Darker Than The Woods [ Gravity Falls ]

005

The darkness crept into her room like the cold breeze nipping at her feet, slowly consuming her shaking frame with nightmares as their allies. Her eyes stung with grief as the realization hit her-even many times before-that she disappeared without a trace. The candlelight that filled the cold room danced to requiem, reminding her that they were just the same. Lost and lonely. She had already faded from existence, why did she need to know more?

She never heard the sirens she wished to hear; she never heard the calling of her name in those woods. She has been lost for who knew how long... time was as nonexistent as her heart. If only she said goodbye to the ones she once loved, but would they love back? She had dreaded the answer to such a question.

The white walls were chipped, the purple curtains stirred in the cabin's many drafts, and the bed creaked from want of oiling. She never knew where she was brought to, she was terrified to even guess, but she was sure it was an abandoned cabin in the middle of those dark woods. A face never appeared to her in those lonely four years but she didn't mind, it was kind of lucky that she didn't have to face any human interaction. She must've forgotten how to even act decently around other people.

She wrapped her thin blanket around her frame thinned by hunger as tears rimmed her soulless eyes. "Co... Cold," She stuttered, the air just wrapping around her throat as she begged for heat. Instead, the wind robbed her of all the warmth in her body, setting off a round of shivering that soon turned into violent, uncontrollable spasms.

"D-Don't worry, Elise," She mumbled to herself, trying to comfort what was left of her mentality, "someone's coming."

The window panes rattled with the curtains.

"Just not today,"

The winds passed by the cabin, making the girl shiver more; clutching the thin blanket she wished for, something that turned into a habit.

"S-Someone," she whispered, eyes closed and her little hands wrapped against each other, "pl... please. Anyone. Save... Save me... "

But alas, wishing was helpless when the wishful didn't believe.

"Any... Any one-one... "

A shadow with no light as its master flickered across the wall, like a ghostly ballet dancer practicing before a show. The girl looked up, shivering more, wondering what it was.

"Anyone... "

The shadow was indistinguishable. The room was too dark to even identify if it was a shadow, but she hoped. She hoped that it was someone's silhouette from outside who came for her-to rescue her.

Soft tapping was heard.

She shrugged it off as a branch being shaken by the strong winds. But, impossible. The winds had stopped a few moments ago and the cabin was void of any tree branches that could have scraped against the walls. She was then agitated and began clutching her blanket over, watching the shadow crawl on the ceiling and out the door.

"A... Anyone," She managed to breath out. "please."

The door opened at a sickeningly slow pace, letting out a long drawn-out moan of old joints. The room went still as a small light from outside flickered with the winds. Agitated, the little girl began to hope. But alas, she gave it a second look.

The gradient of red and orange gave the wooden cabin a strange fiery look, breaking Elise's hopes with a faux heat source. Truly, it was no more than an empty wish. Truly, she gave the glance too quick.

The shadow came crawling back, unlike her senses which she now lacked. The small flame flickered strongly, with no winds to control it. The shadow could've eaten the light up, but no, apparently the fading hope was its master.

Her breaths started to become heavier; the darkness had crawled under the blankets, its mission to choke her. With desperate silent pleas, her eyes started fidgeting, her senses were no longer hers. From the thin blanket, she saw the silhouette crawling right above her small fragile frame. She couldn't shake with anticipation, she couldn't even breathe. Her thoughts became heavy as the world started to sink.

She thought of her family, who never showed they cared. She thought of her friends, who never played fair. She thought about the world's weight that was crumbling into simple ruins, isn't this a fun show?

Slowly but surely, her eyes began to sting in grief; she knew she had no longer time to think when the bed weight had shifted, her eyes began to tear with the memories of not being good enough.

But then, a voice had lingered. It whispered to her. "Just breathe. Relax, feel as if nothing is wrong."

But then she couldn't breathe. It was as if she lost the ability to; it was terrifying for her. She could almost imagine herself walking over onto the other side with the weight of her miserable life beyond her shoulders. But the voice urged her to breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. And breathe. She has arrived at the point that it was pointless to even try.

"Just move." There was the voice again, ordering the impossible.

Elise couldn't bring herself to move a nerve. She couldn't even bat an eyelash which just made her heart race a bit more than when she was agitated. But now, she was terrified. Scared. Afraid. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move, she couldn't even listen to her own heartbeat.

"What's wrong, dearest?"

What's wrong was she couldn't move; she had not the ability to control her own physicality, mentality, and emotional state. She could barely comprehend the situation at hand and the terror that dared rocked her and her innocent nature. Would it be known that she was simply a pawn on a chess board, and nothing more?

Gravity held her down. This tall, lanky, dark matter of a creature held her down. His hands were cold with fingers long and slender, like a musician's immaculate hands woven from talent. His fingernails were much longer and sharper; it could have impaled her if he had wanted to, but no. His hollow and seemingly endless eyes had spoken to her: "I shall not harm you in any way humanly possible."

But was he human? That was what she dreaded.

She was in a state of panic that she was calm; a wave so loud, daring, and destructive that the cliff must've had braced for impact, combining forces that took the wave back and became a wave itself. The calm destruction that baffled the creature, maybe the gods themselves.

"You cannot speak. I shall not let you."

A flame sparked in the fireplace. So small and dainty that you hadn't expected it to grow into a forest fire underneath the chimney. It grew, and crackle; a firework let out inside the house, so dangerous and yet the beauty was ineffable to the sane. She could not understand.

"But I shall take care of you, Llama, do not worry."

The voice in her head that provided comfort in the worst moments appeared again. It told her to trust the creature, the voice, and the warmth.

"I cannot harm you any more..."

///

heyy, France here!! It's been a while, huh?

But, I swear, the chapters are now outlined and all, just waiting to be written so just hold on y'all.

So far, what do you guys think of the story?? the plot?? the characters?? we'd love to hear your thoughts! don't be shy to comment them <3

- cipherwritesinsanity