Wings of Sorrow (A horror fantasy novel) Read Free Page B

to step on the broken beer bottle that hid amongst the grass. The naked man lay on his back, choking. Gouts of water came out of his throat with every cough, and his hacking sounded painful. What on earth was he doing there?
    She ran to his aid, but when the struggling stranger saw her, his eyes went wide and he seemed to panic.
    “It’s okay,” she said, placing a hand against his hitching chest. She blushed when the corner of her eye detected his penis flapping around only inches from her hand, but she tried to focus on the fact that he was in need. Something had obviously happened to him, and it was lucky she had been here. He managed to sit up and allowed her to pat him on the back with her palm. There was a sloshing sound as she beat at him, and then, eventually, more water came up, flooding out through his mouth and nostrils. The man took in a single sucking breath that seemed to go on forever, then began hacking again.
    “There you go,” she said soothingly. “Cough it up.”
    A ragged groan escaped his lips. “W-who…”
    “My name is Scarlet.”
    “…am I? Who am I?”
    “You don’t know who you are?”
    He was mid-twenties and handsome, with dark brown hair and a layer of stubble on his chin, but his scrunched up forehead and quivering lower lip made him seem like a lost little boy. “I… don’t remember,” he eventually admitted.
    Still patting at his back, she asked him, “What happened to you? How did you lose your clothes? Did you go skinny dipping or something? Because I can tell you that swimming in a lake alone in the evening is pretty dumb.”
    “Dumb?”
    She nodded. “Yeah, dumb— stupid . I’m going to call you some help, okay?”
    He grabbed her arm, making her recoil, but she quickly realised that he was not trying to hurt her. “I have something to do. I’m here to… I need to remember. Take me somewhere I can think.”
    “Like where? You probably need a doctor. Are you hurt?”
    He shook his head. “I function correctly.”
    “Well, that’s just… super. What do you want to do then? Because you can’t just lie here. I can see your… you know, your junk .”
    The man followed her sideways glance to between his legs. “My genitalia offends you?”
    “What, no, it’s fine… No, wait…. I mean…” She felt herself growing redder in the cheeks. “Just saying you should cover up.”
    “Cover up?”
    It was a warm evening, but the thin cardigan she was wearing went down to her knees and would perhaps be enough to give him back his modesty, so she took it off and thrust it at him. “Put this on.”
    He rose up to his knees, allowing her to notice a pair of long, thick scars on either side of his back. Before she could take a closer look, though, he had wrapped the peach coloured cardigan around himself and was examining himself wearing it. “I don’t like the colour,” he said.
    “Beggars can’t be choosers, and it’s better than wandering around butt-naked. Do you need me to call anyone? I have to tell you that this is all really weird.”
    The expression on his face was distrustful, and he seemed most wary of a nearby group of geese. “Will you take me somewhere where my appearance will not offend? I wish not to be disturbed until I can remember my purpose for being here.”
    Scarlet frowned. “Your purpose? Are you some kind of nut-job, because if you are, then I really should be going.”
    His eyes went manically wide. “No, Scarlet, please? You are… kind .”
    It was an odd situation, but the compliment made her smile. She was kind, and it was nice for someone to notice. It had started to feel like kindness didn’t get you anywhere, and that was kind of sucky. “Yeah, well, I’m sure anybody would be willing to help a stranger in need.”
    “No, they would not. There is great trouble in this world. I sense it all around me. Sorrow is everywhere.”
    “Are you always this light-hearted?”
    “My heart weight is normal. Please, Scarlet, take me