Chapter Thirty-Four
Lily
I walk along the stone steps, surrounded by wildflowers.
An open green field leads to a forest with tree branches reaching for the clear blue sky.
The air smells of freshly cut grass mixed with wet dirt.
Birds are in the distance, speaking to one another, a beautiful hum sung in the distance.
I turn around to see a lake with a rowboat tied to the dock.
I take in my surroundings, twirling at the sun kissing my skin.
I make it to some steps that lead to the porch of a wooden house, vast white pillars holding the porch up.
Two large windows are framed with shutters and there’s a wooden front door.
I open the door to the house to see a black chamber with mannequins occupying every square inch.
None of them are clothed and they have their backs to me.
Clothes are scattered on the floor. Mirrors cover the walls.
The abyss swallows the rest of the house.
I take a step back when one of the mannequin’s heads turns to face me, the other mannequin heads following.
A pin drops in the distance and all of the mannequins’ heads fall off their shoulders and roll onto the floor.
I turn to sprint back outside but find myself in another room instead.
The once beautiful forest and open field have transformed into a sinister investigation room.
I press my heels into the floor and look around, finding a chair in the middle, facing away from me.
A figure appears in the chair with blonde hair and my breath hitches when a pair of blue eyes turns toward me.
Jace.
I run to him, but every step I take takes me further away. I can’t reach him. He slowly continues to fade out of my sight. I try to scream, but no sound leaves my mouth. I reach my hands out to touch him, but with every move I make, the further he gets.
I wake up to tears running down my face.
My body convulses as I try to calm my breathing.
I’m no longer tied down. Lifting my hands, I run them along my face.
Crimson flakes fall from my skin. A knot the size of a baseball has taken over my eye.
My whole body feels mutilated, and my throat feels as if I have a thousand fires burning against my vocal cords.
I turn my head side to side to see I’m in a concrete room with one door.
I force my body up, bringing my knees to my chest.
He will find me.
He will find me.
My chest aches as I gasp for air. The wedding dress hangs off my body, torn to shreds. I have no shoes, and all my toes are bleeding.
Fuck.
I look at my big toe, trying to wipe off the blood to find the GPS chip. My nail polish has been removed, and there is no chip in sight.
“Fuck!” I yell.
The bolt on the door unlocks and it scrapes against the floor. A tray flies into the room, sending food onto the ground, including a cup of what I am assuming used to be water, but quickly evaporates into the concrete.
The drag of the door pierces my ears as it slams shut. I drag my body off the twin bed, crawling on my hands and knees. I pick up the tray, looking at my own reflection, and gasp at what I see of myself. I throw the tray at the door, letting out a broken scream.
He promised.