Decay of Desire

Section 5

   Darkness clouded about me, thick curling tendrils eager to envelop me. It was so thick and heavy, it felt tangible, a solid substance. Almost like gelatinous water, the writhing mass threatened to swallow me. On shaky legs, I stumbled my way blindly forward, hoping for nothing more than escape the impregnable gloom I found myself deposited in. Was there no method to free myself? I felt as if I had been blundering about for years, tripping over objects I couldn't see. I screamed, and eerily chilled to find that I didn't hear it. I knew I had, the burning raw sensation in my throat proved that. I tried talking, and still I heard nothing. The longer I thought about the gripping silence, the louder the nothingness became. It pounded on me from all angles, desperately trying to crack my mental barrier. But what was so fervently attempting to enter? Nothing, I told myself. There was nothing here. Yet I still couldn't push the doubt out of my head. Strange, how my own thoughts had rattled me to the core. There it was again, something that was trying to infiltrate my inner mind. I knew I wasn't imagining it now. There was definitely another sentient object nearby. I sat down on whatever surface was below me, and kneaded myself into a tight knit ball. I could feel whatever it was hammering away at me, as easily as if they were physically striking me. The sensation grew stronger, until I was certain I was going to die. I felt a warm embrace, and I was shocked that Death felt warm. I accepted the fact that my final few moments sucked horribly.

"Evan. Evan, get up!" Aina's voice shook me awake, as my eyes shot open to survey my surroundings. There was a light snow on the ground, and we were under a small set of trees. And Aina was holding my hand. I felt my face flush with heat at the thought. "What happened?" I asked, still groggy from the hellish dream just moments before. "I don't know," she said, before continuing, "I woke up because I heard something. And it was you. You were lying there, and then all of a sudden you curled up and started screaming. I didn't know what to do at first, but I decided awakening you had to be better than whatever you were experiencing." "Well," I let out a small laugh, "Thank you for that. God, it was horrible. There was this choking black mist, and-""Shh. You can tell me about it later," Aina pressed a finger to my lips as she spoke, and I relished the gentle warmth of her. I repositioned myself where I was leaning against a tree, and tried to recollect my thoughts. That dream had seemed surreal. I had never experienced anything like that, and I knew I didn't want to ever again. So much for getting some sleep. The mere thought of resting made me shudder. I hated to wake Aina up, but sitting in the darkness under the tree wouldn't suffice me all night. I walked over to where she had recently lay back down, and lightly touched her shoulder. "Yes, Evan?" She rolled over to look at me. She hadn't even been sleeping, I should have known. "Look," I tried to explain, "I can't go back to sleep. I don't want to trouble you, but do you want to keep traveling for tonight?" I could feel her gaze boring into me, as I anxiously awaited her answer. Finally, she spoke. I didn't even need to know what she said, her brilliant white smile explaining it all. We restored what little we had taken out back to our packs, and resumed our trip to Ridgevale. "I was hoping to arrive early in the morning, before anyone was up," she explained to me as we walked, "But this might be even better."

Once I got my mind off of the dream, it didn't take long for my mood to elevate. It was a marvelous night; the way the moon shone onto the snow gave it a picturesque appearance. It was a shame we had to trudge through it, and shatter the delicate layers. It wasn't long before we found our feet on the well trodden road leading to Ridgevale. The narrow cracked road was a welcome change from the bogs of the snow. I knew it couldn't be long before we got there, as the light we had seen earlier only grew brighter. That, and Aina was practically humming with excitement. I decided to make conversation a little. "So, have you decided what you're going to say to your parents yet?" There was a considerable pause, and I wondered if Aina simply refused to answer me. However, she finally answered, "Not exactly," a crease crossed her face, "I'm not sure what I'll say honestly. I just hope they'll be happy to see me." I told her they should be, that someone like her was a blessing to have. "Now, if I didn't know any better, I would say you're trying to flatter me." She shot me a wink and smiled. "I was not," I protested, "I was just speaking the truth." She didn't have an answer for that, and I was kinda glad she didn't. I didn't know how much longer I could hold a conversation on that matter without absolutely spilling my heart out to her. I wasn't ready for that subject to come up yet. My thought train derailed as I saw the town of Ridgevale for the first time. "We're here," She breathed.