Chapter 396: Betrayal

Chapter 396: Betrayal


Tayme got up, put on her clothes and went to the window. She didn't want to betray that damned creature anymore. But she had to. The lives of the Lens children were at stake. She took the flashlight and turned it on and off. Soon, she saw countless of them responding in the woods.

She closed the window and started biting her nails. Suddenly, determined, she got up and ran into the hallway. She opened door after door and couldn't find “her” creature. She went downstairs and saw him. The creature was looking out of the living room window into the darkness.

Tayme approached slowly.

“What did you do?” he asked without turning around.

“I... I know how you can save yourself. I'm going through a place...”

“Shut up, Tayme!” He said and turned to her. His eyes were cold and furious. “Don't you know that those who have the power to hand out rewards also hand out punishments?”

“I... I'm sorry! But I can't allow you to continue keeping my family like cattle, for your own food!”

He glanced at the window before turning to Tayme. His voice was as cold as his gaze.

“Go back to your room, Tayme.”

“I'm going to run away.” She said resolutely.

“If I need to get you, I'll demand more lives that matter to you, so as not to kill other lives that matter to you.”

“You're going to die tonight.” Tayme said, a little sorry she had done that.

“Tayme. Go to your room, or run away. Make your choice. You just can't stay here in this room while they break into this place.”

Tayme looked at the front door. But the creature shook its head negatively. She understood that he wouldn't allow her to go out that way.

Tayme went to the kitchen door and opening it, in front of many almond-eyed creatures that seemed to ignore her, she ran out.

...

Tayme stopped when she saw the humans approaching the house with guns drawn. She hid behind a bush and watched with tears in her eyes. It was the second time she had lost the man she loved.

She heard screams and turned livid. Creatures didn't scream like that. Those screams were human.

Although they had gathered dozens of them, it didn't take more than five minutes for everything to fall silent as usual. She turned around and crawled through the forest until she found a well. She followed it a little further and found an old house. Still crawling, she entered. And then she breathed a sigh of relief.

She leaned against the closed door and closed her eyes. The creature would hunt her. It couldn't go back into the tunnel, even if it knew how to. It would look for her there and when it found her, it would kill her family.

Tayme was apprehensive. She needed to regain that creature's trust. If she came back, he would kill her. And she had a reason that she considered crucial for not going back. She was in love with him.

Tayme walked through the dark house and found a bed with dirty sheets, and too tired to care, she lay down and went to sleep.

Tayme woke up and saw through the cracks in the wooden window that it was dawn. Everything looked better in the morning.

She got up and found that there was no water in the tap. She remembered the well and went there. She pulled out a bucket of water and as soon as it reached the top, she looked in surprise at the water. She would recognize that blue glow anywhere. The magic of the blue moon was hidden in a well!

She felt a shadow above her and looked up. The creature, Baron, was pointing a gun at her, looking furious. She stood up and before she could say anything, the creature fired.

...

Tayme opened her eyes and saw that her arm was receiving a reddish serum. She tried to get up and realized that her hands and feet were bound by handcuffs on the beds. She made no effort to free herself. She still remembered the creature's furious eyes. Then she remembered the gunshot. She felt something penetrate her head and she immediately fell unconscious.

“She's awake.” A monotone voice said next to her.

Tayme didn't move. She expected to see the creature arrive in her field of vision, but that's not what she saw. Another creature, with a female voice, ordered with authority.

“Let her go.”

Her wrists and feet were freed and Tayme sat up. She saw Ian's scientist look away from her and leave the room.

She looked suspiciously at the creatures in their bloodstained clothes.

“What happened here?” she asked distressed.

The creatures began to make a loud rattling noise and bared their teeth. They were laughing. One of them pointed to a five-liter bottle below her foot, with something in it.

Tayme looked at the creature without understanding.

“The master fetched a child and gave it to us for our food.” One of them said and Tayme slumped back on the bed. His eyes were worried.

“Child? From where?”

“Ah! It has your scent.” One of the creatures said, sucking in air, and Tayme froze.

“I don't understand.” Tayme said, but she did understand. She didn't want to believe it. 

“Baron is coming.” One of them said and Tayme watched the creature's blackened skin as it jumped out of the window.