Bab 8: Mary and her little lamb
I ran from the monster which is named the Sheperd, i do not know what games mary is playing with me, but it definitely isn't ok.
I ran immediately. "Can i ask why your whole thing is revolved around a children's song"
"Hehehehe, Well in the past 'Mary had a little lamb' is actually telling the story of my death, While you continue running i will explain each rhyme." "Hehehehe," her voice echoed around me as I darted through the woods, breath shallow, heartbeat frantic. "Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow…" Her tone was sing-song, playful, mocking.
I stumbled over roots and branches, my legs burning with the effort. The Sheperd's presence was closing in behind me—heavy, deliberate footsteps growing louder.
"You see, I was the lamb," Mary continued, as if she were telling a bedtime story. "Innocent, pure… but they led me to the slaughter. My death wasn't by accident. It was arranged. The ones who should've protected me stood by and watched."
The trees seemed to close in around me, branches twisting like claws, and I could feel the cold breath of the Sheperd on my neck.
"The next part," Mary giggled, "is when they followed me to school one day, one day, one day…"
I could almost see her, pale and ghostly, her smile wide as she appeared in my mind. "They weren't just following me out of curiosity, you see. Oh no. They were there to make sure I didn't stray. I was meant for something bigger, and they couldn't risk losing me."
A sharp cry pierced the air, the Sheperd's growl vibrating through my bones. I glanced back, my breath hitching as I saw its towering form between the trees. Its dark figure, like a shadow with glowing eyes, moved closer with every second.
"Wherever I went, they followed. Even to my death."
I pushed forward, but my muscles were starting to give in. My chest tightened. I needed to focus, needed to find a way out of this nightmare, but Mary's voice was everywhere, her laughter twisted and hollow.
"And the last part, my favorite," she whispered now, her voice barely audible over the sound of my pulse. "It was against the rules, you see. Lambs don't belong in school. I didn't belong… anywhere. But they made sure I stayed, and when they were done with me…"
I tripped, my foot catching on something hidden beneath the brush. I tumbled to the ground, dirt flying up as I scrambled to rise again. The Sheperd was close now, its hulking form looming over me.
"I became their little game," Mary cooed, her tone a mix of pity and malice. "Now, it's your turn. Run, little lamb. Run, before the Sheperd catches you."
Her laughter echoed in the dark as the Sheperd lunged forward, its claws extending toward me. "Damn that's sad, Sorry i guess, but i need to get out if this predicament"
I used the lamp and the green flames shined blocking the shepherds vision before i ran once more, i found a cave to hide in. I had 50 more minutes before i can leave this place.
"Oh you found my death place, new game, find my body and burn it" Mary's voice slithered through the cave walls like a whisper carried on a cold wind. I crouched in the darkness, my chest heaving, the dim green glow of the flame flickering in my trembling hands. My heart raced as her last words echoed in my mind: "Find my body and burn it."
The cave was damp, the air thick with the smell of earth and rot. Shadows twisted and danced along the stone walls, each one resembling the outline of the Shepherd's monstrous form. I could hear faint growls in the distance, but the green flame had given me a temporary reprieve, masking me in its unnatural glow. The Shepherd couldn't see me, not yet.
"Fifty minutes," I whispered to myself, feeling the weight of time bearing down on me. "Just fifty more minutes…"
But now, there was a new task. The game had shifted, and Mary's cruel amusement held the key to my survival. I had to find her body.
Her laughter returned, soft and melodic, weaving through the silence of the cave. "You're so close now. I can feel it. My bones are restless, waiting for release. But will you be brave enough, I wonder?"
The cave stretched on, deeper than I had expected. Stalactites dripped with moisture, and the floor beneath me was uneven and jagged. I moved cautiously, every sense heightened, as if the cave itself was alive watching, waiting.
"Do you know what they did to me?" Mary's voice drifted closer, though I could see nothing. "It wasn't just the slaughter, no. They made sure my suffering was endless. I was their experiment, their broken little lamb. And now, it's your turn to play."
The temperature dropped the further I went, the flame sputtering slightly as it fought to remain lit. In the dim glow, I saw something a marking on the wall. It looked like a crude carving, almost childlike, depicting a lamb surrounded by tall, shadowy figures. Beneath the lamb, there were jagged lines, like knives or claws.
"They made me into what I am," she whispered. "Twisted, torn apart, until there was nothing left of me but a ghost, a memory. And now… I'm so close to being free."
I followed the tunnel deeper, my mind racing. Every step seemed to draw me closer to something ancient, something dark. The cave walls felt as though they were pressing in, suffocating, and the weight of Mary's story clung to me like a shroud.
Finally, I saw it an opening at the end of the tunnel. A dim light flickered from within, not from my flame but from something else, something unnatural.
