Silver Lies Within the Hell We Created

"Hmm…?"

Underneath the towering ancient tree that stood near the old tavern was Ashley. She closed a small book she was reading as her attention was fixed on two men leaving the tavern. She knew them both, one very well and the other she had just met: Alder and Ansel. A healthy bloodhound she had known since it was a pup led them out of the tavern as if it were in a rush.

"Why is Alder talking with that creep?" Ashley wondered as she remembered a bitter memory from that morning. As the men rushed towards the forest, Ashley placed her book down at the foot of the tree and tried to follow. Her curiosity towards the man from the city was one thing, but she wanted to know where the two were heading, with the bloodhound being extremely assertive.

They ran fast, their steps crunching the forest floor below them, but Ashley was able to pursue them through the maze of the dense forest. The bloodhound tugged at its leash, forcing Alder to run at a breakneck speed, while Ansel, unbothered by the pace, kept a steady rhythm as if he was accustomed to such a rapid chase. Ashley trailed them with her agile movements by blending in with the shadows cast by the trees. Using her knowledge of the forest, she carefully chose the paths with the least amount of foliage to reduce the chances of her being spotted by the pair. While the bloodhound would have noticed her presence, she had hoped the other two would not. But as luck would have it, every so often, Ansel would turn back while keeping at his steady pace towards Ashley's direction. She took a second to hide each time, waiting for him to turn back, creating an ever-widening distance between them.

After trying to catch up, the pair disappeared into a wall of light. Ashley kept moving carefully until she came to the end of the path. A large clearing in the middle of the forest filled her view. An ancient ruin stood at the center of the clearing, its entrance forever closed off by marble pillars that collapsed to the burden of time. She scanned the area, looking for the two. The two and a viciously barking dog stood near a broken pillar lying in an empty field covered in nothing but green grass. Ashley carefully positioned herself near the edge of the forest, allowing her to keep in earshot of the two while also allowing her to see what they saw.

"Easy girl…" The hound continued to bark as it launched towards the pillar, stretching its leash. Alder dug his heels into the ground but found himself still being pulled by the dog. Her fangs were bared, and slobber flew from her mouth. Ansel stood behind, a clear, crooked look in his eyes. He clenched the outside of his jacket tightly.

"No way…" Ashley muttered as she finally noticed what the two men were looking at. From the distance she was from them, it was hard to get a perfect picture of what, but it was enough for her to tell that it was the corpse of a person.

"You think this body is related?" Alder said in an uneasy tone as he looked at the face Ansel was making toward the corpse.

He walked over to the corpse and kneeled down. "Without a doubt, it's related…" He moved the body a little with his bare hands. "A mutilated corpse done in by strange, enormous claws, it checks out…" He turned towards the bloodhound, who was currently winning the tug-a-war battle with Alder. "Not to mention the way she's acting."

"You don't sound too confident."

"This body is a couple of weeks old," Ansel said as he reached into his pocket to grab something.

While he was doing that, Ashley moved towards the old ruins and hid, allowing her to get a better view of the body. A dark red mass of flesh and bone sat on the side of the fallen pillar. What was once human was no longer as several claw marks slashed the person in a frenzy, leaving behind what they saw. A silver flash of light filled the area as Ansel stood up from the body with a lit cigarette in his mouth. A faint trail of blood trickled down the side of his mouth, staining the cigarette's white cover. The barking of the bloodhound ceased, and she walked towards Alder and laid down the same way she does after a long day next to a fireplace. A gentle breeze swept a lavender scent towards Ashley. Her mind was relaxed and numb, and the sight before her hardly bothered her the way it should.

Alder, more relaxed than before, approached the body. "So, whatever that killed him seems to not kill to eat, does it? I don't see a chunk of their body missing. Maybe it was saving it for later?"

"Hunter's intuition?"

Alder's gaze shifted toward a spot on the corpse's body. "Yeah…" He then turned towards Ansel and saw his face. "But you look like you are about to say I'm wrong."

"With intuition like that, you should become a detective like me. But yeah, you are wrong. It is currently feeding on it, or it was until I put the cigarette in its mouth."

As he spoke those words, he turned toward the ruins, eyeing the exact location where Ashley was hiding. She dashed towards a more hidden spot while holding her breath. She waited for Ansel to resume speaking before she tried to peek her head out.

"The body was affected by an Omen with the ability to feed on its victims." Ashley looked back towards the two to see that Ansel was facing Alder. But she could not help but feel a gaze watching her. "And it leaves a potent scent that lingers in the air to discourage scavengers from devouring the corpse. That is why she was barking like that. But I have to say, that scent was intense. Normally, anything that could smell it would run away. She's a keeper in my book. But I digress. To dispel that scent, I used a dispelling AA."

"I see…" Alder nodded his head in agreement as if he understood everything that flew over Ashley's head. "Wait, what's an AA?"

"Artificial Artifact. This one, in particular, can nullify the effects of certain Omens and cause those who breathe in the scent to relax."

"That's odd, then. You said that this body has been here for a couple of weeks, right? So, why have our hunting hounds never picked it up until now? Given how strongly she reacted to it." Alder moved towards the resting dog and patted her head. She looked towards the forest with wondering eyes. From where Ashley sat, she could see an uneasy look on Alder's face.

