Chapter 1 – Dead to the World
“Are you still awake?” a voice in the dark of the night asks.
“I think I am.”
“What is your name?”
“Kyrie. I’m a boy, I think. Isn’t Kyrie a boy’s name?”
“Your mother said you were a girl.”
“I remember that. I look like one too, so I guess that’s what I am.”
Kyrie’s mind finally begins to wake up after what just happened. Her mother was just shot in front of her after she begged for her life.
Kyrie’s mother even turned to her and said, “You’re a good girl, I know it. Please, save me!”
Before she had a chance to say anything, their kidnappers, shot her mother then drove off. They left Kyrie alive because she was useful to them when she was drugged. The young girl was nothing but a living sex doll they could use for cheap because of her mother. She’s outlived her usefulness and is tossed aside like trash. Now she’s alone, relatively speaking, in a forest hundred of miles away from any kind of human contact.
“Who are you?” Kyrie asks the voice in the darkness.
“I am your guiding light.”
Kyrie turns to the source of the voice and sees a shining light in the sky. It appears to be a man clothed in light with a white bag on his head. He’s carrying a flag that has a golden cross with an X behind it. The man shines brighter than the stars in the sky and could easily be mistaken for the sun if you look at him for too long.
“Where are you going to take me?”
“I’m going to bring you home.”
“Why? I don’t have anyone to care for me there.”
“They’ll be people there to protect you. Trust me like how you trusted me before.”
“I’m not sure. You haven’t exactly protected me for most of my life.”
“You’re safe now, aren’t you? It wasn’t supposed to be this way, you can blame your mother for that. There was only so much my friends and I could do without violating a human’s right to free will. I apologize for the sufferings you’ve endured. Know that the future is bright and eagerly waiting for you with open arms.”
“I guess I should. Alright. Guide me home.”
The light moves through the sky guiding Kyrie to her home. The night is cold and darker than normal. Kyrie hadn’t eaten or drunken anything for a while and is starting to feel the effects, however, she keeps her mind on her guiding light for the hope of safety and a better life.
Her light senses danger coming for her and tells her, “Danger comes this way to steal your soul. I will grant you a blessing to protect yourself.”
Kyrie’s right arm turns completely white with her fingers turning into blades that could cut metal as if it were butter. Her elbow turns into a blade that can be used to stab things behind her. Even though she’s never been good at fighting back against anyone who’s attacked her, her mind and body are lightened and feel strong enough for battle. As she continues through the forest, she sees weird chunks of branches that hang on trees. When she gets close to them, they fall off and begin to attack her.
These monsters are nothing but two put together pair of legs. They make muffled sounds, as if they were struggling for air, despite not having a mouth. They scurry towards Kyrie on all fours. As Kyrie readies her attack, the monster stands still then moves in different directions and seems to think that Kyrie has disappeared. Seeing this, she walks away while trying not to make noise in case the monster can hear. After getting some distance, she walks normally. Her body hasn’t changed back to normal yet.
“Why isn’t my body going back to normal?”
“You’re going to need it for later. You’ll be getting more soon enough. Watch out. There are more of those monsters ahead.”
More monsters hanged from the trees like cocoons ready to hatch into butterflies. Despite having a weapon that she could use to cut them all down to pieces, Kyrie sneaks past all of the monsters.
Her light asks her, “Why did you sneak past those monsters? Don’t you trust the blessing I’ve given you?”
“I do, but I’d rather not kill anything.”
The utterance of these words reminds Kyrie of her past. The times she had when she could’ve killed the people she hated but chose not to. The times when she could’ve taken out her anger on something else but chose not to. One time comes to mind when a stray cat came up to her. The cat had infiltrated the house through the kitchen window. Kyrie’s mother taught her how to defend herself with knives and endorsed killing animals that sneak into the house, but she didn’t listen to her mother on this occasion. The cat somehow knew the mercy it was given and rubbed up against Kyrie. She pets the cat that licks her hand. This is one of the few occasions that Kyrie can remember that she didn’t force a smile. The cat then went out the way it left.
In the blink of an eye, that memory played out again in Kyrie’s mind. She blinks again to set her mind in the present.
“Tell me more about your mother.”
“What can I tell you that you don’t know? She grew up wanting a normal family. She wanted people to love her, but she grew up in an abusive family and she never could find a husband. That’s why she was so abusive towards me and why she sold her body for money. She didn’t need to take drugs to numb the feeling of being used. She just wanted to hear someone compliment her and feign the feeling of love for her. That was her drug.”
“And yet, you still tried to give her the respect that a mother deserves, didn’t you?”
Various short memories of Kyrie and her mother play in her head. The young girl did try to love her mother like all children and her mother returned the love when she could. It was only when Kyrie disobeyed her mother that she was abused and beaten.
The light continues, “The sins of the parents fall to the children except you seem to be an exception. Do you forgive your mother?”
“I’d rather not be like her, so yes I do even though I don’t want to. I wanted her to be a better mother, but I couldn’t get her to be.”
“It’s not your fault. Forgiveness is a strength and you exemplify that.”
Kyrie feels a change in her body as a lump forms on the top of her head.
“What is this?”
“That little creature will warn you of impending danger through your thoughts. It will also suggest to you several possible courses of action.”
The creature is like a small fetus with tiny arms, a small mouth, but no eyes, even though its senses and intelligence are incredible. It rubs up against Kyrie’s face and licks it like the cat did so many years ago.
“Thank you for it. Am I going to look like a freak after this? It seems like I’m going to keep getting blessings like these.”
“You’ll look like who you truly are when you reach the end and not like this. Whether you look like a freak or you is up to what you chose.”
Kyrie’s stomach begins to growl.
“Uh, is there any food in this forest?”
“There is a tree nearby with fruit on it. Your new friend should help you navigate your way to safely get it.”
Her light guides her to fruit tree with grapes on it. The area is surrounded by the hanging monsters, but Kyrie’s new blessing tells her the best way to go around them without alerting them. She takes its advice and succeeds in taking the grapes. A single grape falls from the vine and rolls towards the monster, which wakes all of them up.
They fall from the tree and crush the grape before realizing that what they crushed wasn’t human. Knowing that she must be around, the monsters patrol the area and move in irregular patterns so they can catch Kyrie in a sort of trap. The blessing on her head then guides her through a step by step process on how to get through this maze. This involves her using the trees to get through tricky spots and move at weird times to avoid the sporadic movements of the monsters. She then manages to get to safety so she can eat. Her stomach is now satisfied enough to keep moving forward.
“Alright, I feel better now. Where to next?”
“Just follow me and I’ll show you.”
“Okay. Want some grapes? I got some for you.”
“Oh, that’s sweet of you. Thank you for thinking of me.”
Her light comes down from the sky and eats the grapes Kyrie gives him.
“Does everyone have a guide like you?”
“They do, but most don’t allow us to help them in the way that’s needed.”
“They’re missing out then.”
“Don’t thank me now. We still have a ways to go.”
“Let’s get going then.”
Kyrie is lead by her guiding light deeper into the forest with more challenges and dangers eagerly awaiting her arrival.
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