Queen of the Ashes

Thicker than Water

Lucy stayed at the plane. I half hoped she'd go with me to the other side of the island. I had to know if there really were other people here on the island. After walking up a jagged mountain pass I finally reached it, the graveyard. There were far more husks of boats and planes than I had imagined. They all piled into the ravine, stacked upon each other, creating a city of ruin. After coming all this way I found myself too afraid to actually go down to the graveyard, instead I sat at the top of the peak with my binoculars.

I sat for a long while watching as children danced and ran together through the graveyard, seemingly carefree not ten feet from a crucified body. I cringed as I looked upon the battered half decayed body of Lucy's sister Megan, she had survived after all. They played like nothing was out of sorts, a dead body strung up on a ledge was completely normal for them. Afraid of being seen I made my way back down the steep cliffs and back towards the plane. It was real, all of it. This was really happening. I had to warn the others.

I thought Lucy might try to stop me from returning to camp but when I reached the plane she didn't say anything, instead she handed me a flashlight to find my way back in the dark. I had not realized how long the venture to the graveyard had taken and now the sun was indeed setting.

The jungle was different tonight. The air was icy, I could even see my breath. "Blair, I need you." A voice cried behind me. I turned, scanning the trees with the full flashlight beam.

"Who's there!?" I called into the empty clearing I was stumbling into. The soft leaves squelched against the damp forest floor.

"Behind you." A small girls voice giggled behind me, again I spun searching frantically until I tripped over something and tumbled to my knees sending the flashlight skidding through the strewn foliage. Panting, I struggled to recover my composure and began to crawl towards the light. As I reached it, I looked up to see a small pair of feet standing in front of me.

"Who are you!?" I asked in A shaky voice. The girl looked to be no more than seven. She was barefoot in a simple dress. Her hair was perfectly done with light curls bouncing through her brown locks. She would have been adorable aside from her black eyes. That and the fact that she was covered in blood. "Who's blood is that?" I slid into a seated position. Had this girl followed me from the graveyard?

"Whenever a sacrifice is made I get stronger, more sure." She said with a smile. "You know who I am."

"No I don't. I don't know what's going on here." Tears welled in my eyes.

"I'm yours, or I could be, if you just accept it."

"Accept what?!" The tears fell freely.

"Leviathan's call, he wants you, the strong willed always make the most delicious chaos!" She licked the blood off her fingers with a nauseating slurp.

I just want my life back!" I sobbed. "I just want to live! To see my family."

"You can live! As a queen! We can be your family now! You will be stronger than ever! The amazing things I could show you!" Her black eyes lit up as she advanced towards me. "Don't fight me." Her arms outstretched towards me.

I wanted to fight but I thought of the people who had fought to survive here, Megan, Amelia, it did no good to fight this evil. I reached my hand towards her. Her small hand grasp my wrist and I was immediately overcome with a burning sensation and the smell of burning flesh. My screams rang through the night as I ripped my arm back. I shined the light onto my arm and realized she had burned a black octopus onto my wrist like a tattoo. I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized I was alone in the clearing again.