Ansel said nothing as a gentle breeze swept the area. As he looked into the sky, he muttered something that she could not hear. Alder's eyes widen in shock as he bites his lip. He then stands up and grabs the leash.

"I'll let you finish then." His tone was harsh and distant. Ashley could tell that Ansel said something that bothered him simply by the way his bloodhound whimpered as they disappeared into the dense forest.

Ashley snuck back towards the forest and waited for Ansel to make his way back towards town. She wanted a closer view of the body to properly understand what future might be awaiting them. Minutes turned into an hour. Ashley sat idle in the forest as the repetitive tapping of a metal object echoed throughout the forest. The sound intensified with each minute until Ansel grew irritated and glared at the tree Ashley had hidden herself behind.

"Girl."

There was a strange force behind his words that caused Ashley to jump. She held her breath as she wanted Ansel to believe he was mistaken. However, she knew that the chances of that happening were slim at best. Up until this point, she had a feeling that Ansel was aware of her presence. It felt as if he was leading her here from the beginning.

While she held her breath, lost in thought, a sharp wind shot near her cheek. The sound of a metal object lodged into a tree followed shortly afterward. As she tried to process what happened, a beautiful silver dagger sat embedded into the tree, mere inches from her.

"AHHHH!!!"

With a delayed reaction, Ashley jumped out from behind the tree, seeking refuge from the strange she had grown to distrust. However, as she entered the clearing, Ansel was nowhere to be seen. Her heart raced as she tried to understand her current situation.

"Where did he go—AHHH!"

An unknown hand landed on her shoulder, causing Ashley to reflexively kick back. As she did, she felt that something caught her leg. She was suddenly yanked from the ground, her leg twisted at an unnatural angle as she hung upside down. The powerful grip that held her was relentless, sending a jolt of pain through her leg as her bones protested.

The man she was trying to hide from and seek protection from held her in the air while holding a strange device that she had never seen before. It was a small camera that looked like it had once existed years ago, with its bulky wooden frame and silver metal lining the edges. Outside, the box had crimson veins stretched across it as if they were vines growing on the side of her house. The lens of the camera glistened as he pointed it towards her.

"Naive." He muttered yet a single word as a silver flash filled her vision. While blinded, she felt the harsh impact of the cold, hard ground collide with her head.

Once she regained her vision, a colorless void met her with a cold embrace. Where once vibrant green fields met the sky with beautiful marble pillars standing tall, there was now only a dull scene, the colors sucked out by time. Nothing but several shades of grey met her eyes.

As Ashley tried to process what had just occurred, a small silvery hint of light flickered in the corner of her eyes. She turned to face the light. Several vintage-looking photos appeared from the ground, drifting upwards. Each photo was part of her memories—important ones that she could never forget, even if she tried.

The stunning sight erased her confusion as she reached out to touch a photograph. It disappeared into a silver mist that created a trail that beckoned her to follow. It led towards the ruined pillar that the corpse Ansel and Alder had found. She cautiously walked towards the corpse. Each step was heavier than the last, and her breathing became more harsh.

As she looked at the body, her vision blurred. The head that sat on the body twisted to match hers. A lifeless recreation of herself sat in front of her. She stumbled back, falling on her butt, resisting the urge to scream.

"Why did you not scream?"

A voice called out from the shadows. Ashley turned back toward the direction of the voice. A tall figure with a masculine shape stood before her in a dark grey suit and with silver linings that glowed faintly. Her head moved towards the head of the figure. As it did, her eyes widened with fear. She moved back as a reflection of herself stared at her with a hateful stare on the body of another. She felt her heart pound.

Echoing sounds of her memories filled the empty, silent air. They were the memories of the faithful night that she watched her parents die before her. The bloodcurdling shout of her father and the terrifying screams of her mother being defiled filled her mind.

"You did not scream then, and you did not scream now." Tears streamed down her face as the voice spoke in a perfect imitation of her own voice. "If you had screamed that day, your mother would have been able to escape. You know this, don't you?"

"N-no…" Ashley's voice lost its will. Her lips trembled in fear.

"Better yet, if you never ventured into the forest that day. They would be alive. Your perfect definition of a fairytale family would exist. It was your fault."

"N-no, it was not me!"

The figure moved closer. Her legs, paralyzed with fear, failed to respond to her will, and the figure grabbed her chin and lifted it. "Curiosity Killed the Cat. You are the only one to blame. You scarred Ash's heart; you forced him to bear witness to the lifeless bodies of the ones you both held dear."

"Stop…please…" She begged for herself to stop. The thoughts that plagued her for years stabbed needles into the already wounded heart that she carried. Ashley felt that if the figure said anything more, she would break. She knew her mistake. She knew her parents would still be here today if she never followed that shadow into the forest that day.

The figure removed its hand and stood before Ashley. The face staring back at her was undeniably hers but distorted by a mask of pure hate that made her gasp for air.

"Be honest with yourself." The figure took several steps back as it held a strange camera in its hand. "You wish to atone for that slothful sin of yours. Ask me, and I shall help you atone." With those final words, a silver light filled her vision.