Kenan could hear the familiar slithering sound from a short distance away. As much as he wished he could bury himself under the ground, the sound was drawing closer, faster than before. Worse, it was coming from all sides with unbelievable speed.
The Savage beasts could wrap themselves around trees like snakes, but they were rooted to the
ground. Escaping by running in an unknown direction would only ensure his demise.
What an irony - running seemed so instinctual, yet it was the surest way to get caught.
Instead, Kenan chose the next best option, scanning the area, he spotted the tallest tree within his line of sight. Without hesitation, he began climbing, his hands and feet working frantically until he was high enough to catch sight of the slithering stems in the
dark.
Grabbing a sturdy branch. Kenan let out a shaky breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The height he had climbed to was life-threatening, but not as life-threatening as the nightmare prowling below.
Finally, he saw it - similar to the first Blood Bloom he had encountered, but twice its size. The creature sprawled beneath the tree like a grotesque serpent. Its twisted, serpentine stem twisted unnervingly.
The dark, veined petals of the Blood Bloom laced with crimson and green thorn-like protrusions.
Drops of acid fell, leaving patches of burnt grass in their wake.
The dark petals curled outwards, releasing a sweet-scented mist that clung to the air like a sickening perfume. Except from its abnormal size, the rest of its features were shrouded in pure darkness.
The bloom's mere presence seemed to corrupt the world around it, darkening the air and suffocating the life of the forest. Its massive stem, thicker than an adult man's waist coiled into the earth, anchoring it like a vile parasite.
Slithering vines swept the forest grounds, sweeping, searching…
From his perch, Kenan froze in terror as the large tendrils crept closer to the tree he was on. The
distance from the ground was to his advantage, however tables could turn at any time.
The Blood Bloom lingered near the tree, its tendrils brushing its bark. Kenan's breath was caught in his throat as hours passed in a haze of terror, each moment stretching into eternity.
His heart nearly drew to a stop whenever the creature's tendrils lingered too long at the base of the tree.
Eventually, the Savage beast retreated, disappearing into the shadows.
A cold wind swept through the canopy of trees, causing Kenan to shiver violently. His hoodie was already riddled with burns from the acidic liquid of the smaller Blood Blooms, leaving him exposed to the cold.
His teeth gnashed against each other involuntarily as his muscles shook vigorously to produce heat.
He gritted his teeth to stifle the sound of his teeth clashing against each other.
As he looked around, the faint light filtering through the foliage revealed his surroundings.
The forest stretched endlessly, a vast expanse of shadowy black trees and nothingness.
No moon hung in the sky, yet there was light - an enigmatic glow, its source however eluded him.
Kenan climbed down cautiously after a long while of battling the cold, he resumed his trek through the forest. All he needed was to find a gate and get back home.
Theoretically simple, practically complex.
He had set out on this journey with a sense of purpose, and now, survival felt like an unachievable goal.
The forest was insanely silent. No rustling leaves, no cricking insects. Just an oppressive sullenness that gnawed at his nerves.
The scorched trees seemed to lean closer, as though conspiring against him.
After what felt like hours, a shimmering silver lake came into view. The stagnant water glistened with beautiful fog-like colors, despite the absence of light for light dispersion to take place. Steam rose from its surface, hinting at warmth.
The sight was almost serene, a breath of fresh air in this nightmarish place…
But as Kenan stepped closer, a familiar scent wafted into his nose. The silver hue reminded
him of something - something that wasn't particularly a fond memoir…
He picked up a small rock and tossed it into the supposed lake, alongside a bunch of leaves just so to sooth his nerves. The bundle hovered on the surface for a moment before sinking. As it descended, the rock
dissolved, vanishing before his eyes.
"Heh." Kenan let out a frustrated sigh, shaking
his head at the utter absurdity. He gulped down nothing as his thirst was already satiated by this newly-found and highly unpleasant knowledge.
As he turned to leave, a sizzling sound reached his ears. Pain followed; a sharp, burning sensation on his shoulder.
A drop of acidic liquid had landed on him, burning a hole through his hoodie.
Blowing air on the spot to cool the stinging pain.
Kenan slowly looked up.
A large, pulsating cocoon hung overhead, swaying ominously in the branches.
The cocoon was wrapped in layers of twisted vines, their dark, mottled colors unsettling to the
senses. The vines pulsed faintly, as if alive and rotted patches leaked a purplish hue.
New growths emerged from the decay, writhing like grotesque worms.
'Just my luck' he thought.
"A birthplace for the very creatures that haunts me."
Or so he thought…
The cocoon seemed inert, its slow pulsations almost hypnotic. But Kenan knew better
than to trust appearances. If this is a nursery, he mused grimly, then what's the mother
like?
A rustling sound behind him snapped him back to reality. He turned around as quickly as he could and a Blood Bloom lunged at him but fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Its severed maw twitched, its pedicel now detached.
"W-who are you?"
The voice startled Kenan as it sounded sharp and strangely human.
He turned to find a boy pointing a sword at him, the acid-glazed blade trembling in shaky hands.
"I should be asking you that." Kenan replied, trying to find any distinctive feature that could give him an advantage if a fight was to occur but the kid just had glossy black hair, wide glasses, and a shorter stature, "You're the one pointing a weapon at me."
"I'm h-human," the boy stammered, letting the sword sway as the adjusted his glasses with his shoulder.
Kenan studied him for a moment, recognition dawning. "I know you. You're the bleeding kid from the registration office."
The boy's face flushed red. "What do you know?! I wasn't the only one bleeding." His voice quivered as he struggled hard to feign arrogance…
Kenan shrugged nonchalantly, glancing around to ensure no Savage beasts or other humans alike were nearby.
After a short pause, the boy finally lowered his sword completely.
"Well, only Blood Blooms exist in this part of the Dark Lands, anyway."
"Thanks for the reminder." Kenan muttered under his breath. 'The first human I meet in this forsaken place is the most 'useful' one.' He thought to himself sarcastically.
"Any others?" Kenan asked aloud.
The boy glanced nervously at the cocoon-like structure. "I don't know. I only saw a bunch of dead Blood Blooms on my way here."
"I mean humans," Kenan clarified. "Have you met anyone else?"
"Oh! No, I haven't met anybody else yet. But whoever left those corpses should still be out there."
Kenan exhaled deeply. So much for a reunion of survivors.
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