literature

Dahn-Kren sneak peek

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ClandestineLament's avatar
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Literature Text

Paranoia had always burrowed deep within the Labyrinths like maggots consuming a corpse. It wormed its way into the fragile minds of the denizens, turning neighbours and brothers against each other in fear. Now it clutched tightly to her swiftly beating heart as she hurtled herself down the twisting paths of the deep, foreboding mines. Her heavy boots struck the hard ground in rapid succession, propelling her closer and closer to the source of her dread. The sparsely placed torches flickered and dimmed in the wake of her passing. The darkness pulled her deeper towards its core and reached out from the growing shadows to embrace her. Her breath came in shorter and sharper gasps as panic almost overtook her, but still she pressed on with unrelenting determination, ignoring the writhing in her gut and the ache as her heart pounded savagely against her ribcage. She had to find out. She had to be sure they were safe. The uneven soil beneath her feet seemed to reach up in gnarls, stubbornly trying to falter her steps, and eventually succeeded. She hit the hard-packed earth with a sharp whump, but forced herself back to her feet. Eventually the tunnel broke out into a small room, lit only by the dying coals of a sputtering fire. "Arch!" She yelped breathlessly. "Malale!" She skidded to a stop by the fire and a fine spread of black dirt sprayed into the stale air. Her calls were answered only by herself as the names rebounded off of the dirt and rock walls as whispers in the still air. In the flickering light cast by the dying camp fire, the large, red outline of an Aerox crest was scrawled on the wall nearest to the tents. A coppery, acrid scent swirled in the air around her. Anxiety and worry waged war in her stomach and forced her quivering body towards the foreboding symbol. The curved lines crossed each other as if forming the shape of an hourglass, and a short horizontal line crossed where the two others met. Then, the small upside-down V spread from the middle of the line, tying the ominous tag together, and finally, an X rested in-between the largest lines. The symmetrical pattern had almost dried, and drips still trailed down the wall. In the silence of the cavern her heavy heartbeat thudded in her ears and time seemed to slow as if everything was underwater. The tents were burnt and ripped. A dark puddle oozed from underneath a mess of leather and tarp, and her vision blurred as she reached a shaking dirt-covered hand towards the sheets. They were sickeningly damp, and with a heavy breath she quickly tugged the leather towards her.
Just a quick piece of a novel I'm currently writing. c:
© 2011 - 2024 ClandestineLament
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Squid-Lee's avatar
...FFFFFFFFF.
You're gonna share more, yeah?