Tempest

Hi all!

Below is chapter one of Tempest. As always, feel free to leave me a comment with your thoughts and let me know if you’d like to read chapter two!

Cold.

My skin, my hair - I felt it in my bones. I was as cold as ice.

And damp - I could feel a mist over my face and cool drops of rain. I slowly regained feeling in my limbs, but they were too heavy to move. I couldn’t even open my eyes. I was trapped.

A crash echoed through the sky, and I saw a flash of light behind my closed eyes. The sound startled something in me and my fingers flexed. They were so cold it felt as if they'd snap right off if I moved them too much.

I tried to focus on the sounds around me. I could feel a thick mist behind the rain, making the rain sound almost hollow. The sky rumbled, as if preparing for another crash, and there were buzzing sounds floating around me, coming and going.

Another crash echoed, and this time I jolted. My arms stiffened, and I winced. Every inch of my body was drenched in pain. I felt my teeth clench, and I forced my eyes open.

I blinked a few times, adjusting my eyes to the dark. The sky was above me. It was black and starless, with heavy clouds pushing out rain. I slowly reached a hand to my face and touched my skin. My face was smooth as I passed over each feature until I reached the left side of my face. I felt a rough line tracing the top of my cheek to my upper lip. It felt thin underneath my fingers. My eyebrows knit together as I reached my other hand to my face.

The sky crashed a third time, and I saw a quick flash of light amongst the clouds. My breath hitched as I waited for something to hit me.

Thunder and lightning.

The words came to me quickly. I exhaled, feeling secure in my knowledge the sky wasn't going to fall upon me.

Stand up.

I took a deep breath and tried to pull myself upright. I ended up on my knees, and I doubled over in agony. The pain in my bones was overwhelming.

With my eyes squeezed shut, I pushed myself off the ground and stood. I thrust my arms out to steady myself and held my breath a moment. I slowly lowered my arms and lifted my head towards the sky, taking a breath and opening my eyes. A scent assaulted my nose without warning, and it nearly forced me to collapse. I could smell a pungent, rancid scent I hadn't noticed while on the ground. I lowered my head to examine my surroundings, and my hands instinctively covered my mouth to prevent sound from escaping.

Bodies stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. Flies buzzed across the field, hovering over the corpses. I could feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest. My eyes dropped to the ground in front of me, and my stomach churned; I was surrounded by bodies of the dead. I had been lying amongst them. An abundance of people staring blankly at me, varying expressions on their faces, multiple wounds across each and every one of them -

My hand gripped my stomach and the other gripped my knee to keep me upright as my stomach attempted to empty itself. I seemingly had nothing to empty, but the act made my stomach ache and my eyes water.

I steadied myself and tried to recall how I came to be here, but my mind was blank. I searched my mind for anything I could hold onto, but there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Where am I? Who are these people? Why am I here?

Who am I?

Thunder rumbled above me, forcing me out of my thoughts.

I need to find shelter.

I looked around for some sort of road but found nothing. The path ahead was scattered with bodies. I would have to walk across them to escape the field. With my arms wrapped around myself I marched forward, away from the trees.

My eyes darted back and forth between the ground and the direction I walked and I shivered. My clothing was soaked and clung to me like an icy layer of skin. I could feel my hair matted to the back of my neck. My toes were mostly numb, which made it difficult to walk. I stumbled as I pushed my stiff legs forward.

I could see a path not too far ahead of me. Being the only area not littered with bodies, I hurried towards it. My foot caught in something and toppled me forward. I thrust out my arms to catch myself, and my hands fell onto two bodies with a resounding thud. I came face to face with the bewildered expression of a young man. His blue eyes were open wide and his mouth was agape with dried blood in the corner. He looked terrified. He died terrified.

I screamed, but no sound came out. I tried to pull myself to my feet, but my boot had been caught in the elbow of a corpse. My body began to shake in panic as I kicked my foot to free myself. My frenzied attempt at freedom did nothing but shake the arm wrapped around my foot. I smacked at it with my hand and managed to scramble to my feet. I felt myself shaking as I wrapped my arms around myself; I wasn't sure whether it was the cold or the horror of what I was seeing, but I pushed forward.

After what felt like ages, I reached the path. It was too dark to see where it led, but as long as it was away from the field, I was grateful.

I walked and walked, each step becoming easier as my toes regained some feeling. The sky continued to rumble, but I could no longer hear the buzzing of flies. The path ahead was dark and quiet, and I could only hope I would reach a town by sunrise.

