And here's my entry for the Scary Story Contest on dA.
Warning: Scary Elements... I guess.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts
Darkling Forest Paths
A simple scout mission, two teams of Nobodies sent… and the all-devouring forest right ahead of them…
Demyx knew something was off the very moment he set a single step on the forest ground. The earth seemed to swallow every sound, every rustle, every crackle…
Oh, something was just totally off, something even the lower Nobodies accompanying the members of the Organization could feel…
But the insecure steps of the blonde passed completely unnoticed by the slate haired male next to him who strode self-confidently through the green surroundings…
"Please, Zexy? Slow down a bit…?"
An annoyed sigh was his answer as the Schemer swirled around, glaring at him.
"It's most unfitting to be afraid of a forest, Nine!" he spat. "Now hurry up or I'll leave you behind!"
Demyx whimpered at the thought and caught up to the disgruntled male.
X X X
Just a few minutes later the path turned into a way leading into pitch-black darkness though it was supposed to be early afternoon.
The leafage was only penetrated by the softest rays of light… and even those seemed to be absorbed before they could reach the ground to actually allow orientation in this hell of a forest…
Demyx eyes were adjusted to the darkness, only enough to make out the path they were following…
It was strange actually… The path was just so… even, just as if was meant to be there and only there. The rest of the forest was impenetrable and even a step off the path was ensued by painful scratches. The fine droplets of blood were still visible on the blond's knees… if it were not for the darkness, painting everything black, simply everything!
Demyx had changed his strategy a while ago. He was walking fast, the Cloaked Schemer trotting somewhere behind him…
The faster they got out of this forest, the better.
Demyx grinned but that grin was quickly wiped off his face when said face hit the ground, hard. Pain shot through his head.
"Ouch…" he muttered, rubbing his temple.
It had happened so fast, he didn't know what had happened in the first place.
He tried sitting up, only to find himself unable to. Glancing around, he tried to make out anything in this darkness and- What was that?
This sling around his leg… a root?
"Just what are you doing, Nine?" Zexion's annoyed voice.
"Come on, I'm not going to wait for you…" And with that he simply continued on his way.
"W-wait! Zexy!"
Demyx tugged at the root wildly, quickly noticing that it wouldn't let him loose as easily as he expected it to.
He found the end of the root and tugging at it realized that it wound around his leg… thrice… The blond began shaking, sensing that this was wrong… intended, perhaps… by a forest?
And a sudden shiver ran down his spine, feeling watched and hearing that strange crackle that hadn't been there before and now echoed in the otherwise completely silent forest…
He threw the root away, that strange sling that seemed to have come out of nowhere and ran.
Ran, panicking, not seeing nor hearing his superior! Where did he go?
His sprint came to an abrupt stop, toppling over something, hard and painful colliding with the ground… again…
"NINE!"
Uh-oh, now he had done it. Zexion wasn't annoyed nor was he angry, he was literally raging!
"S-sorry! You can't just- You can't just leave me alone!" Demyx whined.
"Stop acting like a child!" Zexion snarled at him as he regained his composure, rising to his feet, quickly brushing himself off. "There is really absolutely nothing to be afraid of!"
"Not even the darkness…?" Demyx offered softly.
"We're moving through the absolute darkness regularly, idiot!"
The blond whimpered… and stayed still.
X X X
"You can't be serious!"
"Now stop whining, Demyx!"
"B-but I'm sure we're almost at the end of the forest!"
"If we were at the end of the forest don't you think we would at least see something? Besides be glad we at least found this clearing or would you like to sleep in the middle of… nothing?" Zexion argued.
Oh, this had to be a joke! Sleep here?
Demyx was sure that scout missions weren't his favorite anymore…
He gave in to his destiny and lowered himself to the cold forest ground…
X X X
The night was unforgiving…
Zexion was against setting up a campfire until Demyx assured him he would extinguish it immediately if there was need to, after all his element was water. But of course he had to take the night watch because of that.
Zexion was sound asleep a few meters next to him… and the fire was slowly dying…
And the more the fire ceased… the colder it became… and stiller…
Demyx began to shiver… and the fire stilled…
Darkness claimed the clearing once again and the blond just sat there, not moving an inch before his eyes didn't adjust to the dark. It wasn't a calming darkness and it was no easing silence in this forest… it was threatening, devouring… Devouring all sound, all happiness… And Demyx sat there, softly rocking back and forth, begging for the time to pass quickly…
Rustling… soft rustling filled the air… and Demyx sighed, resting against one of the surrounding trees of the clearing…
Crackling, soft crackling in the undergrowth… Demyx froze. Why hadn't he noticed before?
The moment the fire was gone… the sound of the forest had risen… blue eyes skimmed the surroundings, trying to see, to grasp what had changed. But there was nothing, just darkness and shadows and roots… a single root…
A single root… on a clearing surrounded by dozens of trees?
A crackle, a rustle and Demyx jumped, not literally though. He looked around, holding his breath and again this strange root caught his eye.
"Hmpf… you just want to irritate me," the blond muttered, chuckling slightly.
Alright, he was losing his mind because of a root. He sighed and backed away from any kind of plant he could make out. In the end he simply retreated to the other side of the former campfire and… decided to close his eyes, ignoring the sounds that seemed to come closer, suffocating him.
Crackling… rustling… It was normal; he was in a forest after all. But the feeling of being watched returned and the sensation… of nearing danger.
Eyes opened... and widened.
The root… surely wasn't a root or roots just learned moving… creeping…
And slowly but surely this… moving shadow was approaching him and Demyx backed away, retreating from that thing! But the strange being was moving threateningly fast and Demyx possibilities few when the plant almost reached his leg.
"Z-Zexy… Zexy!"
And he already almost toppled over the still totally unaware Schemer when he called for him.
A groan and eyes fluttered open and Demyx clung to the slender form of the other Nobody.
"What is it, Demyx?" Zexion asked drowsy.
"There- There is-!" He pointed on… the root that wasn't there anymore.
The Schemer stared at him. "What?"
"There was… sorry, I guess I was wrong…" Demyx gave in.
But there had been something… right?
"You can go back to sleep…"
"No, it's alright. I'll take the watch now"
And Demyx didn't protest, his mind formed only chaotic thoughts anyway… and hallucinations…?
X X X
"So… what are you going to report back?" A fiery redhead asked casually.
"Simply, we saw nothing, we heard nothing, there is nothing, this trip was useless," Zexion replied monotone.
"Heh, at least you could escape unscathed when you tell the Superior that," Axel shrugged.
Demyx didn't care. Demyx loved the light, loved the sun, loved the rays that made the Furry's hair shine brightly…
"But isn't something… off?"
Roxas. Demyx had almost forgotten that he had been on this mission as well.
"What do you mean, Thirteen?"
"The Dusks, the Dancers? Has anybody seen them?"
And with that Roxas stirred confusion…
The lower Nobodies never returned…
So... this horror story wasn't scary at all, now was it? xD
Anyway... please review! And even if you just wanna rant... feel free to do so~