Echoes of Dark Beauty

Chapter 5

I moved slowly, my fingertips tracing the deathly cold wall beside me. I listened closely for any sound of movement, but could find only silence, just as the darkness never grew brighter as I kept creeping forward. I blocked out as many thoughts as I could, trying to keep my focus on what may be lurking around me, but Whispers still made it through from the deepest recesses of my mind.

    "What are you even doing here?"

    "What's the point of all this bullshit?"

They sang and cried their seemingly endless tirade of questions, one after the other, but I did my best not to focus on it.

I just have to get to the end of this damn hallway!! OKAY?!?!?

I told myself these things as the Whispers kept coming, unsure if I was blocking them out to keep myself moving forward, or answering their desperate pleas. I stumbled as a crack in the concrete below me caught on my mess of a right foot. A whimper caught between my lips as I agonizingly wrenched it out of the split, cold floor,the numb cold causing no more than a few small streams of blood to spill from the wracked flesh.

Staggering onward, I finally heard something. The rustle of....Wings? My breath caught as I slowed my pace even further to try and concentrate on the noise that was made.

Rustle, rustle.

There it is again.

As the clacking of claws tapped in my direction, the sound of my heartbeat WHOOSHED in my ears, loud and strong.

"Now is not the time!" I muttered softly, pressing my back to the wall beside me, and keeping my breathing shallow, and as silent as possible. As I stood as silently as possible, the heavy breaths grew louder and I could feel its warm breath against my ragged body. In a raspy growl, it started to speak, its voice low and raspy, yet somehow alluring...

"Where are you from, girl...?"

I knew I should be surprised at this non-visible, unknown creature speaking to me, in a language I knew, but nothing could surprise me anymore. My voice steady, I replied:

"I have no given name, so i've named myself Sahira."

"Since when did I decide that?" I thought, confused, but I quickly shrugged it off.

The creature before me gave a throaty growl off approval at my response. I stayed silent and still, waiting for it to speak, until the voice finally said:

"Come with me, I will take you away from this evil. Away from those who wish to harm you."

I became slightly startled at this. I had no reason to trust this creature that I couldn't even see, yet I knew nothing of this world, and had little choice. Not to mention, that Arya seemed... off.

"What is my significance for you to propose this?" I questioned, peering into the pitch black darkness before me.

It gave a raspy, deep laugh, as if what I said amused them.

"You have significance to me as you are a lost child that I can teach and learn to love. I never had children of my own, though I've always longed for one."

I stood, open-mouthed, unable to speak. So much for not being able to be surprised.