The Rose In the Night

One|PART ONE: Snow (rough draft)

I'm clenching my mother's blood-soaked fingers, the way a  starving wolf clings to rotten flesh. I didn't know what scared me more the dark woods or her. Even at my fragile age, I knew she wasn't in her right mind.Yet I clinch her fingers tighter as she leads us both deeper into the forest and away from the only home I've ever known.The thrashing of my own blood against my ear drum seems to be growing like a angry hurricane the faster we ran.  I can't keep my eyes from darting all over. Waiting for something to dart out of the shadows.

During my short five dark moons, I've always known humans should never go into the forest of shadows at night. My mind floods with The many different stories about what happens to the people who go into these woods past dusk. Only one thing was for certain, no one ever left these woods at night alive to tell their story.  Their bodies were found days later torn apart.

The only sound echoing through the forest is our frozen bare feet Pounding against the snow as we run faster. We're running so fast it feels like I'm flying against the enormous snowflakes that hurl against us.

I begin to count the tapping of our steps to distract myself from the growing pain of the snowflakes slicing against my bare flesh. Something my mother always did when she would try to stop the visions from coming.

The comforting sound of flapping wings forces my eyes to shoot up. Finding Dozens of crows flying above our heads their wings fighting against the same snowstorm. Their black wings seemed fearless as they cut through the air. For the first time tonight, I can feel my mind relax as I realize that I'm running in the same direction as them. Yet as my mind eases my limbs begin to ache.

Despite my best efforts, My tiny legs can barely keep up with hers. The taste of blood slices through my throat as my breathing becomes increasingly rapid.

I begin to count my steps again. Ignoring the burning of my muscles.

One

Two

Three

Four

Five.....

Twenty steps later my mind begins to fail from echaustion as my body does.

Twenty-one

Twenty-seven

Suddenly it's as if my mind is a old water well that's no longer able to turn.

As my eyes begin to fall from exhaustion I can see Blood dripping off my mother's nightgown painting a trail of blood in the snow behind us. I will myself to keep going but seconds later I can feel my body go numb as my legs finally give in.

"Mama!" I cry out as my hand slips out of hers. As I hit the dirt I can hear the sound of my tiny bones cracking against the forest floor.

Forcing her to stop in her tracks. She starts to slowly bend down over me. Almost as if she's too terrified to move. I could see the terror in her eyes as she reaches out her trembling hand. Her coffee-colored eyes never bother to look down at me, Instead, they dart all around us. As if they are waiting for something to come out in the tree lines around us. I can see blood is beginning to cake around her features.

I can feel Wetness beginning to drip down my face as I stare up at the crows still flying above our heads. They seemed to have settled into a frantic circle above our heads. My chest rises and falls quickly as I try to fill my small lungs with the piercing air. The thrashing of my blood is the only sound I can hear.  My mother's breath dances in the harsh wind with mine, as she leans closer. I could hear her voice quivering as she whispers to me.

"Rose, we have to----"

Her voice trails as the distant sound of a wolf's howl fills the air around us.  Her eyes move above my head and before i can think to ask her whats wrong she lets out a minding bending scream that suddenly  shoves  me from one world to the next without warning.

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Authors Note: This chapter is under extreme editing right now.