Humanity: Project X - 160

Chapter 23

Skye was running in a field of tall grass, the tips of each piece reaching a bit over her knees. She was currently wearking her hair with a light blue silk ribbin, tied back into a messy bun. She was wearing a long, flowy, white dress__with no sleeves__as well as no shoes. Strange enough, instead of feeling the rough grass beneath her feet, it felt of soft feathers lightly brushing past her, tickling her as she continued to run. The breeze swept past her face as it brushed against her hair, threatening to take the silk ribbon out.

An unusual occurrence: When she ran, she ran in a slow motion, her feet barely reaching the ground each time she took a step forward.

Somehow, she knew she was safe. This was her safe haven; no harmful things would come to her here, because she had already fought off the biggest wolf that had been prowling around her without her knowing. This was now a safe place to be.

Finally reaching the end of the field, she came upon a ledge. She found herself finding interest in it as she stepped closer. That is, until she felt a jolt, and fell forward. Turning around, she realized she had once and for all exited the field. This meant that she would never ever be able to enter it... never again would she be able to enter the safe zone until she found a new one.

However, she was not afraid. This time, if someone came at her, she would be ready. The gang of her nightmares might have been a pack of wolves; she was going to be their mistress. They could not harm her.

No, she was ready.

As she waited for something to come after her, a bizarre creature began to slither its way towards her, hissing as it crawled and squirmed; it acted almost as if it were trying to escape from something's grasp. Not until it coiled did she realize it was a snake... or a cobra, to be more precise. Eventually, it relaxed as if the grip had finally loosened.

She waited for the cobra to jump, or maybe even hiss. If it really came to it...

It jumped from its coiled position. She dashed to the right, the cobra barely missing her by a couple inches. However, it slithered back to her ankles, and it began to wrap itself around her. She shrieked, trying to stomp on it and get out of its grasp.

However, that did not seem to help.

As if it didn't care if it died or not, it began to drag her to the edge of the cliff. She ended up falling over, since it had caused her to lose her balance. As it dragged her down, she tried gripping the dirt, trying to save herself.

How could a cobra be so strong?

Eventually, it managed to make her roll down the cliff. She put her hands on the edge, trying to save herself from falling. However, the cobra seemed to weigh much more than she estimated, and so down she fell.

She felt the wind blow on her face as she tried to scream. However, it was as if she had no voice. And all of a sudden, she was in a room, carrying a small pot. The small plant that was peeking out of it seemed comforting and familiar in a strange way__she could not tell why, however.

Getting up, she looked around, trying to find a way out. However, the only door that was actually there was locked. So she soon came to the conclusion that she was trapped here. Looking down at the small plant, she felt her hunger increase. So she grabbed the plant and ripped it out of the dirt, slowly tearing the leaves out to lessen her hunger. And after finishing it, she woke up.

Her head ached, first of all; that was the only thing she really noticed right away. Then she noticed:

Her leg, the one she had gotten glass inside of, now had a scar. She thought that the figure's power had fully healed it. However, it turned out that wasn't the case...

She bumped into glass.

"Ugh, where am I, you stupid jerk!?" she called, banging the glass.

That guy promised her... so why hadn't he let her out to show her where the last person was?

"You're probably wondering..." she heard someone say from behind her, "why you aren't out of here yet."

She clenched her fists, biting her tongue so she would not yell insults at this liar. She couldn't believe him. A deal was a deal. Perhaps she should have used a contract or something like that. But how would that help her now?

"The deal has changed... my head administrator wants to make you have a limit, unfortunately. I tried to convince her otherwise... however, I couldn't seem to get her to change her mind. She said she'd give you a day or two to find them, but if you don't find them, you're stuck here forever. Understood? Oh, and she also said you have to find them on your own."

"What?! Who is it?" she asked, banging on the glass, trying to get him to answer her questions.

"I can't tell you. You have to find out yourself," he whispered, a smile creeping up his face. He waved goodbye, and the next thing she knew, the floor opened wide and she fell through a hole.

Then everything turned black.

Skye woke up in her old room. It was back to normal: no blood, no evidence of a fire, and no holes in the ceiling.

Her vision felt a little foggy. However, she could still walk. So that was good. She quickly stood up, and stumbled to the exit, using the wall as an anchor. She could barely keep herself up. Her legs felt weak, as if she hadn't used them in years.

For the first time, she noticed she was wearing a satchel. She sat herself down, and opened it up. There, she found her two journals, a pen, and the knife she had been carrying around.

Well, at least they let her keep her things.

She got up once again, stumbling out the door. She felt her stomach churn as she looked at the exact spot Kaya had... died. She could still hear the blade twisting and turning, see the blood leaking. It flashed in front of her eyes, and she began to scream, running through the hallway to get out of here. It was like these people were enjoying her suffer.

"I HATE IT!" she screamed. "I HATE IT! I HATE IT! I HATE IT!"

She stopped running, and fell to her knees as she screamed, "Take my life already, you people! I've had enough! Take it already! You've taken so much from me, are you afraid to take me away too? I don't want this life! I DON'T WANT THIS LIFE!"

And there, there she began to bawl and sob uncontrollably.

For the first time in a while, she felt scared.

Terrified.

She wanted to get out of here.

She had no one left. What was the purpose in life? There was nothing left to live for__so why was she still here? Looking down at her satchel, she brought out the knife. Staring at the blade, it dawned on her that no one would be able to stop her if she just...

"I don't recommend," someone said from behind her.

She turned her head, and there, there he was.

Joseph.