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~ Day Dreams ~
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~ Chapter Nine ~
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~ Nightmare ~
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~ Eighteen-Years-Old ~
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~ Hazel's POV ~
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Thick mud glue my rainboots to the ground as I attempt any methods of escape and fail horribly; I tug and tug but my stiff legs would not budge.

"Hazel!" an unremarkable voice yells, echoing through the dark and frightening forest. Terror rises in my body, and in my throat...

"Hazel!" that voice rang out again... Dare I tell myself I'm sacred? Because I am. Dare I follow that voice yelling my name as though their life is depending on it in the distance?

Finally, I was able to move my legs, removing them from the thick and sticky mud one after the other. I begin moving towards the direction of the foggy forest that lays ahead and towards the unknown voice continually bellowing my name from within the edge of the vast, dark trees.

Suddenly, I glance down as a confusing expression crosses my face; why am I wearing a white gown? I shake away the momentary thought and continue my journey ahead.

It was a stormy night and the rain was beating heavily against the ground, crashes of booming thunder and blinding lightning flashes across the cloudy sky; powerful gusts of wind whips against my clothes, rippling through my messy apricot hair. The wild breeze catches my clumsy feet off guard, causing me to almost trip over a tree root in alarm, but I manage to balance myself just in time.

CRACK!

Halting dead in my tracks, I whip my head around, searching for the source of the sudden noise, though I identify nothing but the surrounding darkness.

I tell myself it was only a wild animal lurking through the forest, that it shouldn't be a cause for concern... Looking ahead, I see a sudden shift amongst the shadow of the trees ahead, and a voice within the depths of my consciousness tells me to run... RUN!

CRACK!

I am not alone in these dark woods, and whoever knows I'm here does not seem to be happy that I am trespassing on their property. Something shifts ahead, this time to the left; I could just make out a pair of eyes in the near pitch-black forest. Lighting strikes the sky just as our eyes lock, allowing me to see the reddish hue of those eyes in the darkness.

Without any further hesitation, I decide to obey my logical senses and I order my legs to move; I run through the forest, feet pounding on the dirt pathway as I fight every urge to look behind me.

Hazel, keep running! Do not look back, don't you dare look back!

I continue ahead, my legs somehow knowing the destination as they carry me through the broad trees and thick fog of the forest; branches slap me across my face and body, leaving scratches and marks on my skin as I pass them by.

The ground's muddy and wet, slick with puddles that continually catches me off guard and almost causes me to slip, but I push through it regardless.

Breathe, Hazel. I must figure out who I am searching for, who am I trying to find? Why were they so important? There isn't enough time, but I need to know why...

The light rain becomes heavy, making my vision ahead blurry; the rain stung my eyes, irritating them with tiny droplets of freezing water.

As I continue walking, the rubber soles of my boots hit solid ground; my muddy shoes step onto an old, rickety bridge with what looks to be a seemingly endless drop below, refraining my breathing.

Fear begins to consume me as I take the deadly height into consideration, trying my best to convince my motionless feet to take another step.

The bridge leads to a narrow pathway that looks as though it travels onto a grassy hilltop... Looking over at the hilltop, I notice a shadowy figure standing straight ahead! I must find out who that voice belongs to!

Behind me, I hear a sudden voice hiss my name in an angry tone, "Hazel!"

I whip my head around, horror coursing through my whole body as I begin making sense of the figure far ahead of me... Fiona!

The thunderstorm worsens, beginning heavier rain and wilder winds. I turn around and maneuver across the seemingly endless bridge as the thunder continues to grow in the distance, lightning flashing across the sky.

Hazel, do not look back, don't you dare! I can't help myself...

Glancing back, my mouth drops open in surprise as I realize that Fiona is absolutely nowhere to be found. Confusion consumes me as I continue my journey, in search of answers.

The storm provides enough light for me to continue mapping out my foot placement, the wind blowing through my clothes as I walk; with each step, it feels as though I was walking closer toward my inevitable death, with the angry storm churning above and the deep pit of darkness lingering below.

