Mavis

After the encounter with the rather friendly snake, they continued their trek. Looking up to the sky, it seemed like the beacon was still so far away. There was still nothing in sight for miles. finally as the sky grew dark, they felt their solid body grow tired and decided to stop and rest. The terrain had gotten a bit rocky around them, leaving some outcroppings that could provide a little bit of shelter. Practically crawling, they made their way over and collapsed onto the ground. They wasted no time in closing their eyes and drifting off.

~

"Mavis! Come on! We need to go!" A voice yelled through thick smoke that filled the room, fire crawling up the walls and licking at the crumbling ceiling. A figure came out of the smoke and grabbed their arm pulling them up. It was a man. He had blood splattered across his face, his blonde hair disheveled. His left arm hung useless at his side as they got up. "If we stay here we will die!"

Their body moved on their own according, following this strange man through the burning room. There was a door open, free of fire. They both hurried out of it. Behind them, something exploded and sent pain shooting through their body.

~

They jolted away with a scream, as they wrapped their arms around themselves. The pain throbbed through their body before ebbing away into a dull memory.

"wha..what the hell was that??" They groaned as they stood up and looked into the distance. Still panting from the sudden nightmare, they stumbled away from their shelter, not really wanting to go back to sleep again, afraid of what they would dream next.

They kept pushing forward, despite feeling exhausted. The pain had ebbed away but the fear was still present. Thoughts kept circulating through their mind, about what could have happened in their past life. Is that how they died? They tried to force more memories to come but found nothing. The only one they could recall was the first, full of fire and excruciating pain.

As they kept going, the terrain became more rock then sand, leading into large plateaus and canyons. A screech echoed around the rocky walls as a large black bird swooped down from above before spiraling upwards in a gust of wind. They watched it go, stopping in their tracks as they were pulled back by another memory swept through.

~

"Mavis, we have another job for you. Its quite dangerous, think you can handle it?" An unfamiliar man asked her as he handed over a manila envelope with a blurred photo on the front.

"Chad, I've handled worse situations before and came out unscathed. Think this one will any different?" They replied back, taking the folder from the man.

"Just be careful, okay? This guy isn't someone to be trifled with. He's a sneaky one." He sat down behind a large oak desk, other files and a computer were sitting upon it.

She rolled her eyes at him and scoffed. "Please, I got this. He won't know what hit him."

~

They blinked a few times as it faded away. That, was so much better then the first one. At least they were able to remember their name. Mavis.

"Mavis... That's me." They repeated out loud. "What did I do for a living?" There was still pieces of information missing. Shaking her head she kept walking. Climbing over rocks and making sure not to sprang an ankle. They could see the beacon more, shining closer and beckoning her.

"almost there..." She whispered to herself. Peaking over the rocks, were trees! a dark green and full. The chirping of small birds could be heard, filling the rocky landscapes with their echoes. It was strange, it was like every area they came through was a ring of a different biome. And this one, was full of trees and life. It was completely different then what she had seen. She stepped on the grass and sighed, digging her toes into it. It was soft and felt like walking on water, cool and refreshing. Pulling her mind out of the wonder of her new surroundings, she started walking again.

Mavis wanted to prance around and laugh, but something on the edge of her mind told her that was not a good idea. Drawing attention from unknown creatures lurking in the shadows would not be smart. She reached out and touched the nearest tree, feeling the bark against her skin. It was a strange sensation, it was like she was feeling it for the first time. It was rough yet tickled her palm and fingers. A smile crept on her face as she stared at the tree. Stepping away from it, she moved further into the trees, listening to birds chirp and rustle the branches above her head. Small furry animals ran after each other in a game of chase.

~

The smell of smoke wafted past her, filling her senses in an instant. In a flash she was surrounded by flames, pulled back into the burning room. Well, just outside of it. Fire was spreading into the hallway she was in, her back burning, her clothes nearly in senders and her skin melting away like wax. She screamed as she was pulled down the hall from the man she saw before. He grabbed her up and carried her over his shoulder, avoiding the blistering burns down her back.

"Stay with me Mavis, we are almost out...Hang in there, please." He spoke to her, loud enough for her to hear him over the roaring blaze that slowly surrounded them. There was windows next to them, the glass cracking from the heat. For a second it was like the fire moved backwards before erupting in another explosion, sending them both through the closest window and down three stories to the cold pavement below.

