The Blue Flames

Ameerah stood in the middle of an open field. The moon looking down on her like a god observing its subject. The night is starless, yet the moon is full. She turned around and all she could feel was the serenity, the quietness creeping down on her as she attempts to move. The very thought of saying something like: “hello”, “is anybody there” seems awfully weird as her breathe pierces the night and the mild wind seems to carry it, making it sound like a soft wail.

The weather is cold. unusually cold and Ameerah could not imagine what she was doing so deep in the night. This scary night.

The night itself seems alive as she takes steps towards north — at least the north she imagined. She noticed a distant blue metallic light emanating from what appears to be the woods. Blue flames dancing in the night as sparks flew everywhere. The flames rose and fall in rapid succession. Almost as if someone was controlling it. She could almost sense a pattern.

And now the subtle hints of footsteps could not got unnoticed as Ameerah’s eyes were drawn from the flames which seems to be still now to the new source of sound. The footsteps were unmistakably human; but there was something in those footsteps, there was no life in them as they grew in numbers.

Ameerah had taken shelter under a nearby rock, she watched in horror as people — men and women — all dressed in what appears to be black robes, heading towards her imagined north. The people just stare ahead, lifeless, but could walk; their eyes appear unfocused and their mouth keep twitching sideways. Something dark and shiny seem to ooze out from the corner of their mouth. Their robes appear to be stained with some dark shiny substance. The distant flames grew uncontrollably now, casting its light into the starless night as something that looks like a giant bird emerges from it, screeching into the already cursed night, howling and flapping it wings. It circled around the blue flames and flew deeper into the night as its giant scaly head searches for something.

Ameerah was rooted to the spot. She could not move as fear gripped her. She trembled and tried to scream, but nothing came out. Amidst the fear, she could sense something was terribly wrong. The giant bird seems to have found its prey at last as it swooped low and flew towards her. Its eyes brighter than the moon and blue sparks danced around it. Ameerah’s leg could not carry her this time as the giant bird gained on her, coming directly to take her, its eyes a brighter shade of red.

Ameerah fell, her body shaking uncontrollably now, not from fear but from something that had to do with the giant bird. One of the lifeless body turned its head to face her, blood trickling from its mouth, its head tilted sideways and what appears to be surprise was painted across the lifeless face. It was a face she knew. It was a face she loved…