chronicles of eden - act I

by Alexander Gordon

  “Make it stop, make it stop!” she cried out as she grabbed her hair.

  “Alyssa, calm down. What’s gotten into you?” Daniel asked as he gently took her and held the girl close. She trembled and shook her head, burying her face into his chest.

  “I keep having the same dream over and over again, it won’t stop! I keep waking up and seeing this happen all over again!” she cried out. She whimpered and held onto his chest, then slowly looked up as he didn’t say anything. He was just looking down at her with a calm smile as Lucky continued to pull the caravan along the trail.

  “It’s ok, Alyssa, you were just having a bad dream. It’s all over now, relax,” he reassured.

  “But… but…” she said softly. He held a finger to her lips, the girl looking at him with wonder as he shushed her gently.

  “It’s alright, Alyssa, you’re safe now. I promise,” he reassured softly. He traced the finger around to the back of her head as he held her gently, the witch looking at him with loving eyes. She then watched as he pulled her into a gentle kiss, staring with wide eyes as she felt him kissing her while holding the back of her head.

  ‘Daniel!’

  Alyssa’s eyes fluttered then slowly closed, feeling her heart beating steadily as the world faded around her. She felt his tongue gently rolling around hers as he held her gently, sighing happily as she let her worries vanish.

  ‘Daniel…’

  Suddenly she screamed into her kiss with wide eyes, her head being held tightly as a carving sound was heard. She cried and whimpered as he held her in the kiss, his eyes glaring at her with a cold gleam in them. Blood dripped out of the corners of her mouth as she trembled, the girl slowly being let go as he leaned back. She stared at him with shock and a hoarse cry as she felt his dagger digging into her heart, the girl shakily looking down to seeing him holding the blade in her. Slowly she fell back, her vision turning dark as Daniel chuckled with a cold smile.

  She hit the seat with her head, the witch snapping back from the impact to seeing she was now sitting up against the wall inside the caravan. After a moment her senses came back to her, her eyes looking around franticly as she was inside the cabin while the other girls were minding their own business. Specca was reading a book next to her, Squeak was sitting across from them looking over towards the front of the cabin at Daniel, and Triska was looking up with a blank expression as the caravan bumped slightly on the road. Triska looked over to Alyssa and raised an eyebrow as she saw the witch breathing heavily.

  “You ok?” she asked. Alyssa looked around in a panic as she tried to keep calm. Everybody looked over to her as she whimpered and shook her head.

  “Alyssa? What’s wrong?” Daniel asked, sitting in the front seat again while looking back at the witch.

  “No… not again… not again!” Alyssa cried out as she looked around with fright.

  “Not what again, what are you talking about?” Triska asked puzzled. Alyssa scrambled to the front of the cabin and looked around outside, seeing the same sights from before once again playing out.

  “Lucky, stop! Stop now!” she shouted out. Lucky neighed and started to slow down as the group looked at the witch with surprise.

  “Alyssa, calm down. What’s wrong?” Daniel asked as he rested his hand on her shoulder. She snapped away and backed up into the cabin, staring at him with wide eyes.

  “I need to wake up… I need to wake up… I need to wake up!” she cried out as she grabbed her hair. The other girls all looked to each other then back to Alyssa as Daniel turned back to face her.

  “Alyssa, calm down, what are you talking about?” he asked worriedly.

  “She looks frightened of something,” Specca said examining the witch. Alyssa screamed as she dropped down onto her knees, shaking her head as she closed her eyes. Squeak sat up and moved closer to the witch, holding her in a gentle hug with a soft squeak.

  “Calm down, Alyssa, what’s gotten into you?” Triska asked with concern. Alyssa stammered something as she tried to control her breathing, being held gently by Squeak while having a panic attack. Squeak looked around at the others as they moved closer to her.

  “Alyssa, try to calm yourself. Just lie down, you probably just had a bad dream,” Specca reasoned gently. Squeak laid the witch down as Daniel moved back into the cabin and sat near them, watching Alyssa with worry while the sunlight outside started to fade.

