AWAKEN FROM THE SHADOWS -- DORIAN

[katherine]

- DAY TWO - AFTERNOON -
- KATHERINE FINALLY AWAKENS AFTER THE PREVIOUS NIGHT'S ORDEAL -

[/center]

The sun hung lazily in the clear sky. The air shimmered in the muggy heat. Katherine groaned as she struggled to open her heavy eyelids. Darkness threatened to overtake her once more. It was never in Katherine to give up without a fight and this instance was no different. She forced herself into a sitting position. Blackness engulfed her vision and ringing sounded in her ears. She bit her lip painfully as she swayed unsteadily for a moment. The events of the previous night were a blur. She remembered going into the forest and then everything went black. Frustration mounted as she attempted to grasp at tendrils of memories that slipped away. She took a breath to calm herself as her vision returned and the ringing quietened.

A makeshift shelter covered her head and strips of material, soaked in water and blood, littered the space around her. The remnants of a fire were to her left. The pieces of black wood lay strewn where the fire had collapsed. It had grown cold long ago. She glanced up at the sky, her eyes screwing in concentration. It was past midday. A memory emerged – she had been pulled out of the forest by a few individuals before she had succumbed to the darkness. Katherine brought her hand up to her forehead as she puzzled at the scene. Her head ached sharply. Waves of pain dimmed her vision, lulling her back to sleep. But Katherine fought – her lips pulled into a grim, determined line. There was no place for weakness in this desolate world she emerged into. She glanced down to the side of her body. A deep gash had been burnt shut. She gingerly touched the wound. The burning would have cauterised the wound and minimalized the risk of infection. She pulled her lips into a painful smile. Whoever had done this knew what they were doing.

Katherine took a moment to glance up. The survivors were moving around the camp site, talking in low voices. The atmosphere was sombre. Fear seemed to encompass every movement. Some people huddled together in groups, and others walked the expanse of the shoreline. It had been twenty four hours since the crash. A niggle of concern roused her. No one had come looking for them as of yet. Logic told her that someone, anyone should have come already. A further thing puzzled Katherine. Flying in airplanes was safe. The plane’s structure should have been able to withstand the forces exerted on it. Planes were tested to withstand G-Forces beyond a normal flight. Katherine’s mind went through images of historical plane crashes. Something made her feel sick about the whole ordeal. She shifted those thoughts from her and shakily got to her feet.

Her body swayed for a moment before she made an effort to take a few steps forward. The blood loss made it difficult to move or think. Dizziness overtook her and she swayed on the spot momentarily. Her breaths became short sharp gasps. The warm air hurt as it hit her lungs. She cursed under her breath as she willed herself to move. She fixed her eyes on the shoreline, determination creasing her eyes. A few painful moments passed and Katherine found a large rock to lean against. The water swelled up and engulfed her feet. The cold allowed for a rush of relief to move through the woman’s small frame. Her dry lips cracked as they stretched into a genuine smile.

The roars of the previous night finally found her. The moment of tranquillity of her mind broke. Terror racked her body and the pain from her gash stabbed through her body.
“Ow,” she gasped, overcome. She leaned heavily against the rock, her eyes tightly shut. She had gone into the forest to find some drinking water… the whispers echoes in her mind and then the scream of another human. Katherine’s skin went clammy. While a dark beast dwelled in the forest, Katherine equally feared the dark beat that would grow within the castaways. Civilisation would slip away into far away memory and all would succumb to their darker desires. What was the point of following the rules if there was no hope for redemption or fear of condemnation.

Words: 707
Tag: Dorian
Notes: Hope this gives you enough to work with. I always struggle with opening posts.

[/size][/justify][/blockquote]

[Dorian St. Pierre]

Dorian St.Pierre had been asleep for hours. He lay out of the hot, hazy sunlight in a cramp, make-shift shelter, teetering on the edge of consciousness. A cool, damp cloth lay across his forehead and his shirt had been removed some time ago. The events of last night had been nothing short of a horrific ordeal. Between the deafening, primal roars emanating from within the jungle, the blood curdling screams of the mysterious creatures' would-be victims, and the discovery of the mutilated girl, the frantic adventure through the bamboo shoots had unnerved him--a sizeable feat, especially considering Dorian's particular background and skill set.

He awoke with a start, gasping for breath. His last few memories were hazy, at best. He remembered stumbling his way through the bamboo forest, the limp body of the murdered girl dangling awkwardly over his shoulder. He remembered the blinding light that disoriented when he emerged from the forest, stinging his bloodshot eyes. He remember the blond girl--was her name Samantha?--rushing towards him and unleashing a torrent of questions upon him. "What happened? Is everything alright? What was that thing in the jungle?" Exhausted and traumatized, Dorian could only summon the power to respond with, "Her heart....Her heart's gone."

In a flash of eerie recollection, Dorian remember the thick, sticky blood that covered her entire torso. Her arms and legs had been badly scraped and she had received a deep gash to her right shoulder. But, as Dorian recalled, these injuries were superficial, at most. He remember examining her chest and the image of that small, shallow pool of blood crept into his mind's eye. He shuddered again, as had he when he originally discovered it... . The poor, dead girl's heart had been ripped out of her chest, presumably while she was still alive.

In a rush of terrible nausea, he rolled onto his side and vomited all over the small shelter. Wiping the vomit off of the side of his mouth, Dorian stumbled to his feet. He pulled back the coarse blanket which had served as a defacto door to the tiny shelter and light rushed in, blinding him instantly. Dorian closed his eyes tight, threw his head back, and moved his hand up to his forehead to shield his eyes. He attempted to walk forward, but, in a flash of intense pain, he nearly stumbled backwards. Groaning in agony, he looked down and found that his ankle, which he had sprained the night before, had been wrapped and bandaged.

He limped forward onto the sandy beach and felt the hot sun on his naked chest. His muscular, sweaty abdomen glistened in the soft glow of the mid-afternoon sunlight. He moved forward, down the beach, towards the water. He desperately needed to feel the cool, salt water splash against his body. Unable to see in dazzling light, he fell forward into the waves. An icy chill tickled his torso as the cool water enveloped him. After a moment he picked himself up and tossed his wet hair back into the wind.

Dorian trudged forward, his eyes beginning the adjust to the light. He found himself close to a large rock and, after a few steps, slumped down next to it. He felt the water swell up and engulf his lower body. Breathing sharply in and out, he sighed in relief. And then he realized that he was not alone.

... words: 568
... oufit: click
... tag: Katherine
... notes:None.

[/blockquote][/size]