Chapter 15: The Last Task
Running headfirst into danger was not something she thought she would ever do. As her lungs burned and muscles ached, Lily’s resolve began to crumble. The screams that surrounded her dragged her back to reality.
She watched a guard being tackled to the ground.
He barely had time to react before a massive, twisted beast tore into him. Blood sprayed across the field in long, ugly streaks. His screams turned into wet, choking sounds, and then... silence.
Lily’s legs faltered. Another worker, a girl maybe just a year older than her, tried to run. She didn’t make it two steps before a second beast crashed into her from the side. The girl went down hard, her limbs flailing, her body dragged across the dirt. Then came the tearing and the crunching.
Lily’s stomach twisted. She just stood there, frozen. This wasn’t like the beatings or working in the fields till her fingers bled. This was different.
‘No... not like this...’, she mouthed. She stumbled back a step, her throat dry. She couldn’t breathe. Then her foot caught on something and she hit the ground hard.
She tried to get up, but her body wouldn’t obey. Her arms trembled. Her knees felt like jelly. The panic crashed over her like a wave and pulled her under.
Her heart raced. The world blurred around the edges, and her head swam. Then she heard it.
A scream. It sounded familiar. Her head jerked up. It was Bianca.
That voice that never missed a chance to cut her down. That face always had a smug grin when Lily was pushed into the mud or forced to work double hours. The girl who took extra food and left none for her and devised ways to make her life a living hell. “Get away from me!!!”