Bright Lights, Dark City

I woke up to the warmth of the sun on my face. It was a windless day and the clouds stood still over the trees. It was calm and serene, but something was off. I felt like I was being watched. I sat up to survey my surroundings. I was in a quiet field surrounded by a dark forest. I felt drawn to it, like it was calling my name. Slowly I got up, dusted off, and went against my better instinct towards the seemingly endless forest. It was a short walk to the forest but time seemed to stand still. I stopped at the edge of the tree-line. My body wouldn't let me go any further but I felt a voice in my head screaming to move forward. I didn't want to go, but then I heard it. "Titus.....Titus..." The voice was lulling me out of consciousness allowing me to move.

Further and further I went into the heart of the dark wood. The deeper I went, the louder the voice rang in my ears. The sun retreated from the sky until only a glimmer of light reached me in the forest. On my way though even further, the trees around me started to age with each passing second. From summer to winter, fall to spring, the trees went through the seasons like clockwork until the trees suddenly parted into a clearing. A tree comparable to giant redwoods was in the dead center of everything. Up on the lowest branch, something swayed gently in the cold breeze. I moved closer to check it out.

The shade of the tree was covering everything in a blanket of darkness. getting as close as I could, I could make out a human-like shadow attached to a rope. A noose maybe? "This one was condemned to such a tragic fate." A calm voice came from behind me in the woods. I turned swiftly to glimpse the person this voice came from. " Do you know his name? I know you remember." I turned back to the tree to see a boy. A boy of no more that seventeen was circling the tree. He had pale white skin that was easily visible in the shade with hair as red as blood. "How did you get here?" He asked. As he circled again, it seemed like he aged several years. "Will you answer?" His voice deepened. "I just woke up here." I said, my will faltered as I watched him age before my eyes. The sun crept down below the horizon until nothing could be seen. "So you were condemned too?" Then a sharp heat surrounded me.

The forest was ablaze. Ash rained from the sky and the tree withered then faded into ash. The flames died down to a small blaze and a coffin rose from the ground where the tree stood. "Step inside Titus. Step inside for it all to begin" The coffin opened with a loud creak as he finished talking. I didn't want to go, but I had no other alternative. I trudged towards the coffin and entered. The door slams abruptly and then as if the ground vanished, I was falling. " Abandon all hope for where you are going, no soul has returned." His voice faded as static filled the air.