The Silencing

The Silencing



The woods are silent. Not a thing stirs. The sun hits icicles and dew drops, illuminating them, like the facets of diamonds in its fiery twilight rays. The snow carpeting the ground is pristine in its blinding whiteness. Not even marred by the tiny tracks of animals. The mountains seem lifeless. The trees lay dormant, standing bent and twisted under the heavy weight of the white powder coating their limbs. A mountain of old men, barely alive clinging like weeds on a cliff face, to life. It’s a land belonging to the wild, barely touched by the destructive hand of man. The small pockets of basic civilisation battle, endlessly against the merciless elements. Victory is long hoped for, but knowingly unattainable, like fresh water in a salt sea. A sound in the distance echoes through the valleys and ridges, travelling fast, unhindered disturbing wildlife hidden deep within the mountain’s wilderness…

         …your breath comes in painful grasps as your airways shrink. Your leg muscles burn like a raging fire. You can no longer feel your feet. The constant plunging into deep bitterly frozen snow has robbed you of feeling, warmth…life.

Your vision is stained with bright crimson and trails trickling down your numb face, leaving a breadcrumb path behind you. You’re covered in blood, glistening red droplets. Some yours…some not. You slow; your mind vividly recalls the brutal scenes in the small cabin not so far behind you.

Lifeless eyes stared accusingly at you. Red rivers ran down the dark low walls. The sounds of metal tearing through flesh, the screams of absolute agony, haunt you. ‘Run.’ He told you, ‘Run…I will hold him off…it’s all up to you. Run!’ He pressed the hard round object he’d worked so hard to protect, into your hands. Ignoring your protests he pushed you away, away from the cabin, from him and death. You didn’t want to leave him, but you knew you had to…you it must be protected. So you ran, the sounds of his screams ringing in your ears. You kept going, but now you’ve stopped. NO. You mustn’t stop.

The bitting wind grabs at your clothes with long bony hands, ruthlessly invading all openings, all tears. It buries deep into your very bones, freezing them from the inside out. The trees around you seem to come to life. Their twisted limbs reach out to stop you, hold you back, when it’s all important that you keep going. Don’t stop. You mustn’t stop. Must not stop. More crimson pours down your face as their jagged fingernails rake your cheek. You barely feel the pain so numb is you battered, aching body, unsure of why it’s still running.

You look longingly at the white blanketed ground. Such a nice resting place… They begin to whisper to you, their gnarled bodies, moving, forming twisted mouths to whisper twisted words…give up, it’s time to stop…your time is up…stop running, just rest…come lay for a while we’ll keep you warm and safe…it’s time to stop…stop…stop. But you can’t. You can’t stop; you use precious air to scream at them to shut up. You force you body to keep going. You realise the hopelessness of you actions, yet you can’t stop. It’s impossible. If you do, it all ends, it’s worthless, all the fighting, the running, the lives given before you, the cabin... All their sacrifices will have been for nothing. They may as well have just lain down, throats bared from the start. So no, you can not stop.

The blood rushes in your ears deafening their whispers. You’re barely running now, rather dragging your heavy legs through snow. Buried to your knees you struggled onward, fingers scraping at the ground, grappling for purchase, pulling you forward, centimetre by painful centimetre.

The hard object in your pocket, that so many have died for digs into your nearly numb hip. You fall; the snow steals your remaining body heat, like a thief in the night. Your bones melt, your breath comes heavy. It would be so easy to just lay here and wait, wait for the end…so easy. NO! Your mind screams at you, get up, get up, and keep going. Reluctantly, you drag your near lifeless body up and lunge forward connecting with a frozen trunk. Lunging again, connecting again, you keep going, if you can just get to the village at the bottom of the mountain you will be safe, and it will all be worth it.

You hear snow crunching behind you not far off. Your low cry revibrates, and with renewed energy you struggle forward. Not much further and safety awaits, warm arms to fall into, cushioning warmth, protection. Not long, not long your mind whispers.

You glance around and see the figure clad in black walking calmly after you, icy hands grab your insides, freezing you movement for but a moment, until the struggle is resumed. You can feel him behind you his body heat reaching out curling deliciously around you, teasing, tempting. Another lunge, you lose your footing and slide and tumble downwards.

Painfully you connect with rocks, not quite buried and trees in your path, ricocheting down the mountain side. Desperately you try to curl into yourself until one tree doesn’t let you go, its thick trunk stoping your descent, causing pain to shot through your battered body. You lay slumped over intertwined roots; long limbs reach downwards brushing your frozen skin. The old men cackle madly at you and the malevolent wind is now still. Your enemies withdraw leaving only one.

You can barely move yet you drag yourself to your knees, gasping for air…footsteps stop behind you…gloved hands slide gently into your hair, stroking massaging…pain explodes as you’re wrenched roughly upwards, by the once gentle hands. His fog-like breathe drifts over your face as he bends close to your ear, warming you neck. So warm and welcome, so familiar.

You lean closer, a sob escapes you; he is your enemy you should fight. But he wasn’t always so your heart whispers…there was a time when he was anything but, when you held his heart and he yours.

His arms envelope you, holding you close to his warmth and all you fight…disappears. He leans closer, trailing his gloved hand down your bloody cheek. He whispers…‘You could have had it all, a life, and love. You should have gone along with my plan. We could have had…but no, you stupidly chose your loyalty to a bunch of dead unknown heroes over me. Over me!’ His voice is uneven…‘How could you? I would have given up everything for you.’

‘Except your loyalties.’ You croak softly, ‘You expected me to give up mine, betray mine.’ His hand tightens in your hair and his laugh is low. He pulls your head back and you look deep into his black eyes, perfect reflections of his black soul. For a moment you allow yourself to imagine. To imagine what it would have been like if you had surrendered to him... No. You pull back the door firmly shut to the possibility. You reject him and what you once shared. You stare at him refusing to give in. He sees the rejection in your eyes, hears the echo of the shutting door and you know. Your last chance is gone…slowly he turns your head, and in the fading dusky light your tired eyes spy the faint flickering fires of civilisation, salvation. You were so close.

‘It all ends with you.’ He murmurs, the words striking a blow to your heart. ‘You will join your precious dead heroes. You’re the last of them. You…failed.’ He presses his lips gently against yours. Your heart flickers against your will, ignoring the reasoning of your mind. You gasp as you feel a long cool blade slide through you ribs piercing your traitorous heart. The pain is quick, fleeting and you slump to the frozen ground.

He stands over you, watching your eyes glaze over as the life slowly leeches from your body. There’s a glimmer in his eyes, just the smallest flash of regret. You smile, you haven’t lost all, this will haunt him forever, dog the shadows of his existence.

Your life doesn’t flash before you eyes, just the people who made it worth while. Their faces are a soundless film rolling in your darkening mind. Your last breath rattles slowly from your lungs…your body goes limp, your final thought whispers…You failed.