Beyond the wall lay a forest drenched in shadow and silence. Trees stood like sentinels of judgment, their bark gnarled with time, their canopies blotting out the sky. Seraina stood frozen, her bare arms trembling as a gust of cold wind brushed against her skin.
Ladina turned, a wicked smile stretching across her face. With a flick of her wrist, she threw a bundle of light clothing toward Lina. "Take it," she said almost sweetly.
Lina caught it and immediately slipped into the clothes, her hands shaking. The fabric was rough and smelled of iron and ash, but at least it shielded her.
"Survive, my friends," Ladina cooed. "If you don't, forget revenge. You'll drag your families into hell with you."
Lina stepped forward. "What the hell are you planning? Why are you doing this?!"
Ladina twirled a strand of her hair, her eyes gleaming. "Entertainment." Her voice dropped into something darker. "Don't let the girls catch you. Or the dogs. If they do, you'll beg for death."
Then she was gone. The steel door slammed shut. Silence returned.....for half a heartbeat.
Then came the sounds. Footsteps. Low growling. Branches breaking.
Seraina felt her lungs contract. "Lina..... What....."
"Run!" Lina screamed, grabbing Seraina's wrist.
"Where?!"
"I don't know! Just RUN!"
They bolted into the underbrush, thorns scraping their legs, roots nearly toppling them. Behind them came the howls.....first one, then many. Barking. Female voices, shrill and animalistic, echoed through the woods.
The forest was alive and it was hungry.
They ran until their legs burned, until the sweat poured down their faces. The forest thickened, branches clawing at their skin. The cries behind them grew louder. Closer.
"They're gaining!" Seraina gasped.
Lina looked over her shoulder. She saw them.
Women. At least five, sprinting barefoot through the woods. They wore Valkyrie-like armor...ornate breastplates, silver helms with winged crests, but their faces were painted in grotesque tribal patterns. Beautiful, but monstrous. Each held a weapon: spears, daggers, whips with metal tips.
"Run to the river!" Lina shouted.
Seraina's legs gave out once, then twice. But somehow, she kept going. Branches tore her arms. Blood mixed with dirt. She didn't stop.
Then the forest thinned.
A river.
Wide. Fast.
Behind them, the barks exploded into a frenzy.
They didn't hesitate.
Lina grabbed Seraina's hand. "Jump!"
And they did.
The current pulled them under. Cold water slammed into their chests. Seraina screamed, water filling her mouth. She kicked wildly until her head broke the surface. She saw Lina swimming beside her, barely holding on.
When they finally reached the other bank, they collapsed, coughing and shaking.
Then they heard it.
The growls.
And the women.
They had arrived at the other side.
One stood ahead of them. Alone. She stepped forward with a silent grace, blood dripping from her knife. Her eyes locked onto Seraina.
Seraina tried to stand, but her body failed. Lina was struggling to get up.
The woman smiled. "You are perfect," she whispered.
She pounced.
Seraina screamed as the woman pinned her down. Her wrists were forced above her head by the woman's iron grip.
"Get off her!" Lina shouted, dragging herself forward.
The woman ignored her. She leaned close to Seraina, sniffing her like an animal.
Then, in one smooth motion, she tore Seraina's shirt down the middle, exposing her chest to the cold air.
Seraina cried out. "No, please....…!"
The woman began drawing a symbol into the dirt beside them. Her finger was coated in blood.
A circle. A horned emblem. It pulsed faintly.
She began chanting in a language older than time.
Seraina's vision blurred. She was sobbing.
"Annelise...." she whimpered. "You bitch….. help me...…"
Before she could finish her sentence, the woman silenced her with a kiss.....rough, invasive, and full of intent. Seraina froze. Her mind emptied, every thought drowned in the shock of it. Her body tensed, yet her back arched involuntarily, a reaction she didn't understand and couldn't control. Then she tasted it....salty, metallic.
Her eyes flew open.
Blood.
It flooded into her mouth, thick and bitter. She gagged, twisting her head away, and spat onto the floor. The red splatter glistened against the stone.
"You're beautiful," the woman whispered, voice hushed and reverent. "Perfect for the ritual."
"Wait…... please...…" Seraina gasped, tears edging her voice. "Let me go."
But the woman moved lower. Seraina's breath hitched as the warm, wet drag of a tongue slid slowly across her chest.
"No...… no…... stop!" she cried, twisting in her bonds. Her voice cracked. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might burst through her ribs.
But the woman wasn't caressing.....she was creating. Each stroke of her tongue left behind dark streaks of blood, precise and deliberate, forming a ritual circle over Seraina's heart.
And as it continued, something strange crept into Seraina's body.
She felt violated.....yes. Exposed. Degraded. But also…... something else.
It wasn't arousal, but it lived in the same part of her body.....something low and electric. Her skin burned under the blood, her breath grew shallow. It wasn't pleasure—it was confusion wearing its skin. A primal, ancient feeling, rising like steam from the depth of her nerves. The horror of not understanding what she felt made her panic even more.
What is this? What is happening to me? she thought, shaking her head as if she could dislodge the sensation.
Tears spilled down her cheeks. She felt like a canvas, a vessel, not a person. Like her body was no longer hers.
The woman continued, reverent and silent, eyes half-lidded like a priestess before a god.
Seraina's scream was ragged now, broken. Her voice wasn't asking for freedom anymore.
It was begging for clarity.
The blade lifted over her chest.
Then...crack!
The woman lurched sideways as a sharp branch impaled her shoulder.
Lina stood behind her, blood dripping from her own hands.
The woman shrieked. Not in pain. In rage.
Lina tackled her fully, knocking her off Seraina. They rolled across the ground.
Seraina gasped, covering herself, tears still flowing.
"You're not dying here," Lina growled. "You hear me?! You're NOT dying here!"
The forest didn't let go easily.
But they ran. Again.