Chilled to the bone, I begin shivering to the point where I was worrying my teeth will fall out of my mouth from the chattering; I bite my lower lip, trying to slow the chattering.

As I continue forward, the bridge begins to wobble under my weight and I worry that the bridge might collapse altogether underneath me.

Hazel, this must be a dream, right? It can't be real, it just can't be... Oh my god, is this actually happening?

My mind struggles to comprehend the situation I have found myself in; I didn't see the point of trying to race towards a total stranger, but it was like I had lost total control of my body. It moves forward seemingly of its own accord, breathing life through my stuffy lungs and feeling numb all over.

My head aching, I try to fight the urge to stop and close my eyes; I have already come this far, why would I stop now and throw it all away? There must be a reason why I'm here, why I have stumbled upon this strange, unknown place on the other side of this never-ending bridge.

Peering towards the end of the bridge, all I can see was the shadowy figure; my body pushes through its exhaustion state as I fight fatigue as it rises within me.

At this moment, all I can do is defend my pathetic life. I heave across the rickety bridge as the storm continues above. Approaching the end, I hear the voice shout my name from the distance once more; I speed up, my legs darting faster until suddenly I feel a hand grasp my arm, gripping me tightly. Fingernails dig into my drenching and shivering skin, their grasp secure as an odd feeling strikes me. For a moment it feels as though I might fall, yet somehow I trust the stranger would not hesitate to catch me.

I sense something odd emanating from the stranger... The fear of loss, of loneliness is present. I glance around the woodland, taking in my surroundings; the silhouette in front of me is wearing all black, a hooded jacket shielding their face. The figure makes an effort to pull me safely onto the grassy hill, but before they can, the bridge begins to collapse right underneath my boots.

Before I know it, the stranger lost their firm grip; their fingernails reaching out, digging into my pale skin once more and scratching me this time. Blood begins to roll down my arm, but I barely notice as I'm suddenly falling backwards, everything moving in slow motion around me.

The figure yells my voice once more, before I succumb to the darkness.

"HAZEL!"

Before the darkness envelops me completely, the figure reaches for me again; the movement allows me to see their face, and I glimpse at a woman's face... My vision was blurry, though I made an effort to stare intently at the figure as they reach up and remove their hood, finally revealing their face.

It's a woman! She looks kind of familiar, but how? Looking at her, I notice something was familiar. She has similar features to my own, the same red hair, the same facial features. Except for the eyes, with hers being electric blue.

This woman has to be my birth mother, right? Who else can it be? It has to be her...

The woman meets my intense stare and our eyes lock; it seems as though she wants to speak, but she remains silent.

"Mom, is that you?" I cry, my voice box breaking as I scream my lungs out, "I don't want to die!"

"I'm here, Hazel. Yes, it is me. Hazel, be brave, my darling; be brave and close your eyes!" the woman cries in response, instructing me. "It will all be over soon! We are closer than you think, Hazel. I love you, always!"

All of a sudden, she disappears from my view as Fiona comes into view. Fiona attacks my mother from behind, holding her captive with an arm around her throat; Fiona begins dragging my mother away from view as panic floods my body.

I want to help, to move, to save her but before I can move, my surroundings become fuzzy and pitch black within every corner of my eyes...

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~ Cheers ~
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Please, tell me in the comments what you thought about Chapter Nine? 🙈 I'll be greatly appreciated, thank you, you very kind soul!
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~ Chapter Nine ~
~ Dedications ~
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HeliiBoh
DebMorey
PeterPetruzzella
CaitlinWoodward9
DaniJones_14
ChloeMayerhofer
savvvy1998
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You guys should totally check out PeterPetruzzella short story! Lighthouse. It's amazing! Please also go check out Peter's YouTube account pure56 for awesome content on movies, tv-shows, and game reviews!
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You guys should totally check out ChloeMayerhofer story! Fallen! It's awesome!
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C.Morey 🥕 xoxo
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