Tales of Aridia

The Island part 2

"My powers are drained," Max said, clenching his hands into a tight ball, then releasing them again. "I can't even light a fire," He went on, flapping his hands about. The darkness had fully enclosed us now, wrapping our bodies in a sheet of ice. I could barely see, as I tried to make out faces in the dark. Max had collected a pile of twigs and stones, neatly arranged into a circle and placed near Elliana, so to keep her warm. My mind began to race with thoughts, and my face dropped into worry. "What's wrong?" Max said, peering over the fireplace into the moonlight where I stood. I looked down, as Max scratched two sticks together, creating an awful noise. "We need to stop Lucy before she hurts the people at our school," I said. Max nodded slightly, acknowledging how scared I was. He threw the sticks into the pile as the fire climbed high into the sky, illuminating his face. "Lucy wants to hurt you, yes?" He asked, pointing a finger at me. I stared through the blaze and the smoke which erupted from it, "Yes," I said, tilting away from the heat, unsure of what point he was trying to make. Max lifted his knees from the ground and brushed off the dirt, "If she's trying to hurt you, she'll want you to be there to see it. She won't do anything till you're there," He explained. Reluctantly I agreed, knowing that there was nothing I could do. Using his thumb Max stroked my cheek, "You're friends will be okay," He said.

Elliana began to whimper, struggling in her sleep. She whipped her head around and brought her knees close to her chest, screaming. "Don't make me!" She yelled, throwing her fists into the air. Max fell to the ground by her side, clasping her hands into his. He pulled her hair away from her face and gently placed her head on his leg. "Shhh," He whispered, rocking back and fourth. Elliana woke up, staring into the sky, a single tear rolling across her face. "I had a dream," She said, gripping onto Max's shirt. I sat next to him, listening to Elliana. "What was the dream?" I asked. She choked slightly, before breathing properly again. "I dream't..." She said, pausing. "I dream't that my dad made me kill you," She said, pointing at me. Max turned his head, staring me worriedly in the eye. Elliana began to cry, choking some more. "I don't want you to die," She spluttered as Max handed her over to me. I rocked her gently in my arms. "I'm not going to die," I said, trying to convince her, even though I was not so certain.

Elliana drifted off to sleep again, wrapped in Max's jacket. The fire began to sizzle out slowly and so I decided to search for some more wood. Max took position to look over Elliana as I disappeared into darkness. I picked up a log and placed it into the fire, to use as a torch. I walked away from the fire with the torch in front of me, guiding my path. Climbing up the slopes I pressed the torch as far away as possible, illuminating as much of the area as I could. My feet broke twigs and branches as I walked forward. The moon hid above the canopy, shunning me from its light. The torch was becoming warmer as the heat wormed its way into my hand. I shoved the light towards the ground, glowing against the wood that was scattered about beneath my feet. I gathered it together and piled them inside my bag, before making my way back. The embers that flew from the torch settled on my skin and floated to the ground, sizzling as it faded away. I stood still, reaching down to pick up another stick,but as my back arched down and I stretched to the floor something behind me snapped. The sound struck me still, and stole my breath away. The silence began to choke me, until it happened again. I was startled by the sudden snap and I whipped my neck around, my hair following behind. The flame on the torch stretched like elastic as I turned, Filling the air with smoke.

There was nothing there, and if there was it was clouded by smoke. I ran away, dropping the torch on the ground. It was too late to pick it up, and so I kept running, my legs travelling faster than my feet. My breath turned into smoke, leaving a trail in the air. I stared at the floor, and stopped suddenly. Three red flakes lay in the ground, like embers from a fire. I knelt down, smelling the burn as they faded into the ground. I thought for a moment, and then realized, I was going round in circles. "Max!" I yelled, There was no answer. I shouted again but still there was no answer. Suddenly I felt claustrophobic as the narrowing sensation of the trees made my blood run awfully cold. The trees were so close I had to stretch over their roots and bend over the branches. They loomed over me, mocking me. I reached out to the nearest tree and hugged it tightly, running my fingers along the bark of its neck. I brushed my feet along the path and ran into something. It was soft and furry, and sprawled out beneath my feet. I knelt down and stroked my fingers along it, they ran across the fur and then sunk into a hole. It was warm and wet, I pulled fingers close to my eyes and stared a the blood they were covered in. I leaped back and yelped in revolt. The guts of the animal had been dragged out and splayed across the ground.