  “It’s ok, Alyssa, just breathe,” Specca said as Alyssa clung to Squeak’s arms, the witch shaking bit as she glanced around at everybody above her. They were all looking down at her with worried expressions while the light seemed to dim. Alyssa looked out the front of the cabin to seeing fog forming outside while it got darker and hazy.

  “No… not again…” she whimpered.

  “Not what again? What are you freaking out over?” Triska asked.

  “It’s ok, Alyssa, you’re safe. I promise,” Daniel said gently. Alyssa looked around at seeing everybody smiling down at her.

  “I… it was… but…” she said unsurely. Squeak leaned down closer to the witch and squeaked softly while tilting her head slightly, her antennae twitching a bit as she gently rubbed Alyssa’s arms. The witch looked up at her for a moment then slowly let go, her arms gently dropping to her sides. Squeak smiled at her and squeaked softly before her mouth snapped open, her jaw unhinging as dozens of razor sharp teeth were seen inside her mouth while two pincers struck out. Her eyes widened as her pupils shrank, the ant girl screeching as Alyssa stared in horror. Before Alyssa could scream the monster lunged down and began to maul her face viciously with a howl. Alyssa’s muffled cries of agony were heard as she thrashed around, being held down by the monster as blood splattered around on the floor. As she kicked and screamed the others smiled wickedly down at her, all of them watching with a cold glare in their eyes as the witch was devoured by the monster.

  “AHHHH!” Alyssa screamed as she shot up from her dream, her arms flailing around as everybody looked to her with surprise. She screamed again as she looked around to seeing everybody as they were before, all of them staring with surprise at the witch who was crying out in horror.

  “Alyssa? Alyssa what’s wrong?” Daniel asked urgently.

  “Why are you screaming? What is it?” Specca asked as she jumped from the outburst.

  “Um… bad dream?” Triska asked with a raised eyebrow as Squeak watched the witch with curiosity. Alyssa looked around with fright as she backed up against the wall, her eyes darting around before she screamed again. She grabbed her hair and looked down as she closed her eyes tight, her voice echoing outside as the caravan rolled along the dirt trail near the same surroundings yet again.

  “MAKE IT STOP!”

  *****

  Squeak yawned as she slowly uncurled from her ball, sitting up inside the cabin of the caravan while she gently rubbed her eyes. She blinked a few times and looked around as her antennae twitched a bit. Specca was sitting across from her reading a book with a calm expression, her tail lying next to her as the tip swayed around every now and then on the floor. Next to her Alyssa was sleeping, lying back against a pillow with her hat next to her and her staff sitting back against the corner near the group’s bags. Squeak looked over to see Triska tilting her dagger in her hand as she examined the blade with a calm expression, her hair swaying a bit near her shoulders as the caravan rocked slightly. Sitting up in the front was Daniel, the boy holding the reins to Lucky and looking around casually at the passing surroundings.

  Squeak smiled and moved towards the front of the cabin, with Triska and Specca glancing to her with blank expressions as she made her way up onto the seat next to Daniel. He glanced over to her and smiled as she looked around at the surrounding landscape. Old trees and fields of tall grass were seen passing by while the sky above was dark and cloudy. Small banks of fog could be seen forming around the dirt trail as Lucky kept running at a brisk pace.

  “So much for our sunny weather, huh?” Daniel chuckled. Squeak nodded as she looke
d around with curious eyes.

  “Daniel, do you think it would be alright if we stop at the next lake or river? Just for a moment?” Specca called up curiously.

  “Again? We just stopped at a creek an hour ago,” Triska groaned.

  “I’m sorry, I get dry scales. I can’t help it,” Specca quipped defensively. Daniel smirked and nodded as he kept looking around at the passing landscape, the fog starting to build more around the land.

  “I think we can do that, Specca, that’ll be fine,” he said calmly.

  “Thank you, Daniel,” Specca said with a timid smile. Triska sighed and sat back against the wall with a dull expression.

  “We can’t keep stopping at every body of water we come across you know,” she said flatly.

