Chapter 31
WINDY
They’re coming for the flower, and they’re coming for me. Wallace, Willow, and Warrick have all hidden away, their presence now just a memory in the chaos. I’m alone, they called me and pulled me, but I stumbled for some reason, and the flower prevented me from leaving it.
The fear that grips me is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. It’s cold and paralyzing, a dark wave that threatens to drag me under. My hands are trembling, slick with sweat, as I stand at the edge of the clearing, staring at the flower that refused to yield earlier.
I’m supposed to go back for it. I have to. But the thought of stepping forward, of trying again, sends a shiver down my spine.
“I can’t do this,” I whisper to myself, the words barely audible over the noise of the mountain and the approaching men.
I glance around desperately, hoping to see a sign of Wallace, Willow, or Warrick, but there’s nothing. The realization sends a fresh wave of panic through me, and I can’t stop the tears that well up in my eyes. I try to swallow the fear, to push it down, but it’s too strong.
I can hear them now—Aiden’s voice barking orders, the men crashing through the underbrush, getting nearer with every second. I know I need to move, to act, but my legs feel like lead. The flower glows softly in the earth, taunting me with its unreachable promise.
I take a hesitant step toward the flower, but my foot slips on the loose rocks, and I stumble, barely catching myself before I fall. The ground trembles again, a low, ominous warning from the mountain.
“Please, someone… anyone…” I whisper, but there’s no one here to hear me. I’m completely alone.
I can hear Aiden now, his voice clear and cold, cutting through the chaos like a knife.
“Find her! She’s close!”
Panic surges through me, and I know I have to move. I force myself to take another step toward the flower, but my whole body is trembling with fear.
I reach out with shaking hands, my fingers brushing against the petals of the flower. It feels warm, alive like it’s vibrating with power just beneath the surface. But the mountain is still quaking, the ground beneath me unstable.
Aiden’s voice is louder now, the men are practically on top of me. “Spread out! She has to be here somewhere!” I can hear the frustration in his tone, and it sends a fresh wave of panic crashing over me.
I’m shaking so badly now that I can barely stand.
Aiden’s voice is right behind me now, so close I can feel his breath on the back of my neck. “There you are,” he says, his voice cold and triumphant. “I knew I’d find you.”
I close my eyes, my whole body shaking with fear and defeat.
I’ve failed.
I’ve lost.
And now, there’s no escape.