The Ultimate Sacrifice

The Emperor

"Thief...it's mine...all mine..."

...

"Gah!" Kima bolted upright in bed - her eyes wide as she lifted a hand to nurse her head, feeling beads of sweat soak her palm.

The clear night sky, pierced with stars was still clear through her open window - but saw Dawn peeking up over the horizon.

"Well...no point going back to - HOLY HELL!" Kima wailed suddenly, toppling backwards off the mattress before peering over the sheets, seeing two bright white hounds standing by the door to the bedroom which was strangely open...

"Good-scary...red-eyed doggies..." She cooed, watching them intently - if their eyes weren't glowing and their chests heaving with breath, she could have sworn they were statues...

"How...did you get in?" She pulled the sheet toward her chest, feeling her heart hammering against her rib cage.

"Oh my poor little heart." She sighed before standing, hearing claws skittering against marble - watching the two hounds go out the door.

Kima's curiosity peaked, pulling on her flat shoes and grabbing her satchel before heading for the door and poking her head round. She just managed to catch sight of the hounds rounding the corridor to the right, before disappearing completely.

"Don't follow the scary hounds...don't follow the scary hounds..." She chanted; before realising her feet were already moving down the hall, treading the path their lithe forms were leading her.

Following the corridor right, she come to another hall, following it down.

The atmosphere seemed to get darker and darker the further she travelled... the sound of the hound's clawed feet fading into the pit at the end.

Kima turned around - she'd walked so far down, the way behind her was just as dark...swallowed by a dense fog of void.

"Uhhh...not good." She mumbled to herself - keeping her nerves from shattering her resolve, as she turned to continue.

Kima jumped on the spot; seeing the two hounds sat in the nearby darkness...staring at her with open jaws, their tongues darting from between their teeth - panting.

"Um-helloooo?" Kima stood still feeling a chill crawl up her spine and tighten her skin, the air spiked - freezing her in place.

"Good...you brought me the thief...my darlings..."

Kima's eyes widened... a sickeningly dark voice echoing in the corridor, her feet grounded to the floor seeing the hounds start to growl.

"Oh-ffff-fun..." She grunted.

"Mine! It was supposed to be mine! Thief! Thief! Bring me her corpse!"

Kima's eyes snapped to the sight of the hounds arching their backs, eyes narrowing in on her and their rears in the air ready to start bounding.

Arched over them from behind, was a translucent figure of a white goat with red eyes - it's muzzle curling into a grin...

"Nooo...bad-scary doggies!" She hissed, her eyes glued to the ghost - though more afraid of the hounds growling in her direction.

When she saw the goat's grin deepen, she bolted, back the way she came, through the thick, dark, fog that threatened to blind her.

A spot of light streaked through the dark pit at the end of the corridor - hearing the hound's paws clicking against the marble not to far behind her heels.

Panting, she kept running towards the light - finally making it through, seeing the warm gold pillars, grabbing the thick curve of one - and pulling herself behind it.