Breaking the 4th

‘Just keep moving.’ the rude stranger had said. ‘I’ll come find you.’ she said.

Shatter shambled about, scowling bitterly. It had to be hours since the stranger gave her those parting words and has been on radio silence since.

Just keep moving? Where? Where was she supposed to head to? Whether she turned left or right, she seemed to just be going in circles.

The silence was starting to take it toll on her, allowing her to do possibly the one thing she shouldn’t be doing; think. She was a notorious over-thinker and she knew it.

But what if… her mind incessantly pressed.
What if this was all a trap? How this thought made sense to her predicament, Shatter had no idea. What if that stranger-lady was the mastermind of all this?

That thought also didn’t make much sense either; something about her voice convinced Shatter that she was trustworthy. That in itself was a major feat. So what was tugging at her gut, the dreaded feeling that seemed to get heavier and heavier?
Shatter closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She had only kept them close for a few seconds, a fleeting moment. But when she opened her eyes again, immediately she knew something was wrong. Perhaps wrong was not the exact word, but something… something was off with the space she found herself in. Or maybe it was her.

Shatter slowly peeled herself off of the ground and she felt her mind reel.
When did I lie down on the ground? she thought. And why?
Her vision came in and out of focus, shifting from blurry to clear as her whole view of the scene twitched and shook like an earthquake she couldn’t feel. And there was the god awful silence that rung in her ear...

Hairs on the back of her neck stood and Shatter froze.

What was that? Shatter thought, bewildered. I heard something.
Something around her was shifting...changing. And it was right behind her...
Don’t do it! her mind screeched. Don’t turn around!

She didn’t, but that didn’t stop her from seeing something seep into the periphery of her vision.
Not quite crystal, not quite liquid, it crept closer and closer. Slick, sharp, deathly and living all at the same time as this dark mass branched outward like tapered fingers, threatening to consume everything it touched. Slowly and almost calculatingly, the black webs grew and Shatter could see its advance from the corner of her eye. She could hear it crunching, crackling as it ripped through the fabric of space.

---Run!

Shatter took off, panic and adrenaline numbing her bruised and beaten body, only survival left on her mind. She scrambled and limped as she tore around a column, desperately trying to stay ahead. She can feel them, like scratchy tiny spider legs on the back of her neck, probing for a soft spot to inject venom.
She pushed herself forward, tripping over rumble and stumbling on her own feet but never dared slow.
Get me away from here...get away...get away.

Shatter rounded another turn, and just ahead of her she heard something different: rushing of water. Welcoming any change in setting, she forced onward towards the light.

The first thing she saw was the wall of derelict stained glass, muddied streaks of light shining into the forsaken sanctuary. She was back to where it all began.

Shatter couldn’t figure out how she ended back here, where she had made the turn but it didn’t matter. She didn’t glance back or slow as she burst into the wider space. She headed for the stream, the very one she had fallen into just hours ago. The sound of water was getting louder now, she was almost right at the edge---

Shatter glanced down at the stream as she approached, and immediately skidded to a stop. Her feet slipped on the moss and she inhaled a sharp gasp in shock. Slick stone and moss broke her fall as she kicked and clambered away from the edge of the broken foundation to safety.
Stunned, bewildered and horrified, she turned back, unable to look away from the stream.

What she almost fell into was no longer flowing, clear water. It was now completely dark and viscous that rolled and bubbled. Something in the way the mysterious matter moved urged Shatter to lean forward, get a closer look. There was something peculiar just under the surface of the black substance, something unnatural---

Without warning, the surface bulged upward, and a deathly pale face lunged towards her. Blackened teeth snapped at her throat, the force tangible against her skin despite the lack of contact. Her scream was choked by the sensation of her heart jumping to her throat. Shatter scrambled backwards, kicking and scratching at the slick ground. She didn’t dare turn her back on the stream and whatever that thing was…

Thud.

Her elbow struck something solid wooden with a hollow thump, and clanking of metal cut through the tense air. Shatter twisted and stared the object that obstructed her escape.

A wooden treasure box, one seemingly made of dark oak sat on the floor, the black lacquer glistening enticingly where it caught the streaks of light.