Fantasy A New Kind of Wonderland

Zaxs and Annlise kept their pace, the feelings of such negative emotions continued to linger on them even though they tried to speak positively and think of the best. It was still somewhat a futile struggle. Though there struggle was close to ending as the light grew bigger and bigger and they were at the far end of a tunnel of trees. The cutoff point where light shown brighter then anything they have witnessed in the past few minutes.
"Look we are almost free from here, another step closer towards our goal of getting you home Annalise."
The light was illuminating some of the path ahead, so Zaxs quickly flicked his lighter shut and lifted Annalise from the path, running towards the exit.

He began to sprint, they were nearly to the exit.
"We are so close, then we can forget about this place. I am sorry I let go of you Annalise...It-" He was cut off as landed face first, a hand of pure darkness wrapped around his ankle. As he tripped and landed on his face. Both his lighter and Annalise went flying forward from the momentum of Zax's running. He began to slowly get dragged back into the darkness, what was this creature. Its hand began to burn slightly from the light, but it was determined to pull the man back into the woods. While Zaxs laid there, possible woozy from his face plant into the hard gravel path.
"Ugh..u.." He laid there groaning as he was being pulled almost completely back into the darkness of the woods.

They were getting closer, the light was inching closer and closer. The pair began to pour on some speed, which mostly consisted of Zaxs's pulling Annalise along. The girl struggled to keep up with the man, whenever she tried to speed up she felt as if something was pulling at her feet.
"So close...w-we...". The light was right there... Zaxs was apologizing again..though Annalise didn't understand why. This was all her fault. She was the one who'd fallen behind.
"D-don't ap-apolgize it's m- AH!". Annalise cried out as she felt herself falling. One second she was leaning on Zaxs, shuffling toward the exit, the next she was flung forward and Zaxs's was torn away from her.
Annalise hit the ground hard, landing on her side the wind was knocked out of her, tears welled in her eyes as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Z-Zaxs...?". the girl rubbed her head. What had happened, one second they were walking and... Her gaze flickered to the lighter laying discarded on the path. "Zaxs...". she blinked, slowly as things clicked into place.
Her gaze moved up the path, and settled on the groaning figure of her masked friend. "ZAXS!?"
The girl scrambled forward, grabbing Zaxs's hand she held on as tight as she could.
Whatever was pulling him responded by yanking harder, Annalise could feel her grip slowly slipping.
"Zaxs!"
Using both hands she tightened her grip on the teen's hand. "Zaxs wake up!".
She could feel the weight of the dark pressing in on her shoulders, and a voice whispered that all would be well if she just let go...

The darkness slowly began to wrap itself around Zaxs leg, tying itself around his ankle and tightening his grip on him. The strength began to get stronger the more Zaxs was in the darkness until it was almost overpowering Annalise and dragging her slowly back in with Zaxs. Slowly Zaxs began to wake up, still feeling dizzy though. His head spinning as he lifted it up to look at Annalise struggling to to hold onto him and pull him from the darkness.
"What is going on?" He began to piece together the situation before grasping Annalise hand back though it was slipping and dragging her back too. Zaxs looked at her then back at the creature holding onto his leg. He then shifted back to Annalise.
"You have to let me go! I mean it! I will be fine just let go of my hand, you will be okay."
Zaxs let go of her hand so only her grasp was keeping him from getting dragged away.

The thing in the darkness of the woods seemed to be growing stronger as it seemed to take some shape, coming out from the shadows and revealing a very enormous creature with 6 tendrils and massive sharp teeth. Its focus fixated on the masked man, but one of the other hands he had began to slowly crawl towards Annalise, until it touched her and started to try and wrap around her wrists and leg.

Annalise held on with everything she had, unwilling to let go. Even as Zaxs insisted, she shook her head. She didn't know what madness lurked in the dark, but she didn't want to find out. She certainly didn't want to let it take the only person who had been kind to her while she was here.
She shook her head stubbornly and tightened her grip, even as Zaxs let go. Despite her best efforts though, Zaxs was slipping, and she was also being pulled back, closer to the darkness. And the darkness was no longer just a black void around them.

