Shackles Of The Past

Chapter 23- Crawl in darkness

The night is the darkest,

just before the dawn.

~Unknown.

***

[Music recommendation: It Took The Night To Believe by Sunn O)))]

In panic, Esther scrambled backwards with sickening feeling which invokes her, sending surge of electrons to every nerve in her body. Her eyes narrowed, looking back at the gate again. The gate that seemed to have sealed her fate under the grasp of darkness.

It moved on its own accord, slow and menacingly, closing in on them. But mostly, betraying the sense of comfort within her.

Medusa curled her fingers unconsciously, to ease the painful rigidness in her chest and that of her back the most. Heavy beads of sweat formed her forehead, as her breath each passing seconds turned ravage, unlike the normal.

The wounds escalated, spreading venomously through her skin and her face contorted in pain and anguish. Mostly pain. For the very first time, an expression was at the face of a void soul. A once empty entity.

Her body coiled closer, and she gasped harshly for air. She could feel the burn on her skin, worse than the dagger plunged to her chest. And it was suffocating her, eating her in a way that threatened not just her existence but her purpose.

A silent cry escaped her lips, as the pain increased drastically. What was worse than what she was going through wouldn’t just be considered as pain. From squeezing to pulling, and tightening in such manner that she coughed out blood.

The latter's eyes widened at the sight of it.

The pain blinded Medusa. It became too intense, even when she heaved for the air she inhaled with pressure. But she wasn’t inhaling. She was rather exhaling whatever tended to choke her.

The dark vapor streaming from behind began to crawl like a snake to the solid bricks on the wall. Its movement was slow and steady yet rather trickiest. The unrestrained trails crawling endlessly to every nook and crook of the wall, domineering the room without being enclosed by it.

The cell gate which had been slightly open upon Esther’s arrival, shut close with hard force that resounded in the room, and vibrated the ground. The pressure was all it took to let the victim know whatever was happening had only gotten stronger. But who exactly was the victim?

If there wasn't any sound barrier, people would have been alerted by its thunderous sound. But rather, the slaves slept soundly, in their room of whatever comfort. Unknown to them what was happening, and abandoning the two in the dark. A dark sin.

Of only two people where in, the heaviness of the eeriness enveloping their entire humane. One was a body and another was a soul.

Meanwhile, Esther grabbed the lantern by its handle for the illumination to show how ghastly her appearance was. She rushed to the cell gate, pulling and pushing as hard as she could, but the gate was as good as locked. Indeed, the night had sealed her fate with a circumstance unavoidable.

And her heart was racing.

Slowly, she turned to face Medusa.

Just the mere sight of her shattered her heart into pieces. It was the very first time she acknowledged this expression that did not only scare her but made Medusa seemed vulnerable.

Her situation varied from bad to worse, seeing her squeeze her eyes and curl in pain. Medusa's hands gripped tight and her harsh breaths echoed through the stillness of the night, under the profound atmosphere.

Another flicker of the light from the lantern got her observing the darkness surrounding the room, one that seemed to writhe more like a ritual, malevolent and much forbidden.

"Medusa," Esther whispered. Her legs were shaking from fear. The air was crisp and sharp, causing her to shiver in the cold. As Esther inhaled the cold air through her nostrils, it felt nothing compared to hot iron burning her nostrils.

She wanted to move, but her feet felt rooted to the ground. All she did was stare at what she couldn't explain was happening at the moment.

The lantern that was the only source of light exhausted, turning the cell room moderately dark with the low amount of light that passed through the single window in the darkness.

The last source of hope for illumination, no matter how dim or small it appeared, vanished into thin air.

The scene was entirely eerie. It was horrific. The only danger that made it known was the being that lay on the floor, motionless. Medusa's ragged breathing stopped just the moment the light in the lantern extinguished mysteriously. Everywhere was back to being quiet. But it wasn't the quietness one should fear, but the scrutiny of the walls that weighed with a hasty lie.

But what was it? Esther looked around. She was trapped.

Shaking off the overflowing thoughts that rushed her mind at once, Esther slowly made her way through by muttering a spell that created a small bright light on her palm. But the next second, it exhausted. It was as a result of the amount of darkness the room carried within itself, which she realized.

That power was greater than her handy spells. And when she tried creating another, it faded into fragments of dust. Her hand fell in reflex to her side. With a sigh, Esther concentrated harder, adding much energy to brazen the flickering light. After few more attempts, she finally was able to control it.

She wiped her sweat with her other hand, feeling her head heavy. In addition to all those sentiments, she felt overworked.

With what she had done so far, Esther took light steps with the help of the light that led her path. It was a hard decision, each steps though light were heavy with its own motive the more her movements got.

But she only got closer to the spot Medusa once laid to find it empty.

