LOKI IMAGINES

Cabin in The Woods

Wow would you look at that? Another long one-shot!

Set in the Viking era.

Screaming.

All you could hear was the screams of your fellow village folk. The barbarians from the North have raided and is attacking your village. They arrived not an hour ago, completely shocking everybody. Your people thought your area would be safe from raiders and thieves since the stone walls of a powerful kingdom was near, that's why they didn't bother to put their guard up.

They were wrong.

And this was the price they had to pay.

Crops were pulled from the ground, homes were ransacked of their belongings then later burned down once they had no use for the barbarians. Men were slaughtered, women and children were taken to be held as prisoners.

You cried to your mother when she bid you to run well into the forest and never look back. "Run! Run, my child! Run, towards your own safety!" She shouted at you while she stood up to fight the raiders, alongside some of the men.

"You cannot do this to me, mother!" You cried loudly. "I cannot leave you here to your demise!"

"You and I do not have a choice," She said, sternly. "We both die if you remain."

"Atleast I die fighting beside my mother." You reasoned, heart breaking bit by bit.

"Enough! You are far too young to die. You must go. Run into the forest and never look back. Explore the world for me, would you, my daughter?" Her eyes got softer the more she spoke. The tears were threatening to fall, but she was not about to show her daughter more hopelessness and weakness at this moment.

"Mama..." You whispered silently. Norns, you weren't ready to say goodbye.

"Never forget that I love you." She swiftly gave you a kiss on the forehead and busted out of your door to fight with her blade.

Your lips quivered as you grab your darkest furs and pouch of coin. You took a deep breath before stealthily walking out of the door, silent tears streaming down your face.

Your feet quickly carried you into the dark depths of the forest. The chill biting through your thick cloak. You kept on running until you couldn't hear the screams or smell the burnt wood of the houses. You finally slowed down when all you could hear was your padding footsteps, your exhausted breaths, silenced sobs and silence. That sort of silence that you loathe because you know it's just you and no other company except for the trees and white snow.

The initial chaos has passed and your feelings has been numbed because of your exhaustion, now you have to choose a path: left or right?

You sighed heavily. You had no energy to think properly anymore. Your legs feel like jelly and you think your lungs might give out any second. You sighed once more, before choosing the path on the right.

Little do you know where that path would take you.

You walked slowly, the slow pace numbing your emotions even more. You didn't want to think or imagine what your mother faced. You pushed all of those thoughts away. You tried to forget the sound of screams, the bodies getting trampled, blade slicing through flesh, the smell of burnt wood and flesh. You tried to forget it all.

When night came, you lit a small fire and slept on the ground beside it. It did almost nothing to keep your body warm. The snow you were laying down on was not helping either. You sighed and forced yourself to slumber.

Daylight came and so you continue your meaningless search for shelter. You begrudgingly continued walking in the direction you chose. You didn't know if you were walking in circles for the trees and snow looked the same on every turn you took.