We’re all alone in a world that has cast us aside.
“Are you okay?” he asks as his fingertips gently stroke my hand.
I try not to flinch away from his touch, instead focusing on the fragile sense of safety it offers, if only for a moment. Relief floods me when Grey doesn’t push me to talk, and eventually, he looks straight ahead instead of at me.
I remove my hand from his hold, breathing deeply while trying to regain some semblance of control. Ignoring how he might react to the loss of contact, I pick at the skin on my heel, finding a grim satisfaction in smoothing out the rough patches.
A rumbling sound from outside the vehicle sends my heart scrambling inside my chest. Our car swerves to the side as another vehicle whizzes past us on the desolate road. I glanceup, seeing Daxton’s grip tighten on the wheel, his knuckles whitening from the force.
The other car continues ahead, paying us no attention.
“That was close.” Daxton’s breath escapes him on a silent sigh, realizing the car poses no threat. Our pace slows, and soon Daxton pulls over to park on the side of the road.
“Is it really a good idea to stop?” Grey questions his brother, agitation evident in his voice.
“Drive yourself then if it’s so damn easy!” Daxton snaps.
I flinch at the way he raises his voice, curling myself deeper into a ball, and hugging myself tighter. Their bickering refuses to stop. Have they been going at it the entire ride from the dollhouse?
Without another word, I unbuckle my seatbelt and push open the car door, stepping out onto the gravel road. The cool breeze greets me, its fresh scent of earth and wood easing my senses. I stretch my legs, take a deep breath, and become acutely aware of how cramped and stifling the car had been, with the lingering pungent smell of burnt wood.
The night looms around us, the moon high up in the sky but casting shadows over the rest of the world.
“Where are you going? It’s not safe—”
“Stay back!” I rear, my heart in my throat, fighting against the panic threatening to overwhelm me.
I need to get out. I need—
I scramble out of the car, closing the door behind me with a loud thud. I hear a car door open and footsteps crunching against gravel, but whoever it is doesn’t come closer. I traverse the path closer to the forest, fighting to breathe properly, but it feels as if my lungs are clogged.
The refreshing night air washes over me, and I allow myself to take a deep breath, focusing on the coolness of it and letting it calm me down.
Finding a tree I can lean against, paranoia takes over, making every cell within itch with renewed nerves. As I stare up at the moon, reality blurs and blends with a nightmare I will never be free from.
“Come to your master, sweet girl,”a dark voice sounds from ahead, feet crunching against branches and leaves.
I’m frozen, paralyzed in fear without the possibility of moving, when a shadowed man steps out of the forest, his form shrouded in danger that promises torture.
“You shouldn’t have escaped from me. You will suffer. Bend!”
A cry escapes me when I see his pointed, black shoes and withered form drawing closer. I fall to my knees as he takes another step, his threatening presence suffocating me.
“Sweet girl. Come join your mother in death.”
A ghostly touch grazes my cheek, unwelcome and chilling, and a cold dread shatters within my ribcage. He’s here; the master came for me. I cry out again as his touch continues, a phantom grip tightening around my throat until I can’t breathe.
“Naya!” A shout from behind rings through the trees, but I cannot reply.
The master holds me in his punishing grip; he will steal me away from Grey, and this time, he won’t let me live.
“Where the fuck are you, Naya?” The voice echoes around me, grazing my senses but refusing to bring me back to reality.
The master is here. He’s here. I’m going to fucking die.
A more welcome touch wakes me out of my paralysis, shaking my arms until I gasp for breath. Pure terror shines in my eyes as I meet sapphire blue ones, finding solace in Grey’s presence. Tears trickle down my cheeks, and I can barely find my voice, desperately stuttering.
“He’s here. Frederick is…here,” I cry out, hugging myself as I scramble to get away from Grey.
