Short Stories
Alone by Alexis Garst
I believed that I was going to be alone on this towering mountain. That very thought was what caused me to go on this hike (by myself) in the first place. I wanted to be alone, and after hearing that nobody ever traveled down in this part of the land, I made sure to come here as soon as possible. The silence was calming for a long while. No voices, no sounds that could be deemed ‘distracting’... nothing. Because of this, I was finally able to become lost in my very own thoughts. I didn’t have to think about anyone else’s opinions, or even his or her problems. And I was perfectly okay with that.
I don’t remember how long I’ve been walking through the steep trails that lined the sides of the mountain. Minutes . . . hours? I didn’t think to keep track. I only remembered to get lost in myself, and my feelings. I stopped walking along the grass, choosing to sit on a broken tree stump so that I could rest my legs. I closed my eyes, letting a soft sigh leave my lips and into the warm, humid air. I smiled to myself, preparing to stand back up and continue my hike to the top of the mountain, when I heard the faintest hum in the air. I stopped in my tracks; had that sound come from me? Must I have not realized I was singing?
I pondered that idea for a long minute. The silence enveloped me once again, and I chose to forget about the slightly odd sound. It must have been me. Who else could have done it? I took one step on the trail, and just after convincing myself nobody was near, I heard the humming sound again. This time I knew I hadn’t made a sound. It sounded louder this time, like it was almost . . . closer. I stood in place, waiting for it to come again. It did. It rang through the misty sky, soft, yet somewhat loud at the same time. I felt it vibrate against my ribs. My blood chilled from within me as I replayed the sound in my head. Even as the warm air blew past me slowly, I stood there--frozen in fear
I forced myself to turn, staring wide-eyed and blindly into the rapidly darkening fog that had suddenly circled around me. I tried to call out, but it was as if I was born mute. My tongue felt scratchy and my fists enclosed around themselves as the echoing of the hum grew louder. The singing sounded almost . . . angry at this point. It wasn’t calming at all. It was hostile. It was evil.
Every single thought of me being completely alone on this very trail suddenly vanished from my mind. How foolish of me, I yelled at myself, to believe that I was safe, and even ALONE here! I shouldn’t have ignored the warnings from the townspeople telling me of the infamous “Masses”! I should have never left home. I would have been safe there.
The singing rang out into the sky once more. It sounded so close to me this time around. Dazed, and with a judgement clouded over with horror, I started to walk. I couldn't control my legs as I moved. My heartbeat increased rapidly as I panicked. I did not know which direction I was walking in at this point. North, South? I do not remember which direction I even started walking in. I was so confused, scared, and suddenly exhausted that I couldn’t bring myself to think of anything from the past. The only thing on my mind was the humming sound. It wouldn’t leave my head. The song entranced me so much that I felt my blood warm itself and my fear dissipate. Strangely enough, I felt safe. An unknown force caused me to continue walking, and the only thing I could do was watch what was in front of me. The fog lightened around me and seemed to feel relaxing on my dampened skin. I tried to move my arm to reach and into the air, but as I did, the fog darkened once more. This time, the fog seemed to shape into what looked like people.
The figures disappeared as soon as they came, and I felt my heart suddenly plummet towards the ground. My knees gave out from underneath my weight, and I went crumbling to the forest floor. I was so tired that I could not bring myself to stand back up. My knees dug into the broken twigs and leaves as I sat upright. My vision blurred as I grew dizzy. To my utter terror, the humming sound drilled back into my ear once more. It was deafening; it sounded like screams instead of a song by now. With frantic eyes, I turned my head from side to side, and my eyes met a mass of darkened frames as jagged and crooked as the mountains that towered over me. My mouth flew open as I prepared myself to scream, but no sound came out at all. I could only stare in utter disbelief at the jagged creatures that looked to be singing. The empty masses that should have been their mouths produced such a dreadful song. It was the only audible thing in the whole forest
It’s them, I cried in my head. It’s the Masses. They’re real
And, as I watched the figures step forward at an agonizingly slow pace from all around me, one thought repeated over and over in my mind, echoing against my skull and causing tears to stream down my face: I was not alone.
as the echoing of the hum grew louder. The singing sounded almost . . . angry at this point. It wasn’t calming at all. It was hostile. It was evil.
Every single thought of me being completely alone on this very trail suddenly vanished from my mind. How foolish of me, I yelled at myself, to believe that I was safe, and even ALONE here! I shouldn’t have ignored the warnings from the townspeople telling me of the infamous “Masses”! I should have never left home. I would have been safe there.
The singing rang out into the sky once more. It sounded so close to me this time around. Dazed, and with a judgement clouded over with horror, I started to walk. I couldn't control my legs as I moved. My heartbeat increased rapidly as I panicked. I did not know which direction I was walking in at this point. North, South? I do not remember which direction I even started walking in. I was so confused, scared, and suddenly exhausted that I couldn’t bring myself to think of anything from the past. The only thing on my mind was the humming sound. It wouldn’t leave my head. The song entranced me so much that I felt my blood warm itself and my fear dissipate. Strangely enough, I felt safe. An unknown force caused me to continue walking, and the only thing I could do was watch what was in front of me. The fog lightened around me and seemed to feel relaxing on my dampened skin. I tried to move my arm to reach and into the air, but as I did, the fog darkened once more. This time, the fog seemed to shape into what looked like people.
The figures disappeared as soon as they came, and I felt my heart suddenly plummet towards the ground. My knees gave out from underneath my weight, and I went crumbling to the forest floor. I was so tired that I could not bring myself to stand back up. My knees dug into the broken twigs and leaves as I sat upright. My vision blurred as I grew dizzy. To my utter terror, the humming sound drilled back into my ear once more. It was deafening; it sounded like screams instead of a song by now. With frantic eyes, I turned my head from side to side, and my eyes met a mass of darkened frames as jagged and crooked as the mountains that towered over me. My mouth flew open as I prepared myself to scream, but no sound came out at all. I could only stare in utter disbelief at the jagged creatures that looked to be singing. The empty masses that should have been their mouths produced such a dreadful song. It was the only audible thing in the whole forest
It’s them, I cried in my head. It’s the Masses. They’re real
And, as I watched the figures step forward at an agonizingly slow pace from all around me, one thought repeated over and over in my mind, echoing against my skull and causing tears to stream down my face: I was not alone.
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