  “Daniel said it would be alright, and he knows best,” Specca said, looking back at her book with a bashful smile. Triska rolled her eyes as Squeak looked around at the increasing fog, not being able to see much around the caravan as the sky above grew darker. Small beams of light managed to pierce through the clouds, the rays casting the fog around the caravan into a soft bloom. Daniel looked around with a curious eye while Squeak showed some concern. She slowly glanced up to her antennae as they twitched slightly, the girl then looking around carefully. The fog was increasing still, with visibility dropping rapidly. Squeak looked over to Daniel, the boy still looking around with a calm expression. She then looked back inside the cabin, seeing Triska looking down at her dagger while Specca was reading. The interior of the cabin was darker now, with light from the entryway and window fading from the gloomy skies above. Yet nobody else seemed to notice.

  Squeak looked around at everybody then over to Lucky, the horse running along at a quickened pace even though the road ahead of him was shrouded by a thick veil of fog. The ant girl showed an uneasy expression, squeaking softly as she looked around slowly. The rolling and clacking of the wheels along with Lucky’s footsteps were all that was heard as Squeak showed an increasingly worried expression. Her antennae twitched more as she quickly looked around the side of the caravan, only seeing fog passing by in rolling wisps.

  She looked over to Daniel and squeaked a few times, the boy glancing to her with a curious eye as she pointed around at the passing fog.

  “It’s alright, Squeak, it’s just a little fog. It should clear up soon,” he said before looking back ahead. Squeak looked at him puzzled then down, questioning his definition of ‘a little’. She looked around worriedly again, getting a bad feeling in her chest as she couldn’t see anything around the caravan. Looking back to Daniel she squeaked a few more times while pointing to the fog.

  “What’s she trying to say this time?” Triska asked glancing over to them.

  “I’m afraid I haven’t figured out her type of language yet to even make an educated guess,” Specca commented, glancing over to Squeak with a raised eyebrow. Daniel looked at Squeak curiously as she shook her head while squeaking with a worried expression.

  “It’s ok, Squeak, really. It’s just some fog, nothing to be afraid of,” he said reassuringly. Squeak looked at him with worry then up ahead, seeing something through the fog. Daniel looked over to seeing an overturned carriage near the side of the road up ahead, with wooden crates and carrying bags strewn about. The wheels of the wagon were spinning slowly as it was upside down and crushed in slightly. A dead horse was seen at the front of it, the animal lying on the ground as it appeared to have been ripped apart.

  “What the… whoa, Lucky, whoa!” Daniel called out. Triska and Specca looked over to him curiously as Lucky started to slow down.

  “What’s wrong? What is it, Daniel?” Triska asked, sheathing her dagger and moving towards the front of the cabin.

  “Is everything alright?” Specca asked as Alyssa continued to sleep next to her. Daniel, Triska, and Squeak looked around at the sight of the overturned carriage with careful eyes.

  “What happened here?” Triska asked cautiously. Daniel looked around as he only saw fog around the site.

  “Hello? Is anybody there?” he called out.

  “Hello? Anybody still alive?” Triska called out. They waited and heard nothing, the sound of Lucky snorting as he stood still in front of the caravan all that was being heard.

  “What is it, what’s out there?” Specca asked.

  “Looks like some travelers ran into trouble. I don’t see anyone here though,” Triska said carefully. Daniel peered around then spotted an arm slowly poking out from the torn cover of the carriage, the hand shakily grabbing the dirt as it trembled.

  “Wait, somebody still in there,” Daniel said standing up.

  “Oh my god, hey! Are you alright?” Triska called out as she got out and stood up on the seat next to Daniel. Specca put her book down and headed towards the front of the cabin while Alyssa continued to sleep, the witch having a calm expression on her face.

  “Hey, are you ok?” Daniel called out as he hopped off of the caravan. Triska jumped off after him while Specca poked her head out of the cabin.

  “Oh my, what happened here?” Specca asked looking at the overturned carriage. Squeak looked around carefully, not seeing anything but fog all around them. Daniel and Triska ran up towards the carriage as the hand shakily reached out for them, the arm having cuts and bruises on it.

  “A survivor, hey, speak to us. Are you ok?” Daniel asked as he ran over to the carriage. Triska ran over and pulled the cover aside, then screamed as she and Daniel backed up. Squeak and Specca watched with surprise as Alyssa woke with a jump, the witch looking around quickly.

