The Leaves are Silent

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

I woke with a start. I sucked in a large breath, as though I had been drowning. I took a moment to gather myself before I glanced around. I was sat under a willowing tree, that hung limply as though it were mourning. No leaves blew on the branches. It was then I gave a proper look to my surroundings.

I was in a forest. Leaves adorned the forest floor, bearing the colours of black and grey. I stood up, my shaky legs struggling to support me. I turned around to look at the tree once again. The way it stood, it gave the impression it was crying. I know that sounds weird, but the way it hunched over, the lines cursing through its trunk, it looked so old and beaten. As though it were in pain.

I ran a hand along it, my fingers studying the notches. The tree was black. The sky was a dull grey colour, and the ground, which was covered in leaves, bore patches in black and grey. It was though all colour had been washed out.

It was then I heard the whispers. I turned wildly, desperate to find the source of sound. The whispering continued, becoming harsher. It was difficult to make out the words but it seemed to be a repeating pattern.

When I finally made out the words it chilled me to the bone. I screamed at them to stop, but they continued, becoming more insistent. I spun around, wishing to find something, anything. to make it stop. But there was nothing. I was alone.

I fell to the floor, clutching my ears to try and block out the noise. But it was useless. I could still hear them. They were still repeating the same mantra over and over.

"We're dead, the trees are dead, the animals are dead, your parents are dead and you're going to die."

I clutched my head, rocking back and forth when suddenly they stopped. I didn't move for a moment, I remained rigid. I slowly uncurled myself from my position and stood up. I glanced around but saw nothing but the trees and the leaves. The leaves rustled with no sound. It was like the air was vacant, unable to allow noise to pass through it no longer.

I closed my eyes, hoping this would end. I was dreaming. I knew I was. I opened my eyes, only to be greeted with the pair of another.

A boy, perhaps sixteen, stood before me. He had a closely shaven head and wore a tracksuit that bunched around the ankles. A piercing stuck out of his lip but that wasn't what stood out. No, what stood out was the black pits which were supposedly his eyes. His eyes were completely black, no colour. Not even the whites of his eyes could be seen. He was extremely pale, like a porcelain doll, but it was like a black liquid had come to the surface under his skin. Where rosey cheeks should've been, just black circles lay.

He tilted his head to the side, like a dog. He looked at me as though he were sizing me up. Checking me for my flaws. A sickening smile crossed his face, showing me his rotting teeth where black liquid dripped from.

I felt like prey.

He began to move towards me, with hasty steps and I began to panic. I was dreaming and I needed to wake up. I needed to wake up. Now.

So I screamed.

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My scream pierced through the sounds of the night. I began thrashing in my bed, trying hard to rid myself of the monster in my dream. It was then I felt hands grip my arms, trying to still my movements.

"Lily! Lily! Calm down, it's okay, you were dreaming! Lily!"

I opened my eyes sharply, to be met with Alena's big blue ones. She stared at me with a worried expression. I gulped visibly, and carefully tore her hands away from my arms. I looked across the room to see the scared faces of my other two roommates.