Be silent

Chapter 4

Blank gulped as they heard the thing speak, but choked on the vile in their throats due to the dryness. The child scoffed and quickly sat back on their haunches to stare up at the.....woman? The little human was flabbergasted, another human in the maze? Were they a surviving explorer?
"A human child..." the newcomer said, her voice was wispy and just above a whisper in reality, "Never thought I'd see one again." She mused and tapped the chin of her mask.
Blank felt himself being lifted by soft, undamaged hands. The child whimpered as he was gently placed on his feet and brushed from any dirt. This supposed human was quite motherly to say the least, she seemed to be about eighteen years of age. Her skin was a caramel color that Blank could only marvel at, it was smooth and unhindered by the cruelties of life, her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail with a lock of the blonde mess flipping over her forehead in a fashionable way, her face was hidden by a black mask of what seemed to be a grinning cat but one eye was bandaged loosely with thick cloth, she wore a dull pink striped crop top with high waisted jean shorts that clung quite tightly to her curves, her stomach was split with a grotesque stitched scar, she was barefoot and had slender legs. The strangest factor, was that about from her feet up to her mid thighs were splattered with this black goop. It was on her hands and arms as well.
"Like what you see?" The thing asked with a hissing chuckle.
Blank jolted and folded his hands together passively, "Oh no- I uh-"
"No? Are you calling me ugly?" The humanoid asked with a cold venom in their already whispery voice.
"No! No not at all I mean- I-" Blank stumbled and tripped over his words, his tongue tying and twisting over the syllables like a drunken man.
"I'm just playing with you, no need to get your boxers in a bunch." The creature laughed aloud this time, "Demon?" She questioned soon up after.
Blank frowned, "No. Human." He murmured with a disdain in his voice.
"Demon." The thing insisted and reached out and touched his face, her hands were soft and warm.
"I tell you that I am human." Blank growled out and yanked away forcefully from the hands.
"I insist that you a demon. No human would walk in here and actually get out of the main entrance." She advised and seemed to get the message Blank did not want to be touch. Instead she sat down on a near by rock and began to run her black fingers through the golden blonde locks of hair she possessed.
"I did not come here willingly," Blank claimed ruefully, his face contorted into a grimace at the memory.
"Then how did a little human boy come to this maze?" She shot back with a grime in her voice that made Blank cringe at the cruelness of it.
"I do not wish to talk about it..." the child responded with a saddening softness in his face.
"What is your name?" The other asked, her voice back to its calming whisper.
"I am Blank, but what does it matter? Name or not makes no difference of my undoubted fate of death." The child growled out as their hands made fists at their sides.
"Silence your anger child, we have no need for that in this world." She replied and stood, "My name is Tacete. Now come, we must go."
Blank fell silent, he felt the welling anger wash from his body. The tension in his shoulders relaxed as he felt Tacete take his small hand and lead him away from the exit he had popped out of.
"Be silent. Be silent, a child has come. Be silent. Be silent." Tacete's voice floated through the air in a melodious tone that left Blank felt like he was floating.
The child didn't know where he was being lead, but he felt oddly safe with this strange woman. Tacete. The name sounded familiar, oh so familiar that the meaning of it was on the tip of his tongue. Blank shook his head as he swerved just in time to avoid a twisted tree.
"Be silent. Be silent. The child has come..." voices echoed back. Blank's hidden eyes widened as he looked around at the little paper bag creatures as they sang the words back to Tacete.
Tacete just continued to sing her simple little phrase, her slender legs leading her towards a large tree. Blank let out a small noise as he stumbled over a rock, only to be steadies by the person leading him. Tacete didn't say much more, instead humming a chilling tune that shook Blank right down to his core. The chilling song shooting icy daggers down his spine that blossomed into ever fuzzy warmth that burned his chest and made the acid in his stomach practically boil. The child said nothing though, instead following his assumed captor to the tree.
He felt his sore and tried body being laid down against something surprisingly soft When he moved to get a better look, he saw that he was being cradled by the larger "human". She was humming, her song floating and weaving its way into Blank's heart causing his eyes to drop heavily with fatigue.
"Where are we...?" Blank asked, his voice broken and beaten like the rest of him.
"We are at the tree." Tacete responded.
"Why..?" The child as asked and sank into his hoodie.
"You are tired, yes?" Tacete adjusted her warm grip on the smaller body in her lap.
"Yes but...how do I know that I can trust that you will not harm me?" Blank asked and leaned his head against her chest.
"You cannot. You can only trust yourself to trust I will not." She was scanning the horizon, glaring at any little bag creature that dared to creep closer.
"Oh..." Blank replied and closed his eyes, sleep began to pull him down into it's heavy grasp and squeeze the energy out of him like a rag.
"Sleep child." Tacete responded as last and spread her warm fingers over his chest in a way that seemed oddly mother like.
Blank decided not to argue, instead letting his poor body relax into her strangely comforting arms and letting sleep finally drown him.