"Momma, I wanna ride that! Pwease, pwease! I was a verrry good girl, wasn't I?" She begged her mother while on her knees with her tiny hands clamped together. Doing so caused her boots to get covered in mud, while her clothes were already covered in dirt.
The blonde woman in a coat stood there with a solid face that spoke the word 'NO'.
Her emerald eyes in adoration of her baby dressed in the cute outfit she borrowed from the neighbours were the only indication that she was her mother. The outfit consisted of a knotted double loop scarf, saffron coloured with white stripes, representing optimistic beginnings for the newly joined members of the 'Sophie Scholl and White Roses Scout for Girls'. Just as the name suggests, the emblem was of a white rose with its famous thorny stem and leaves crawling over the border. With the correct measurement, it managed to fit her with great perfection.
The problem?
The Scout fit was years old and not updated to the official one; suffice to say, it did not bear any similarities to the official Scout fit.
Despite not having the necessary funds, the newly acquitted 'Rosie Red's Buds' Scout group made it impossible to forget their newly designed emblem. The picture of a blonde lady with a red rose adorned in her hair was everywhere. From the stalls to the bathrooms, you name it.
Little girls in their ruby tutu with the emblems twirled around while the others tore all the roses from the plants and placed them in their pockets.
Regardless, nobody cared.
That's why her mother was able to confuse the guards into thinking she was the ambassador, which allowed the enthusiastic daughter to walk in her fit. They thought that this was a way to symbolize the quote 'out of the old, into the new'.
Currently, they found themselves in the middle of the crowd, her mother scrolling through the pictures on her phone while her daughter stood there with her camcorder to document the field trip for a summer holiday assessment.
Mind you, she's just six years old.
"Really? Then I wonder who broke the vase that Aunty Vanessa gifted us?" She wondered, even though she knew who did it.
"Well... that was an accident. Come on Mum! It was ugly and did NOT suit your taste.", she pointed out.
The sweet girl, inherently shy, knew she was guilty. The boat ride was such a cruel desire of hers for so long, that she settled on putting her cute blue eyes to her advantage in getting Mrs. Willows' permission. The mother two steps ahead of her charming daughter saw right through her eyes but couldn't help but give in.
"Alright, you can have a ride but you-"
"Shouldn't lie to gain what you desire the most. I know I am a big girl. Guess what? I knew you would say yes because I am a smart girl. You never know when you will lose your memories."
She tried to wink at her mother but failed to do so.
After putting her items away in her backpack, her mother knelt down and clamped her hands around the gremlin's face, messing her face up and down. Before they knew it, bubbles of giggles arose, making the mother-daughter duo topple down to the ground in heaps of laughter.
People around them giggled along, while others were concerned whether to call the guards or not.
Her mother reassured them while pulling her into an embrace, which meant something maddening was about to happen.
Before she could take her chances to escape the embarrassment, her mother turned her around to set some ground rules.
"I know my baby is growing so fast that I can't record it, but I don't want my baby to leave me. Okay? Promise me that you will be near me the whole time." Her mother held out her pinky finger to promise.
Something about her mother's eyes told her something else.
Having the sixth sense, she looked into her mother's eyes before covering her ear to ask her the question that struck a chord.
"Fine, I promise. But mum... is it because of Papa?" She whispered into her mum's ear.
She flinched but masked it with her calm demeanour.
"Honey, it's nothing, your dad is fi-" Then a man pulled her towards himself. Within a blink of an eye, the person kissed the shocked girl's cheek.
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The man was tall with sleek raven hair, and dark navy blue eyes that scanned all over the area to keep his queen and pawn together and safe. With a scoop, he cuddled both the mother and her daughter.
The gremlin started to glow red and fought against the kidnapper with all her strength.
Unfortunately, the man managed to avoid all her special moves just like yesterday, the day before yesterday, the week before this week, the month before this month.....you get the picture.
"DAD! Stop it! You're embarrassing me!" She remarked in a hushed tone and crossed her arms while facing the so-called "kidnapper". She blew up her cheeks and squinted her eyes to glare at her father's innocent eyes. Everyone would be unable to restrain themselves from oozing with glee at this degree of adorableness. They all wondered how her parents coped with her.
"Come on! It's a campsite, not your school." He answered with his right arm, pointing around.
