Short Stories: 10-31-18

Gift or Curse?

It was another rough night. Sierra held her pillow close as her eyes were shut tight.
  She fell asleep, or so she thought. What felt like a dream sequence may have been reality.
  Sierra was in the national state forest, searching for something. She felt an aura, and felt that she had to follow it. This was when she discovered that she wasn't alone.
  She turned to see two young men walking towards her. One had messy dark hair while the other had more structured blonde hair. They were the same height, and seemed similar, but they had different physical appearances. The brunette walked to he cautiously.
  "Sierra," He whispered. "Listen up, okay?"
  The blonde one spoke as well. "Do not follow the aura."
  Sierra was close to asking them questions, until a low growl scared her away. She ran into the forest, overly anxious as usual. She kept running until she ran into a large pine tree. She fell on her bottom.
  "Ow..." she moaned, and she stood herself up. She started to stare at the tree, and soon she discovered very small writing on it. She began to read:

  The treasure you seek lives below this tree. The Jewel of Fire grants protection to anybody who wears it. It protects them from the monsters of the night. Be warned, the Jewel has a mind of its own. Misspeak, and you'll set your heart on fire.

  "Dark," Sierra mumbled. She put her hand on the tree, only for the ground to shake. At this point, the two men were near her, yelling at her to get away. She denied, and she kept her ground.
  A bright glow nearly blinded her. She felt something hit the back of her neck. She opened her eyes to find that she had a necklace. The amulet was gorgeous, a beautiful shining ruby with a gold rim.
  Noises began to fill the forest. The two men stood with stern depth. As she stared towards them, they mutate, becoming more and more distorted. She screamed, and before she could run, one of them held her against a tree. She closed her eyes tightly.
  A bright glow made the monsters scream in agony. She opened her eyes to find that the monsters were gone. Burned to a crisp.
  She held the necklace with her fingers. "Man, what a weird piece of jewelry."
  Before any type of joy could be felt, she started to feel hot. Her chest began to burn, the amulet was going through! As her chest was on fire, the amulet glowed brighter. She screamed loudly.

  She woke up in a cold sweat. Sierra took a moment to figure out her surroundings. She took a deep breath, but not without feeling pain in her chest.

  When she checks, she's horrified to find a burn mark in the middle of her chest. Was it a dream? Or real life?