Miraculous: Tales of the Unknown (10 page)

I run straight to my room,
curl up in bed, and cry myself to sleep.

“You belong to me,” a
voice calls out to me over and over again.

I can’t find where the
voice is coming from. It feels like the voice is coming from right
next to me, but when I turn to the side, no one is there. It feels
like I am being watched though. I do everything I can to will
myself awake. That’s when I realize I am not asleep. That terrifies
me.

“Who’s there?” I whisper,
not sure that I really want to know the answer to that
question.

“You know who I am,” the
voice replies. It is deep and raspy, like the voice of someone who
has been smoking for many, many years.

“Go away! Leave me alone!
You shouldn’t be here,” I stammer, hoping whoever it is will
leave.

“I’m not going anywhere,”
it hisses at me. “This is my room, my home. Everything here is
mine. Even you.”

“Who are you? I don’t
understand. This is my room! This is my house now!” I
whimper.

“That isn’t true and you
know it,” the voice insists. “You know who I am. I’ve been with you
since the moment you stepped into this house.”

“No… You can’t be. This
can’t be happening. This isn’t real,” I sob.

“Yes, Emaline, it is.” The
voice starts to become softer. “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve
ever seen. In life and in death. There is no one more perfect than
you. If I can’t have you, then no one can.”

What am I supposed to do?
What am I supposed to say to that? I must be crazy. This isn’t
happening. It can’t be real.

“Would you feel better if
I showed myself to you? Would you like to see me Emaline?” the
voice says, even more gentle than before.

I can’t bring myself to
answer, so I just nod.

A figure slowly steps into
the moonlight filtering through my bedroom window. I gasp. It is
Koah… A transparent version of Koah, but it is him, nonetheless. He
is gorgeous, even if he is a ghost. And even if he is a
killer.

“What do you want from
me?” I ask, significantly less afraid now than I was before. I
already know what the answer will be. In my heart, I
know.

“You… I want you. Spend
eternity with me. I cannot bare to move on to the afterlife until
you’re here with me, by my side,” Koah whispers. “Come be with me
Emaline. All of this can end here. No more killing, no more
sadness. Just you and I, together forever.”

I shake with fear. Can I
do this? Can I do what he is asking of me? It would save so many
lives, but at the cost of my own.

“I… I don’t know if I can
do this,” I tremble.

“You have no other choice
Emaline. It’s either them or you. What’s more important to you,
your friends or yourself? Make a decision and make it soon. I
cannot control my urges. If you take too long, I cannot be held
responsible for who might be harmed,” he replies. “I’ll leave you
now. Don’t take too long, my love. I’ll be waiting for you with
open arms.” With that, Koah fades away.

I know what I need to do.
After I calm my nerves as best as I can, I slip from my bed and
silently walk downstairs. I rummage through the junk drawer in the
kitchen until I find what I am looking for. Razor blade in hand, I
walk back to my room, lay down on my bed, and do what has to be
done.

The blade pierces my skin,
filling my body with pain. In this pain, I find closure. No one
will be harmed because of me again. As I drift off into that final
sleep, I whisper, “I’m coming Koah. I’ll be with you
soon.”

The Chosen One

By: Heather
Kirchhoff

© 2013 by Heather
Kirchhoff

A beam shoots across the
darkened night sky with clouds light gray, blue, and black. The
beam was white-golden, and extremely bright. It’s nothing like I’ve
ever seen before. Naturally, I get up and slowly open the door,
stepping out into the cool night breeze. Wonder prickles at my
flesh as I make my way towards the spot where it disappears. My
necklace starts to glow brilliantly, and I flinch away from it when
my hand just barely brushes it. The metal’s extremely hot, almost
as if it had been in flames a moment before.

I scan the area, watching
the stars twinkle far above. The moon washes down on me, casting an
eerie glow. I smile as I lift my face towards it, closing my eyes
for a few moments.

“Ahh, there you are. The
Chosen One. We’ve been waiting for you.” A voice spoke from the
thickness of the fog which was now surrounding me. I feel my heart
pick up as my eyes rest upon red ones. I gasp when there’s a cold
caress against my warm flesh. My thoughts scatter as I find myself
face-to-face with a monster. I freeze in my tracks, watching its
every move. In the moonlight, I could just barely make out its face
full of sparkling scales, hooves for feet, and its teeth are razor
sharp as the creature smiles. I stifle a scream as it reaches for
me with hands that’s claws. I begin to back away slowly, my eyes
never leaving the monster. “Come, Chosen One. We’ve been waiting
for you.”

Chosen One? There’s no
way.

I couldn’t speak. When his
claws grasp me, I flinch, trying my best to dance out of his way.
Another beam darts across the sky with two more following. My eyes
trail after them before they vanish with distance. Longing twists
within me as realization sparks.

Its grasp was firm as the
creature pulls me along. His red bead eyes stare into mine as his
free claw slowly trails along my waist. I try to pull away, but
he’s too strong. Panic starts to bubble within me as the creature
tightens his grasp on me, a hollow laugh escaping from him. His
eyes flicker with joy, sensing my fear. I know my eyes are wide as
I gaze at him, watching his red eyes peer around us.

I flinch again as a fierce
stab of pain shoots through my veins, scorching like fire. I close
my eyes tightly shut, wishing for it to stop. Wishing I could just
disappear. Except I can’t. My reality was becoming unrealistic the
more I stand here, trying to pretend I was in my bed, cuddling with
my dog. I imagine his whimper once he realizes I’m gone. Will I
ever see him again? Will I even live?

