Spiral Out Draft 2

Deep within a beautiful forest located on the outskirts of Arkham, Massachusetts, a young woman, Kaia, playfully chases a masculine figure. Her fiery-red hair flows almost endlessly behind her, normally it’s tied up in a dutch braid. But not today, Kaia has let all her troubles melt away; for now. Her milky white skin shines like a beacon in the sea of autumn colors. Hues of red, and yellow leaves riddle the earthy brown forest floor. Much like the freckles that riddle Kaia’s face.

She wears a black t-shirt that has the word “Carcass” on it, in an almost indecipherable font, beneath it is a picture of a man ripping his own face off. A vulgar shirt to someone who doesn’t listen to death metal or grindcore, but Kaia enjoys the band, as well as the design. Her navy-blue jeans are old, weathered, and riddled with small patches of band logos. On her feet are a pair of Red PF Flyers Center Hi’s with black laces. Kaia had always wanted a pair of PF Flyers ever since she saw the movie “The Sandlot” back when she was a kid. And on her 18th birthday she bought herself some, since then she had made it a tradition to go to the same store and buy the same pair whenever she needed a replacement.

“Catch me if you can!” The figure shouts as he darts effortlessly through the trees. Kaia chases after him. Jogging at first, and then going into a full sprint. But no matter how fast she runs, he always seems to be at the same distance away from her. Only inches out of reach. They continue this dance for what seems like an eternity to Kaia.

“Hey!” Kaia shouts, breathless and frustrated. She stops and lurches forward, clutching her knees as she tries to catch her breath. Sweat drips down over her brow, and she quickly wipes it away from her blushing face. Her legs are burning, and her back is starting to ache. Her mind fills with doubt, and fear. Doubt that she will ever see the person she loves again. And fear that she will lose him when she needs him the most.

She looks up from the ground and see’s the figure standing feet away from her. He’s indistinguishable. The color of his skin is white, wait. No, Its black? Or is that just the color of his shirt? He runs his fingers through his short brown hair. And then ruffles up his long golden mane. Ever-changing, from tall to short, thin to fat, light to dark. As soon as Kaia is able to distinguish a feature on him, it quickly changes to something else. But she is only confused for a moment, for soon afterwards she is filled to the brim with tidal waves of love, and lust. She lets herself get washed away, and gleefully drowns in it.

“He’s the one” She says inside her head, smiling. She can feel her heartbeat grow ever faster when she looks at him. Or is that just from her running so much? Either way, it doesn't matter, She’s going to catch him sooner or later, and then she’s going to smother him with love. Even if it takes her all day to catch him. And even if the thoughts of fear and doubt quickly rush back to assault her happiness. Which they will, and they do.

“I’m scared that I’ll lose him.” She says to herself as she looks up towards the sky. She loves him dearly, but that one patch of darkness in the bottom of her heart seems to have the loudest voice. Always reminding her that these joyous moments are fleeting. That for every bright shiny day, like this one, there’s always a week of storms. Thankfully today, the sun shines bright through the canopy of trees. Earthly scents fill Kaia’s nostrils, opening up doorways in her mind to memories that she has long forgotten; the happy and joyful ones. The taste of iron and copper has filled her mouth, and her lungs sting from running so much. How long has she been running? Has she always been running? When did she start? Five minutes ago? Five hours ago? For the life of her, she cannot remember.

“Lose who?” The figure asks, as he appears behind Kaia. He wraps his arms around her, and she sinks into his embrace. She closes her eyes and smiles. For Kaia this is Heaven,and her head fills with euphoria. She can feel her heart flutter as she breathes in his scent. Smelling of freshly fallen rain, with a hint of vanilla. Kaia holds on to his arms and together they sway back and forth. Like two trees swaying through a cool autumn breeze. The sensation would be hypnotic for her, if it wasn't for the darkness scratching again at the back of her mind. Fear begins to envelope her.

“You” She says. “I was afraid of losing you.” Her body trembles and shutters as she speaks. The words spew out of her mouth like black tar. Their corruption taints the very air before her, distorting it to a sickly black. Kaia holds her breath, afraid to inhale the very words she speaks.

And then, it happens...

Something is wrong. His warm embrace, it feels cold and lifeless now. His lovely scent gone, only the stench of rotting flesh and death remain. Kaia’s heart races, but out of fear this time. She opens her eyes and sees a frozen wasteland before her. Snow has begun to fall, and it’s already ankle deep. The wind howls like a banshee and blasts across her skin. Her clothes offer little protection. The tree’s have all withered and died, nothing but black, charred husks. The beautiful blue sky has been tarnished into a black veil, no stars shine on this night. And the only light is the full moon, looming over the horizon like a spotlight.

Kaia turns around to see the love of her life; a rotting corpse. A ROTTING CORPSE!? She shrieks in terror and pushes the lifeless body away with all her might. It falls lifeless to the ground, and then quickly bursts into black flames. Kaia looks on in horror. Has the love she felt been nothing but an illusion? His warm embrace, his heavenly scent, her heart palpitations, they’ve all been nothing but lies. And now, only ash remains.

A wave of maniacal laughter erupts from deep within the woods. Kaia’s sorrow and despair quickly turns to hatred and disdain. She now knows exactly what’s going on, and who’s responsible for this trickery. And she’s going to make sure that they suffer for it.