"W-what is...'. Annalise's eyes widened in fear as the creature began to take shake, she yelped and flinched as one of the tendrils brushed against her leg. As it began to wrap around her the girl reflexively clawed at it, trying to free herself. A split second after she managed to do so she realized she'd let go of Zaxs.
Face pale and eyes wide, the girl stumbled to her feet, frozen in fear. She didn't know what to do...
What could she do, against a monster like that?

Zaxs was immediately taken to the darkness of the the woods. The creature seemed satisfied as it began to slowly crawl back into darkness blending into its environment though it hesitated as it looked at Annalise with her pale and lifeless expression. A tendril began to slowly creep back towards her, getting slower as it approached the light. If she could stumble back a bit farther towards the castle she would be free from the creatures grasp. Though it beckoned her towards itself.
"Do not fear little one, there is room in this place for everyone. You will get used to the dark and learn to see with more then just your eyes...like this fellow." He pulled at Zaxs who was somewhat lifeless, as though he was a puppet. Was it Zaxs? It seemed like a doll hanging in the creatures grasp as he moved it like a puppet.

It walked forward and motioned for Annalise to come a bit closer, as the tendrils began to inch themselves to Annalise's feet slowly climbing her legs and wrapping around her, tugging softly. The puppet even walked closer and touched her hands, also tugging at her.
"Come on there is plenty of room here, you can make so many friends and leave your past behind you."
Suddenly the tendrils stopped, as a sharp screeching can be heard from the creature and the puppet and its tendrils came back. It screeched again though this time it sounded gargled, as Annalise could see the figure struggling and waving around in the dark though mostly just the outline of the creature. Until suddenly it stopped and fell forward landing right in front of Annalise. She could see the corrupt thing, its back full of dolls and husks of people all dressed differently, its eyes sown shut and its massive teeth and mouth open. It started to fizzle and burn as it was in the light its body turning into ashes being blown away by the wind.

Suddenly another figure began to come from the dark woods, though it was human like but something retracted towards the head and back. Once it reached the light the figure was Zaxs! He was still in one piece, though he seemed a bit hurt as he limped towards Annalise. His mask was chipped near the bottom and on one of the eyes. Though he seemed alright and all his other wounds were just bruises.
"See. I told you things would be alright...now can you help me?" He held his hand out stretched towards Annalise, and Zaxs seemed to be wobbling almost ready to fall over.

Annalise could hardly breathe, the creature yanked Zaxs away, into the darkness, and all she could do was watch. She couldn't even muster a scream, not even as the monster turned and seemed to give her a second look. She did take a half step back, every fiber of her being was telling her to run.
Just as it had before.
Run, run away now, and save yourself.
The thought railroaded it's way through her brain like a freight train, the woman flinched as the tendrils slowly began creeping up her legs.
The creatures words barely registered in her mind at all, though the eerie, puppet like figure of Zaxs approaching her was enough to get a muffled scream out of her. She squirmed and tried to move away as the thing touched her.
Run away, and abandon him...just like you did before.
She shook her head and pulled away from the puppet, squeezing her eyes shut she just prayed for this all to be a bad dream.

She didn't open them again until she heard the screams. The inhuman cries of the monster sent a shiver down her spine, once her legs were free Annalise scrambled to move away, but in her haste she wound up tripping and falling. Stunned once again, she watched the monster wriggle and squirm, as it came under some sort of attack.
As quickly as it all started it ended, with the monster falling face first into the light...and in front of Annalise. She couldn't hold it in anymore...as the thing began to dissolve she let out a blood curdling scream while hiding her face in her hands. The girl sniffled and whimpered, shaking she waited for whatever creature had felled this monster to come for her next.

After several seconds, she peeked between her fingers, marveling at the fact she was still in one piece. It was then she noticed the humanoid figure shuffling toward her...she gulped, and silently hoped that somehow...it was Zaxs.
And by some miracle...
"Oh thank god...!" the girl staggered to her feet and rushed over to help the limping man. She didn't know what had just happened, and something told her she probably didn't want to.
"I-I'm sorry I'm sorry...". she stammered an apology a she looped one of Zaxs's arms over her shoulder. Her gaze lingered on the areas where his mask was broken...she couldn't help herself really.

"I...w-what...what was that...thing...?" she looked down to the dissolving creature as she helped Zaxs down the path, toward the light and out of the forest.