Standing under the blood tinged sky a young woman stood high in the air atop a light pole. Feeling the warm night breeze over her skin. It was only one of a few things that gave a sense of normalcy. The only time she felt normal. Especially when she witnessed the same events playing out. Day in and day out without even the slightest hint of anything changing. Just enough to feel different. Just enough to make her feel alive.
She watched as grey tinged monsters flew across the roofs of nearby buildings. Hunting their target. A young high school student. Who was stuck reliving hell day in and day out. Just like she was.
The hunt was almost ritualistic. It was the only time where the day was thrown into the random chaos of being tracked by the pack like wolves to wounded prey. And like most days as they repeated, so did the hunts. Repeating ad nauseum ending with the same results each time. A brand new day to play it all over again. This was however, the first time she felt something for the poor soul.
Pity.
She couldn't tell how long it had been since she had felt a shred of her emotions. Since she had seen a new day, since she had lived. Or rather, since she had been chosen. And her mission here was much more of a challenge than she'd thought it would be.
But until she was successful in her mission. She wouldn't know much in the realm of rest or comfort. Especially when she wasn't allowed to do much of anything, except for watch and listen. Like living. Though the more she watched. The more she noticed the smallest hints of change. Only they weren't for the better. But for the worse. Patterns had changed over time, so slow in fact, she hadn't noticed until now. Is he becoming aware?
That was her hope, at least at a subconscious level.
Which only seemed to make things worse the more aware he became. The more of a threat the world around them became.
And the only way to figure out exactly what she was supposed to do. What she needed to do. In order to break the ever repeating cycle. No matter what it took she was going to find a way. Even if it meant sacrificing everything she had left to give.
Hopping down from the pole, she walked towards the distant sounds of the hunt. Listening to the loud crashes and roars of excitement that rang out from the creatures. Almost similar to a pack of hyenas who couldn't contain themselves.
As she walked, she saw something that made the girl stop in her tracks. The sight of a few of the grey monsters that oddly looked like some variation of an ancient shinto priest. With their faces covered by a black cloth, and the majority of their bodies covered by a similar kind of black fabric etched with gold embroidery.
And its being here was more than mere coincidence. It was something new brought forth by the chaos. Another change. Another piece of the cryptic puzzle the girl needed to figure out. And the first step to doing that was observing them and their habits.
Following behind their weirdly organised trail that reminded her somewhat of ants. Searching for something. But was it for the sake of survival?
Either way, the fact she was now seeing them didn't bode well with the young woman. The only part of it that felt anywhere close to a good feeling. Was that they didn't seem to be as aggressive as the other Grey creatures.
Continuing in her pursuit, observing as she had to start running just to keep up. She had noticed that the creatures moved with a flow to them, with more joining the horde until she was eventually surrounded by the creatures. Like drops of water building into a stream.
And with them so close, she crane her neck just to attempt to look past them.
Though she wasn't scared of this. She felt secure being surrounded by the horde. As she felt practically invisible as she continued to run in an attempt to keep pace with the creatures who never seemed to be surprised by the sudden turns or stairs she nearly found herself falling down.
After what felt like an eternity of running, a loud excited roar rang out. It was so violent that it almost sent her tumbling to the ground just from the pressure of it alone. The only thing that kept her standing was one of the priestly creatures she had instinctively grabbed onto. It acted like she wasn't there, like its clothes weren't bearing a portion of her weight. The only thing that showed that it knew that something was there, was the fact that it stopped moving. While the others raced past it. It was only when she let go that it continued to move as it almost proceeded to drag her along before she could fully release her hold on it.
"Woah!" The young woman said loudly, finding her balance in time enough to let go before it went down another set of stairs with her.
What was with these things and always choosing stairs?
Letting out a relieved breath as she watched the creature build fade into the rest of the crowd. Becoming indistinguishable from the rest.
Carefully she made her way down the most recent stair death trap. Stopping when she saw that a red watery substance was covering the last two steps. The sight she saw made her breath catch in her throat. Water which practically glowed a deep red. Mimicking the sky high above it.
Yet, it didn't seem to be too much of a bother to the priestly creatures, as they stepped into the water without a second thought. Staining the walls a deep darker red which each step they took.