Esther’s heart skipped. Where did she go?

***

Her head snapped behind when she heard strange noises. She heard it very clearly, very confusingly. It sounded totally different, that her heart had caught its pace.

Esther's heart pounded without restrain at it. Her chest thumped with each heart beat. With her heart racing wildly, it took her few seconds to be able to tame it. She was getting nervous. "M-medusa?"

It was at that moment, she felt the name slip of her lips like the last piece needed for the ritual. The presence was the faintest when she looked sideways, where it had gotten stronger. But it was just her and her shadow staring at her.

Her heart refused to calm, especially when every slight movement of hers seemed unholy. Even the breeze that came up didn't reduce the heat that she felt spreading every part of her body like wildfire. Whereas the weather was cold, in this room that felt like an abyss of danger, it was hot. Hotter than even fire.

Esther returned her head to face the empty spot and her heart almost flew off her chest at the presence of whom she had been reaching for, standing right in front of her.

But it wasn't just her, she was in the company of... was it? Her eyes were closed, and the black fogs evaporated around her body. It looked as if Medusa was sleeping, with her eyes shut, but what would one say about her standing?! Perhaps, could it be sleepwalking?

Esther clutched her chest and felt her heartbeat within her palm. "Y-you scared me…" she managed to mutter as she gulped the lump on her throat. She managed to speak the words she couldn't bring herself to say.

The next minute, she muttered her name. She never answered. She was never heard. But the tension only seemed to increase.

What happened to her?! "Medusa… a-are you alright? Can you hea-” but suddenly, the girl caught hold of her neck.

Startled, Esther looked up at Medusa's face that was still unconscious. Her expression was void of any emotion as she behaved she could see through her. The vapor behind her crept through the wall, suffocating the figures in the shadow. It moved menacingly but not as the girl with silver hair.

"AH!" Esther cried when Medusa added much pressure to the grip on her neck. She was suffocating. Blood rushed up to Esther's face due to the suffocation and she gasped out loud, trying to catch her breath. Her hands flayed, in an attempt to push and pull her off.

The poor girl had no clue of what was going on. One moment, Medusa was at the verge of death and the next, here she was, with strength of no less. "Ah-" she whimpered again, as the words fell off her lips with difficulty. She was amidst her misery.

But Medusa did not let go of Esther's neck. She looked as if she was in controlled state. Her mind in trance and not her consciousness.

"L-let… go-” Esther was scared at the sight. She fought on. Her sight was becoming blurry. She wasn't sure if she could hold on any longer. Her strength had left her, and even if restored, could not match to that of Medusa. She was strong. Her powers were dangerous!

The room turned darker than before and a sudden gust of wind swirl around the cell, causing both to float midair. It started off slowly. Medusa stood there, emotionless. The sight of it was so dreadful, so shocking, so gothic that could make a blind man squeeze in terror.

Esther floated along with Medusa. She was suffocating at the pain and the lack of air that hardly passed her burning nostrils.

"S-sto-" She cried for the nth time and was interrupted when Medusa squeezed harder. She remembered that of Medyse at that moment, but this felt much stronger. Like she was nothing but the enemy. Esther didn't know why, but tears fell from the corner of her eyes. She didn't bother trying anymore.

Suddenly, a bright overpowering light hit Medusa hard on her chest, breaking the darkness and endearing contact, sending them flying apart and landing to the ground with a loud thud.

Instantly, the whole place felt quiet once again, and the light in the cell returned back to normal. The darkness that once crept the room slowly withdrew back into its master's body, like some kind of strong wield power pushing it back to where it came from.

Medusa's consciousness was returning, and her lids fluttered to adjust to her surroundings. Then she gasped, trying to breathe, breathe against the power that invoked and overpowered her. She could feel pain rushing up from her chest, and gasped again.

Her face was as pale as snow and her blue eyes glistened under the dark. Her silver hair scattered on the ground, moving in accordance to the cold breeze. She could hear the pitter-patter of the rain drops. But slowly, her eyes surrendered.

Esther coughed and coughed as she gasped, panting for air, panting as hard as she could with her hand holding her neck. Tears gathered up in her eyes, threatening to fall and spill to her smooth face.

Wiping the lone tear that fell through the corner of her eyes, she could see Medusa unconscious. She could see her face, although expressionless like a dead being, she was normal. The pain that was once morphed in her entirely, disappeared in thin air. Finally it is over.

Her heart felt light, lighter now that she was still breathing. She wasn't dead. She betrayed the very fate encrypted on her, but the darkness still lingered. She could feel it, not just on the girl she stared at, but somewhere within her.

Her gaze didn't linger long as a result of her tiredness. Her body gave up its will, and her energy drained the more she kept fighting the urge to succumb to darkness.

And with a small smile, in no time, she fainted.

***