Rosemary Green had seen this place before.
Perhaps that was a lie, the area around her was completely unfamiliar, the tree's were different, the shadows leaped out at her with threatening shapes. Rose could swear she could feel eyes on her from all sides, boxing her in, keeping her pinned in place There was absolutely no way a girl like her had ever been in a place like this before..
And yet. She still couldn't shake the feeling that this place was familiar. The sort of vague deja vu one got when they saw a place that looked like a long forgotten memory or perhaps a dream. The girl felt as if.. If she moved something would happen. The silence was so thick, so perfectly quiet. Like a predator waiting to pounce. Her heartbeat began to speed up, pounding on the inside of her chest like a frightened bird trying to flee. Her eyes darted around almost as quickly as her heartbeat, she was only supposed to be in the woods for half an hour, wasn't that what her mother had told her? Just collect some flowers and return home. She was a big girl, she could handle it!
One thing had led to another, an interesting bird here, an absolutely fascinating leaf there, and now it was three hours later, in the middle of the woods, the sun long since sunken below the horizon. In the daylight the trees and plants were so welcoming, brightly colored and alive looking. Without the light to give them full shapes, every bush became a waiting monster, every noise a signal of incoming danger. Welcoming friends turned into dark fiends. The little girl began to tremble, her emerald eyes starting to burn and prickle at the edges with tears. She just wanted to go home. She'd be good, she'd listen to her mother next times, gods just let her leave!
. . .
A noise.
Not the howl of the quiet wind, not the rustle of a moving leaf, not even the quiet step of a small forest creature, so tiny, yet so full of life. This sound was different. It didn't blend in with the intimidating atmosphere of the dark woods, it was..
Was someone humming?
The imperfect silence was shattered, but Rosemary still couldn't breath, instead a different, heavier weight pressed down on her shoulders, her knees almost buckling. The fear of the dark was washed away, it seem tiny and minuscule in comparison to what she felt now. It filled her stomach until she felt like she would explode from the inside, the anxiety creeping into her very bones like an invasive poison. Infecting every part of her until she was dead. She wasn't alone. She. Was. Not. Alone. In the woods. By herself. At night. She was dead.
The humming grew louder, and in the distance Rosemary could very faintly see a light bobbing up and down, outlining the shadowy shape of a figure holding a lantern. Planted to the ground, Rosemary felt a wave of calm spread throughout her body. Her flesh felt warmer, her brain fuzzier, but the anxiety never left her bones. The light grew closer, and one could make out the image of a tall man with bone white hair and a face that didn't look like it belonged to him. Gnarled, withered hands clutched at the lantern, banishing the darkness, but only breeding more shadows. He glanced at the little girl, standing frozen in place and something flickered in the creatures eyes. It opened its mouth and began to croak out words, his mouth not quite fully opening, like he had something caught inside, or perhaps holding it closed.
"Girl? What are you doing here?" The voice was so soft, a contrast to the bony hands and face that did not react, like the skin had been placed there and forgotten about. "It is late."
Rosemary tried to open her mouth, but her trembling only increased. The calm she felt was unnatural, is was not right, it was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, WRONG.
The creature tipped its head to the side, too far for anything that had a functioning spine or bones for that matter. "Are you lost?" A pause. "Child?" It wasn't addressed at her, she could sense it. It was like the thing was asking her if she was a child. The little girl stared hard at the man, trying to force her body to move, but her muscles rebelled against her, her traitorous flesh keeping her near this thing. So Rose did the only thing she could do, and hot tears began to pour down her face, her body not letting her sob, but the soft trembling continued. She couldn't even open her mouth to scream, her teeth so tightly clenched together the bones felt like they'd crack.
The creature with the white hair cocked its head even further to one side, shuffling forward on awkward legs to watch. It seemed fascinated for a long moment, before its horrible mouth curled into a smile. It tipped its head back as if it was going to laugh, its jaw fully opening. However, no noise came from the creature, the only sound coming from the man from its bones cracking and popping from its convulsions. From the dark pit that opened in its face, beetles began to pour out, hundreds of insects falling out, some dropping to the forest floor, others began swarming the man, burrowing into his eyes and flesh, as if they hadn't wanted to be released. They skittered, shells reflected by the abandoned lantern, dark as pitch, larger than any normal bugs she'd seen. A high pitched whine rung in Rosemary's ears, as the girl watched, frozen in terror.
When the creature collapsed to the ground, spasming. Rosemary finally ran.
