Windwept

No soul knows how they came to be. But, each soul knows and remembers the day they came. They remember that day the air changed and became cold against their skin, but brought no wind through the air and brought sounds through the night. Each soul remembers the feeling of their presence in the air. They remember, and never forget, the Windswept. But, one boy will seek his revenge; one boy will find the will to kill the Windswept, even if it means losing his own life.

***

The figure stalked through the night. Creeping through the streets in silence, keeping to the shadows. Dying leaves blew through the air with the figure’s steps. There was no wind.
                Unheard and unknown, Heldr slept through the night, unaware of what slipped through their streets. All…but one.

                Linnea woke with a start. Sweat dripped down her face, despite of the cold. Her heart raced. She had felt something, something brush over her.

                Quickly, she drew back her covers and stepped onto the icy stone floor. She crept over to her brother’s bed where he lay deep in sleep, “Emil? Emil, wake up.”

                Emil groaned and swiped the air, just missing Linnea’s arm. She shook him and finally she reached over and plugged his nose. Emil slept on. Linnea sighed in frustration. She then grabbed a hold of Emil’s sheets and pulled, forcing his body off of his bed and onto the cold floor. Again, Emil groaned and his hands started searching for his pillow. When he didn’t find it he finally looked up in frustration.

                Emil looked up at Linnea and finally stood up, “Linnea, what are you doing? You should be asleep.”

                “Emil. I felt something. I felt a presence.”

                Emil climbed back onto his bed and pulled his covers over his head and in a muffled voice replied, “You were dreaming. Just…go back to bad.”

                Linnea shook Emil once again, “No, Emil. I wasn’t dreaming. I felt someone, something brush over me. I think…I’m certain I felt…” she looked around the small room, afraid someone may hear her, then with a whisper, “I felt…the Windswept.”

                A piercing sound filled the air and Linnea was thrown to the ground. Emil bolted up and swiftly covered his ears. The howling lasted, leaving Linnea and her brother writhing in pain. Finally, a dark silence.

                Linnea looked up at Emil in fear, but Emil was staring in horror at the open window of the sibling’s room. He quickly leaped out of bed and covered Linnea’s mouth as she looked to the window and yelp as a dark shadow swept across. Emil and Linnea quickly climbed under their beds as a tall figure peered into the room.

                A dark cloak swept over the figure, preventing anyone to see his face. He stalked high over anyone in the village. His hands reached up and gripped the windowsill. They were red, blood-stained, with long crooked finger protruding cruel, sharp claws.

                Emil still held his hand over his sister’s mouth as tears started to spill down her cheeks. Afraid she may give away their hiding place he kept his hand there until, finally, the Windswept starting again to creep along the shadows, away from the house.

                Emil climbed out from under the bed and helped Linnea, “Emil, Emil that was the Windswept wasn’t it? I told you! I told you it was here!” Linnea screamed frantically through her tears and violent shaking.

                “Linnea, be quiet. It’s going to hear you,” Emil whispered sharply to his sister.

                Emil and Linnea’s parents had died many years ago and they now lived with their aunt and uncle, two cruel people who often left them alone at night, this being one of those nights. Emil, being at the age of seventeen, was very close to his sister and Linnea, being only eleven, clung to Emil at every second.

                Emil looked down at Linnea, “Linnea, I need you to listen to me,” Linnea shook violently with fear as her brother spoke, “I need you to calm down. He’s gone. You don’t need to worry. I’m going to get you out of here, okay?”

                Linnea nodded hesitantly. Emil walked over to the window where the Windswept once stood and reached up to shut the doors, but before he closed them all the way a hard force thrust him back and threw him onto the floor, his head hit hard on the stone.

                In seconds, the Windswept stood in the room. Linnea sat silent, petrified. The figure slowly stepped toward Emil. Linnea screamed Emil’s name and the Windswept stopped in its tracks and darted its head towards the little girl. It slowly removed its hood.

                Underneath, blood-stained skin covered the Windswept’s face, just as its hands had been on the windowsill. One eye protruded into space, staring into nothing, colored in black. The other bore into Linnea’s soul, filled with blood, filled with hunger. The Windswept’s mouth opened in another earsplitting howl and showed pointed fangs that seemed to grow with every second.

He stepped towards Linnea and Emil tried to swipe at him, but he was too weak from his fall. He was already starting to black out.

Linnea screamed Emil’s name over and over and soon just resulted in a scream that would forever scar Emil’s being. The Windswept lunged and grabbed Linnea. She struggled and Emil could see blood flowing down Linnea’s face as the Windswept’s claws frantically grabbed at her. Linnea finally fell silent and went limp and the Windswept slung her motionless body over his shoulder.

Emil stood and quickly fell back down as he blacked out, falling unconscious. The last thing he saw was the Windswept carrying his sister’s lifeless body into the dark street. But, his last thought was that he would find Linnea and he would seek the revenge that he now craved, wither it took his life or not, he would be the one to kill the Windswept. And the last word that Emil spoke was his sister’s name, “Linnea…”