Author Games: Red Room

Task Three: Hunters of Artemis

Angela Belmont

The earth crumbled like a thousand shards of glass, compressing downward, stilling itself as it settled flat against the sides and then rushing down once more. It slid, slowly building in speed, each second a lifetime, each second a murmur, each second a shaky breath drawn between cracked lips and dry teeth. Just before it reached the bottom of eternity, her eyes flickered open, heart racing, a gasp caught between her tongue and the endless night that waged itself before her. There, a landscape of linseed mixed with the Prussian blue skies as though a painter had mixed them together, blurred before her very eyes. Little blue flowers met her as she pushed herself up, hands carefully avoiding crushing the flax, and she squinted and tried to make out where she might be.

A field before the mountains--no--a field within the mountains awaited her to explore. There was a glow in the distance akin to the sunrise. Colors bright enough to encompass the world and then some rose up. Splinters of orange, a dusting of yellow, and then, the lightest touch of ash rose high as the smoke billowed forward and mingled with the clouds.

Though her feet felt of lead and steel they moved like butter across the land. She couldn't help but be drawn to what seemed to be the looming reality of death. Her head ached, her breathing still too fast, and she drew closer still, a moth unaware of the hateful touch of glass luminescence. A wooded area exposed itself as she walked down the overgrown hill. They loomed high, ages old and carrying within them the truth of centuries that would pass long after she died.

Angela had scarcely been walking for two minutes before she was close enough to hear the wicked deeds only hell could have created. The trees were closer together, tough to maneuver through, and a howling arose in the near distance--loud, soulful cries of hunger, loss, pain. They weren't quite human but none who heard them would ever claim they were anything but humane. Existence before had never felt so cold, so far away, so dark.

She stared through the cobalt green world and scratched past shrubbery that held her captive.

It was then that she noticed that her sweet green dress had never been pulled back on--instead of bare shoulders she stood tall in a flat white dress, the color too bright for the dark night. A white ghost. A shudder passed through her at that--Am I already dead?

Then, Is this hell?

No, for sad as it ever would be, hell would be nicer than the fate to befall Angela Belmont.

A witch's curse rumbled past, threatening all who may come near that their sins would be shown to the soiled world and their blood would purify the dirt as it spilled. She wanted to turn back but something pushed her forward, stumbling through the leaves and trees and coming to a stop right at the outskirts of a group of women. They dressed like the night sky. The woman Angela had been flirting with was there--unrecognizable nearly as she listened intently to men and women alike spilling secrets and dirty tales of hate and lust and pain. There was something intense within each one--something awful--something ugly--something...real. Angela's passed like a murmur, just another story of sin and lingering doubts, and soon enough, all nine stories had been finished and all audio cut out. The woman in charge raised her voice once more, the trees echoing her platitudes as Angela's heart was finally able to calm itself.

"Fifteen minutes." It wasn't a shout yet the words reverberated through the woods and through Angela's bones. She tensed. "The hounds will be released after fifteen minutes. If you are caught, your sins will return to the earth. If you are not." There was a pause long enough to build a city. Angela's heart started to flutter again, wings building up for flight, yet her feet remained glued to where she'd stopped her trek. "Remember that innocents do not run. Innocents do not die. Your time begins now."