When I Found Her In The Dirt, I Swore They'd All Pay Novels & Stories

I w‍as s‍till wear⁠ing my‌ tactical p‌an‌ts, covered in sewer grime and other men‌'s blo‍od​. "I am dirty," I w⁠hispered⁠, the old fear flickering‍ for a se‌cond. "I will infect you." She grabbed my f⁠ace. She forc‍ed m⁠e to look at her. "You're n⁠ot di⁠rty," she said fiercely.‍ "You're‍ mine." She rea⁠ched for my belt. She u‌n‍did‌ the buckle.

I needed to believe it. I found her in a little clearing. She sat on the dead, leafy floor, her pigtails haphazard and her face covered in dirt and tears. Her yellow sundress looked out of place in this menacing freak-of-nature woods. She looked like goodness personified. She looked like bait.

Once outside though, I scan the area and she is nowhere to be found. Slamming my fist into the dumpster, I smell her and turn around. She stands at the other end of the alley and the scent of death radiates from her. Knowing that I can't catch her now, I hate myself and swear under my breath. Just as soon as she appeared, she is gone.

She scrambled back to her feet, staring back at the black as the watery steps continued to stomp closer. She went to run again, yet her feet tangled on the dark and shapeless air, and her face slammed into the dirt. When she screamed into the dirt, she tasted the blood in her mouth. As she pumped her legs back underneath her, a hand seized her ankle and yanked it back away from her. She lurched forward but did not meet the trail again.

All that was left was scorched earth and dirt on my hands. “You have to remember who you are”, I heard her voice before I woke up screaming, tears and sweat on me.. Looking down at my hands, there was dirt under my nails and up to my elbows..

Even I had to admit that she was giving us a damn hard time in finding her. “Boss! Look!” My men called out to me and saw him pointing at something on the ground. I followed his gaze and saw drops of blood on the hard ground. There were thorns on the floor and I recollected her running bare feet. I looked at it and saw it was still fresh. My men and I followed the blood trail while I glanced at the time, it was only five minutes to complete one hour

Went back. To the mansion we once called home. The grounds were wild now. Vines everywhere. Weeds brushed my ankles. But I found it—one patch of earth, grass just a little shorter. I dropped to my knees and started digging. Bare hands. Mud thick on my skin. Blood ran under my nails before I finally hit it. The promise ring—rusted and half-lost to time. I wiped it clean on my dress, tears falling fast. Through the blur, a pair of leather shoes appeared.

She slashed my upper body this time, staggering me back one again. But I refused to give up. Springing back up, I pushed her on the ground. We wrestled on the mud, trying to tower each other. Amelia whimpered when I tore her right on the face. She roared in wrath, thrusting me on my back with a forceful force.

As I moved closer, the metallic odour mixed with something more putrid—rotting flesh. “Dig the ground around here!” I commanded the men. “We don’t have digging tools,” one of them quickly responded. “What use are your claws? Start digging—now!” I bellowed. They didn’t dare question me and began tearing into the earth with their claws. Moments later, one of them shouted, “Found something!” In an instant, I was beside him, staring at what he’d unearthed. A dirt-covered hand protruded from the soil. “Dig him out,” I ordered.

I did not stop. I dragged her body across the ground. I found a deep pit hole in the earth. I threw her inside and began to cover her with dirt. She was still alive. Her hands reached up, clawing at the soil. I buried her anyway. I turned around and saw Jack and Sylvia standing together. They were laughing. Pointing at me. Their laughter echoed in the darkness. “You think you won,” Jack said. “You never mattered,” Sylvia added. The scene shifted. I saw Hilda.