Through The Forsaken

Chapter 1 Awoken

    I slowly open my eyes as the tunes of my music box played soberly, like it's waiting for to join it's lullaby. I decided to get up and close the box, quieting the melody. As the box shut, it was silence. I never would have thought that the sound of silence could remain so calm and still. Little did I know this was the last time I was ever going to hear this relaxing strain of calm and emptiness.

    At that moment, I hear the frantic sound of glass shattering on the floor. Is someone here? I start downstairs to investigate the noise that interrupted the silence from before. When I almost enter the kitchen, I see a quick glimpse of a moving cloth, similar to a cape. I came in the room to see who it is only to find not one but three people.... No.... These intruders are far from being human. They're skeletons.
   
    One of them looks like an assassin, wearing mostly black and white while a golden heart locket hangs around his neck. He has one red eye and one white eye that glow in the darkness of the room slightly illuminating his face. At an instant his eyes shoot in my direction and became alerted that I stood there, watching them pour what smells like gasoline onto the floor of my home. The one that found me tells one of the other skeletons that I am there.
    "Nightmare there's a little someone awake," he pointed out, looking in my direction. So his name is Nightmare? That seems highly unusual. I tilt my head in confusion as I repeat the name.
    "Nightmare?" At this point, all three skeletons are looking at me, watching me as I stand there unafraid of what is to become of my home very soon. The one named Nightmare looks all black with slight tints of cyan blue. He also wears a golden crown with a crescent imprinted on it. Is Nightmare some kind of king? He glares at me with his light blue eye as he whispers in a threatening tone.
    "I thought you said everyone was asleep Cross." Cross looks down ashamed.
    "She was asleep, sir," Cross quickly responds.
    "I can take care of her, boss," says the third skeleton as he unsheathes his knife.
    "Not yet, Killer. This human seems a bit different than the rest," Nightmare adds as he holds up his hand to stop him. The rest? Did he kidnap more humans? "Aren't you afraid of us?" He asks as he glares at me, waiting for a response.
    "I'm not capable of feeling emotional fear. Its been like that since I was born," I reply standing there. Nightmare's eye socket widen as he backs up a bit.
    "She is coming with us. No. Questions. Asked," Nightmare says as he turns away to leave. Both Cross and Killer nod and turn to leave as well. I follow them. As Nightmare stops a few yards from the house, he asks, "Do you feel compassion for other humans?" I hesitate.
    "Not as much as I want to," I respond as I look down a little.
    "Do you feel compassion for your friends.... Your family or anyone that's close to you?" He asks as a grin starts to form on his face while I stand there not knowing how to respond.
    "No," I reply once more. "To be honest I, don't care about... Well anything." As I was stuck in thought, Nightmare snaps his fingers and Cross throws a Molotov cocktails in the direction of my house.... Of my home. I hear the crash of the bottle breaking as I begin to turn around feeling time around me slow down watching my home engulf in flames.
    I couldn't move as I stand there looking at what had become of my home.... My memories.... All of it. I could feel my heart getting ready to burst. I couldn't breathe as I was being dragged away from all that I know. I can hear the screams of my parents, crying, and begging for help as they were being burned alive. All while I stood there watching it turn to ash.
    "Human." I hear Nightmare say as I tear myself away from the sight to leave. I can't make myself look at Nightmare in the eye, but I can feel his toothy grin stab me in the back as I continue to walk away.
    As I look up a bit, a portal opens and Cross stands next to me, waiting. He glances at the portal then back at me, indicating that he wants me to go first. I then walk into the portal only to see a Victorian style castle with a large door entrance that opens automatically. It seems to me that this is my new life from now on. "Misute, follow me to my office, we need to discuss your training," Nightmare continues as he heads up the stairs.
    My training? Who soes he think he is? Does he expect me to just blindly follow his orders and work for him after he killed my family?