Death has Eyes

-“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram.”

The forest was steep. How high was the hill, were they running or climbing? Her lungs were going to explode, how was a hardened old man and his jagged daughter was supposed to keep it moving. Malicious screeches echoed. The father tapped her shoulder, more like push, and he cocked back the family’s shotgun.

Their ears were scratching from blaring screeches, it was close enough for anyone to break the number one rule- do not look back. Death has severe scars, and tatter clothing from its previous life and the eyes were the blackest beads. The Black-eyed closed the distance before she could exhale, she wished she died without looking back.

Death lunging at her but dad caught its face with the barrel of his shotgun. He fired, and Black-eyed crashed away. The daughter’s lung was going to blow, she had to stop and breathe her last seconds.

“Come on, we’re almost there.” He said

“That what you said last time.” She replied.

“Okay, you can take my turn,” he said, handing her the beaten music player.

“Thanks,” she looked at battery icon, “its dead, like us.”

“That not funny.”

“It’s not a joke. Where are we going?” A tear leaked.

“You’ll see,” he wiped her tear, “when we get there, we going to charge our MP3 and listen to some nice blues like we always do.”

“Where are we going, Dad? You don’t have to lie.”

“You know where we are going.”

“Grace’s Haven? Where guardian with Red Eyes shoots lightning- I’m not little anymore. You don’t… Can we please stop.”

“I know, I know. Sorry, Pretty Red… This is all the proof I have,” he said, he pulled knife the blade was crystal-steel, and the handle was mechanized, “We can make it, okay.”

“Sure… I love you, Dad?” She hugged him for the last time.

There was a silence, an uncomfortable stillness, between them. She wanted to ask him, does the knife even work? He has never used it once.

“We have to go.” He said

Dad continued to move, and she followed. Up ahead was just as dark as it was behind her. There was nothing in these woods, they kept running. Screeches, multiple screeches filled the area and their ears.

The father turned on the crystal knife, it vibrated a red hue. A black-eyed sprinted beside him, and another one came after it, its mouth was inches from Red’s neck.

The father stabs the skull of black-eyed attacking Red. The lifeless body fell on her, the knife in the head of death turned off. She couldn’t believe it, a black-eyed was down. Her Dad was more real than any Red-Eyed hero, yet… he was being devoured by the others.

Red was on her knees and had nothing left, she couldn’t even look away. What was breathing? She couldn’t remember. Who was death? She learned a bit more about that answer.

Blue lightning struck. The shock forced her to stand. There were no clouds in sight, yet big iron contraption passing for an arrow, a crater, and bodies that were in pieces. She noticed more craters about. There it was, a black-walled fortress, Grace’s Haven.

Maybe if she didn’t stop they might have been here a second faster. She claimed her father’s knife, snatching it from Black-eyed’s head, it was a reminder to keep moving even in the shadows of death.