Bleakman's Bog Pt. 4

Writing this story seems to get easier every week. I hope it becomes more enjoyable to read every week. I apologize that I do not edit these stories before I post them. It is mostly due to lack of preparation. But I think that it will add an extra layer of interest. I hope you enjoy part 4.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4 is here!

It was difficult to keep pace. The creature kept disappearing and reappearing. A child's whales could be heard through the fog. Sometimes they seemed to come from all around. Duncan continued he would not let the horse slow. He wouldn't fail, not again.


Using Duncan's legs it made him walk, he couldn't stop. He walked passed his horse. The steps were thick and forced. His mind resisted, but it was too powerful. The entity had full control although it seemed like it was only just remembering how to move. He couldn't get the image of the corpse or the feel of its lips against his.
He walked and walked. A distance that had taken hours on horseback was taking longer than he could imagine. He felt the pain in his muscles and feet, but the force pushed him ever onward. The greatest part of his dread came from the fact he could tell, it was taking him home.
It was walking him on a game trail in Fourcoin Forest when he saw the trap. It was a snare. Made of wire and attached to a tree on the side of the trail. He tried to warn the wraith, but it did not heed him. Soon his foot was ensnared. The wraith did not slow. It did not try to remove the noose. It simply walked. The wire cut deeply into his calf. Soon it was grinding bone. The wire snapped before it broke through his tibia and fibula. The wire however snap with anger and lashed around his leg. It tore into muscle with the momentum. The wraith did bother to remove it. The pain was too much everything went dark.
He awoke to death. His daughter's eyes stared at him, they were gray and dead. A little pool of blood surrounded the side of her face. His whole body throbbed with pain, but nothing was more searing than her eyes. Duncan heard Anne humming in the back. He felt a warm blaze and smelled fresh meat on the fire. It was all he could do to roll away from his daughter. Looking at the fireplace he saw Anne working over the spit marinating. Anne turned around.
“My, my this skin is quite beautiful. Thank you for your assistance Duncan. I am quite hungry in these new bones. Would you like a taste?”
“Why?” his mind was knives and fire nothing made sense, “Why'd you kill her?” words hurt. Being alive hurt. His blood was everywhere or was it his. Could someone bleed so much?
“I already told you I was hungry, Duncan.” her voice was cold.
He tried to stand. He was going to kill her. Strangle the monster, but the darkness came instead.


The trail went cold. The mists ceased to swirl. The girl's cries were gone. He was alone. His sweat and the horse's ran as one dripping into the gray. He couldn't turn back. He didn't even think he could. It was death or redemption, perhaps both.