I stepped into the chamber, and there, in the center, was a shallow grave. The earth had been disturbed, a faint outline of bones visible beneath the surface. Mary's remains, twisted and broken, lay in the dirt, wrapped in tattered fabric that might have once been white.
Her voice was softer now, almost pleading. "Burn me, and end this game. But hurry… the Shepherd is coming."
I could hear it those heavy, deliberate footsteps drawing near. The growl, low and menacing, reverberated through the cave. The Shepherd was closing in.
I knelt beside the grave, my hands trembling as I raised the green flame over her bones.
The flickering green flame cast an eerie glow over the remains, casting long shadows on the cave walls. My heart pounded in my chest as I held the flame closer to the twisted, broken bones. The smell of earth and decay filled the air, and Mary's presence loomed, unseen but palpable. Her voice, once playful and mocking, now seemed almost desperate.
"Do it," she whispered, her tone both urgent and pleading. "Burn me, and it will all be over. The Shepherd will lose his hold, and you'll be free."
But as the flame drew closer, doubt crept into my mind. Was this really the way out? Or was it another one of her twisted games?
The heavy footsteps of the Shepherd echoed louder, growing more menacing with each passing second. I glanced back toward the entrance, and though I couldn't see him yet, I knew he was close. Too close.
"You don't have time to hesitate," Mary hissed. "He's coming for you. For both of us. Burn the bones, or you'll never escape!"
My hand shook as the flame hovered above the remains. The heat licked at the brittle bones, the air thick with tension. But something gnawed at the back of my mind. Mary's story, the children's rhyme—everything she'd told me—it had all been manipulation, a twisted version of the truth. Could I really trust her now?
The Shepherd's growl reverberated through the cave, closer than ever. I could feel the cold air shift as his presence approached, a suffocating darkness creeping in around me.
"You were the lamb," I muttered under my breath. "But who was the Shepherd?"
Mary's laughter echoed faintly, like a distant memory. "The one who watched over me. The one who controlled me. And now… he's come for you."
I stared at the bones, feeling the weight of the moment, the choice I had to make. Burn her bones, and risk freeing her from whatever torment bound her here—or refuse, and face the wrath of the Shepherd.
The ground trembled beneath me as the Shepherd's shadow finally appeared at the entrance of the chamber, his glowing eyes locking onto me. The green flame flickered wildly in my hand, struggling to stay alive under his oppressive presence.
With a final breath, I plunged the flame into the bones.
The air around me seemed to explode as the green fire engulfed the remains, crackling and roaring as it consumed the fragile bones. Mary's voice rose into a wail, echoing off the cave walls, her laughter turning into a scream of both triumph and agony.
The Shepherd let out a deafening roar, a sound so full of rage and pain that it rattled my very bones. I stumbled back, watching in horror as his massive form seemed to distort, writhing in the flames' green glow. His shadowy figure blurred, flickering like a candle caught in a violent gust of wind.
The flame burned brighter and hotter, and for a moment, everything was chaos fire, shadows, screams. And then, as suddenly as it had started, it all stopped.
The cave was silent. The green flame had died out, and the Shepherd was gone, his presence vanished like a wisp of smoke. Mary's bones lay in a pile of ash, nothing left but charred remnants.
"Ugh that wasn't hard was it?" Mary appeared in front of me, She was wearing a white nightgown. and had black hair, she was holding a Toy lamb on her hand and she had black eyes. "Since your side of the contract is complete, i can now feed your flame, i did say we will burn together"
"Wait weren't you a ghost, did you turn into a demon" I said trying to calm myself down from having a panic attack. I am actually mentally scarred.
Mary patted my head. "Eh, i mean i am a vengeful spirit, also probably a demon too, because when i died a man asked me if i wanted revenge, i agreed and yeah this nightmare world was born, anyway's we can leave anytime you want, i don't want Little Red Riding hood to find out about you"
…This world is actually messed up, I definitely am sure i can't kill myself because this damn burning soul of mine would keep me alive, and now this thing which was probably Zalgo's doing is with me and something about Rhymes in this world having horrible backstories.
I have deciphered her story and that was just messed up…well i expect that from humanity, i mean it's predictable.
"We can go now, wait do you know michael" I asked her.
"Oh yes, he tells us stories most of the times, but he can't control himself that much, he can't die because he was cursed by Goldielocks" Yeah sure, i am ignoring that, i stood up and dusted my clothes.
"Let's go" I said, She smiled and opened a portal out of this nightmarish world. The two of us walked out and i saw a sign on the road saying.
"Leaving Blackwood, Well congratulations of getting alive or being partially human while you did or not" Damn even the sign was mocking me now.
"Hahahha, That's funny anyway's the next town is 30km from here i would assume, so let's get going" She smiled as she tormented me with her presence. I am going to stay cautious because i am not going to think i am still safe even if i did get out of that town.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone