Chapter 107 107.Nightmares
Tabitha’s POV
My mother stares at me in a way that I have never witnessed before. I have never seen her eyes look this cold—a gaze so lifeless it makes me wonder if this is the same woman who had raised me for the past twenty-one years.
“M-Mom—”
“Tabitha, do you miss your dad?” she suddenly asks.
I frown. “W-What? Of course! I—”
“Me too,” she cuts me off again. Something like sadness flickers in her eyes, just enough to dull the coldness of her stare. “It’s good to hear that you miss him as much as I do.”
I shake my head in confusion. I’m completely lost here. This feels like a fever dream. Why is she suddenly telling me this instead of answering my damn questions?
“Mom, the blood on your hand, what is that—”
“Darling, you may not understand what I am doing for now. But someday you will.”
Her eyes well with tears and my chest tightens at the sight of that.
“U-Understand what? Why are you talking in cryptics, Mom? Is this some kind of prank? What is this?”
She bites her lip as if forcing her emotions down, and when she blinks, her face settles back into an icy blankness.
“I did what I had to do. What I promised him,” she mumbles so softly I almost miss it, as if she is speaking to herself. “I did all of this for him.”
“W-What? What are you—”
“You’ll understand it too one of these days, Tabitha…”
It happens so fast I barely have time to process it. She takes a single step toward me and presses her palm against my forehead. A strange heaviness washes over me, like sudden exhaustion pulling at my limbs. My mouth falls open in shock, but no sound comes out. Her blurred figure is the last thing I see before my body crumples to the floor.
My body rolls through sharp bushes and tall grass that slice at my skin like countless tiny blades. The forest bends and warps around me, the ground stretching too far and then snapping back as pebbles bite into my flesh. Their horrible laughter sizzles inside my ear like a terrible broken record that refuses to stop.
“RUNNING IS FUTILE, LITTLE MOUSE,” one of them says in a terrifying garbled voice.
“YOU CAN NEVER REALLY ESCAPE US!”
But I don’t listen. I have no idea why I am running away from them but I sure as hell won’t stop now. Every fiber of my being screams of the danger that is after me. I don’t dare look back, I just keep on going.
I know that once they catch me, I am done for.
I need to get out of here.
“GO ON! RUN WITH YOUR TAIL BETWEEN YOUR LEGS! RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN. WE’RE GONNA ENJOY HUNTING YOU DOWN,” their voice echoes through the chilling darkness of the forest.
I hear their heavy footsteps behind me, closing in fast. My legs burn as I push them past their limits, my heart pounding as I rush past a thick tree. I glance back just as lightning splits the sky, throwing the outlines of four figures into sharp relief. The distraction costs me. I miss what lies ahead, my foot catches on a root, and my balance gives way as I stumble forward.
‘Ah!’ A soundless scream wounds my throat as I slam into a massive boulder, the impact jolting a sharp burst of pain through my skull. Warm blood slides down my cheek as the ache swells and throbs.
The shadows gather, their forms flickering in and out of focus. Four silhouettes emerge, closing in with unnatural slowness, their movements dragging through the air like figures wading through water. They hover at the edge of my vision, shifting and distorting, a pack of vengeful ghosts drawn together by hunger.
“There’s nowhere to run, Tabitha Huxley…”
Their mouths stretch into impossible smiles as they advance, teeth gleaming too white in the dark.
NO!
“Tabitha!”
I jolt awake with a sharp gasp, my body jerking forward as if I am still falling. My skin is slick with sweat and my shirt is clinging to my skin. I am panting so hard as if I am a baby who is trying to learn how to breathe. Panic claws its way up my throat. I thrash before hands steady me, strong arms pulling me close as someone rocks me back and forth.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” I hear Jace’s gentle voice. “It’s okay. You’re safe.
I can barely hear him over the pounding in my ears. My hands clutch at his shirt as if letting go will send me back into the forest. My breath comes out uneven, my vision swimming.
“It’s alright,” Luca says from nearby. “You’re home.”
“W-What,” I say, my voice hoarse. “What is… what is happening?”
“You had a nightmare,” Jace says in a soft voice. “Just breathe.”
A nightmare… shit. It is that dream again.
I shake my head and rub my temples, which are still throbbing. Every once in a while, I dream about the night that forced me out of Kaelara five years ago. I honestly thought I was past it, especially since it has not come back in a long time.
What throws me off is how different it feels this time. The dream is darker, sharper, and way too vivid. It does not feel like the same memory playing on repeat.
It is still the same place, though. Me running through the forest while four people chase me.
I take a deep breath as I take in my surroundings.