The Remaining

Prologue:

Still darkness. My eyes slit open and all I could see was darkness! Where was I? What happened? Was I dreaming?

"Who's there?" a shaky voice in the distance asked.

Another voice close by responded, "Shut up. They're on the way."

"Wh- Who is on the way?" a faint voice stuttered.

Silence. Darkness. And now, I felt a chill.

I was standing. Attempting to walk, I noticed I was barefoot. However, I felt blades of grass crunch beneath my sole.

"Shh," the second voice said. "Here they come."

I didn't speak a word yet, but it seemed like whoever spoke to me knew I was there. Was it my footstep? Was he able to see?

Wait. The person with the shaky voice may have noticed me too. Or did she notice someone else? Was that voice a she?

What is happening?

Think back. What do you remember last, before all this weirdness?

Before I could think further, I saw four lights from far away. The outlines of the lights were twisting and swirling. That's when I saw silhouettes of tree trunks partially shielding the lights as they slowly hovered closer in the distance.

The woods! I exhaled. What am I doing in the woods?

"H-How could they know where I am? Th-they are coming to my direction." the stutterer quivered.

The lights moved a little faster than before. A little closer, I could tell that the lights were in the shape of people. Two people holding long glowing objects.

No. That's not right. Not glowing. Flaming.

My breathing shortened. I felt my heart pulse throughout my body as it beat.

Try to recall! How did I get here? Who were these people?

*Hospital*

A giant, warm hand clenched my wrist from behind. Startled, I saw two giant eyes reflecting the approaching lights. A deep, powerful voice boomed from the giant.

"Follow, Son."

My arm immediately felt the tension of being pulled as I was forced to go in the opposite direction of those lights.

But what about the other people? Was this man leaving them behind? "We can't leave them!" I yelled. No response. Weaving through barely visible trees. The bark of a tree trunk scraped the side of my bare torso. The rough edge felt like the teeth of a wild dog, forcing me to lose my footing as I grabbed my wound.

Before I could hit the ground, the figure lifted me and put me under his shoulder, dragging my feet among the sticks and grass.

As my eyes slowly closed, I heard some of the voices I experienced earlier shrieking as if they were being attacked.

**

Something warm and damp pressed onto my wound. It eased the sharp pain. My eyes opened again to a slightly lit enclosure as the sun crept from behind the hills.

"I told you all the story before. I told our children to tell their children and their children's children." The giant said with huge yet loving eyes. "So why didn't you listen to their warning? Why did you go back there, Son?"

That word again...

Fighting through the pain, I sat up from a pile of freshly gathered leaves. "Who are you?" I asked. "And where was I? I can't remember anything before standing in those woods."