The lush greenery blended in with the multicoloured tents, whose main purpose was to lure you into this wonderland. The campsite was thoughtfully designed to preserve the natural beauty of the surroundings. Tall trees provide shade, and sparkling streams wind their way through the area, reflecting the sunlight. Colourful bunting made from recycled materials flutters in the gentle breeze, leading you to different sections of the campsite. In the heart of the campsite lies the carnival area. Imagine traditional wooden carnival booths nestled among the trees, offering games and activities for all ages. There were ring tosses, bean bag throws, and a beautifully restored Ferris wheel that gave you a bird's eye view of the entire campsite. A merry-go-round, with hand-carved animal figures, spins gently under a canopy of fairy lights. There were stalls filled with weapons which you could use to gain prizes for your loved ones. At the same time, some sold food to end your hunger.
The family stood near multiple counters with the title 'BOATING FOR LIFE'. Behind them, the helpers assigned the kids to their respective boats to board their journey. They paired four of them with a helper in each boat. From there they rowed into the wilderness.
It was like a carnival if it was a campsite.
" I know, but can we go on that boat trip, please? " The cunning girl tried her tactic 704 on her parents, which was an over the top melodramatic puffy eyes with eyelashes trying to stop the tears from dropping.
Her father immediately took the bait and tried to console her.....which had no effect whatsoever.
"Sure-no, I mean what your mother told you?" He stammered while looking for his wife's approval.
"Which is yes, so let me down already, will you?" She gave dad an are-you-done look, after wiping her tears off and swinging her legs out to accidentally kick her dad's rock solid tummy.
It was his turn to be shocked by how her mood had changed.
Just like her mother, he thought.
"The older she gets, the more restless she gets." He remarked while putting his energetic girl down gracefully.
"Now, where is our mother, dearest?" She asked while fixing her Scout outfit.
"Over here. As it turns out, our BIG girl has to board the boat ride with helpers only. I am sure she will be alright." Her mother informed them while putting a ticket band on her daughter's delicate hand.
"Of course, I will be. Right, papa?" she demanded from her father but received no reply.
Annoyed, she turned around to see the changed scenario in front of her as a ghastly look crossed her face.
She turned to see her father who was now on the ground with his sleeves ripped, exposing his arm with blood dripping over it. The heavy greenery of the evergreen forest was replaced with smoke and a blaze of fire spread around the whole campsite. Screams of terror and sorrowful whimpers filled the air. The fun-filled atmosphere changed drastically to a deadly scenario where the only hope of survival lingered at its dead-end.
The tents were tattered and collapsed next to them, covering the dead body of a beheaded person. The Ferris Wheel had half of its cabins open, with dead people dangling from the door hinges. The worst part was that the alive ones were trapped and within seconds became a feast for the ferocious and hungry predators.
Within a few feet from them, a guard tried to fight his way out with the guns and its bullets but to no avail, he fell prey to the new apex predator.
It would mess up one's mind to the point where they had to be sent to a mental asylum.
The frightened girl, shaken up by the sudden change of surroundings, stood still on the ground, her hands in fists. She crouched, tears flowing down her face, with her head in her hands. She was lost in her thoughts until her father's voice snapped her back into reality.
"RUN ASHLEY! RUN LOVE! LEAVE YOUR DAMN FATHER RIGHT HERE, RUN PLEASE HONEY. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE-" A strange figure came with its mouth open towards him. It twisted her father's head to the opposite side to silence his last words. His loud voice seemed to have disturbed it. It devoured his dead flesh while ripping his chest open with its sharp fingers. She stood in horror as the creature turned to face her. Would it have been human if it was? Was it a human? But what made her think it was once a human was its eyes. Despite having a disfigured body with dead muscles everywhere but the fingers, where the skeleton was exposed. Its eyes were humanoid brown eyes.
She then realized it was a helper.
The helper who helped the kids get on the boat.
THE HELPER who scanned her ticket.
THE HELPER WHO WAS IN THE SAME BOAT AS IT'S SUPERVISOR.
She had no time to cry or shout as it came towards her running while exposing its razor-sharp teeth.
She had only one option: RUN.
She turned to run as fast as she could, but she tripped over, causing her to fall and get her hazel brown hair and her Scout dress covered in mud. When she found out the source of the problem, she was mortified.
She fell over Aunty Vanessa's dead body with her eyes glued to her and her mouth ripped open.
Ashley turned and twisted her way out around the nooks and sharp thorns of the bushes in the forest she was stuck in. She could still smell the decaying human flesh and hear the terrifying shrieks of the unknown world they were entering. Her lovely Scout outfit was now tattered up and covered with dirt and the redness of her father's blood that splattered on her. Observing fresh wounds and cuts increased her adrenaline but did not yield any solution to get out of the nightmare.
Suddenly, a cliff came into view.
She knew if she stayed there, she would end up like them.
Without further hesitating, Ashley jumped off.
Only if she knew she had broken her mother's last promise.
This Ashley would be the protagonist of this very world.