Blinded by Darkness

Chapter 2

     Once the door fell out of the ground Everly and Gracen were exposed to the most horrifying thing they had ever seen, and heard. Long bloody claws reached down and we're now only eight feet away from their faces. Gracen screamed which made Everly scream. Everly didn't quite know what was going on but she knew they were in trouble. All of a sudden Everly felt a cold embrace around her as she began to rise up from the hole. Gracen started screaming and tugging at Everlys legs trying to pull her down. 

"STOP! GIVE HER B-BACK TO M-ME! STOP! EVERLY! EVERLY!" 

     Those were the last words Everly heard before she was taken away by the creatures. She was flailing her arms and trying to escape, but she wouldn't get away that easy.

     About an hour later, Everly was sitting in what she thought was the land beyond their village. Simply areas of flat land that seemed to stretch for miles. Everly had never been here before but she heard stories. Everything was silent but she didn't dare to move from where she was. The Quiet Ones were said to be quiet, but got loud when you disobeyed them. She had no idea what was around her and she didn't know where to go. She just knew she was cold, lost, and in trouble. The wind silently blew and the grass brushed against Everlys bare feet. Then she started to cry to herself. She felt it was all she could do. She layed down on the ground and awaited the creatures.

     The next morning she woke up to hear the quietness which seemed unusual. Different from last night. She stood up and screamed as loud as possible.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? I WANT TO GO HOME! I WILL DO WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU WANT! COME TO ME! I WANT YOU TO FACE ME!"

     Then she heard those dreaded chains. She didn't know if she regretted what she had said, or if she was thankful for it. She knew she had to act brave around them. She couldn't cry. She couldn't hide. She had to stand tall and demand freedom. 

     A sudden thump on the ground startled her. She slowly got on the ground and used her hands as canes to feel around. Then her hand hit against something. She felt the object and realized that it was wood. She knew the feel of it. She always loaded up the fire place with it. But something was different. It seemed smoother than normal. Except for a few bumps. She knew it was brail. She hadn't learned it yet, but a few people tried to teach her in the past two days. She hadn't learned much except for a few different words. She tried to read the wood.

Tree... kill... person... visit...

"WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?"

She knew she no longer had to scream, so she stopped.

"I don't understand... why did you take me? What does all of this mean?"

Then she heard a small whisper in her ear.

"The tree of thorns. Go to it. Take a thorn. Kill he person you love most. You will be freed. We will no longer visit your village. If you don't, we will kill all of those villagers, children and all." 

     Everly had heard of the tree of thorns before, and she didn't like it. There was no way that she could do this. Not a single person in that village deserved to die. Who was she supposed to kill? Then it hit her.

"Gracen. You want me to kill Gracen..."