns, and my ankle fills with blinding pain. Black spots swim before my eyes. “Ow...” I tremble indignantly. “I could die...I really could die...”
Suddenly I'm crying. I have thought this thought every wretched moment I have been out here, but until now I had not fully realized what that meant. My life could end at age fourteen. There are so many things I have never done. I've never had a boyfriend or even kissed a guy before (not that I want to). I might never graduate, or go to college. I might never get married or have kids.
You never feel more like living than when you are almost dead. New thoughts come to my mind, thoughts of regret. I wish I had been a better daughter and a better sister to Jason. I—I wish I had been a better best friend to Skylar. I hate what I've done! What do I even have to show for my fourteen years? Nothing. Nothing at all. I probably won't even have a chance to learn from this mistake. I lay my head back against the hard, cold wall of the cave. Silent tears trickle in clean streams down my begrimed face.
Abruptly I hear a rustle in the bushes, and then it happens: I hear the voice.
“Goodz too zee youz awake Nesssszzzziiiieee...”
I look up, but of course I still can't see this haunting figure. I thought I had gotten over my fear of this creature, but after seeing my body, broken and covered in blood and bound, newfound horror takes control of me. My body is now violently shaking: the jerking motions hurt.
“Wha - what do you want from me?” I say, trying to sound intimidating, but my voice is dry and pained; there's no way to disguise my fear.
“Nessssszzzziiieee, I thinkz iz time I tellz youz something...”
“What?”
“I waszz onze...juz like youz...”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, with a bit of edge to my sore, croaky voice.
“Atz one time, I did too comez out inz theze woodz at nightz, but thenz I wazn't likez thiz, noooz, I waz juzt a normal man...” For a moment it almost sounds as though he is about to start reminiscing.
“You, normal?” I mock. I can't feel pity for what he's done to me. And Annie. Oh, Annie...
“Would youz juz letz me tellz my story? Thankz youz...anywayz, a longz, longz time ago I camez out herez, not suszpecting whatz waz to comez...”
“And what happened?”
“I heardz the footzteps...”
“What? But the footsteps...are you? Right?”
“Not thenz theyz wern'tz. Anywayz... I heardz them...and then I ranz into the woodz, cauze the windz wouldn't letz me intoz my house.”
“Just like me...”
“Whyz yez Nezzie...juzt likez youz...”
Now I'm frozen. This horrible thing, was a real person. I'm really struggling to wrap my mind around that.
“Soz I fought all nightz, andz I triedz soz hardz to getz away fromz that terriblez monzter,
but it foundz me every timez andz tried to takez me awayz...”
He takes my silence as a cue to go on and continues, “I ranz from himz as longz az I couldz, untilz thatz one nightz he tookz me andz brokez me.”
“Just like me,” I say painfully through gritted teeth.
“Juzzt likez youz... Doz youz knowz what hez zaid toz me, Nesssszzie?”
“...What did he say?” I ask, fearful to hear the answer.
“Hez zaid, 'I beenz outz herez for my term, now itz time someonez elze takez my plaze...”
I'm silent.
“I foughtz hardz, butz thatz creature foughtz harderz and soonz he had hungz thatz wretched necklace over my headz, and suddenzly I waz tranzformed intoz whatz you seez today, and I watched thatz old manz walkz out of thoze woods, free...I waz devastated. I triedz everyz hour toz get thatz necklacccccsssse off, butz it wouldn'tz comez...until ezactly twoz monthz ago...” I could hear the smile on his awful face.
I'm silent.
“Iz thatz night forz me Nezzie. My term haz beenz fufilledz, and nowz I muzt plaze it on zoneone elze, itz your turnz Nezzie...”
“I would never!” I'm starting to get really frightened but my voice sounds only angry, hoarse and cracked as it is.
“Youz muzt.”
“But, you said when you were transformed, you were devastated, right? Knowing how you felt, why would you try and force that same feeling on me?”
“Ohz Nesssszzie, iz truly iz amazing whatz fiftzy yearz of darknezz can do.”
“I will never become what you are, I will never: you can't make me.”
“I thoughtz you mightz zay that, thatz why I'm giving youz another option.”
“What?” All this talk is making me so thirsty. I don't really process what is going on between us as my thoughts begin to be consumed by my desperate need for water.
“Youz zee thatz man over therez?” He motions deeper in the cave. For the first time I turn around and notice a man lying on the ground, tied with thorns, covered in blood, broken, just like me...
“Yes… I see him.” Barely.
“I'll givez youz twenty-four hourzzsz to decidez, but ifz youz zay the word, I will letz youz go, and thiz mans will becomez the next shadow figure, but if youz wanted, I willz let himz go, andz youz willz takez my placccssce...”
“Ha! Why would I take his place?” I think I'm delirius by now.
“Becauze Nessszzssie, I knowz that youz a nize girlz, youz would hatez to letz thiz man diez here.” I almost feel like his voice is circling me...
“Sure I would feel guilty for the rest of my life, but it's better than having to terrorize people for fifty years.”
“Therez iz onez other reazon whyz youz might wantz to reconsider...”
“Oh, and what might that be?” I say, almost laughing, slightly hysterically.
“Thiz iz Annie'z Daddy...”
My heart stops. I come a little more to my senses.
“Mr. Marsh?”
The man's eyes open and his voice as desperate as mine croaks, “Annie?”
YOU ARE READING
The Endless Night
Akcja"...never walk out alone..." Rumors have haunted the property around the little cottage for years. Vanessa Görtz and her family have just moved in and her parents are taking these rumors seriously. Vanessa decides to take matters into her own hands...