“What do you want with
me?” I ask, my voice shaking. “Please just leave me alone. Let
go!”

I swallow as cool hands
grasp me, flowing up my spine. I just want to be free.

“You’re the one. You can
save us.”

His words didn’t make
sense to me. I try protesting, but it wasn’t worth it. The monster
won’t listen to me.

“My family will come
looking for me!” I exclaim in a final attempt to get free. “Then
they’ll kill you. All of you!”

The only answer I got was
a bloodcurdling screech. Its claw sinks deep into my flesh, the
creature’s eyes peering into mine.

Then everything
changes.

The wind grows harsher,
whipping against my flesh as if it was angry about something. Tears
sting my eyes, but they never come. Thankfully.

I feel a soft beam
absorbing my body, carrying me upwards. I bask in its sense of
calm. It’s as if I was floating, light absorbing into me, and
piercing my soul. A small smile curls my lips upward for a split
second, and I suddenly had the urge to fling my arms out. Except
when I try to move them, I can’t. It’s as if they’re chained to my
sides. When panic begins to take over, it’s quickly shut out by the
light. For a second, I thought that was weird, but didn’t spend too
much time on it.

My body jolts the second
we stop. I open my eyes as a few more of the creatures join us,
flanking on either side. Where my captor still has a hold of me
starts to sting even worse than it did before. I attempt to glance
around, only to find I can’t. Everything’s way too bright in here.
I can hear all kinds of machines beeping softly, feeling the
tension boiling from others we pass as I’m forced to
walk.

We stop at a metal chair
with cuffs, and all kinds of lights hooked up to it. I start to
protest when two of them make me sit, beginning to strap me in the
same minute.

“What is this? What’s
going on?” I demand, staring at the machine before me.

“I’m sorry,” the one that
brought me here said as it pushes a button. “But we need to be
saved, we need to get rid of humanity once and for all. And you’re
the only thing that can help us.” Then he taps the button, and I
fall into a bizarre sleep as everything around me begins to beep,
singling a changing human.

A new life’s being
born.

The torment in my body’s
too much, but I had a sense of peace, that everything is going to
be okay. Screams echoes all around the longer the pain’s being
inflected. My flesh feels like it’s being torn apart, like a
million little teeth sinking into the soft tissue.

A high, screeching noise
jolts me awake. My eyes snap open-only to be blinded by the white
light that swirls around me.

“Ah-she’s awake! Sir, sir
she’s woken!”

There was movement not far
from me-the sound of hooves racing. I blink against the hot light,
trying to see through it. All I can make out were three dark
figures standing above me.

“So she is,” I heard one
of them say, his voice deep and screechy.

“Indeed, indeed!” another
exclaims. “Finally, we can be saved!”

“So it seems. Yes, yes, we
will be saved!”

“Speak no more, little
ones.”

I try focusing on them,
but my vision was blurry. I blink a few times, squinting at the
looming figure before me. “Where am I?” I ask slowly. My voice
sounds different somehow. As if it’s deeper in a way.

“There’s time for that
later.”

I peer through the
brightness, taking note of the green scales and claws. “Why am I
here? Where am I?” I repeat, my voice beginning to
shake.

“You will help us!" a
voice squeals.

“No,” I begin, only to be
cut off by the leader.

“You will save us. You’re
the key to destroying humanity.”

“What
?” I exclaim. “No. I-I can’t!”

“You can, and you
will.”

“But my
family!”

“You’re not one of them
now, little one. You’re one of us. You’re the Chosen
One.”

“What does that even
mean?” I demand. These creatures aren’t making any sense to
me.

“It means you can never go
back. Your family will kill you once they see you-or you will kill
them.”

I can’t even speak. I
would never hurt my family like that. I don’t care who they say I
am. My family’s important to me.
But
you’re the Chosen One
, a voice whispers to
me, swirling around me like music.
Your
humanity will soon be gone-and you won’t even think about it. You
will only act.

No.
I can’t do that. I can’t be anything
but
me.

You’re still you, but in a
different form,
that same voice whispers
again.
You’re much stronger than them.
You’re not human. Nor will you ever be again.

A tingling sensation
sweeps through me, but no tears come. Only emptiness. I sit up,
noticing their reactions. The closest one takes a small step
closer, his eyes never leaving me. I glance around the dim room,
taking notes of the machines. Silence fills the space, up until I
can’t take it anymore.

Just when I’m about to
speak, the one farthest from me says in a metallic voice, “When can
we show her?” His red eyes looks eager. My stomach churns, I
quickly look away.

“What does he
mean?”

“It should be time,
Master.”

“Indeed, it is,” the
Master agrees.

“What are
they
talking about?” I
repeat my burning question. My eyes dart between them, my mouth
growing dry. “What happened to me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re
one of us now.”

“I don’t
understand.”

The creature hisses, his
red eyes glaring into mine. He takes a step closer to me. “Of
course you don’t. You don’t understand our world.”

“You will in time,”
another chimes.

“I don’t want to wait. I
want-no,
need
-to
know now. What’s going on?”

“Sir, sir, you’re needed!”
a girl’s voice suddenly speaks. It’s high pitched and
jagged.

“I’m busy dealing with the
Chosen One,” the Master replies. “What is it?”

“Humans have captured one
of us!” she wails.

All of my companions turn
towards her, their eyes wide.

“What
?”

“No!”

“Who?”

“Silence!” the Master
snaps. He fixes his gaze back on to the girl. “You must tell me
everything,” he demands.

Then she notices me for
the first time. “Who’s that?” she asks. Curiosity creeps into her
voice.