Chapter 54 Chapter 54
"Sometimes death does not separate the living from the dead, it merely delays a reunion neither of them is ready to face.”
The cabin door slammed shut behind Clara with a dull thud that echoed through empty space. Her shoulder collided with a wall, and for a moment panic crawled up her throat, Her lips parted to scream.... to call Trinity’s name, to call for anyone but the sound never came
It lodged somewhere between terror and disbelief because the man who had dragged her inside wasn’t a stranger.
He stood before her now, chest rising and falling heavily, his grip loosening from her wrist as though he were afraid she might break beneath his touch. The low lantern light flickered across his face, casting shadows over features she knew better than her own reflection.
Her father, strong and healthy. Clara blinked twice trying to make sure it wasn't a dream. This could not be real
Her mind scrambled for logic, for reason, for anything that would make this make sense. Maybe Hallucination, shock, fear-induced delusion.... Her brain was finally cracking under the pressure after running and fighting and the near death experiences.
It had to be that because her father was sick, he had been too weak to stand the last time she saw him. Heck, he did not even remember who she was.
The memory of him healthy had been buried so deeply in the past that even remembering it felt like trying to recall a dream from childhood
“This… this isn’t real,” she whispered to herself, shaking her head slowly "it can’t be real.”
Her father stepped forward, cautious, almost gentle. “Clara.”
Her breath faltered, The voice....It sounded exactly like him.
He swallowed before speaking again, calmer this time, as though afraid of frightening her. “It’s real, I promise you it is. But we have to leave the forest first then I’ll explain everything.”
She let out a broken laugh as tears spilled down her cheeks before she even realized they had formed. “You… you should be ashamed,” she stammered, backing away. “Using my father to play some kind of sick prank? Do you know how cruel that is?”
His expression crumpled
“My father has been sick for years,” she continued, voice rising "So sick that I barely remember what he looked like when he was strong. So whoever you are..... just stop, please"
He took a step toward her, instinctively reaching out but she recoiled immediately
"Stay away from me!”
For a long moment, neither of them moved then he sighed softly, shoulders slumping in quiet defeat
“Okay,” he murmured “Okay… I won’t come closer.”
Silence stretched between them then, unexpectedly, he spoke again...
“You know,” he said slowly, “if this were a horror movie, you’d be the first to die not because you’re weak… but because you’d stop to argue with the killer about proper manners.”
Clara blinked, those words brought back memories
He tilted his head slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips
“And then you’d trip over nothing, absolutely nothing but your own bad luck"
Her chest tightened. It was a stupid, ridiculous thing he used to say whenever they watched late night thrillers together. A never ending speech that always made her groan and throw popcorn at him.No one else knew it.
Her eyes widened slowly as realization hitting her “Dad…?”
He didn’t answer with words, he just looked at her with the same soft patience she remembered from childhood.
she stumbled forward sobbing, all resistance crumbled in an instant. She crashed into his arms, gripping him like he might disappear if she loosened her hold.
Clara buried her face against his chest, breathing in the scent of him.. faintly medicinal and cried. Not the quiet tears she’d grown used to shedding over the years, but deep, shaking sobs that left her chest aching.
“You’re strong" she choked. “You’re healthy...how?”
His hand moved slowly up and down her back "I know it's hard to believe" he murmured
Eventually, he pulled back slightly, his hands resting on her shoulders. His expression was tinged with urgency
“We have to go,” he said "Before the temperature drops again.”
Clara wiped at her cheeks, still struggling to steady her breathing. “What? Why?”
“I’ll explain everything once we’re somewhere safe,” he replied
He took her hand and gently began leading her toward the cabin door but Clara stopped abruptly
“I can’t leave yet.”
He turned back to her confused "Clara..."
“I have to find Trinity first,” she said, voice firm despite the lingering tremor. “I can’t just abandon her here"
His jaw tightened. “This isn’t the time to be stubborn my dear"
“we don’t know what’s happening to her" Clara shot back. “She could be hurt or lost, I’m not leaving without her.”
He hesitated as she stepped closer, squeezing his hand. “Please. Just stay here, I’ll find her and come back. I promise I won’t be long.”
“Clara..."
“I’ll be back before you blink,” she insisted.
Before he could argue further, she turned and ran out of the cabin pushing forward into the dimly lit forest path. Behind her, she heard his voice calling her name, laced with frustration and fear but she didn’t stop
Branches crunched beneath her boots as she retraced what she hoped was their path. The earlier chaos of shouting and running had faded into an eerie stillness that made her skin prickle.
Her breaths came in shallow bursts as exhaustion weighed heavily on her limbs then she rounded a bend and nearly collided with a wall of black.
Armed men stood ahead of her, dressed entirely in dark tactical gear, their faces hidden behind masks. Weapons hung at their sides, gleaming faintly in the low light.
Clara froze, fear making her heart slam violently against her ribs.
“Uh…” she began cautiously, taking a slow step back. “Are you… also here for the hunt?”
No response or movement which made her feel uneasy. She took another careful step backward, mind racing. If she ran now, how far could she get? Her legs were already trembling from exhaustion.
She wouldn’t make it far but still she turned preparing to bolt but a hand shot out from behind, clamping over her mouth and nose. A cloth pressed tightly against her face, soaked in something.
Her eyes widened in panic, she tried to fight, to twist free, but her limbs were heavy. The world tilted, spinning out of focus as darkness crept into the edges of her vision.
Through the haze, she saw him, the grim reaper standing at a distance between the trees, tall and unmoving, his shadowed figure watching silently.
Then everything began to fade. Sound became distant.....the world became dark as consciousness slipped away.
“Welcome once again,” a cheerful voice boomed through the speaker " Our star of the show will arrive soon.”
Clara fought to stay awake, to cling to the last threads of awareness. Her eyelids felt impossibly heavy then cold droplets splashed against her skin, seeping through fabric, soaking into her hair, within seconds it became a downpour, freezing and seeping into her bones
Her eyes snapped open with a gasp as icy water drenched her completely.