ONE DROP OF BLOOD (ongoing)

CHAPTER 7: RUN AWAY

I was so far from the house I left when I escaped and there are no other houses here, that's another wierd thing.

And instead of finding any houses or people, I found this forest. Then, this wierd and horrible creature infront of me also appeared.

It makes a distorted hissing sound.

"Are you sure you don't know what I am?"

I steady my breathing. He's talking. Maybe people here are also wierd. I shouldn't judge him.

"Yes." I answered, almost feeling calmed.

"Really?!" he ask in surprise. "Aren't you a hollow?" he turn sideways, then moves around me.

I tilt my head and said, "I... I don't know. But, what do you know about hollows?" I ask again, frowning and meeting his gaze.

He giggles as he slithers closer to me.

He suddenly crouched down his head infront of me by bending his long neck. "I am!.. I am a hollow!" he says, grinning sheepishly.

I jolted in surprise and touch my chest to breathe.

His big, round eyes is staring at me. His face is big, showing an expression of excitement.

I notice his mouth with sharp teeth, I think it could gobble a whole fat chicken in one go.

He stays like that for a moment.

I gulped while calming myself, stepping back a bit, because he's too close. I'm thinking that it's normal to a place like this.

This isn't earth. This is another world. So, this is normal.

He is normal.

"You are?" I ask.

He moves his head away and turn his back for a moment.

"Yes, but aren't you scared of me? Because I look.. tremendously horrible.." he answered.

He covered his face with one hand.

That's true. He's appearance is monstrous, even his back that is almost showing his bony skin. If my cousins see this, maybe they're already running away screaming.

But for me, it's fine. As long as he doesn't hurt me, it'll be fine.

"Why? I think it's not at all. In fact, your friendliness takes away my fear." I said.

This time, I'm the one who moves closer.

"May I.. know your name? I'm Allison." I said. I also need his help. I'm a little bit lost in this forest.

He didn't answer for a moment.

"Mister?" I ask.

Then, he suddenly turns around to see me. His mouth, open and is wet by something, like a saliva, dripping down, but it's a bit sticky.

"I.. I am Austussss!" he says. His eyes is so focus on me, the dark circles in his eyes, enlarging.

"What's wrong? Why do you look at me like that?" I asked. I'm starting to feel nervous again.

He's looking at me like a predator, looking at its prey.

I step back as I see his mouth slowly opens wider than its size a while ago.

"I just need something from you!" he says.

"Austus?"

He suddenly advances and tries to gobble me, but my adrenaline helps me to ran and roll away.

"What's this?! You want to eat me?!!" I shouted.

I frantically ran to wherever my feet take me.

He chases me, elongating his numerous feet to sway from tree to tree, while growling loud like a hungry dog.

"I don't know why you seem to know nothing! But I am a cursed Hollow! I need your flesh so I could attain a perfect body!!" he shouts.

"No!!!"

I suddenly remember what Orthyl told me. So, he's telling me the truth!
About hollows, about the curse and all! It's true! But he didn't tell me that cursed Hollows are eating flesh of the Other-kind!

It's cannibalism!!

"Just surrender to your fate little Allison! No one will help you here even if you scream!" he said, taunting me.

That's true, no one will hear me.

No one will help me.

No one.

I'm starting to feel emotional. I remember grandpa, my mom and my dad.

How I wish I could see them! How I wish this is just a nightmare, that if I close my eyes and open it, I will wake up and see the familiar blue curtains in my room in grandpa's house, I will see the wet book on the table beside my bed, I will see that I'm still at home!

If I didn't escape, I won't be chased and about to be eaten by this gruesome beast.

And even if I don't want to think of Erin, I wish he knows that I'm about to die, because if not, he'll also die with me.

I'm sweating, my heart is full of horses and my vision is whirling, a little bleary because of some tears. I wipe my face fast. My feet is tired now, but I must keep on running, even if my body is not used to. I need to run.

I must run to live.

I glance back while running and he is still chasing me. He's fast. He's almost reaching me with his hands.

Every hard trunk of the trees became his ladder towards me. His face is more horrible and menacing than awhile. His laughing so loud like a crazy maniac.

Suddenly, my foot stumbled on the fallen thick branches on the ground. I fell down with a great thud, my forehead hitting the ground. I start to feel drowsy, a liquid passing down to my brow.

Then, I heard a laugh. I could feel Austus near me.

"You're a fool to go here alone, knowing that this is a place for cursed Hollows like me!" he says.

"But I want to thank you! I'll have a full stomach tonight!"

"No, please!" I try to say, trying to stop him.

He didn't want to listen. And he didn't wait for another second to pass. I could already feel his hot breath, his mouth ready to gobble me.

I closed my eyes, dropping tears once more. What else can I do? I succumb to this ill-fated life that I have.

I'm waiting for my death to come, waiting for my bones to crush on his mouth, waiting for the pain to find me.

The next thing that happened, I felt a sticky liquid splattered on my face. A loud bewailing filled my ears.

Then, a warm hand is pulling me up.