Chapter 3: Facing Darkness
Stride’s body is sore. It was not the most ideal sleep arrangement. Nevertheless, he managed to get some rest. He sits by the puddle of water and drinks till he is satisfied and cleanses his face. He dips his blistered feet in the water to alleviate some of the pain. Running for your life on your bare feet takes its toll.
He sighs, “I have to keep on going.”
As much as he would like to stay close to his only water source, it is too dangerous to linger around for too long.
He enters a large ravine.
Does this cave ever end?
He peers down the steep ravine edges and sees no way down. The darkness below him tells him that it is quite a fall if he were to slip up. He carefully walks along the edge. As the road becomes narrower, he decides to crawl on both hands and feet.
His eyes wander along the dark. down the deep abyss to get a better sense of the depth of the cave.
His eyes wander along the dark of the deep abyss to get a better sense of the depth of the cave.
Something is standing there, vaguely resembling the shape of a man.
“Do my eyes betray me?” Stride whispers.
If there is anything I have learnt so far, it is that everything in this land is either trying to kill me, eat me, or both.
If this ‘person’ lives in this cave amongst those terrifying dogs, it must be someone dangerous.
Stride leans in closer to get a better look at the figure. To his surprise, the figure is clothed from the waist down. He sees a well-built bald man about his height.
He is way too muscular to be a rowing slave. Is he one of Byzma’s men? Moving forward, I should be cautious of him.
The man stands still, giving Stride the time to observe him. Stride hopes to catch a glance of his face. Because there is a chance it is not someone from the ship. It could be someone who has lived here for a long time and managed to survive. Stride could use the help in this hostile landscape. He watches cautiously, remembering the training from his life as a thief. To sit so incredibly still you are simply a part your environment.
How curiosity can sometimes get the better of us.
How curiosity can sometimes get the better of us.
It is not a person that looks back at Stride. More like an abominable imitation of one.
A three-eyed demon…
Stride immediately hid. He is too far to be heard, nor did he make a sound. The three-eyed demon’s sensed his presence and smiled at him.
Did he see me? There is no way someone would notice me from that far away.
Please tell me he did not see me.
Stride lies in dead silence. He does not hear a thing.
It must be a fluke that thing turned around.
Should I look?
Stride slowly peeks over the edge. He does not see the demon.
Where did it go?
He leans over a bit more. The demon gleefully stares at him. Stride can tell from its wide grin that the creature is overjoyed with Stride’s arrival in his lair.
But Stride picks up on another important aspect of this being.
This monster is not simply cruel. Its eyes betray its intelligence.
Even though Stride sits atop a high ravine wall, he feels that something is off about this being. A primal fear of a predator that primarily hunts humans. His instinct knows that he is not safe here.
“I must hurry,” Stride says as he stands up and walks along the small ledge. Reminding himself that if he wants to make it out alive, he must move fast.
He hears a low *thud* below him. As if something is breaking the cave’s wall. He feels conflicted in looking down, for he knows what the answer is.
This must be a bad dream. This creature cannot be real.
As Stride looks down at the three-eyed demon, an indescribable fear settles in.
These walls are going straight… How is that possible?
The three-eyed demon scales the cavern walls with his bare hands and feet.
As it pierces his hands through the stone walls, he climbs up seemingly effortlessly.
Stride hurries along the edge of the abyss and sees the pathway widen. The moment he can plant his feet side by side, he sprints as fast as his body can carry him. He must get away from that abominable being.
The demon’s presence is nearing as he runs away. He can feel it right behind him, motivating him to move faster. Little does Stride know that it already stands on equal footing with him.
Stride sees the outlines of a mysteriously decorated entrance up ahead in the darkness.
With no way back, Stride runs through this entrance and enters a dark hallway.
The hallway is supported by round, sculpted pillars. Banners decorate the carved-out walls, and a torn carpet covers the ground. The banners carry a crest with three dots. He has no time to determine the meaning of this crest, but they give him a stark reminder of the eyes of his pursuer.
He arrives at the end of the hallway. He is greeted with darkness as his escape is in sight. But for some reason, the sinister ooze of the demon is not close by him. A presence that lurked right behind.
“Am I that much faster?” Stride wonders. He did regain the necessary strength during his rest.
And then…
Stride stops.
His legs tremble in a state of panic and disbelief. The demon slowly approaches him, without a care in the world for Stride’s attempt to escape. It knew all along what the outcome would be. It had no reason to rush.
Stride looks down as his eyes widen and his breath grows shallow. The air lingers heavy around him.
For what reason have I tried to survive for so long… was it out of guilt for you, Otto? Out of spite against Byzma? Or was it my own desire to live?
In the end, it was all for naught. My fate was sealed the moment I set foot on this land. And now, I stand in front of a dead end.
An endless void sits under the cliffs edge. No matter how much his eyes adjust to the dark, he cannot see the end of the bottomless pit before him. Caught within an impossible dilemma. Certain death in front of him and a monster behind. He can no longer run from his problems.
As he slowly turns around, to meet eyes with his pursuer, a horrifying reality reveals itself.
In pure shock, Stride falls over. His surroundings distort as he looks at the three-eyed demon. His perception of this newfound world shatters, paralysed in absolute fear. It is unlike anything he had ever experienced. The previous encounters pale in comparison to the being that leisurely walks towards him.
This… being… it is the incarnation of evil, evil fuelled by a pure desire to instil fear in all that face it.
His thoughts are clouded by pure despair.
His face turns bleak as his heartbeat soars through his ears. He attempts to move his body over and over again. But he feels heavy, strained by fear. It feels as if both his arms and legs are chained to the floor. All his body can do is quiver uncontrollably in a desperate struggle to move. Held down by the mere gaze of the three-eyed demon, Stride cannot seem to look away.
No longer can the three-eyed demon conceal its mirth. Its mouth opens, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Its eyes widen in anticipation for the torment it will inflict on his paralysed victim. The demon savours the moment as it slowly strolls at Stride.
In the exact moment the three-eye demon reveals its true nature, Stride has a revelation.
That smile, that frightful grin on its face. I recognise it all too well from those that seek pleasure in inflicting pain and suffering onto others. I have not only encountered far too many people with that… that shit-eating grin…
No, no, no, I have endured the suffering of that same expression far too often.
It was far too familiar to him. And that fact angered him to his core.
Instead of succumbing to his fears, he hardens his resolve. His heart pounces as he stands up, not taking his eyes off the three-eyed demon. He wants to make it clear that he is not afraid of what the demon represents: a tyrant.
“I’ve had enough. I will not become a victim of your torment.” Stride says, his voice trembling in both fear and rage.
“Eat shit and die, demon.”
He accepts his own fate, no longer bound by fear or regrets.
He jumps, a leap of faith, deep down into the abyss.
End of chapter 3.