A tunnel.
Eerie silence stretches around me, save for the shifting pebbles under my feet. There are no other doors, no corners or hidden nooks and crannies that I can find. The thought of resting here crosses my mind, but for all I know, anyone could be hunting me down from the opposite end.
Thoughts of Serena plague my mind as I trek through the unknown. We built a bond in the time we were here. She is—was—smart. She figured out the thing that was keeping us incapacitated and weak when I was too far gone in my pity party to pay attention to what was right in front of me.
She endured everything these people did to her, only to sacrifice herself in the end. For me. I let the tears roll freely. I will avenge her death if it’s the last thing I do, fester in the madness and take the souls that dared to mark her flesh and snuff out her light. They will wish, pray,begfor me to stop, but the last thought that will cross their minds will be that they should’ve killed me when they had the opportunity. Because they won’t get another one.
A small set of stairs appears at the end, leading to a singular door. A wave of panic hits me, not knowing what awaits me on the other side. My chest lifts as I take in a deep breath, letting it wash over me and erase the anxiety that’s foreboding to take over.
There’s no scanner, so I keep my fireball at the ready before swinging the door open. Immediately, the fire dies out, and both of my hands spring up to shield my eyes. A smile breaks free ofmy restraint.
The sun bathes my skin in peppered kisses. The sunbeams instantaneously find their mark, heating my skin. My eyes stay in a constant squint while I observe my surroundings.
Darting for the trees on my left, I leave the rays behind me, letting the tall ferns blanket me. My sprint is cut too short when my foot snags on a rock, and I fall face first, eating a mouthful of dirt.
This seems like a metaphor for my life.
Pushing up onto my hands and knees, I spit out the soil but end up swallowing most of it. This is the most amount of nutrients I’ve had in months.
A soft trickle sounds in the distance, and I stand on wobbly legs, not bothering to wipe the filth from the draped fabric I’m wearing, and keep moving.
A small whimper escapes me as I stumble upon a glistening, rushing river. Moving as fast as my legs will allow, I drop to my knees at the edge of the stream. Cupping my hands together, I scoop the water into the well I’ve made and bring it up to my mouth.
The first drop of water that hits my tongue brings tears to my eyes. I drink handful after handful, letting the drops trickle down my throat, uncaring of the ones that escape. I think of Serena and how she would have enjoyed this—this moment of freedom we fought for—so I look up to the sky and cheers before drinking another.
Next, I scrub my face, washing the dirt and grim from my skin. A ripple breaks over the water’s surface, and a spark lights up within me.
Fish. Of course there would be fish.My stomach growls with the thought of having a meal, something sustainable. When thewater stills, my eyes don’t waver, laser focused on the scene before me, willing the animal to reappear. When it doesn’t, I chalk it up to a figment of my imagination. Hunger pains—hallucinations are bound to happen, I suppose. Ripping the flimsy cloth from my body, I step into the frigid water until I’m neck deep. Coasting a little farther out, my feet kick, and I wade through the water before mustering up the courage to fully submerge myself.
Breaking the surface, I gasp for air, the chill seeping all the way down to my bones. I glide the water over my skin, trying to wash away the stains and memories the best I can. Something brushes against my leg, and my movements stop.
I knew I saw a fucking fish.
Training my eyes on the depths below me, I have no time to react as searing pain drowns me, and I’m being pulled under. Claws embed themselves into my calf, and instinctively, I let out a scream, watching the surface get farther and farther away.
Kicking my feet as hard as I can, whatever has a hold on me doesn’t let go, the grip only tightening. With my oxygen running out, I try to think, conjure up some master plan to get myself out of this mess. But as the darkness surrounds me, I’m afraid I’m too late.
All of this was for nothing.
A spark flares to life, and my body lights up with the red-orange hue I’ve come to wear as a second skin. Fish scatter, and when I look down, the only thing I see beneath the murky water is two yellow beady eyes.
Paralyzed, I’m met with rows of razor-sharp teeth as the creature opens its mouth in a screech.
It dodges my attack, the fire nearly taking off its pointed ear.
Pointed ear?
I pocket the observation for later, along with the brief sight of a scaly tail attached to it. Mustering up the rest of my magicbefore the lights go out, my palms face the water’s floor, and I manipulate the water to make vortexes beneath them, propelling me to the surface.
I shoot up, high in the air, and watch the ground become closer and closer as I plummet. Landing with anumph,there is a single moment I let myself breathe before the pain from the lashing takes purchase. Blood pours from the three long gashes on my calf. My body begins stitching itself back together as those beady eyes breach the surface, staring at me.
Naked as the day I was born, I scoot as far back as my injuries will allow, unsure if the creature can exit the water. It stares at me with curiosity. Her head cants, and I do the same, mirroring her movements.
“What are you?” The question was meant to stay hidden, but too late now.
In an instant, her head bobs back under the water, and I would have thought she was frightened until the unmistakable tail protrudes into the open air.
The hinge on my jaw comes loose, and I have to remind myself it’s not polite to stare. But then I remember it also wasn’t nice for her to drag me down into the water’s depths.
