“This can’t be happening! It can’t, it can’t, it can’t!”
The girl repeated it again and again. Refusing to believe her current situation, her eyes closed and hidden behind her hands. She pressed hard with her palms, as if that action could bring her back to the world she knew but barely remembered.
When she freed her eyes and opened them to see nothing but red leaves everywhere and the two Moons high above, she knew there was no turning back.
“Shit!”
That nightmare, unfortunately, was real. That unknown world was real and accepting it was the only thing she could do. Helplessness, as well as so much and sudden stress, made Tristessa finally break down in tears. Her shattered memory did not help with any consolation, nor did the search for logical explanations for what she was experiencing.
The overwhelming loneliness in that forest made her cry harder. But, in essence, crying cleansed the soul, even if it was only a dim feeling of lightness upon the colossal weight of what tormented her.
“It's okay. Yes, it is. Everything's going to be alright if I take it easy,” Tristessa managed to articulate, once her eyes were left without more tears to shed and her breathing became more controlled and devoid of sobs. “I have to think. Yes, calm down and think.”
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and felt the strange lack of something against her skin. Her wristwatch, which was lying next to her, almost hiding among the leaves.
“Tristessa Irandell… Who are you?” she wondered, looking at that clockwork object with a vain hope that it could make new memories appear from the dark void inside her head. “Dammit!”
Frustrated, she put the wristwatch inside the pocket with that ruined photograph, and she stood up.
What can I do now? Someone… No, a town, civilization, she thought in the privacy of her broken mind, looking in all directions as she turned on her own axis.
Beneath her bare feet, the ground was cold and indifferent. There was nothing that gave her any apparent direction in that forest, all the paths between the trees led to shadows that daylight could hardly eliminate.
What if I’m the only person here? What if I don’t find anyone? What if…what if I get lost in the forest?
So many questions that brought with them a horrible feeling of impending doom. Despair took hold of Tristessa's heart more and more, until her eyes stopped on something foreign to the forest.
Something that had been jealously hidden at the foot of one of the trees, protected by the shadows projected by the branches meters above.
“There!”
Quickly Tristessa trotted in that direction, without losing sight of that object, kicking leaves in her path and feeling dizzying excitement among so much pessimism. Upon reaching the foot of the tree, the girl let out a sigh of surprise.
“This is…!,” Crouching, she picked up a piece of clothing from the protruding-with-roots ground. Made of dark, ruined fabric, punished by the elements and nature, it was a veil with small gold chains at the end to adhere to a tunic. “This means there are people somewhere!”
Yes, that fact was more important than thinking about why and how that piece of clothing had ended up in that place. Knowing that the existence of civilization was practically confirmed by that simple object, Tristessa was more than satisfied.
“Now I have to find...!”
The girl’s hope and enthusiasm waned as she looked up and saw the interior of the forest. There was no definite direction or any other sign that indicated the origin of that veil. Tristessa swallowed, the bottom of her stomach twisting at the inexorable and intrinsic corridors between the trees that stretched out in front of her, with no end in sight.
It was a difficult decision, moving forward and risking getting lost in the forest. Behind her, the clearing that had seen her arrival in that world offered a false sense of security.
The day was advancing, and Tristessa did not know how much more time she had available before the darkness of that new world began to fall.
“I must go. Yes, I will gain nothing by waiting here,” she decided, putting the veil inside the other pocket of her jacket and trembling from head to toe. “Come on, you stupid coward!”
Slowly, she began to walk. Now all that was left was to move forward and keep going, against that deep fear of the unknown.
The crunch of the leaves under her bare feet, hurting from the uneven ground, was the only thing that broke the disturbing monotony that reigned in that Red Forest.
Sometimes, the blowing of the wind moved the roof of the branches above her head, contributing to the disturbing natural cacophony. It didn’t take long for paranoia to take over the girl’s common sense; as she moved forward, she looked back and in other directions from time to time.
She felt like she was being watched.
In that sea of ??trees, the silence was heavy over her fragile psyche. It was the reigning tranquility that fed her fear second by second. Her sanity being chipped by that immutable panorama of leaves eternally falling, the crunch against the ground, and the blowing of the wind echoing into the dark infinity of the forest.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
SNAP!
The sound of a twig made Tristessa turn around, her heart jumping to her throat.
“H-hello?” she asked unsure of what could have caused the noise. Her breathing coming in short gasps, she looked around. Cold sweat was building up on her forehead, her legs unable to stop trembling from that dangerous mixture of fear and tiredness. “Is anyone there…?”
The only answer she got was that of the forest, with its constant natural orchestra.
Its oppressive tranquility fed her fear second by second; her sanity being chipped by that immutable panorama of leaves eternally falling, the crunch against the ground, and the blowing of the wind echoing into the dark infinity of the forest.
Amidst her fleeting glances filled with paranoia, Tristessa saw something to the east: a furry bundle among leaves, grass and dry mud.
“What is that…?”
