Coded
Maylin's lungs nearly burst out of her chest as she slipped into a dark alley and collapsed into a puddle. Each desperate breath scraped the walls of her raw throat, and every intake seemed an effort in itself. Rain pattered against her soaked locks, the salt from her sweat mixing with the miserable tears leaking from her eyes. Those damned eyes...
How long had she been running? Hours? Days? Weeks? They'd all blurred together in an incomprehensible heap, but then again, she couldn't comprehend anything at all in that moment.
She crawled into the pitch shadows, hunting for the blackest black to conceal herself with. It was where she'd always felt safest, where she could see no one, and no one could see her.
Maylin wasn't certain when her life had become what it was, but she knew the fault belonged to a man with a scar––a man with connections to the Church's enforcers, named ironically as the Paladins. They were their knights, their righteous soldiers, believing they were doing what was best by ridding the world of those who had been gifted by the Brothers of Kaav, the black and white angels of Sin and Absolution. But they were not saviors; they were murderers.
The scar on her neck of a dark halo burned. Warmth cupped her eyes, and the golden iridescence of her irises burned away the surrounding darkness. He was close...
Maylin instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, knowing any source of light would give away her position. She wouldn't survive if she were caught. At least she'd grown used to seeing the world in blackness. That would give her an advantage on this moonless night.
She silenced her breath, growing still as the man slowed at the entrance of the alley. His shoulders heaved as his lungs worked to keep him alive, and he stepped into the darkness with caution. She slapped a hand over her mouth, praying that her whimpering would cease. It was hard enough to keep herself still, and she was almost sure a wet rat had brushed her lower back. Maylin turned away from the source of footsteps splashing into the the scattered puddles.
"I know you're here, you little shit!" the man hissed. Cruel laughter seeped into his next words. "Hide if it makes you feel better, but I'll find you eventually..." His steps faded slightly. "Are you here...?" A loud, ringing crash made her spring. A tin lid rolled across the concrete, tipped over, and wobbled until it lay flat with a final, hollow thud, but the rain continued to drum away.
The splashing of his soles grew closer, and his voice was carried in her direction. "Or are you here...?" The man kicked at the dumpster beside her. Maylin bit her lip, her throat preparing to release the sobs that were building in her chest. She carefully placed her hand on the ground, shivering at the coolness of the pooling water. All she needed to do was stay silent, and she could circle around and slip away. As Maylin stood, her back pressed against the brick wall, she put one foot in front of the other and moved away from the man who continued to knock away any obstacles that stood in his way.
"Where are you?" he snarled. A rough stone jutting from the wall nipped Maylin's hand, drawing blood. She bit the inside of her cheek and continued on as carefully as she could, feeling her way blindly.
Her stomach dropped when her foot knocked over a collection of beer bottles, scattering them. The man whipped around, and she could feel his eyes on her.
"Found you..." he mumbled.
There was still a chance she could escape. The alley was dark enough for her to move around if she could just find her way through without causing any more commotion. But she would need to do so without opening her eyes.
Maylin stumbled through the darkness, timing her steps with the rumble of thunder. The rain was falling faster, now. Even with a light shining at them, it would be difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. Her hand found a corner, alerting her that she'd made it to the next wall and only had one left to move across.
The man kicked the bottles Maylin had knocked over earlier. Her hands shook. Was he really so close? She hurried to the next wall in a reckless haste and touched the bricks that would lead her back out into the night. A hopeful smile pulled at her twisted lips, and her fear began to dissipate.
A hand gripped her upper arm and yanked her back, slamming her against the wall. The breath was knocked from her and she collapsed on the ground.
"I told you I'd catch you..." He pulled her up by the shirt and clamped his hand around her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Come on, sweetie. Open those pretty eyes for me..."
"Please, just let me go..." she cried. Maylin turned away but the man pulled her back, encasing her head in his hands.
"Open them," he commanded.
She shook her head, sealing her eyelids as securely as she could, though the warmth once caressing her eyes began to burn. She wanted to open them, to lock them onto the man threatening her life and find the darkest fears that haunted him. Voices manifested, whispering into her ears to heed that sense of power that was growing within her. The dark halo on her neck sizzled, and she yelped.
"Open them, damn it!" the man shouted. He struck her across the face so hard, her lip bled.
Her lower lip quivered as she begged him to leave her be, but he wouldn't go away. He was desperate for the bounty on her head.
"I want to see how handsome that reward is," he told her. "Open your fucking eyes."
"No!" she protested. His fingers framed her eyes, pulling at her lids until her head ached from the effort to keep them shut. A sliver of golden light escaped into the night. She used every ounce of strength left in her body to try to pull his hands free from her face, but he kneed her in the stomach and punched her again. A new stream of blood trickled from the corner of her brow, and crimson stained her teeth.
"Please stop..." she begged weakly.
The man ignored her warning and pried her eyes open, allowing the light from her irises to escape and illuminate his greedy smile. "God, you're gonna make me rich..." He stared at the girl's eyes with a gluttonous awe, but something was happening beneath the surface that should've been far more of a concern to him.
Maylin froze the second her iridescent eyes locked onto the man's, and her irises swallowed her pupils until not even a speck of black was left. She felt her mind pulling from his, drawing something from the depths never meant to surface. The feeling made her sick, but there was an underlying sense of strength, of a charging power that was giving life back to her exhausted body. Although much of her life had been stolen from her because of it, she couldn't deny that it felt right.
The man stepped back to survey her, his silhouette glowing with the streetlight at his back and the rain springing off his shoulders. His brows wrinkled once he realized she was unresponsive, almost comatose, but he pulled a dagger from his pocket and moved towards her.
Then something growled from the darkness, shaking the earth with a low rumble from a powerful chest. The man stopped, his dagger still, and he turned towards the end of the alley. It seemed light could no longer reach it, nor did it want to. And by the quiet splashes that could only be the calculated steps of a predator, and the dragging of claws, what was emerging was not human.
Maylin's focus had returned, her pupils returning to normal. Though her head felt a bit fuzzy, she was grateful the ache and the burning had ceased. But now...
She turned towards the darkness, to the pitch she had grown so familiar with. It was the sign that there would be no light to save her, to save him, to save anyone. Maylin had no control over what happened next. She'd already lost so many people she loved to her curse and had cried so many tears, it was a wonder how she was still sane.
"W-what did you do...?" he whispered. The man's knees wobbled, and with her eyes' heightened senses, she could distinguish each goosebump on his neck and every small hair that rose.
"I warned you..." she mumbled, staring into the black space. "I warned you but you didn't listen..." Maylin slowly moved her eyes to him, her expression blank. "You should run before it catches your scent."
A pair of unblinking, golden eyes flashed from the shadows, locking onto the man, its prey. A long, slender arm with sharp claws took form, and then another, pulling a pair of broad shoulders and a disfigured, black skull forward with sharp cheekbones and a long jaw encasing two endless rows of pointed teeth. The dark figure limped towards the man, revealing a hunched back and legs that gave the creature a terrifying height. The edges of the monster that trudged towards them faded into the air, as though made of smoke, but this thing was anything but an illusion.
"Don't let the limp fool you," Maylin warned the man. Somehow, she knew what it was capable of. She knew every time one crawled out of Hell. "It's fast."
The man ran, ran into the light and didn't look back, but the creature craned its neck to the dark skies and released a disorienting screech. A battlecry. As it bounded past her, its form more visible to her in its proximity, she knew the man was dead already.
The monster leapt from the shadows and into the light, disappearing. The man turned and slowed, panting heavily as he stood directly under the streetlight. He seemed relieved, but he was a fool to think it was over.
First, his right arm was torn off. Then his left leg. He stumbled to the ground before something pierced his abdomen and scooped out whatever it could find. Teeth sunk into his chest, and suddenly the man was gone and his screams were no more. The night grew quiet.
Footsteps scraped across the concrete, and once the creature's foot stepped into the shadows, it reappeared. As it passed, it glanced at Maylin for only a moment, as though taunting her, and faded into the blackest part of the alley.
Everything returned to normal, leaving only the calm roll of thunder, and the pattering rain. The storm, cruel and unforgiving, washed away the blood under the flickering streetlight before its life was taken too.
How long had she been running? Hours? Days? Weeks? They'd all blurred together in an incomprehensible heap, but then again, she couldn't comprehend anything at all in that moment.
She crawled into the pitch shadows, hunting for the blackest black to conceal herself with. It was where she'd always felt safest, where she could see no one, and no one could see her.
Maylin wasn't certain when her life had become what it was, but she knew the fault belonged to a man with a scar––a man with connections to the Church's enforcers, named ironically as the Paladins. They were their knights, their righteous soldiers, believing they were doing what was best by ridding the world of those who had been gifted by the Brothers of Kaav, the black and white angels of Sin and Absolution. But they were not saviors; they were murderers.
The scar on her neck of a dark halo burned. Warmth cupped her eyes, and the golden iridescence of her irises burned away the surrounding darkness. He was close...
Maylin instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, knowing any source of light would give away her position. She wouldn't survive if she were caught. At least she'd grown used to seeing the world in blackness. That would give her an advantage on this moonless night.
She silenced her breath, growing still as the man slowed at the entrance of the alley. His shoulders heaved as his lungs worked to keep him alive, and he stepped into the darkness with caution. She slapped a hand over her mouth, praying that her whimpering would cease. It was hard enough to keep herself still, and she was almost sure a wet rat had brushed her lower back. Maylin turned away from the source of footsteps splashing into the the scattered puddles.
"I know you're here, you little shit!" the man hissed. Cruel laughter seeped into his next words. "Hide if it makes you feel better, but I'll find you eventually..." His steps faded slightly. "Are you here...?" A loud, ringing crash made her spring. A tin lid rolled across the concrete, tipped over, and wobbled until it lay flat with a final, hollow thud, but the rain continued to drum away.
The splashing of his soles grew closer, and his voice was carried in her direction. "Or are you here...?" The man kicked at the dumpster beside her. Maylin bit her lip, her throat preparing to release the sobs that were building in her chest. She carefully placed her hand on the ground, shivering at the coolness of the pooling water. All she needed to do was stay silent, and she could circle around and slip away. As Maylin stood, her back pressed against the brick wall, she put one foot in front of the other and moved away from the man who continued to knock away any obstacles that stood in his way.
"Where are you?" he snarled. A rough stone jutting from the wall nipped Maylin's hand, drawing blood. She bit the inside of her cheek and continued on as carefully as she could, feeling her way blindly.
Her stomach dropped when her foot knocked over a collection of beer bottles, scattering them. The man whipped around, and she could feel his eyes on her.
"Found you..." he mumbled.
There was still a chance she could escape. The alley was dark enough for her to move around if she could just find her way through without causing any more commotion. But she would need to do so without opening her eyes.
Maylin stumbled through the darkness, timing her steps with the rumble of thunder. The rain was falling faster, now. Even with a light shining at them, it would be difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. Her hand found a corner, alerting her that she'd made it to the next wall and only had one left to move across.
The man kicked the bottles Maylin had knocked over earlier. Her hands shook. Was he really so close? She hurried to the next wall in a reckless haste and touched the bricks that would lead her back out into the night. A hopeful smile pulled at her twisted lips, and her fear began to dissipate.
A hand gripped her upper arm and yanked her back, slamming her against the wall. The breath was knocked from her and she collapsed on the ground.
"I told you I'd catch you..." He pulled her up by the shirt and clamped his hand around her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Come on, sweetie. Open those pretty eyes for me..."
"Please, just let me go..." she cried. Maylin turned away but the man pulled her back, encasing her head in his hands.
"Open them," he commanded.
She shook her head, sealing her eyelids as securely as she could, though the warmth once caressing her eyes began to burn. She wanted to open them, to lock them onto the man threatening her life and find the darkest fears that haunted him. Voices manifested, whispering into her ears to heed that sense of power that was growing within her. The dark halo on her neck sizzled, and she yelped.
