Meeting The Beast

Chapter 1 - Layla's beginning

I stand atop a cliff covered in grass yet sparse with trees. The wind blowing against my face and I keep my balance along the edge. Below where I stand and below the spot where the rough rock mountain seems to withdraw, white topped waves beat roughly into the sand. The water expands beyond sight and looks angry as it gets endlessly darker the deeper it gets.

The smell of salt floats heavily in the air around me. I inhale deeply, relaxing at the new scent and taking in the light green grass around me. Stones are littered farther from the edge and appear to be worn down by decades of weather. I decide that I wish to sit on a stone that's roughly the size of the bed of a truck and make my way towards it.

I take my time walking over to them before deciding to sit on the largest one and rest my legs. I prop my legs up, making sure my knee length dark blue dress does not fall to show what's underneath. The stone warming my tanned legs and feet darkened from soaking up the suns warmth all day.

Tilting my head back, I feel as my golden brown curls hit my back softly before swaying gently in the breeze. My eyes remain closed as I enjoy the warmth of the sun on this cloudless day. A day like this is so rare back home, and I am never able to enjoy it fully as I can always feel my brothers many gazes on me at all times.

Suddenly, I feel a chill as if the suns warmth is being pulled away. Opening my eyes, I look around to see nothing abnormal in my surroundings. My brown bag rests closer to the smooth cliff edge, and the leaves and grass continue to sway in the breeze. I know better than to be fooled though, I know something isn't right.

Standing up, I start to walk away from the cliff, closer to the thick line of trees and beaten dirt path. Searching for someone, or even something, I find myself having no luck as I continue to get colder. My footsteps fall faster as I begin to jog but yet I can not find the cause of what I am feeling.

I continue along the beaten path and as suspected, there is no soul in sight. Birds chip happily, unaware of what is going on, and insects fly around carefree. After jogging for a few minutes, I come to a stop breathing a little heavy. The light here is scarce as the trees are so tall and the branches seem to consume stray rays of light, giving off an eerie feeling.

After a minute or two of standing still and looking at my new surroundings, I continue to walk forward. Determination to learn what is going on and why I feel this way courses through me. There is less wildlife in this part of the forest, almost as if they know something is not right. The animals no longer make any sound and the buzzing of insects has since faded.

I hear a faint voice to my right and spin on my heel, only to see no one is there. The voice says something I can't understand again, and I still hear it to my right. My confusion begins to grow as I continue to turn while the voice speaks constantly to my right.

I close my eyes and relax. I allow my heartbeat to slow down and for my nerves to fade knowing I must hear what the voice is trying to say. I tilt my head back slightly and allow myself to listen to what the voice is trying to say. The voice begins to become clear, almost as if standing next to me.

"Layla, it's time to go. We need to leave," I hear the voice say in a familiar tone. I know the voice, yet I can't seem to remember who it belongs to. I shake my head in attempt to shake away the confusion and frown when I still cannot remember who the voice belongs to.

"Layla, come on," the voice says insistently, getting louder. "We need to leave right now or we won't make it on time, we have to go."

Confusion continues to make its way through me, I have no idea what its talking about. Where do I need to go, why do I need to go with the voice, and why is there a certain time I need to be there?