Escape the Night

~100 years ago~

I was running. Running and running. But I didn't know what from.
I scrambled over rocks upon rocks; they scratched the palms of my hands more and more but I ignored it. After all, their cool surface soothed my sore hands. I cut through branches and vines, but it was as if they were fighting back: I must've gotten tangled up hundreds of times.
I went to leap over a tree that'd fallen over, my feet pounding along the damp muddy ground. Then I took off; I felt free. I could feel my wings spreading... But gravity had different plans. It pulled me down. Now I was falling. I cried out in pain as my weak legs gave way and I slapped into the floor, my thin arms outstretched.
I know I needed to keep going, but blood was pouring from my knee, which I'd hit on a sharp stone. Instead, I simply rolled onto my back. I no longer cared that my clothes were dirty: I'd given up. I stared up. Stars were scattered across the dark urban sky: pinpricks of light in the darkness. They reminded me that in all evil there is good.
But not me.
And I found the determination to keep going from that: good will come from all this. But it was late; I was tired and my body ached like mad.
And I peacefully drifted into a deep sleep...

****

I awoke to the sound of birds chirping cheerfully. I looked around: the impenetrable forest was exactly the same as what I had remembered-except... Except that I was no longer sleeping on muddy grass. Except there was no longer a sharp rock sticking out of the ground next to me. Except there was no longer a wound injuring my knee. Except I could now see mountains in the background...
Except there was now a clear path under my muddy feet.
Curious, I followed the path through the trees. The smooth pebbles lead me to a clearing-no, not just a clearing-the edge of the woods. I stood, mesmerised by the scenery that I was staring at.
The snow-topped mountains loomed over a large building; the white at the top melting into the dark stones of the walls. The roof was made of deep red tiles, spiralling up into towers. Huge windows were sunk into the front: no light shone out of any of them. Surrounding it stood a tall, black fence, it's iron bars forming lethal points at the top that would rip apart anything that tried to climb it.
Cautiously, I stepped towards it. I had never seen a house as ginormous nor as creepy as this. I was lost in thought when suddenly, a lantern, then another lit up, guiding me down the path to the big metal gates. They were victorian lights, cast in ebony on tall thin poles that lifted them off the immaculate lawn, that parted for the driveway that I was now striding down. As I came closer to gate, the padlock vanished into thin air and the gates swung wide open, creaking with the rust of the hinges. I made my way inside; power was rising in me.
Within the gates, the drive split into two, which curved round and found each other once more between the front door and the marble fountain; as I walked past it, water gurgled before bringing it to life. I slipped up the stone steps onto the porch as elegantly as I could in the darkness before the porch lights came on. Then I approached the main entrance. A light inside turned on as the heavy oak doors once again flew open.
I went to step forward but... Do I really want to do this? This clearly isn't a normal house! What if there's a monster inside?
But then again... Whatever's in there is probably better than my past life.....
It was then I realised why I was running. I was running from the pure evil inside of me.
I glanced up into the light source-a chandelier. And without thinking otherwise, I went inside...

***

Now, I've been here for fifty years. The house welcomed me and told me that I am immortal; when I died I would haunt the house in spirit form. And they spoke the truth. Here seems to be the only place where I can truly embrace my evil.
But now, it won't let me rest until I bring new life here, to the modern day...