Fuck this. Fuck him. I don’t need him. I don’t need anyone. I’m the one with the power in this room.
"If you must take him," I say to the Guard, my voice trembling but stronger than I expected, "then you will take me as well."
"No," Shadow growls, still bound, still powerless to stop me.
The Guard freezes. Even the fur of their otherworldly manes ceases its strange, floating movements. Twelve fiery eyes lock onme, hardening in eerie unison. I sense they’re locked in silent conversation, or maybe it’s just one mind speaking to itself.
"Agreed," they say in unison, and return to their normal movements.
"You can’t do this, Evie," Shadow pleads, his voice desperate, strained as they hoist him up. "You don’t understand what you’re asking. I told you, you’ll die in the Nightmare Realm."
"Just a quick visit," I mutter, mostly to myself, not fully believing what’s happening. I’m actually going to the place I’ve always yearned to escape to. The Nightmare Realm, he called it.
Another world.
One Shadow says will kill me.
Maybe it will. But what does it matter anymore?
His word doesn’t mean anything. For all I know, that could be a lie too.
Before I can even process what’s about to happen, the Guard moves forward, unnaturally fluid, closing in around me. I’m lifted off the ground, caught in an invisible current. Panic flares in my chest, but I swallow it down, refusing to let them see. I’ve spent my whole life hiding my fear—I won’t break now.
Shadow, still trapped in the net, is carried effortlessly by the Guard. His eyes meet mine, a storm of emotion swirling in their blood-red depths.
The room shifts around us and slips beneath my bed, the edges of reality warping. A world I’ve only dreamed of visiting opens up, and it swallows me whole.
Slipping Under My Bed
Ibrace myself as we’re pulled through the gateway under my bed, the transition jarring and disorienting. A maelstrom of color and sound envelops me. My guts lift abruptly like I’m plummeting down a rollercoaster, catching me between exhilaration and terror.
I’m torn apart and reassembled, molecule by molecule.
It goes on for months. Or maybe moments.
When my feet finally hit solid ground, the impact reverberates through my bones, leaving them rattling. Blinking rapidly, I take in a landscape so alien and nightmarish it defies description. The sky is a swirl of dark purples and reds, casting everything in a sickly hue. Lightning slashes through crimson clouds, and though there’s no rain, thunder rumbles deep and ominous, as if the world itself is growling.
Twisted trees rise around us, their branches like serpents writhing in slow motion, while the leaves whisper a sound that’s too close to pleading. It sends a chill through me.
The air is thick, oppressive, each breath an assault. Sweet rot fills my lungs, a scent so foul it makes my throat close up. Every inhale feels like I’m pulling in shards of glass. I drop to myknees, clawing at the black, ashy dirt, gasping for any semblance of normal air in this place.
"Evie," Shadow calls to me, his panic bordering on terror. For me.
If I could breathe, I might laugh at the irony. He still acts like he cares. But the only thing I feel is the weight of the lies between us, crushing me from the inside out.
I can’t answer. My hand presses to my chest as I fight for air.
"Take her back," Shadow snarls at the Guard, his voice vicious. "She’ll die here. Do you want to be responsible for killing the Nexus, you fools?"
"I’m okay," I gasp, nails digging into my sternum. "Don’t take me back." Slowly, painfully, I manage to find a rhythm. My breaths are shallow, but enough. I’ll survive. I always do.
The lichtenberg lines of my birthmark throb with an electric heat down each split path from the side of my neck, and over my collarbone. Compared to what’s happening in my chest, it’s barely a tickle.
Shadow’s low growl of exasperation would send anyone else to their knees, begging for forgiveness. But the only one who should be sorry here is him.
"Let’s go," I direct the Guard, my voice still unsteady but firm. They begin walking, setting a pace I can keep up with.
As we make our way through the hellish landscape, I’m captivated by the grotesque flora and fauna around us. They are twisted parodies of the life I’m familiar with. Creatures with too many eyes and limbs skitter away from our procession, their movements jerking and unnatural. Flowers with almost-human faces turn to watch us pass, their expressions frozen in eternal agony.
