Chapter Text
Chapter 1 – The beginning of the end
Red!
Nothing but the colour red.
Warmth.
No … Not as gentle as warmth.
Burning!
A burning so close you can feel it on you skin.
Smell.
A smell so foul it causes tears to swell in your eyes making your vision blur.
Through the blurred sight you look around, trying to make sense of everything. You note that you're laying on your stomach as you push yourself up. Stopping with a hiss through your teeth as pain shoots throughout your body, dropping back to the ground. You also note that there's a weight on you. You attempt to move your legs stopping as something scratches up against them, unable to move your legs further due to the weight one them.
Letting the pain of your legs subdue as best you can handle, you bring your arms up to your head. The skin of your forearms and hands scraping across the debris as you do so. Pushing up on your forearms to gain a bit of height off the ground you slightly twist your body while looking over your shoulder to see what had pinned your legs down. A burning sensation creeps up to your throat as you hold down the bile that has threatened to surface. You shoot your head away and collapsed back to the ground, ignoring the pain as you do so.
You let out shaky breath before taking in a big gulp of air. Holding your breath you turn back to see the mangled corpse of a human, man or women you have no clue, the features beyond recognisable. Their skin peeling from their bones as you note the charred and blackened skin clinging to your legs as it falls.
Burnt!
You release your breath before taking another, holding it. Biting through the pain to pull yourself free from underneath them, more debris scrapping and cutting the skin you have exposed as you free yourself from the weight of the dead.
Hesitantly crawling forward and away from the body, not looking back in fear of breaking down. The tears that blurred your vision reappear, threatening to fall as you wince through clenched teeth you crawl until you can't handle the pain no more. Once again falling to the ground. You focus on your breathing as you attempt to look around you.
Red!
Its' everywhere, splattered over the ground, cascading down the rumble of what is left of buildings. Even the sky is red, signalling the time of day or just the height of the flames around you.
Heat!
A burning so strong you feel yourself drip with sweat. Down your face, you back. You bring your hands to your face in attempts to wipe away the sweat only to widen your eyes as you look at the glistening red colour staring back at you. Clenching your fist to hide the red, the colour peaking though your fingers as it tries to escape the hold.
Inhale!
Exhale!
You steady your breathing as you once again attempt to get up. Now ignoring the pain shooting through you as you steady your footing. Slowly taking a step forward, wobbling as you try to balance yourself. Whipping your hands on the clothing your wore. Clothing that's torn and lost its original colour. Using the little strength you had you lifted your arm up whip your face with the sleeve of your kimono. Not caring that it too will be covered in more red.
The slither of the warm liquid continues to run down your face. The pain originating from a gash on your head. Looking around again to see if you can see movement, the only movements coming from the flames that surround you, the tattered cloth that fly through the breeze. A breeze that you welcome as it slightly cools your burning body.
Sighing, you look at your sleeves, the once beautiful kimono gifted to you by the man you call your husband, ruined beyond repair. Looking to your left and right you spot a tantō laying on ground not far from you. Turning to your right you slowly make your way over the to blade, keeping your balance as best you can in your attempt to walk.
Upon reaching your destination you crouch down to your knees. Your right palm brushing up against the hilt as you curled your fingers around it to lift it up. Using the tantō you slice through the end of your sleeve, cutting it up. Dropping the blade back to the ground to slowly wrap the cut of pieces of fabric around your head, tying it with a small bow to keep it in place. Hoping that this will stop the red from falling.
Inhale!
Exhale!
You steady yourself as you lift yourself back to your feet. Swaying slightly as you rebalance yourself on your feet. Heaving a sigh, you look around again, taking more of the environment in. This small village that you had found yourself in lay in ruins. Not a single building intact as you start to make your way through them. Hoping to escape the burning village. The banners of the village flapping in the wind as they're trapped under the rumble of the destroyed buildings. The bodies that scatter the ground unrecognizable as you pass them. Burnt, cut with limbs missing.
You wonder why it is that you are still breathing, the only injury that you could note being the cut on your head. You feel weak as you know the answer but push it to the back of you brain. You don't want to think about it. You don't want to be the reason that this village is in this state.
How else could you still be alive?
Stopping in your walk you look to the ground the tears finally free falling as you hold your head. No matter what way you look at it, it's all your fault. These people, the ones who have been so kind to you, are gone because of you.
You take a sharp intake of breath as you shoot your head up. Spinning around as you try to find the person, the being, almost falling over in your speed. Rebalancing yourself you note that you can't stop any more, the memories flashes through your eyes as to why you're here to begin with. Looking around, not seeing a single person, you change your plan to scan for the edge of the village.
That's when you hear it, a roar of your name so loud that you knew your time was running out.
Breath!
Calm down!
Move!
Hearing the roar again you pick a direction and run, ignoring the protests of pain your body is giving you. You don't have time to think about the pain as adrenaline rushes through you, moving you away from the sound. The sound steadily growing closer as you run. Not daring to look back as you round a corner, almost slipping as you run through the splattered red on the ground. Using the crumbling building to your left to push off of as you continue to run. Run to where? Anywhere as long as its away from the source of the sound.
Breathing heavy as you duck underneath a wedged pole, the buildings on either side vibrating as heavy footfalls run past. A clearing is up ahead as you continue to run forward. You beeline for the trees as you see it as your means of escape. You however fail to note how close your pursuer is.
You lose your breath as you feel yourself being flung back, falling to the ground as you quickly scarper to you feet in means to run again in another direction.
A booming laughter echoes through your ears as you round a corner and stop in your tracks. A fallen building blocking your way.
A dead end!
You turn around to be met with a sight you didn't want to see again. You were trapped. You had lost. You fall to your knees as you take a look at the being looming over you. You take a sharp breath as the tears begin to fall again. Blurring the man in front you.
The man being over 7 foot tall, imposing as he focuses his attention on you. He's arms, all four of them stretched out, blocking your only escape. His hands clawed as he flexes his fingers. Covered from head to foot in the colour red. A colour you're starting to hate.
He chuckles as he starts to walk towards you, arms still outstretched ready to catch you if you run. You stay seated on your knees, looking up at him as he makes his way towards you. His eyes glowing that infuriating red colour as all four of them zero in on you. His hair matted and sticking in all places as it drips with a mix of fluids. You have to acknowledge it sooner or later. That red, the colour. Its blood!
Whose is it though, his? Highly unlikely. He looks like he's had far too fun staring at you. A single tickle of blood sliding down the centre of his nose before dripping off the tip. Merging with the blood already coating the ground.
He stopped in front of you, crouching down to fully loom over you as you crane you neck to look at him in the eyes. Bring his arms down and around you, caging you in as you take another sharp inhale of breath. His upper hands reaching to cup your face as they wipe away the tear stains from your cheeks. Holding your face in his hands, he stares down at you leaning close, the scent of burnt flesh, iron and death reach your nose.
Not daring to move you continue to watch him, wondering his next move as you continue to watch him. He licks his lips, taking some of the blood with it as his smile widens showing off his teeth, coated in red. You halt your breathing as he finally speaks, his voice low and rough sounding.
“Where do you think you're going my dear?”