Death do us part

A long shriek could be heard from the demonic creature as the two siblings ran deeper and deeper into the everlasting forest. Ever Since the population died down in the United States from the continuous pollution and riots, the stories of horrifying monsters our parents had told us to keep us home were becoming a reality. Tall, lanky figures with fur head coverings roamed the land, happily awaiting whoever went outside to be tended too, as the eye within their chest paralyzed whoever fell into their grasp. Sharp dangly claws and fangs ripped into their victims and finished them off in mere seconds. 

Every step the two girls took only seemed to bring them closer to the figure chasing them, the grass was wet and soggy, splashing with every run, cold and restless they ran, the older sibling had yanked her sister up into her arms and ran as fast as she had learned too. 

Splash, splash, into the bloody grass, as they finally discovered a hidden patch of bushes diving headfirst without fear of what could possibly be within them…

Silence… the monster breathed heavily from beside the bushes as the two held their hands over their mouths not to let out a sound. One step beside the other, the monster gnarled and stepped further away in search of what was now dinner.

The two siblings stared at each other before the younger one mustered up enough courage to speak. 

“Marie you can’t do this are you insane! One wrong step and-” she was quickly silenced with a hand over her mouth.

“There won’t be any wrong steps Max, I promise. Remember, I'm the fastest person that used to run track, and I’ve been going out to get us supplies for the past month, I think I can handle one measly monster just long enough for you to get far enough away and for me to hide and find you again someday.” She smiled warmly and winked.

The young girl began to tear up, her lips trembled as the salty tear trailed down her cheek, quickly whipped away as she sat up. “We have grown up together, you taught me how to be a woman, how to fight for what I believe in no matter who hurts me, and how to run fast enough to survive anything coming my way. We lost mommy and daddy to the same idiotic idea of them coming to find us, what makes you think that you’ll ever come back!” An endless pool of tears shot down the young girl's face as she grabbed her sister's ripped and ragged shirt and begged her to stay.

A gentle huff escaped Marie's nose as she looked down and knelt, a gentle kiss to the forehead was given before she spoke, “The natives used to tell a story of an eagle who flew over the horizons to watch over whoever held the secret charm while the elders went out to hunt. Every night you could see the blue hue around those who were protected and nothing could get past that circle of defense-” with a gentle rustle of a bag, she took out a tiny eagle plush that was worn out from being previously slept with, a blue wolf's tooth dangled from its neck and illuminated the darkness within the bush. A bright smile left her lips as she now radiated blue light, her hands turning gently as she chuckled at the glow that was once hers being given away, now she only had herself for protection, but that was no matter.  

“If you promise me to hold onto this with your life while you run as fast as those little legs can carry you, when I find you again, I’ll let you keep him. Promise me that no matter how scared you are, you will run, and run until your lungs give out on you.”

“But Marie-” the young girl was once again interrupted with a gentle finger covering her lips.

“Promise?” she said with a gentle smile as her eyes teared up a little and she bit her lip to hold back from showing her vulnerability, her father had always raised her to be the man of the household when he left, she wasn’t going to let it slip now.

 Once she heard her younger sister promise, she pulled her in for a tight bear hug and clenched onto the cloth of her shirt, taking a gentle whiff of her sister for one last time before she whipped her tears gently and  stood large and tall, hands clenching her backpack. With a bright and gleaming smile she put on her hood and looked back “When you hear me yell, you stay put, once you see it run by after me, run like you’ve never ran before, remember the stars will guide you, i'll see you again…” 

She stepped out of the bushes, as a stick broke beneath her feet she shivered, reminding herself why she was doing this, she took a deep breath and yelled aloud with all the force she had, her voice echoing out into the darkness once, twice, three times with no response until that familiar screech yelled back and began to shatter the trees. With every fall and rustle the creature got closer and she turned and winked one final time,  mouthing the phrase they both grew up with from the inevitable deaths of their parents “Goodbye…” With that she disappeared into the never ending pool of darkness yelling for the creature to follow behind, the demon that had haunted them broke the trees beside the young girl and growled as it chased the sprinting teenager.

 Max stared into the trail that they left behind, bending down to touch her sister's footstep one last time before she turned her back and bit her lip. Her legs began to move without proper direction as she held the eagle close to her face and used the glow as a light source to see her trail.

Her sister was alive and would come back to find her…

At Least that’s what she thought… Was that necklace really protection, or was it just further bringing the monsters in to chase her as she heard more and more bone chilling shrieks and trees shattering behind her.

When was she to find that the goodbye was forever, and she was now bait for every single shrieking demon in the everlasting dark of night.