  “Huh? What’s going on?” she said as she slowly came to her senses.

  “What is it?” Specca called out. Daniel and Triska stared with wide eyes at seeing an ant-lioness reaching out towards them from inside the carriage, her lower body under the ground and poking up through the broken wooden planks. Her mouth was opened wide as she screeched hoarsely at the two humans, her teeth having scraps of flesh stuck in them while blood was smeared over her face along with the inside of the carriage from her recent kill. Triska backed up a step before she screamed in pain, being pulled down as her foot sank into the dirt. Daniel grabbed onto her as her leg dropped down below the ground, the girl screaming as the dirt below them shifted around.

  “Something’s got me!” Triska screamed.

  “Triska!” Daniel cried out as his friend was being dragged down, the girl clawing at him franticly as Specca and Squeak watched with shock.

  “What the heck is that?” Specca cried out. Squeak watched as Triska thrashed around, the girl being dragged down into the ground up to her waist while Daniel desperately tried to pull her up.

  “Daniel!” Triska cried as she was pulled under, her hands letting go of him as she vanished into the ground with a loud scream.

  “TRISKA!” Daniel yelled out as he looked down at the ground. Alyssa ran up to the front of the cabin and looked outside with surprise.

  “What’s going, what happened?” she called out.

  “Something ate Triska!” Specca screamed as she grabbed her head in fright. Squeak stared at where her friend was pulled under with shock, frozen in fear as she had witnessed an ant-lioness devouring her friend right before her eyes.

  “What?” Alyssa cried out. Lucky neighed and bucked back, the group looking over to seeing the dirt under him shifting around and shooting up. The animal bucked around before the ground below him gave away, the horse then dropping down into a sandpit while loud screeches were heard below.

  “Lucky!” Alyssa screamed out as she watched her horse fall down into the pit. Lucky cried out as he thrashed around, with the sight of a few ant-lionesses biting into him from all around underneath. Their mouths and heads popped out enough to latch onto the horse while their arms clawed at him franticly.

  “No!” Alyssa shrieked as she saw her horse pulled under, the reins and straps for him yanking down then snapping off.

  “What the hell is this? Were those ant-lionesses?” Specca screamed.
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  “LUCKY!” Alyssa cried out as she started to cry, shaking her head as she looked down at the torn up dirt where her horse was dragged down to its death. Daniel looked around at the two patches of torn dirt then screamed out in anger and horror.

  “NO! TRISKA!” he cried out with agony. Specca looked at where the horse was pulled under before the caravan shook about, the rear wheels sinking into the dirt as the ground below it gave away. Daniel watched as the caravan rocked back before dropping down from the rear as dirt shot up around it. Specca and Alyssa tumbled back into the cabin and rolled to the back wall while Squeak held onto the entryway’s frame, the ant girl looking around with wide eyes. Screeching sounds were heard as the ground around the caravan shot up in small bursts. Daniel watched as the back half of the caravan sank into the ground while the front half lifted up off its wheels.

  “No!” Daniel yelled out as Squeak struggled to keep her balance. Inside the cabin Alyssa was rubbing her head with a groan while Specca slumped against the back wall, the nixie looking around with blurry eyes as her glasses had fallen off.

  “Lucky, no!” Alyssa cried out. A pair of hands broke through the wooden wall behind and grabbed her, the witch screaming as she was pulled back through the wood and into the dirt. Specca grabbed her hand and tried to pull her back, only seeing a dark and blurry image of Alyssa’s body thrashing around while blood shot out of the opening her upper half was being pulled into. Alyssa screamed in agony before being pulled back into the dirt, being viciously devoured as Squeak stared down through the entryway with shock. She saw her friend being torn up by the monster’s mouth and vanishing into the dirt while Specca started crying.

  “No! Alyssa!” Specca cried out. She looked around franticly while whimpering, not able to see properly without her glasses. Squeak reached down towards her, squeaking loudly as she held onto the frame of the doorway. Specca looked up towards the dim source of light, her eyes not able to make out much detail other than Squeak’s silhouette.