Annibell's Awakening

Thunder shakes the firmament, rolling down to the horizon from the north to the south engulfing the earth. Then from the shakes of the earth come a shadow that lingered beneath and from the cracks rose the darkness filling the air with gnashing teeth and crimson eyes. Most lands became barren in snow or ash, while other lands became thickets of warped darken trees that eject spores from their roots, thusly could change the form of any living organisms into these trees. All trees bore faces of humans to which smaller wolf-like creatures feasted upon. Yet, most humans remaining, traveled through these parts wearing masks to filter the air. Some humans tried to live in the snow or ash filled lands, mostly the once standing cities to scavenge what might remain. Yet one land most humans hope to get to, stands in Wales, where it all began and where most humans hope to travel to in hopes there might be a safe haven. Although this part center of Wales has a protruding upside-down funnel feeding to the roaring clouds above and a town swallowed by a green mist.

Out of the mist bestows a little girl dressed in white sapphire with a golden heart locket promptly worn around her neck. The fresh grass at her bare feet becomes stain in crimson red with every step towards the coming hill. Gracefully she raises her arms from her waist, glaring to the murky sky painted in gray strokes. A sudden drop of rain nips her on the nose, then another drop on her rosy cheeks. The sky begins to softly weep over her as she begins to sway to the left followed by a twirl of her dress to the right. Up the hill she waltzes delightfully and smiles while streams pour down her face. Not just from the rain, but from her starlight eyes. Lost in a trance, she fell back to a memory of a time and place. A place where she had dance with a tall man in a stunning wide marble room.

He bore the most beautiful wings over his naked shoulders and held a golden hilted sword to his waist. A cloth of silk, golden and silver lining, wrapped around his waist succeeding him. Ash hair swoop in waves, skin deathly pale, and beautiful gray eyes gifted his beauty. To whom this man was to the little girl seem to have comfort her, especially when she had fallen ill. A deathly sickness came over her leaving her bed ridden and ending in a coma for seven months. However, she had no recollection of this coma, for when she had awoken, it all felt like she slept for one night. Even though everything around her had no familiarity to her.

Suddenly she came out of her daydream coughing in pain and falling to her knees. She kept hacking into her hands. Blood pools from her mouth, through the cracks between her fingers. The blood that had hit the grown crystalized but what remain on her hand unexpectedly starts to evaporate into the mist. Ignoring what had happen, her attention was quickly drawn to the surrounding mist. Not realizing she had waltz back into the mist during her daydreaming. The soft rain had also become heavy and loud. “Am I ever to escape this place, yet it keeps me coming back,” she thought to herself, but then a sudden voice came in the distance startling the girl as she leapt to her feet.

“Annibell!” A woman’s voice shouted. The little girl leans in to listen closer to the voice shouting “Annibell” as that is the little girl’s name. Not only was someone calling her name, but the voice sounded sweet and familiar.

“Oh…” Annibell clasps her necklace, “That sounds as if it could be mother.” She said filled with joy and ran to the beckoning voice. Although what she had not realize, the blood crystal on the ground had taken root and a small light flickering within. The mist around the crystal begins to clear bit by bit.

The voice burst from down the street and around the corner, while a joyful little Annibell ran as fast as she could. However, once she had turned the corner; her legs froze in place to an awful sight: There sprawled all over the street were bodies of humans torn in two, some worn white coats, others had mask still worn on their faces, and a few could have been Annibell’s height. But then pass the corpses was something far worst that it petrified Annibell.

A looming darkness came with a loud thud followed by another thud shaking the ground. Closer it came to where Annibell could make out what appear to be a creature shrouded in shadow. Eyes of crimson; horns of steel could be seen within the coming darkness. Slightly Annibell could make out a pair of hooves shaking the floor. Fangs gnashing while green mist rolled out of its mouth. Closer it drew with every pounding step as a moan could be heard growing deeper followed by screams screeching higher and higher. As the creature stretched out its mouth ready to devour. Its long ugly and warped hand reaches out from the growing shadow.

Before the creature could grab Annibell, she was suddenly flung backwards and held tightly by two arms. Someone grabbed Annibell and placed her over their shoulder, where Annibell could see the creature standing where she once stood. It became smaller the further she got away from it, but its menacing grin and piercing eyes kept focused on Annibell until she couldn’t see the creature no more.

The person, who had been the woman calling before, grabbed Annibell started to hug her tighter crying, “there, there, you’re alright now.” Annibell had consciously hugged her back.

“Oh, mom is this you?” She said woefully.

But the woman then slowly came to a walk only to stop in her tracks. She put Annibell to her feet and knelt down looking at her. Her amber eyes stuck out from under her long silk hair, to which Annibell then knew.

“I am sorry,” the woman began while Annibell slight shakes her head, “I’m not your mother.”

“But I heard her calling my name, Annibell,” Annibell cried.

“That was I, oh sweetie, I’m so sorry. I have been looking for my own daughter who had lived here with her father. You must have heard me shouting her name.”

The woman’s voice had sounded sweet, motherly; but it was different than before. Annibell had cried a bit, then wiped here face.

“Why don’t you come with me?” Asks the woman.

“Oh, but what if mother is here?” Annibell asks followed by, “And there is a dear friend of mind, he must be lonely. He always took care of me. Now he is nowhere to be found.”

“We shall find them.” Comforted the woman.

“What is your name?”

“Oh,” the woman realized she never gave a name, “Call me Yoko.”

“Yoko,” repeated Annibell, “I love it.”

Yoko stood, grasping Annibell’s hand and stated “I am sure we will find them, after all seven months ago things had drastically changed on earth. Maybe both your mother and your friend survived after the apocalypse.”

“I do hope we find your daug…” Annibell burst out coughing to her knees, hacking out blood again. Her grip loosens from Yoko.

Yoko cradles Annibell, while more blood pools from her mouth. Fearing for the worst, Yoko begins to panic, as the coming darkness grows near with it’s deep moans and high screeching. The creature reaches out its long nasty hand once more, but to Yoko with one single demand with horrid voices chanting at once, “Give her to me.”

Yoko screams “NO!” shielding Annibell.

However, A sudden flash of light flickers in the corner of Yoko’s vision. A quick reflection of herself swerves and bends tracked by a gust of wind. The next thing Yoko notices was the creature had a golden hilted sword thrust into its stomach. It turns its upper torso to the blade tearing through its ash skin cutting the creature in half. To Yoko’s surprise, a figure spreading its wings, sheathing its sword to his side; stood where the creature lays vanquished. Tall and gray beautiful eyes beckons Yoko as she calls to him:

“Please, help Annibell!”