Chapter 69 ~Level Up: Save the Creature~
(Fiona's POV)
‘Run!'
That word was the only prompt I needed. I began running as fast as my legs could carry me. I ran with no destination in mind.
I stole glances behind as I ran to ensure that I wasn't being followed. I could feel the hair on the back of my neck rising. My pulse was quickening, but I didn't stop running.
I almost tumbled on a stone on the ground, but I didn't fall. My arms grazed the wall and scraped, exposing a small patch of skin that instantly welled with blood.
I winced in pain.
I'd never felt so alone in my life. In this tunnel, it was me against forces that could ruin me… and the stakes were just too high. I could lose my Tribrid powers before I even got to use them.
I stopped to rest once I was sure I wasn't being followed.
‘Fiona.’ I kept hearing strange voices call my name, cackling, echoing in my ears, and it was driving me crazy.
I spotted a creature that looked like a cross between a horse and a deer. It was staring at me.
Was this the creature?
I stood up instantly. The beast kept staring at me like it was trying to pass a cryptic message.
Then it suddenly turned back and galloped back the way it came.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Suddenly, multiple creatures began to file out, one by one. Each was a different and unique creature.
One looked like an eagle, but it walked on all fours. Another was a two-headed serpent.
One had the feathers of a peacock, but it was pure white and whistled like a robin.
I looked at them, confused and enthralled and afraid. The goal was to save the creature, but none looked like it needed saving.
I kept walking down the tunnel, turning back every once in a while to glance at them. It felt so surreal.
Then they suddenly disappeared into thin air. I stood in shock as I gazed at the distance, wondering if I'd just imagined what I saw.
‘Rhia?’ I called my wolf.
‘That was a test of instinct,’ was the only response I got.
I guessed neither was the creature in question. I tried to calm my nerves as I continued to walk through the tunnel.
This was becoming confusing. I continued walking. Aside from the occasional voices, I couldn't spot any creature in sight.
My limbs were aching and tired, and my throat was sore.
Suddenly, I spotted the end of the tunnel. I ran towards it, but there was no creature there.
That was odd.
The goal was to save the creature at the end of the tunnel, right?
‘Rhia.’ I mindlinked but there was no response. ‘Rhia, are you there?’
Well…
Guess I was in this alone.
I kept looking for any hidden messages among the drawings on the walls of the tunnel. Maybe the key was in them.
I looked on the ground, spotting tracks that I hadn't noticed before. They were mine…
But not only mine. There were a set of larger, beast-like footprints as well.
What? Could it be that I was being followed?
I looked around but couldn't spot anything else in the distance. Just a dimly lit tunnel and crickets chirping quietly.
Where were the other footprints coming from?
I looked in the distance, noticing that the larger prints led to a hidden part of the tunnel.
I followed the tracks, also noticing drops of blood on the floor.
My heart rate increased as I walked gingerly deeper into the tunnel. I didn't know what I would find there… and it was killing me.
As I approached the entrance of the tunnel, my nose picked up a scent.
It was distinct.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
I paused and sniffed again.
Why did that smell like me?
I looked back at the droplets of blood on the floor. They looked fresh.
I touched my arm where I scraped myself earlier and it was still bleeding. I glanced at the droplets on the floor and back at my arm. That was when it hit me:
The blood was mine.
I could feel my breathing become rough and irregular.
What was happening? It was like I was in a fever dream.
The voices calling out had become louder. More urgent. More distorted.
I rounded the bend and spotted the silhouette of a creature. It was right in front of me, large, with a full mane.
I stopped in my tracks.
The creature stopped as well.
I spotted the small pool of blood that had gathered on the floor where the wolf stood. That was when I noticed a wound similar to mine on the wolf's forelegs.
I took one step forward.
The creature took one step forward at the same time.
I looked down.
It stepped with the same leg I did… it was mirrored.
I stepped left.
It stepped left.
I shook my head in disbelief.
The creature moved its head in sync with mine.
Wait a minute.
Could it be that I've been chasing myself all along?
As I stood there trying to figure out what was happening, the tunnel that was previously dimly lit suddenly burned bright.
And I felt a sudden heat creeping up my neck. A feeling of suffocation enveloped me.
I turned and noticed that the tunnel was on fire. With me trapped in it.
I could feel the ground rumble under me, followed by the sound of the tunnel walls collapsing.
I stared around, confused where the fire was coming from.
The orange flames burned so hot and it was spreading closer and closer to where I stood with the creature.
The fire circled us, trapping us.
Panic clawed at my chest as the flames closed in.