A Scene From My Dreams.

The blackness followed with unrelenting persistence.   Ethan and Cheryl ran ahead of it, looking for a way to escape the black ooze as it destroyed everything it touched.   They ran, trying not to look back and instead, focus on a clear path ahead of them.   Ethan Held on to Cheryl's hand as he pulled her through the rocky ground and jagged underbrush.   Cheryl cried out and  fell as they navigated the daunting terrain.  

"Cheryl, we have to keep moving." Ethan shouted in a firm voice.    "We can't stop here.   It will catch us!" 

Cheryl looked up at him, her eyes were wide and her face red.   Tears streamed down her face.  She picked herself up and tried to stand.   With slightly less force, Ethan pulled her up and tugged on her arm once again.    The darkness continues its pursuit  with a mindless determination.   Small trees and tangled vines that they have previously struggled over were now consumed as the black ooze came into contact with it. The green life sucked out, leaving only a grey ash in its place.  

"Keep Moving!" Ethan continued to shout as they stumbled forward.  "Don't stop!"  

"Make it stop."  Cheryl sniffled.   "Make it go away!  Why is it following us?" She asked.

"I don't know.   But we can't let it catch us.  We have to keep moving."  He called back.   His mind raced as he tried to come up with a plan.   Any plan!  That could divert or stop the black ooze.   If only for a second to allow them to think and catch their breath.   Looking forward, he could see nothing except more vines to trip on or rocks to stumble over.   The last thing they needed was to trip over something and lose their footing.   

Suddenly, there was a break in the forested terrain.   A chasm with rocks jutting up separated the land ahead.   It looks as if it were a wall that would spell certain doom for them. There was no way around it.    An impossible barrier that could not be crossed....  Except for the small rocky stepping stones that thrust up from the unseen bottom.  

At first glance, this looked like the end.   But Ethan saw a possibility  for survival.   The rocks were fairly close together and could easily be walked on.   If they could step across the rocks, the ooze would drain into the chasm.   It might not stop it entirely, but it could at least slow it down long enough for the couple to get their bearings and formulate a solid plan.   This could be just the break they needed! 

"Cheryl!  We have to cross this."  Ethan said, taking a step onto one of the rocks.   He felt the surface with his foot and checked it for stability.   It was solid and could easily support his weight.   "Come on!"   He extended out his hand to grab hers. 

"I can't!"  Cheryl cried.  Her fear of  heights and slippery rocks was overpowering her will to survive.  

"Yes you can!  I got you."  Ethan waved his hand to motion her forward." Take my hand, I won't let you fall."  He encouraged.

"No!  I will slip or break my leg.... I can't!"  She was crying now.  Her fear had completely consumed her and she was paralyzed. She sat down and sobbed loudly.  

Ethan looked  behind her.    The ooze was closing in and there was not much time left.   He softened his voice and stepped back over beside her.   "Look hon,  If you stay here,  you will die.   And I can't allow that.    We have to cross this chasm or we will both not make it.    You can do it.  We will take it slow and I will be there right along side you.  Don't look down!  Just look at me and I will hang on to you as best I can."   Ethan Encouraged. 

Cheryl looked up.   Her eyes puffy and red from the crying.   The sound of the blackness continued to pulse and crackle as it approached.    Even with her fear,  Cheryl could sense that the ooze was a greater danger.    She stood up on all fours.   Her hands gripped the first rock while her legs reached out for a stable foothold.   

"Ok!  Good!   You got this Hon!   Anyway you can do it.... Just keep moving forward."  Ethan continued to encourage her.   He stepped next to her on an adjacent rock.   It was slow, but she was moving and that was a good thing. 

The blackness arrived at the ledge of the chasm and, just as Ethan predicted, it rolled over the edge.   The dark substance flowed over the rocks and into the bottomless pit like a surging tide.  They were saved for the moment, but they still had to cross over to the other side.    Ethan continued to encourage Cheryl as she crawled along each jutting rock.  The other side was within sight now and they were so close to being in the clear.   Even if it was only for a short while.    He felt his heart begin to lighten.  

"Only two more rocks!  You're almost there Baby!"  He cheered her on.   "Almost there!" 

Cheryl reached for the last rock;  her eyes squinted with fear and determination.   She pulled her first foot onto it and then her second.   She stood one stride away from the other side....  Solid ground.  Sanctuary!

She reached out her hand as if to pull the ledge closer.   Ethan reached out his hand to grab hers.   Together,  they crossed the final gap and found themselves both on the other side.    Safety was theirs. 

Ethan reached out to hug Cheryl close.   A celebration of their achievement and survival!   His heart soared as she buried her face into his chest.   They were safe for now.   They had survived.

Ethan felt a dull thud on his chest.   A thud that felt like a soft blow from a rubber mallet.    The kind of thud that stops you for a second, as you wonder what could feel like such a thing.  

He looked down to see Cheryl's fist on his chest.   "She must be mad at me for yelling at her."  He thought.   It was ok, though.   She was here now and safe.   Surely a little yelling is a small price to pay for their lives. 

He looked down a little closer as Cheryl's face turned up to look at his.   She was smiling.   Or was it smirking?   A faint grin that threaded the line between "Happy" and "Mischievous".  For a second,   it almost looked evil. 

But then he felt the pain.   A burning pain in his chest.    He studied  Cheryl's fist more closely and now saw that   she was gripping something.   Something that extended out.   Cheryl's hand slowly uncurled her fingers to reveal a handle of a dagger. 

With her eyes never losing contact,   She waited for a moment before twisting it ever so slightly.  The burning pain shot up through his chest.  She stepped away and out of his embrace,  Her smile never wavering. A slight giggle escaped her lips.

Ethan looked at the knife and then looked at her.    The area around her began to blur as he struggled to focus.   The flaming fire in his chest was growing hotter and was becoming unbearable.  Instinctively, he grabbed the handle and tried to pull it out.    For only a second, he considered that if he pulled the dagger out of his chest, he would bleed to death  But the pain became too great for him to handle. Each attempt to remove it  added more to the pain as blood began to pour out of the wound.   With one last effort  he pulled the dagger out completely.  

Blood sprayed out as if it were from a fountain.  His world began to darken and his strength began to fade.  Slowly,  as his vision began to fade to black,  the last thing he saw was Cheryl's smiling face before the darkness consumed him.