"Open them, damn it!" the man shouted. He struck her across the face so hard, her lip bled.
Her lower lip quivered as she begged him to leave her be, but he wouldn't go away. He was desperate for the bounty on her head.
"I want to see how handsome that reward is," he told her. "Open your fucking eyes."
"No!" she protested. His fingers framed her eyes, pulling at her lids until her head ached from the effort to keep them shut. A sliver of golden light escaped into the night. She used every ounce of strength left in her body to try to pull his hands free from her face, but he kneed her in the stomach and punched her again. A new stream of blood trickled from the corner of her brow, and crimson stained her teeth.
"Please stop..." she begged weakly.
The man ignored her warning and pried her eyes open, allowing the light from her irises to escape and illuminate his greedy smile. "God, you're gonna make me rich..." He stared at the girl's eyes with a gluttonous awe, but something was happening beneath the surface that should've been far more of a concern to him.
Maylin froze the second her iridescent eyes locked onto the man's, and her irises swallowed her pupils until not even a speck of black was left. She felt her mind pulling from his, drawing something from the depths never meant to surface. The feeling made her sick, but there was an underlying sense of strength, of a charging power that was giving life back to her exhausted body. Although much of her life had been stolen from her because of it, she couldn't deny that it felt right.
The man stepped back to survey her, his silhouette glowing with the streetlight at his back and the rain springing off his shoulders. His brows wrinkled once he realized she was unresponsive, almost comatose, but he pulled a dagger from his pocket and moved towards her.
Then something growled from the darkness, shaking the earth with a low rumble from a powerful chest. The man stopped, his dagger still, and he turned towards the end of the alley. It seemed light could no longer reach it, nor did it want to. And by the quiet splashes that could only be the calculated steps of a predator, and the dragging of claws, what was emerging was not human.
Maylin's focus had returned, her pupils returning to normal. Though her head felt a bit fuzzy, she was grateful the ache and the burning had ceased. But now...
She turned towards the darkness, to the pitch she had grown so familiar with. It was the sign that there would be no light to save her, to save him, to save anyone. Maylin had no control over what happened next. She'd already lost so many people she loved to her curse and had cried so many tears, it was a wonder how she was still sane.
"W-what did you do...?" he whispered. The man's knees wobbled, and with her eyes' heightened senses, she could distinguish each goosebump on his neck and every small hair that rose.
"I warned you..." she mumbled, staring into the black space. "I warned you but you didn't listen..." Maylin slowly moved her eyes to him, her expression blank. "You should run before it catches your scent."
A pair of unblinking, golden eyes flashed from the shadows, locking onto the man, its prey. A long, slender arm with sharp claws took form, and then another, pulling a pair of broad shoulders and a disfigured, black skull forward with sharp cheekbones and a long jaw encasing two endless rows of pointed teeth. The dark figure limped towards the man, revealing a hunched back and legs that gave the creature a terrifying height. The edges of the monster that trudged towards them faded into the air, as though made of smoke, but this thing was anything but an illusion.
"Don't let the limp fool you," Maylin warned the man. Somehow, she knew what it was capable of. She knew every time one crawled out of Hell. "It's fast."
The man ran, ran into the light and didn't look back, but the creature craned its neck to the dark skies and released a disorienting screech. A battlecry. As it bounded past her, its form more visible to her in its proximity, she knew the man was dead already.
The monster leapt from the shadows and into the light, disappearing. The man turned and slowed, panting heavily as he stood directly under the streetlight. He seemed relieved, but he was a fool to think it was over.
First, his right arm was torn off. Then his left leg. He stumbled to the ground before something pierced his abdomen and scooped out whatever it could find. Teeth sunk into his chest, and suddenly the man was gone and his screams were no more. The night grew quiet.
Footsteps scraped across the concrete, and once the creature's foot stepped into the shadows, it reappeared. As it passed, it glanced at Maylin for only a moment, as though taunting her, and faded into the blackest part of the alley.
Everything returned to normal, leaving only the calm roll of thunder, and the pattering rain. The storm, cruel and unforgiving, washed away the blood under the flickering streetlight before its life was taken too.
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