scary stories and legends

blood and oil

***the following is a sequel to the previous story, breach.  it was recommended, but not mandatory, to read that before proceeding.

in the last hour of her life, as she ran blindly through the forest that surrounded her, amanda conners wondered what she'd done to deserve such an awful fate.

she hadn't been a perfect girl, god only knew.  she'd been a rebellious spirit from her youth, growing ever more independent and angry with age.  amanda had fought her parents over almost every rule they'd laid down when she lived with them in ann arbor.  it rarely mattered to her if they made sense or not.  it was simply in her nature to fight, to squall with every ounce of energy her tiny frame could produce.

her last words to them in person before moving to southdale had been in anger.  amanda felt bad about that.  they'd reconciled on the phone, but the guilt that lay uneasily on her heart when she thought about her meek father and hand-wringing mother just wouldn't go away.  she had hoped to apologize to them in person when she returned home after the coming fall semester.  maybe then they'd understand why she had to leave.  maybe then she would have found the courage to tell them how desperately she needed to live her own life.

moving to southdale, a small unincorporated township just outside spring valley, had been frightening for her.  it was the first time she'd ever been alone, and despite having a job from a young age she found the idea of working for an employer she'd never met to be a little scary.  still, angie's diner had been the only place hiring for miles, and it was only fifteen minutes away from the beautiful old country home that was renting at such an attractive price.  everything had seemed so perfect.  she felt like the universe was inviting her to jump out into the world and make her mark.

what amanda didn't know was that the universe is a cold, cruel mistress.  like a spider it had snared her, tricking her into thinking that she would have a future like she'd always imagined.  the howling of the mod that pursued her through the thick undergrowth was proof enough of that.  muffled by the leather masks they wore, that sound was the death scream of all her hopes and dreams.

weeping in panic, she floundered blind through the dark woods, hands outstretched in front of her.  "somebody help me!"  she screamed, senseless in her terror, tears and mascara running down her face in dark rivers.  "please, somebody help me!"

the dreams had started as soon as she'd arrived.  she was always running in them, her bare feet tearing on a dark gravel road in the middle of a field.  amanda's muscles ached as she pumped her arms, willing herself forward, her lungs burning.  her heart felt like it was about to explode in her chest.  she was covered in blood and oil, completely naked.  every ounce of her was in agony, a pain so sharp it made her gasp.

there were others in the field around her, each of them also in flight.  they were dying, one by one, falling to pieces in the flickering light that seemed to follow her no matter how much she ran into the darkness.  a thick, choking fog was roiling up from behind them.  the fog brought death with it, a massive, hulking shape that tore into them with harsh, barking snarls.  they were screaming as they died, one by one, until it was only amanda left, running down that endless road.

the giant in the smoke was coming for her.  there was nothing she could do to stop it.  it would catch her, and it would kill her.