I’m shaking, my whole body trembling as if it’s about to collapse under the sheer weight of my fear. My heart thunders in my chest, erratic and wild, like a trapped bird slamming against the bars of its cage.

It’s them.

Those monsters!

The burly brute with a beard like a tangled nest of filth, his teeth gnashing as he grins, and the tall, skeletal figure with slicked-back hair, his crooked teeth gleaming in the dim light like jagged knives. Their twisted faces burn into my mind, their very presence suffocating. And behind them, a pack of at least ten others, each one vile in their own unique way, all radiating the same sickening, predatory hunger.

They’re all human.

But their eyes…

Their eyes pierce through me, gleaming with cruel amusement and wicked intent, more monstrous than any beast. It’s as if they’re peeling me apart, savoring the sight of my fear like vultures circling a dying creature. I feel their stares digging into my skin, stripping me down to nothing. It’s as though I’m not a person to them—just helpless prey, caught in their trap.

The sight alone is enough to make my legs buckle. My breath catches in my throat as icy dread spreads through me like poison.

Then I see it.

In the burly man’s filthy, oversized hand lies something delicate and haunting—a black flower.

Black as the void.

Eris’ words flash through my mind, and realization crashes over me.

This thing—we just talked about this thing!

“N-Nightmare Orchid?” My lips part, trembling as the name forces its way out.

Instantly, the bearded man’s grin splits wider, grotesquely stretching across his face.

“Oh? So the little kitty knows what this is?” he mocks, his voice gravelly and dripping with malice. “You’re smarter than you look. That’s right, this is a Nightmare Orchid! Beautiful, isn’t it? A single sniff of its pollen, and it’ll show you things—things so horrifying, you’ll wish you were dead. But…” He pauses, his grin twisting into something even darker. “How the fuck did you wake up?”

That… I don’t know.

It’s the other Felicia, the real Felicia, who woke me up.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Wait… Eris!

I spin around desperately, searching for her. But what I see stops my heart cold.

There she is, right behind me.

Standing completely still.

There’s no emotion on her face, and her chest rises and falls mechanically, like her soul has left her body and she’s just a doll.

“No… no, no, no, no!” I stammer, stumbling toward her. Gripping her arm tightly, I shake her with everything I have. “Eris! ERIS!!! Please wake up! Please, WAKE UP!”

Her body sways limply with my frantic shaking, but she doesn’t respond. Not a single flicker of recognition.

“She’s not gonna wake up, little kitty,” the bearded man says, his voice a low, guttural growl.

I spin back to him, and his grin only grows darker, more menacing.

“Hehehe,” he chuckles. “Without the antidote—or my permission—she’s gone. Bet that bitch is having some sweet dreams right about now.”

“No…” The word catches in my throat.

“But Dylan, why can this chick shake off the flower’s effect so fast? It’s been only a few seconds!” the tall man with slicked-back hair growls.

“Beats me!” the bearded bastard shrugs. “Like I said, she must have some special ability or something!”

“Wait! Could it be… that she resisted it with magic?”

“Hmmmm…” The bearded guy rubs his chin, his eyes narrowing. “Nah, that’s not possible!”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

Seconds?

They’re saying it’s only been seconds since the flower took effect?

But that nightmare—it wasn’t seconds. It was hours. Endless, excruciating hours wandering alone in a suffocating darkness that gnawed at my mind and soul. It felt like an eternity.

And yet, as horrible as that was…

This—this is worse.

This is the real nightmare!

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!” I scream.

“Oh, we want a lot,” the bearded man’s lips curl into a grotesque sneer. “Because of that fucking Gordon guy, we couldn’t finish what we started last time. But now…” He drags his tongue across his cracked lips in the most revolting and vile motion. “Now, you are in our hands.”

“Ahhh, can I have some fun with her? Just a little bit?” The slender man speaks up, his gaze roaming over me.

“No, you idiot! We sell her! Someone as pretty as her is worth millions! The nobles will pay hefty for this!”

What?

Millions!

The word slams into me like a punch.

So that’s why they’re here.

That’s why they’re after me!

They want to kidnap me and sell me to some nasty bastard in a slave market!

“Well, if you want to have fun, we can have the other one,” the burly man says.

“Oh yeah, that bitch is kinda hot. Not as pretty as the white one, though, but I like it. I’m gonna make her my personal slave!”

“Hehe…”

“Hehehehe!!!”

Their laughter erupts.

And just like that, they draw and brandish their swords, their blades glinting menacingly in the faint moonlight. They creep toward me slowly, their movements calculated, deliberate, like predators toying with cornered prey.

“Come, little kitty… come to papa,” one of them coos mockingly.

I step back, my legs trembling so badly that I stumble, nearly falling.

Fuck.

What do I do?

I don’t know!

“S-STAY BACK! STAY AWAY!!!” I shout, the words tumbling out of me in a panicked rush. My voice cracks, raw and desperate, as I bare my teeth and hiss instinctively. I raise my messer sword, clutching it tightly. “DON’T YOU DARE COME CLOSER!!! DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE!!!”

But they don’t stop.

They don’t even flinch!

“Ohhh, the little kitty’s angry!” The big bastard grins wickedly.

“Once we capture her, we’ll have to teach her some discipline!”

“Nah, no need. Isn’t this turning you on? Don’t you love a little chick with some fierce fighting spirit?”

“Right! And when you break them—when you make them beg—it’s even better. Man, are you sure we want to sell this one?”