She approached, careful, and covered her mouth with her hand when she realized that it was a kind of animal she loved back on Earth.
“A rabbit! Oh my god, so cute!” she whispered against her fingers, looking at its brown fur and small ears.
It was motionless, curled up against the ground as if it wanted to protect itself from the cold, and several flies were buzzing around it.
It's not moving, she thought, as she approached in silence and without alerting the small animal. The flies instantly took distance, and she detected strong odors coming from it. Unpleasant, sour and invading. Is it…?
She crouched down a few inches from that brown pompom and with a tentative finger, touched it. It was a little cold and stiff, confirming its passing. Its fur was soft, like a stuffed animal, although upon closer contact, she noticed that its skin was rough.
No, it stung.
“Ouch!” Tristessa suddenly drew her finger and stared surprised as a trickle of blood flowed from the tip that had felt the prick, as if a stinger had stuck in it. “What the hell?”
Looking closer, she saw that several spots of the rabbit’s torso had sharp white spines, an interesting amount of which was concentrated around the animal's neck, forming a discreet ring between fur, bulky and dangerous.
Poor thing, it must be painful, she thought, sadly, as she carefully caressed a harmless part of the animal's back.
The rabbit didn't appear to have any apparent injuries, nor was it old.
“Then what could have…?” she wondered out loud, as she kept touching the soft fur with her index finger. “…!”
Suddenly, Tristessa was the victim of a mental influence that momentarily turned her perspective of the world upside down. It was as if someone had shaken her head from side to side, scrambling her brain and generating deep nausea.
“Ugh, what the fuck…? W-why? My fucking head!” With her free hand against her temple, she clenched her teeth to resist that mental attack. She had been so taken by surprise that she noticed too late several movements throughout the animal's body. “Huh?!”
Tristessa broke contact and jumped back. That action worked in lessening that general dizziness, its intensity losing strength. The pain in her head vanished as a smile spread across her lips when she saw the bunny begin to move.
“You were asleep…?” she wondered, clearly confused.
The flies? The acrid smell? It was unsettling, but she couldn’t ignore the fact that it was a rabbit from another world. Whatever the case, the creature was alive, and that deserved at least a smile from her.
“Hello, little one!”
“…”
“You’re so adorable! Although with those quills you look a little dangerous… Can I come closer?”
Tristessa could not contain her happiness at finding such a cute living being in that world that, from the first moment, caused her a flood of unknowns, uncertainty and discomfort that converged into fear. After so many adverse events in such a short time, from losing her memory to arriving in that world, something like a bunny was a breeze of fresh air to the soul, alleviating for a while the titanic weight of her current problems.
She took several slow steps towards the animal, which stood on its hind legs and continued to stare at the girl.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” she said, extending her hand and giving the rabbit a new, honest smile. “Easy.”
“…”
“That’s right, I’m a friend. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Her hand was almost there, inches away from touching his little head, with the intention of caressing him between those adorable little ears. “What do you want me to call you?”
“…help.”
Tristessa stopped instantly, and her loving smile shattered. She blinked several times, paralyzed by the abyss projected by the animal’s black eyes. A large part of her already punished mind refused to believe that she had just heard that rabbit respond to her in her own language, its mouth still but half-open, showing small, sharp incisors.
“Help.”
Without a doubt, the rabbit had spoken with a deep, masculine voice, which undoubtedly had no business coming out of the inside of the throat of an animal like that.
The rabbit trotted away from Tristessa, in the opposite direction.
“My god…” she murmured, aghast. “H-hey, wait!”
“Help.”
Hearing the animal speak for the third time, Tristessa realized that it was a voice devoid of emotion, devoid of any feeling behind a cry for help. It was a false voice, a replica, whose sole purpose was to attract attention.
But why?
“Wait!”
She hesitated, but in a second of internal struggle, desperation won out over caution, and the young woman ran after the rabbit.
She tried to ignore the acute pain in her feet as she stepped on rocks and protruding tree roots. Her black hair fluttered in the wind, becoming a cobweb for the falling leaves, but Tristessa couldn't worry about that at a moment like this.
She had to reach that strange little animal, learn from it, and, above all, keep it company.
“Please, come back!” she begged, as a burning exhaustion began to fill her lungs. Dodging trees and the shower of leaves, Tristessa didn't take her eyes off her target for a single instant, knowing full well that if she did, she would lose it forever. “I won't hurt you, I really won't...”
Without warning, Tristessa was forced by a will greater than her own to slow down; the exhaustion that invaded her was astronomical, covering every corner of her body.
And at the same time, when she could barely drag her feet, the rabbit collapsed like a rag doll a few meters ahead. Its body dragged itself against the giant mattress of red leaves, victim of the inertia it had been carrying, until it stopped in an abnormal position.
Mouth open, legs extended. The animal was dead.
rating or a favorite!
RR Writing Guild!
EDIT 10/8 -> Added a poll!
What do you think was the deal with the rabbit-like creature?