Then the second roar happened. This time, the power and the vibrations shook her all the way to her core. And at that moment, the sudden taste of copper invaded her senses. Followed by a slow ticklish sensation trickling down over her lips, then her chin. Reaching up, she touched her lip looking at her finger to see that she was bleeding. Had she gotten a nosebleed from the concussive force of the roar alone?
That thought was answered by the sight of sudden red vapors wisping into the air from the water twisting around the rays of light that shone down from the crimson moon that hung high in the sky, as the rays of light hit the water. It looked almost like it was causing the water to flow upwards into the sky. Creating towers of crimson water.
The girl looked at the priestly figures, noticing that they were moving around the spires of water. Trying a good deal not to get too close to them. Though there were a small handful that weren't so lucky as they got dragged into a spire of water, their forms being sent high into the sky so high up she had to crane her neck just to see them, before they completely left her view.
"I shouldn't get caught in these…" The girl muttered to herself as she ventured into the unexpectedly warm crimson water. Watching as with each movement she made, her legs got stained an even deeper shade of red, taking care to avoid the spires of water that would undoubtedly spell her end.
A thought she could never allow to happen.
Continuing along in the wake of the priestly figures. The girl happened upon the sight of one of the slightly smaller streams reflecting off of the window of a nearby building. Creating several smaller weaker spires of water. So small it almost looked like it was coming from a water house.
Slowly, she reached out towards one of the moon beams placing her hand palm down in the stream. Feeling the reddish liquid flowing up into her palm. Flowing around her hand and over her fingers. Continuing to flow unhindered by her minor disturbance. Staining her hand red in the process.
"Things are. Moving quickly." The girl said to herself. Keeping her voice low so she didn't disturb the creatures that surrounded her. Noticing that they seemed to speed up their pace as more excitement filled the air.
So fast that the girl had to increase her pace to a medium jog, then to a full on sprint just to keep pace with the slowest of the bunch.
The priest-like creatures moved through the water with such momentum and force that the water started to flow with enough violent energy that it generated a wall of crimson water that proceeded to chase the girl.
She didn't display any visible emotion other than a small O of her mouth. Picking up her pace into a steady sprint. Almost like her life depended on it. Which in this very moment, it probably did.
As she ran. The girl noticed that she was being led to a building that somehow resembled a train station that had been built on the surface of venus. With walls a nearly twisted black metal, the ground it rested upon having an almost fleshy look to it. It was truly the stuff of nightmares.
Taking a moment to assess the situation here. The girl watched as the priestly creatures filled into the building. With the air being filled with some kind of chant that she couldn't understand. But she did understand enough to know that they were close to whatever they had been drawn to.
Time to find out what that is. The girl thought to herself as she proceeded to go deep within the depths of the structure, all the way to a clearing that took the shape of a circle with a six-foot diameter. And in the middle of it was a young man with black hair, who was curled up into a ball. Sobbing as all of the creatures continued to move around in a circle. Unable to get any closer to him. All watching him intently, not out of curiosity. But just to watch. Almost like it was some kind of sick and twisted source of entertainment.
At least that was the feeling she got from them.
"Please…please just leave me alone…I just want to go home" He sobbed. His voice sounded raw from all of the crying and the screaming he had been doing. Not that she could blame him, if she was continuously watching this event for the first time. She too would be just how he was.
Which must've been the most obvious case. If it hadn't been proven by both the sight of blood slowly dripping by his head and by the sound of his coughs. Coughs that sounded like he was trying to clear his throat. Or to attempt to make the pain much more bearable.
Finally, in the distance. Large crashes could be heard, sending waves of debris soaring through the sky. Hitting a few of the cloaked figures in the head, sending them tumbling down and making room for the only other kind of creature the girl saw on a nightly basis. As it flew through the air violently past the girl.
Heading right in the direction of the poor boy who lay curled up on the ground. Defenselessly, and opened to the crushing force that would most definitely kill him if it connected.
But right as the creature was about to make contact. Everything suddenly turned black. Growing uncomfortably quiet at the absence of sound, feeling, and even corporeality. As everything slowly faded.
Leaving the girl alone. In the black abyss of infinity. To wait for the cycle to begin anew. Just as it had many times before.