Swish.
Swish.
Swish.
The sounds of something moving swiftly through the forest rang, along with the rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs.
It was dark and silent, but these noises continued to pierce the eeriness as they traveled through the night.
There was something hidden amongst the shadows that made those who were running from it fear for their lives.
Their hearts pounded, and their lungs ached from overexertion, but they continued sprinting through the trees. Their only goal was survival, yet they were hunted relentlessly as if it were some kind of game to their pursuer.
Suddenly, a figure emerged out from the darkness and jumped onto the back of one of the tribal men, slitting his throat with a blade. Then the next moment, as if it were a ghost, the figure was nowhere to be seen.
"Owwww!" The tribal man who was leading the group cried out in fear and anger as he glanced over his shoulder. He noticed one of his tribesmen being killed right behind him, but he didn't stop running.
He and the other tribal man kept running as fast as they could in an effort to escape this nightmare. Their eyes darted left and right, scanning their surroundings for danger. Sweat poured down their faces, their muscles strained, and their breathing became rapid.
However, even as their adrenaline pumped through their veins, it still wasn't enough to get away from whatever was chasing them.
As they kept running blindly in fear, the shadowy figure once again appeared behind the second tribal man and struck at his legs, tripping him down.
He yelled and tried to get up quickly, but he couldn't, as he was pinned down and his head was raised up, exposing him to the leading tribal man.
That moment, the leading tribal man saw two piercing eyes in the moonlight, sending chills down his spine. They were like the eyes of a demon, filled with evil and malice.
Before he could react, a dagger slashed across the throat of the tribal man on the ground, blood splattering everywhere as his life drained away.
In sheer terror, the leading tribal man immediately ran even faster than before, pushing his body to its limits. All he could think about right then was living and getting out of there alive.
However, even with every fiber of his being focused solely on escaping this nightmare, it was inevitable that he would end up being caught.
And so, just when he turned around a tree trunk, he found himself staring face-to-face with that figure who had been chasing him this whole time.
"GAAAHHH!!" He screamed hysterically, seeing the eyes that were deep like an abyss before him, staring right back into his.
The figure revealed himself in the moonlight.
He wore nothing but a pair of tight shorts that reached up to his thighs. He was covered head-to-toe in blood, grime, dirt, and other debris. He smelled like death itself and had a presence that screamed danger.
Without uttering any words, the figure lunged towards the tribal man, who immediately raised his weapon in a frantic attempt to defend himself. Which did nothing, as the latter dodged the blow and proceeded to slit his throat.
With blood spraying out of the gaping wound, the figure looked into the tribal man's eyes with those empty pits of his and whispered.
"Your people brought this upon yourselves."
And so, the last of the tribal men breathed his last breath.
Oliver looked down at the dead tribal man at his feet. His face was expressionless.
Just how many had he killed since arriving on this island?
Just how many times was he chased by these tribesmen?
Just how many times was he running for his life in these woods?
All of those experiences flashed across his mind.
He wanted to forget what he had done and put it all behind him. But his body and soul had already grown used to these actions. It's like second nature to him now.
The feeling of killing someone and taking away their life... The smell of blood... The fear and the terror that were etched on his prey's faces as they breathed their last breaths... He felt disgusted at himself. He was a murderer now. He was a beast who slaughtered anyone who stood in his path.
The darkness in Oliver's heart grew bigger every day on this island. And as time passed, it became increasingly harder and harder to stay in control. It's like there was some kind of monster growing inside of him, clawing its way out from deep within his soul.
He looked at the dagger he held in his hand. The same one that he had used countless times already. His hand had grown familiar with the weight of the metal. His body had memorized the movements it takes to end someone's life in one swift stroke.
How did it come to this?
How did everything end up this way?
Oliver couldn't help but ask himself.
But alas, it didn't matter anymore. Because he didn't care anymore. Not now, not after going through what he did.
"This island took away my humanity..." Oliver muttered under his breath.
"No," the deep voice replied, snapping Oliver out of his thoughts. "It just made you stronger. That's all."
"Stronger..." Oliver scoffed bitterly and looked around. It felt like his entire existence was surrounded by death. Death and darkness. "Yeah, right."
"Don't think that you are some kind of demon now," the deep voice said again. "You just did what needed to be done. That's all. You protected yourself. That's what you did. And now, you have become someone who can protect those around you. So be proud."
"Protect..." Oliver whispered under his breath. The word sounded hollow in his ears. It felt distant. Unreal. But the more he thought about it, the more he understood what the word meant.
He wanted to protect. He wanted to protect everything that he holds dear. His friends. His lovers. His family. And above all else, he wanted to protect his mother, no matter what happened.
Suddenly, a strong gust blew over him. It brought with it memories. Memories of his mother. Memories of his family. Memories of his lovers. Memories of the past...
These memories filled Oliver with a sense of warmth. It gave him hope that there's a brighter future waiting ahead of him.
Hope and faith. Those two things kept him going all this time.
And now, in his mind, there was one thing he wanted to do above all else.
He wanted to go back home.
"I...want to go home," Oliver mumbled, almost unable to keep himself steady. "I want to go back and see them."
The deep voice chuckled. "Then what are you waiting for?"
Oliver's eyes widened slightly. "What?"
"Your training is over. You know everything that you need to. And so... you can leave this place anytime that you want," the deep voice said in a casual tone.