Zelleager presents:
CROSS: Blood Horizon
Inspired by The Hollow
LEO
In a forest where the trees grew so tall they blocked out the sun, a boy lay curled on the ground.
He groaned, shifting a little, then slowly pushed himself upright, clutching his head.
He looked to be maybe fifteen.
His bare feet pressed into the hard dirt.
His hair was thick and messy, his skin pale under the dim light, his eyes dark and unfocused.
Slowly, he stood, eyes widening as he became more aware.
"Where... the hell am I?" he muttered.
He stared at his hands, then his feet, then back at the forest.
"Why...why can't I remember anything?" His teeth clenched as a sharp headache tore through his skull.
Stumbling forward, he tried to remember something-anything-but the harder he thought, the worse the pain got.
Finally, he dropped to his knees, both hands gripping his head as tears burned his eyes.
His teeth clenched as a vein began swelling in his forehead
" Stupid headache!!" He shouted
Instinctively, he got up and kicked a rock
The rock shot forward into the air
Rising above the trees,
Disappearing into the sky.
The boy was still groaning
His vision doubled as the pain danced along his head
He was now seeing two of every tree, every plant
He fell to the ground
Rolling on his back
Tears were now streaming
He continued laying there
...
Minutes passed before the pain faded.
Breathing hard, he sat back and looked around.
The trees loomed above, the air damp and heavy.
In the distance, faint chirps of birds and insects echoed. Ahead, through the trees, he noticed an opening-a path.
He forced himself up and hurried toward it.
Panting, and looking around at any movement or sound
He reached a fork in the trail, he froze, he looked left then right.
Then, from the left, faint shouting reached his ears.
"People..." he breathed, relief flickering across his face.
He ran off down the left path, ducking under branches, hopping over fallen logs.
His heart lungs burned, heart pounding
Yet he screamed
"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!!"
The sounds were now closer.
His face lit up as he rounded a corner-
But he stopped
Relief, disappeared instantly
He began trembling
Breathing heavily
A cottage stood ahead, but the scene around it was pure horror.
The family that lived there... they were dead.
Four bodies.
One hung limp over the roof, blood dripping to the dirt below.
Another, missing an arm, leaned against a splintered tree.
A third was pinned beneath the trunk of that same tree.
The last body lay sprawled just a few feet away.
The boy stumbled towards it.
Heart pounding, his hands trembled
Yet he still got close
A man-probably the father-was choking on his own blood, a broken axe at his side.
"S-sir, are you alright?!" the boy asked, crouching and turning him over.
His eyes went wide at the sight of the gash carved across the man's chest.
The man's lips moved. "Rr-"
"What?"
"Rr-" Blood bubbled in his throat.
The boy leaned closer, ear almost to his mouth.
"...Run."
The boy eyes widened,
He looked at the man instantly
But he heard it, a heavy deep sigh from the man
...
Silence lingered, as the man stared up at nothing
No blinking
No moving
The boy sat up frozen, the mans blood on his trembling hands
Tears ran from his eyes again
"Aaaaaaagh!" He screamed
His vision blurred, as tears welled his eyes
Short breath became involuntary for him
He stood up looking around
Everything seemed wrong
The tall trees.. the cottage
But then he heard it
His wails stopped instantly, eyes stuck in the same place
Everything was.
A low growl rumbled from behind.
Slowly, he turned.
A lion stood there-but not an ordinary lion.
It was the size of a bear, with bloodshot red eyes, great wings sprouting from its back, and a spiked tail swaying behind it.
...
It sniffed
The boy bolted.
The beast roared, launching itself into the air to chase him.
He ran, faster than he thought possible, tearing through the dark path.
He jumped over a a dead log
Branches whipped across his face, but he didn't stop.
The speed he ran felt unreal
Yet, people do strange thing when in danger
Soon, he heard it
The flapping wings behind him
At the last second, he cut left.
The lion overshot, crashing through the trees.
He heard as it flapped, regaining its momentum
Panting, the boy stumbled into a clearing.
His chest ached, but at least... it was quiet.
Too quiet.
He stepped forward-only to find himself at the edge of a cliff.
Across the gorge was more land, but the distance was too far.
Below, jagged rocks lined a raging river.
"I can't cross that..." he muttered.
He looked around, hastily, scanning everywhere
No monster
"F-fuck" he muttered
Before he could move, something slammed him to the ground.
Agonizing pain exploded in his shoulder-fangs digging deep.
The lion was on top of him
The boy screamed as blood poured down his arm.
Its eyes locked onto him with deadly hunger.
"GET OFF ME YOU BASTARD!!!"
On instinct, he punched-once, twice, three times.
The lion's head snapped back, its eye swelling after the third hit.
Both froze.
"What the?" he said in shock
He stared down at his trembling, bloodied hand. The lion snarled, enraged, and flung him across the gorge like a ragdoll.
The boy rolled, tearing up the vegetation
Coughing, battered, he dragged himself up.
He struggled to regain his focus, pain blurred his vision
The second his vision came back
The beast already charged, jaws wide.
On instinct, he caught them
Both hands gripping its fangs, muscles straining as he slid across the dirt, heels digging in.
With a roar of his own, he twisted and heaved-throwing the monster aside.
It landed hard
The boy stood still, looking at his hands as he heaved
Before the boy realized, The beast was flying
The boy tried running, limping.
Leo ducked
The beast flew past, almost swiping his head off
It turned, charging again
Leo tried dodging
But its claws went deep into his back
"AAAAAAGH!!" Leo roared, eyes shut tight
The beast grappled him
It tried to bite, but Leo began pushing it away
Screaming, as blood leaked from his wounds
He pushed the Lion off
It tumbled and rolled
It shook its head a few times, growling.
It looked at the boy
Confident
The boy stood still, panting
Suddenly
He vanished
The lion's eye widened
WHAM!
Fist smashed into its ribs.
Another hook cracked its jaw.
An uppercut launched it skyward.
The lion tried to flee, wings spreading wide.
But the boy leapt, grabbing hold of its leg, climbing onto its back.
With raw fury, he wrenched one wing until it snapped.
The beast plummeted.
Wailing.
The impact shook the ground. Dirt and dust exploded around them.
The boy didn't hesitate.
He straddled the beast and unleashed punch after punch after punch.
Each blow sank its head deeper into the earth.
Its scream getting more and more silent
Blood sprayed his fists, his grunts echoing through the clearing.
Finally, the monster's skull was nothing but pulp.
Panting, chest heaving, he rolled off and lay on his back, hands drenched in blood.
He stared up at the sun, blood clouding his vision
He felt, weak
Minutes passed before he sat up, breathing ragged.
"...I remember now," he whispered.
"Leo. My name... is Leo."
As the words left his mouth, he noticed something-someone-floating in front of him.
His eyes adjusted.
A girl, about his age, hung in the air.
She stared at him blankly, saying nothing.
End