~

Mavis found herself laying on the ground, staring up at the discolored sky and swaying branches. She blinked before sitting up. She felt light, like knowing how she died was a relief. She stood up again and brushed the small amount of dirt off her legs. It made her feel ready, ready to start over. Even if she had no clue what else happened in her life, knowing she didn't die, they way the pour soul who had accompanied her died, she could keep going. Holding her head up, she started walking again.

It had felt like hours, when she decided to take a break. The sky had darkened, showing the closing of another day. Taking a seat next to a tree, she sighed and rested her head against the bark. As the night came through, the nice noises of the day were replaced by creaks and distant screaming. She curled her legs close to her body, not expecting the once serene forest to be turned into a monstrous nightmare. Her eyes were wide and watching, but seeing nothing that could pose any danger. But there was still no way she would be able to get any sleep this night.

It felt like hours before she found herself slowly dozing off, her head bobbing to the side as her eyes slowly slid to a close. But her slumber didn't last very long. The sounds suddenly stopped, leaving only the slight rustling of the trees above. This pulled Mavis from her nap as she slid up the tree to a standing position. Her tired eyes surveyed the are before spotting a light through the trees coming closer. It looked like the light from a torch and she sighed a little, afraid it was something sinister. Taking a few steps from the tree towards the light did she realize something was off. First off, she could hear a low growl, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. The trees in front of her started to smolder, before catching on fire in seconds. A large canine stepped forward, fangs bared. Its fiery eyes burned within their boney sockets as it moved closer. Mavis stood still, not wanting to provoke it. In one swift motion, it lunged at her, claws out and mouth open ready to chomp on fresh flesh.

Mavis rolled to the side of the fiery beast just in time, before she took off running. Her feet pounded the ground as she ran, the wolf not far behind, sending any foliage up in flames as it passed. Huffing as she felt her stamina grow weaker. Gritting her teeth she forced herself to run harder. The trees were thinning out, before opening to a large field with towering walls, surrounding a massive city. The stone was black and towered high up into the air, a just as impressive gate sitting with its gate closed and large stone statues standing guard. Where were the people??

She skidded to a halt when she reached the thick iron bars. "Someone! Help me please!" She screamed, pulling on the bars in an effort to open them. A loud howl made her whip her head around. The wolf stared at her from a few yards away. The trees behind it were burning to a crisp, lighting nearby trees aflame and spreading. It howled again and came running at her, snarling as it ran.

In an instant, one of the statues moved, its spear swinging down and chopping the wolf in half. Its body disintegrated into acrid smoke and ash. When it was gone, the ever growing forest fire was suddenly extinguished leaving behind charred trees.

At that moment, the gate clanked and were pulled open, revealing a small courtyard with two big double doors at the other side with a black arch just before it. It looked like it was twisted with the same material. Two more statues were standing there, both identical to one another. They had short cropped hair that rested just past their stone chins.. They eyes were grey and they wore nothing. They both smiled in unison before speaking.

"Hello and welcome new soul! Here you will start a new life, a new beginning! We will give you all the information you need to live comfortably!" They paused for a second before turning around and walked towards the arch. "Please, step forward!" one of them gestured to it. "Here, you will step through and change your appearance. It can be anything. It doesn't even have to be human! All you need to do is imagine what you want to be, what you want to look like and step through."

"Or rely on your past memories and experiences to dictate what you will look like!" The other piped up.

"Even better, you can use both! Be mindful, any additional limbs, such as a tail or horns will be small once you enter. Your growth inside these walls will provide your body and soul with energy. Collect enough and become a fearsome or glorious person!"

Mavis eyed the arch in skepticism before biting her lip. She didn't want to be scarred like her past self was. Shaking her head she decided to take a chance and stepped through the arch. The moment she did, she left more weight on her form. Her skin was no longer white, but pale and a pink fleshy tone. She reached up and felt short cut black hair on her head. Looking down, she found herself naked with a woman's body.

"Here you go! Some clothes so you aren't just naked and walking around." One of them handed her a neatly folded pile of clothes and a piece of paper. "These are also the directions to your district and your housing management! Once you finish changing just step on through the doors!"

With that they turned around before walking back towards the gate and then remained still without another word.

"Guess this is it." She spoke to herself as she looked at the doors. "No more running to nowhere."