The rain continued to fall outside the cave as he was treating his wounds. Using the last pieces of his torn shirt as a makeshift bandage, the beaten and wounded man winced in pain. This was not the first wound he had received, but this one was particularly nasty. The massive gash across the man's arm brought him to tears as he tightened the bandage around it. The only thing soothing him at the moment was the calming sound of the rain. The sound of the voices unfortunately drowned that out.
Ever since Onus had woken up in this strange land, those voices were the only thing consistent. No matter the time of day, no matter what he was up to, the voices were always crying for help.
"Will you all please just be quiet?"
Onus had long cried out the mental anguish he was feeling as well as the physical pain he had been experiencing, but this place didn't care for his cries. It didn't care that he wasn't from here; all it seemed to care about was killing him.
Shaking his head, Onus stood up. He couldn't rest for long, though, after all those "things" were still after him. Those monsters had been slowly chasing him for the better part of a week, and while he was able to evade them somewhat easily at first, he was running low on steam. He hadn't eaten anything in days, and with the amount of moving he had been doing, coupled with the injuries he was sustaining, it was starting to catch up to him. His only saving grace was that the monsters were inept at climbing, which gave him some opportunity to get away, but one way or another, they seemed to always find him.
The rain was still pouring as Onus stepped outside of the cave. His whole body was aching from the pervious days perils, and his arm felt like it was on fire beneath the rough bandage. All Onus wanted was silence, but that never came.
But the voices would never let him have that.
"Would you all just shut up?" He snapped gripping his head with his one good hand. "Please, please just for one god damn second."
But they never stopped. A wall of screams and half-filled thoughts slammed against his head making it feel like it was about to split open.
"You're killing me. you know that? His voice teetering on the edge of fury and despair. "I am trying to save you - trying - and you're gonna get me gutted because I can't hear them. I can't hear them sneaking up on me. Hell, I can't even hear my own thoughts half the time, And because of that, I almost died last time because of you. He said in a voice filled with spite and malice.
He laughed a little then continued with the same tone.
"But I guess you all would like that, wouldn't you? I mean, its just one less idiot you have to deal with after all."
There was no answer, there never was, just more screaming.
He scrubbed at his face, fingers trembling-the rain washing sweat and dirt down his torn up face.
"God, just... shut up, please." He whimpered this time, almost pleading, "Please"
And for a moment it felt like it had happened, but then the screaming returned drowning out the sound of the rain. Onis bit his tongue as he lurched forward, boots sinking into the mud.
Obviously, the answer was no. No matter how many times Onus had begged the voices, they continued with their cries.
But there were other things to worry about right now. The monsters were still out there. Close. Too close. He hadn't made it far since the last attack, and if they caught him in the open again...
Pushing that thought out of his head he continued to climb.
Turning around he could see the all encompassing forest he was lost in. Even in his sur mood, he couldn't help but marvel at the scenery.
Trees stretched as high up as the clouds, their trunks as thick as houses. These ancient woods must have been growing for generations. For a moment, Onus stared in awe. They were truly a sight to behold. Nothing back home beat this.
Then his thoughts twisted.
'Of course, it hasn't stopped raining once since I've woken up. These damn tree soaking up the water to grow higher while I shrivel away on forest to be forgotten.'
Beautiful flowers sprouted near the base of them with an array of colors and sizes.
He could also see the massive dead log he had used as shelter for a couple of days down in the valley where he had woken up.
If he had to have guessed, he must have climbed over 4,000 meters in the past three weeks. Nothing to boast about, but considering his predicament, he was proud of himself.
Turning back the way he was heading, he spotted a way where the trees parted and made a semblance of a pathway. Feet throbbing, he pushed forward.
Slowly making his way through the thick forest, Onus began to think of what awaited him atop the mountain. He had hoped to find other people who could help him; after all, someone like him was not suited for anything like this. Truth be told, though, no one was.
As he continued to climb, he decided to converse with the voices after he had calmed down from earlier.
"Do any of you think the monsters finally gave up and went home?"
A wave of yes's and no's washed over him as he chuckled to himself, but that soon faded, though, as the voices went back to saying the nonsense like they were before he questioned them. While Onus hadn't been able ever to silence them, he had figured out that they could hear him and that he could converse with them. Simple yes or no questions were about the only thing he could ask them, as anything else would be drowned out by the multitude of words; still, it was better than nothing.
Through a series of questions early on in his journey, Onus had found out several things. On top of being able to hear his surroundings, they could also see them. They didn't however seem to be able to hear his own thoughts, which he was very greatful about. After all, the horrible things he thought about these people were not meant to be heard by anyone. They also couldn't feel anything that he felt, which he was split on the matter. On one hand, if they could feel the pain he felt, they could try to keep the noise to a minimum. On the other hand, he felt wrong that they would have to feel pain that they themselves couldn't avoid. On top of that, he knew that the screams and cries would be much, much worse than they already are.
Reaching the end of the trail, Onus looked around for a new way to march forward.
Just then, a howl broke the relative silence of the forest. Turning around quickly, Onus could make out the shapes of the beasts below him. They were catching up, and fast.
"Shit, well, those of you who answered no, give yourselves a pat on the back."