THE PURGE

SECOND MOTION PAGE

As we rode, the trees clucked. The roots bloated, stretching their fingers across the aisle. The clouds hung above the spheres and thickened their canopies against the trees. A million shadows arose from the earth— doppelgangers void of perceptible forms and matter— streaming along the phantom walls of air and wind. They spread their gaits along the paths, fluting a spasm of fear into our rib-cages.

In the same time and manner, lightning and thunder burst from the troposphere, and the scarecrows were set amok from the dark-aged trees. The horses' hoofs made cracking sounds as they beat upon brittle objects, figs and decaying leaves.

CRUNK! CRUNK!

The sound lost its pureness and became more humanly. Gazing a bit further upon the ground, we saw dry bones and skulls.

''Look'' One of the soldiers shouted.

He had spotted a cast of skeletal hangings at the oblong branches of the trees. They were the remains of the Hadryan Knights, who had invaded the lands in their erstwhile crusades. As we ventured further, we saw an inscription on a wooden board, gruesomely scrawled and smeared with old blood. The following were written on it:

TO THE KNIGHTS FROM THE PLAINS OF HADRYA— OF THE ORDER OF LIGHT— LEAVE FORTHWITH THAT THOU MAYEST LIVE OR TREAD FURTHER AND BE DEAD.

Another inscription petered in few feet away from the first. It had human skulls hanging on both sides of its edges, and the following were written on it:

DO NOT GO BEYOND THIS PLAIN!

There was a grave quiet in the woods, with sonorous whispers, piercing through the shambolic shawls of our heart. With such whispers, we could only bear in our heart, a mirage of lethal ghostliness, which — in a little while— soon compelled us to rouse our mettle from its coat of mail.

"Unsheathe your swords carefully and be on the look out'', the captain ordered.

Riding along the warning signs, I started to feel quite uneasy.

Surely, there is danger ahead, and it is nearer to us than the shadowy complexion of our horses.

I thought.

Soon afterwards, a strong wind danced into the threatening foggy thickness of the ambiance, striking a shrill of cold and fear upon our dim skin.

Looking skywards into the firmaments, I beheld the moon skulking behind the clouds.

Could this be a sign from the heavens that we hide ourselves too?

With such a burdening threat of uneasiness heavy at heart, I turned to the captain and told him about my suspicion.

''I have a very bad feeling about this path upon which we ride.'' My voice poured out quietly.

''And what could that be?'' He inquired.

''I think there is an ambush somewhere around, and we seem to be moving very close to it.''

''Hmmmmm...do you feel anything?'' He turned to another of the soldier.

''Nothing but the urge to kill some vamps.''

''Very good, Lucan.''

''Trust me on this one, cap.''

''Alright! Let's give him the evidence of the doubt.''

''Aye!''

He made a hand gesture, which meant that we halt and then dismount our horses. Thereafter, he made another hand gesture, which meant that we release the horses and allow them gallop into the darkness ahead. Having detached our paraphernalia from the horses, we made them run ahead into the foggy paths before us.