Unknown Society

On My Own

The blizzard was harsh, but nothing prepared Martinez for the walking she had to endure. Despite the snow almost blinding her, she had a good sense of direction—at least, that's what she thought.

Her hooves would become numb from all of the walking, her breath was visible, and her body shivered like crazy. She didn't give up. She was still sick, but she carried on with her travels. A strong gust of wind kept knocking her off balance a couple of times, to a point where she began to walk in the wrong direction.

Miles upon miles was just snow and thick fog that covered the land. For her, only the wind howling kept her company. Her cold body couldn't take any more walking, a tree had stood by itself—naked, just standing there with no leaves or uniqueness of any kind. Martinez had to rest for a bit, so she leans against the tree.

Slowly closing her eyes, her hearing muffled, and her vision fuzzy. All of a sudden, she became very, very hot. She was too tired to take off her clothes, so she just sat there...and everything around her went black.

She found herself in a room of clouds. Martinez looks around, then spots a familiar friend, but their back was turned. "Pixel?" Martinez walks closer.

She sighs, "Valarie, you said you'd stick to your promise..."

"I did," Martinez blurts, "I did, didn't I?"

Pixel shakes her head. "You'd promise that you wouldn't hurt yourself or anyone else. Look where that brought you, Valarie."

Martinez looks around. "I did the right thing," she stubbornly answered, "I'm with you now. That's all that matters."

Pixel still looked at her with disappointment. "Valarie. Take off the mask. Stop hiding."

She does, revealing the scars on her face.

"Valarie, I don't want you to hide anymore, or run away from the things you did," Pixel puts a paw on her shoulder.

"I didn't do anything wrong," she tells her, "I stuck to my promise." She tried walking past Pixel, but she stops her.

"Valarie. It's not your time yet," she says patiently.

"Yes it is." She tries to move but Pixel wouldn't let her.

"They won't let you in, Valarie," she told her sternly.

"What do you mean?" She began to tear up.

"Valarie, look," she points behind her.

She turns around, glancing at her body. "I'm dead, Pixel. Don't you get it?"

"Valarie—"

"Why can't I be with you?" She snarls with tears in her eyes, "All I've ever wanted was to see you again!"

"It's not your time yet," she said, "you'll have to wait, Valarie."

"No. No, no, no." Martinez shoves Pixel out of the way and moves towards the light.

"Valarie! Valarie! Wait!" She catches up to her, stopping her in her tracks. "Valarie, please, you're not yourself."

"I will be once I get in," she insists, pushing her out of the way.

"Valarie!"

Martinez roars at her.

Pixel lowers her ears and frowns, "Valarie."

Martinez ignores her, and when she reaches the gates, an incredible force pushes her back through Pixel and back onto the world she called damned.

Martinez gasps for air, surrounded by other Humans with spiral eyes—they were cackling like hungry hyenas and trying to get her scent. Alarmed, she stands up and grabs her dagger, pointing it all those who surrounded her. Then, whispers were spread across the dark room.

One spiral-eyed Human steps forward, holding their paws in the air. "We mean no harm."

"Then why am I here?" She hisses.

"Lower the weapon—"

"As if anything you say will convince me that you weren't trying to kill me!" Martinez roars, pointing at the dagger at them.

"We only wish to help," they lower their head, "We are freaks, sure, but we are no harm."

Feeling somewhat assured, she lowers her dagger. "Leave me be, now, I have no purpose..."

The spiral-eyed Human steps out of the darkness. They are short and stubby, and their hair is right above their shoulders. "We are spiral-eyed freaks, yes, but we as well have a purpose. You must have one then."

She looks up, examining them. "Then you must not know how to survive in the outside world."

"We are the outside world," they kneel down, "Spiral-eyed freaks, we are, and we as a tribe are the outside world. We mean no harm, but that's no guarantee."

Martinez was befuddled. "What?"

"The outside world you are referring to is something out of your control, but that doesn't determine your decisions. You do," they went on, "We are spiral-eyed freaks, yes, but we can help those who are found here."

"Help me?" Martinez sighs, "There's no point in hell anymore. I've had my chances to change and I blew every single one of them."

"Kingston, I am, spiral-eyed freaks who all have names, yes," they said, "we help those who are stuck in a trance, a thought that keeps boggling them."

"How did you find me?" Martinez asks, her left ear flickering.

"A blizzard outside gave you the chance of afterlife," Kingston sits down, "with warmth from our bodies and herbs to cure your sickness, us spiral-eyed freaks were able to get a pulse."

"Why? Why me?" Martinez's voice started to break.

"Our oldest of Hypnotics can tell you so," Kingston nods, "that is, if you're willing to give them what you know."