The further I walked the more paranoid I became; greenery began to surround me, and I couldn't ignore the rustling sounds on either side of me. If something jumped out of the woods at me, I was powerless to protect myself.

I quickened my pace, eventually finding myself in front of an old home. There was no light shining from inside, no smoke coming from the chimney - it appeared to be abandoned.

It may not look welcoming, but it's better than staying in the rain.

I made my way toward the front door with my eyes darting around the darkness. I was terrified that something would find me if I failed to find a way inside. My hand gripped the doorknob and I twisted it. Relief washed over me when it creaked open.

I slowly crept inside. "Hello?"

Silence.

I exhaled and shut the door behind me. It smelled of dust and decay, but it was an improvement from freezing in the rain.

I curled up in the corner and rubbed my arms. I shut my eyes and searched my memory for any traces of my identity or how I ended up on that field, but I continuously drew a blank. There was nothing in my mind but what I’d just experienced.

I could walk, I could talk, I could think clearly; I hadn't the faintest idea what I looked like, but judging by my body I was an adult. How could I remember that information but not who I am? How could I be an adult with no recollection of childhood?

What happened to me?

~~~

As the light shone in on me, I opened my eyes. My surroundings looked worse in the daylight, but at least I hadn't had any visitors.

I stood and stretched, my bones cracking from my awkward sleeping position. In the daylight, I could finally see myself. I examined my hands - my fingers were long and slender with short nails and my skin was a warm brown color. My arms were wrapped in a tight black fabric that extended to my wrists, though I wasn't sure if it was meant to cling to me or if the rain had made it so. I felt something around my neck and reached my hands to it, feeling a snug necklace with some sort of gem in the center. I dropped my head and placed my hands on my hips, seeing a snug black bodice with buttons trailing down the center and a loose skirt that nearly touched the floor. Black boots were laced to my feet, and there was a dull ache in my heel. From what I could tell, there was nothing noteworthy about my figure. I had no way to know whether I was skinny or average sized, how my height compared to others, what I looked like without a laced bodice -

Footsteps. I froze, holding my breath to listen closer. I heard them again, but this time they quickened their pace. I crept to the nearest window and looked outside. I saw nothing but greenery and a path, which did nothing to calm my nerves. I took a step back and exhaled, trying to slow the hammering of my heart in my chest.

I heard a low growl behind me and spun around to face whatever was there. I could see nothing, but my legs had already chosen to flee.

I rushed out the door and back to the path, running away from the muddied footprints I had left the night before. I ran as far as my legs would take me, making sure to put a sizeable distance between myself and the home. When my legs burned and my feet ached, I slowed to a walk, daring to look behind me. There was nothing, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

The back of my throat was dry and it made me cough. With no water to relieve it, I swallowed as much spit as I could. My stomach growled, and the need for food overwhelmed my mind.

I was ravenous, I was parched, I was dirty, damp, cold, exhausted -

I needed to find a town, otherwise, I would die out here. I did not flee the field of death to die of starvation.

I forced myself forward. My legs dragged in protest. I was no longer surrounded by greenery, but by empty fields. A vast nothingness. It was more welcoming than the forest, but it was disheartening to see nothing but grass and dirt ahead of me. Still, I pushed on in hopes of at least running into another person. Where there were people, there was food.

~~~

Daylight had gone, replaced by an orange glow in the sky. There would soon be stars, and I would be in the same position I was in the night before. Anxiety was beginning to settle in. I feared I had gone in the wrong direction. Perhaps I should have gone through the trees on the field, or maybe I was meant to veer off the path earlier. My thoughts raced, and I felt a sob building in my chest.

Lost and alone. If I were to collapse now, nobody would find me. Not for a long time, anyhow. I would probably end up as some wolf's meal. Perhaps I was meant to die on the field. Why else would I have found myself there?

I stopped walking and stared at the sky. "Why?" I whispered. My voice was hoarse. "Why am I alive? What's the point?"

My legs wobbled, and I considered lying down amongst the vast nothingness. Fate would decide if I woke up or ended up eaten by animals.

I turned my gaze to the left, and my heart fluttered - in the distance, I could see smoke. It was a thin line puffing up into the sky and not a thick fog overhead, telling me it may be coming from a chimney. With a burst of energy I ran along the path, keeping my eyes fixed on the smoke. It became clearer and clearer, and with each step in the right direction, my heart beat in excitement.

Soon, I would be saved.

I hope you enjoyed chapter one of Tempest!

‘Til next time,