Warhorse

6

Luna jolted up in surprise, leaping out of bed and facing the stranger.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Luna demanded.

The cloaked stranger didn't say anything; he just stared at her. His hood veiled his face, so it appeared as though he didn't have one.

"Speak! Or I will get Clarice!" Luna kicked a broom into her hand and pointed it at the stranger.

The figure towered over her; his frame was twice her size. He could snap her in half with one hand if he wanted to.

"I'm going to give you until the count of three!" Luna hoped to scare him away. She was still far too injured to do anything against him.

He didn't move, didn't speak. He just kept staring.

"One!" Luna began feeling nervous at his unmoving figure.

She hit the wooden broom handle against the floor, snapping the end off and forming a point.

"Two!" She was beginning to sweat, becoming visibly nervous. She couldn't fight this behemoth, and they both knew it.

"Leave this place. There is nothing for you here," the man spoke. His voice was soft, but still, it shot a primal fear into her being.

"W-What?" Luna was stunned at his words.

"This place is for those who have nowhere else to go. You still have options. You can leave. You can still have a life." The figure began moving around the bed, almost like he was floating.

"I don't understand." Luna held the sharpened broom at the man.

"This place is not for you, child. When day breaks, if you are not gone, you will wish you had been." The figure walked into her spear, the broom handle piercing his chest and passing through him.

Luna was petrified at his actions. He walked so far into the makeshift spear that it created an exit wound on his back. He was so close she could barely see his face. Long, tangled brown hair hung over his face, masking him. But she could see one of his eyes; it was cloudy as if he were a walking corpse. And before her very eyes, he vanished into thin air, and she passed out.

She awoke in the clinic bed, the sun peeking over the horizon. She remembered the stranger from last night; she debated on whether or not to heed his words. If she left now, there was a chance she could be attacked by another demon on the road. But if she stayed, the stranger said she would wish she hadn't. What did he mean? Was he a demon? He vanished into thin air like a wraith, but he talked to her like a person. Was he a ghost? Some kind of spirit? What was she going to do? Leaving held the risk of getting attacked by demons again, and she certainly wouldn't survive a second time. Why should she trust the stranger? He could have been a demon himself; of course, he would want her to return to the forest! Staying was her best option, so that's what she would do.

"Morning, sunshine! Feeling better?" Clarice said from the door to her room.

"Oh! Morning, Clarice! Sleep well?" Luna was glad to see a familiar, friendly face after what happened last night.

"I did. What about you?" Clarice asked, her eyes drifting to the broom that had been broken.

"Last night was... eventful, to say the least," Luna said, following her gaze to the broken broom.

"I can see that. Did you break the broom?" Clarice asked, concerned.

"I did; someone broke into the room last night. I used the broom to try and scare them away," Luna said.

"Did you see their face?" Clarice asked.

"Barely. He had long, mangy brown hair, and his eyes were glazed over," Luna described.
Clarice tensed at the description.

"Ah, well. That does sound scary. How are you? Did he hurt you? Did he say anything to you?" Clarice asked.

"He didn't hurt me. He told me I should leave town; that if I didn't, I would wish I had," Luna recalled his words and recounted them to Clarice.

"How strange. Fortunately, you weren't hurt. I will get a guard to post outside your room. That way you won't have to worry about anything like that again," Clarice said with a warm smile; it made Luna feel safe.

"Thanks, Clarice. Are you going to be busy today?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, sorry. I need to check up on my brother; he hasn't eaten in a while." Clarice looked out the window to the house on the hill.

"If I may, could I go with you to meet him? I still have yet to give my thanks to him." Luna was hoping she would be allowed to meet Hemlock after all these weeks.

"I don't know, Luna; he doesn't always like company, especially unexpected company," Clarice said.

"Alright, just pass my thanks unto him for me, would you?" Luna asked.

"Of course, Luna. I'll let him know." Clarice smiled at Luna before walking away.

Luna decided to walk around the town some more that day. She was exploring the town when she came across a rundown building; the walls had caved in on themselves, and the grass around the building had died. The depressing sight was an eyesore compared to the rest of the village. She walked into the decrepit building, finding only a small stone well in the center of what used to be a building. She walked up to the well, peering down into the darkness. She could feel the air around her pulling her into the well; she got a chill and looked up. There stood the stranger from the previous night.

"I told you to leave," he said, his warm voice still petrifying her.

"How could I trust you?" Luna retorted.

"You never thought it was strange that the job listing from the guild was fake? Or how everyone is so content in their less-than-mediocre defenses?" The man made good points.

"Of course, I thought about it, but what's the worst that could happen? Who even are you?" Luna planted her feet on the ground and stared into the veil of the man's hood.

"You may never leave this place if you do not get out while you can," the man said, his cloak flowing as if he were underwater.

"And what if I like it here, hm? What if I don't want to leave?" Luna asked.

"Then it is already too late for you." The man turned away.

"Wait! Who are you?" Luna called out.

The man paused, looking back at her as he began vanishing.

"Hemlock."