Chapter 125: Eclipse
Chapter 125: Eclipse
Blake woke to the gentle sounds of waves crashing against the shore, their rhythmic cadence was a soothing backdrop to the tropical morning. Stretching languidly, he rose from the plush mattress and padded across the cool tile floor toward the balcony of their exotic condo. A little light filtered through the swaying palm leaves, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow across the spacious room.
As he stepped onto the balcony, his eyes widened in surprise.The sun was being swallowed up.
There, on the horizon, an eclipse loomed, casting an eerie shadow over the island.
Dark storm clouds gathered ominously, obscuring the azure sky and sending a shiver down Blake's spine. He furrowed his brow, a sense of unease creeping over him at the sight of these two natural phenomena converging in such a foreboding manner.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Blake called out, his voice tinged with apprehension. But there was no response, only the distant rumble of thunder echoing across the island.
Frowning, Blake scanned the balcony, searching for any sign of life. But the condo stood empty, devoid of the familiar presence he had grown accustomed to during his time on the island.
Where was the strange lady he met? He wondered.
Then, a movement caught his eye—a figure standing on the shore below, silhouetted against the backdrop of roiling waves. Relief flooded through Blake as he recognized the familiar form of the woman who had been caring for him since he awoken.
"H-hey! Wait!" Blake called out, his voice tinged with urgency as he hurried down the stairs and out onto the beach. "It's not safe out there!"
But the woman paid no heed to his warnings, her movements slow and deliberate as she continued to walk toward the water's edge. Panic rose within Blake as he quickened his pace, the sand shifting beneath his feet with each hurried step.
"Stop! Come back!" Blake shouted, his voice echoing against the cliffs that framed the secluded cove. But the woman remained unfazed, her figure disappearing into the churning surf as though drawn by some unseen force.
Heart pounding, Blake raced to the water's edge, the cold spray of the ocean misting his face as he waded into the shallows. But the woman was gone, swallowed up by the tumultuous waves that crashed against the shore.
With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Blake stared out at the turbulent sea, the echoes of his desperate cries lost amidst the roar of the storm.
Blake stood at the water's edge, his heart pounding in his chest as he called out for help, his voice echoing across the deserted beach. "Help! Someone, please! There's been an accident!"
But his cries went unanswered, swallowed up by the roar of the storm and the relentless crash of the waves against the shore. Desperation gnawed at his insides as he scanned the horizon, searching for any sign of life amidst the chaos.
And then, a voice—a faint echo amidst the tumult—called out his name, "Blake!!!"
Startled, Blake turned to see another woman standing just at the corridor leading back to the condo, her figure obscured by the dim light and swirling mist.
Confusion washed over him as he struggled to reconcile the sight before him with the memory of the woman he had just seen drowning in the sea. Had he imagined it all? Was the storm playing tricks on his mind?
"Please, call for help! Someone just drowned!" Blake shouted, his voice tinged with urgency as he gestured frantically toward the churning waves.
But the woman remained silent, her gaze fixed on him with an inscrutable intensity that sent a shiver down his spine. Was she ignoring him? Or perhaps she hadn't heard his frantic pleas over the howling wind and crashing surf.
Just then, a strange light illuminated the beach, casting an ethereal glow over the sand and sea. Blake looked up, expecting to see the sun breaking through the clouds, but instead, he was met with the surreal sight of the eclipse still hanging ominously in the sky.
Where was the light coming from, then?
A sudden wave of heat washed over him, accompanied by a low, rumbling growl that seemed to emanate from the very depths of the earth. Blake's eyes widened in horror as he turned to see the water itself ablaze, flames licking at the surface and sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air.
"You gotta be shitting me!"
"Run!" the woman at the balcony screamed, her voice piercing through the chaos. Without hesitation, Blake tore himself away from the shore and sprinted toward the safety of the condo, his heart racing with fear and confusion.
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The relentless roar of the flaming wave crashing upon the shore reverberated through Blake's skull, drowning out every other sound save for the panicked pounding of his heart. With each step he took, the shifting sands beneath his feet seemed to conspire against him, slowing his desperate flight from the encroaching inferno.
"No...no!!" His voice was lost amidst the cacophony of chaos, swallowed by the ominous symphony of destruction playing out before him. He glanced over his shoulder, his heart lurching at the sight of the approaching wave of fire, a relentless force of nature consuming everything in its path.
But as terrifying as the fiery deluge was, it paled in comparison to the horror that pursued him on land. The woman, the very woman he saw go into the water emerged with a her whole face burnt off.
The woman, or whatever grotesque mockery of humanity she had become, emerged from the depths with her visage twisted and charred, a macabre semblance of the person Blake once saw.
Her eyes, once gentle and kind, now blazed with an unholy light, fixed upon Blake with an insatiable hunger that sent shivers down his spine. With each stride, her elongated claws gouged deep furrows into the earth, propelling her forward with an unnatural swiftness.
Blake's lungs burned with exertion as he pushed himself harder, his limbs protesting against the strain of his frantic sprint. The balcony loomed tantalizingly close, a beacon of fleeting safety in the midst of the encroaching nightmare.
But as he drew nearer, a chilling realization gripped him with icy fingers. The once serene landscape had transformed into a nightmarish tableau.
"They...they are everywhere," he gasped, his voice choked with dread as he beheld the horde of abominations emerging from the shadows.
Several of the same type of monstrous entities looking like burnt cadavers emerged from the woods, the plantation behind the condo.Their movements were jerky and disjointed, as if puppeteered by some malevolent force, their empty eyes fixed upon him with predatory intent.
They all had glowing red eyes, blood dripping from their lips, walking in haphazard manner towards Blake.He looked to the condo where the woman who had told him to run was before and noticed she was no longer there.
She was now walking towards him with a chilling calmness.How the hell was she so chill?
"Run.." the woman said the first time.
"Run.." Each syllable reverberated through the air like a macabre incantation, driving Blake to the brink of madness.
A manic laughter clawed its way from her twisted lips, strangled madness that mingled with the howling winds and crashing waves. Her features contorted with grotesque glee, revealing rows of jagged teeth and talon-like claws that glinted in the fiery glow.
As she drew nearer she repeated the same words but this time it sounded like it had a reverb to it. "Ru..un...un...un!!"
Her face began to undergo something akin to a glitch on a computer screen. Blake could not make sense of it all.
Blake's mind reeled with disbelief, struggling to comprehend the surreal nightmare unfolding around him. Her face seemed to warp like a glitch in the fabric of reality itself, distorting and contorting in ways that defied logic.
"Run!!!" The woman yelled out the third time.But was that even an option?. All around him, there were monstrous entities closing down on him. A wave of fire closing on him too from behind. There was simply no where to go.
Blake stood cornered realizing there was nothing he could do in this bizarre scenario.Just as he was about to surrender to his fate, the woman from the balcony approached him with speed that defied physics and reasoning.
Her claws wrapped around Blake's face as she stood in front of him, cupping his head in her clawed hands.Blake saw her face continually glitching. It was like looking at a burning paper that was seemingly trying to undo the damage.But amidst all of these bizarre scenario, he noticed something else. A tear dropping from her eyes.
'Tears?'
Why was she crying? The question lingered in the recesses of Blake's mind. But before he could ponder further, a searing pain erupted from his back.
He looked down at his stomach and could see a claw sticking through it."Arghhhhhh!!!"
With a strangled cry, Blake jolted upright from his fitful slumber, his body drenched in a sheen of cold sweat. The echoes of his nightmare still lingered, haunting him like a specter from the depths of his subconscious.