"Please, Specca, continue," Daniel said kindly. Specca slowly looked around at them then smiled slightly.
"Of course," she said softly before looking back down to the book. She continued through another two pages, the group listening how the murderous bandits were catching up to the woman of the story. After a while Specca stopped reading as she felt that uneasy feeling growing in her chest.
"Specca? What's wrong?" Triska asked.
"Are you ok?" Daniel asked. Alyssa looked back ahead at seeing the fog building around them.
"Whoa, Lucky, slow down," she called out. Daniel looked back outside and around as Triska watched Specca curiously.
"So much for our sunny weather," Daniel said with a shrug.
"Specca?" Triska asked. Squeak looked at the nixie as the girl was showing a concerned expression. Specca glanced around as everything seemed to be playing out just like it did in her dream before. Slowly she looked down to the book and closed it, staring at the cover with worried eyes.
"No…" she said under her breath.
"Specca? Are you ok?" Daniel asked as he and Alyssa looked back to the nixie.
"This book…" Specca said nervously, recognizing it as one of the many books she read at the Ashwood library before. However it wasn't one of the books that Daniel had packed for his trip. Specca blinked then looked over to Daniel with fright.
"Where… did this come from?" she asked nervously.
"What do you mean where did it come from?" Alyssa asked puzzled.
Suddenly a crashing sound was heard in front of them, the witch quickly looking back to seeing a large tree falling down onto the path through the fog.
"Whoa! Lucky, watch it!" she yelled as she yanked on the reins. Lucky neighed and tried to change direction, the horse running alongside the tree as it crashed onto the ground. The caravan banged against the trunk of the tree and scraped against it, with a large branch passing by and striking off one of the wheels. Daniel was thrown off of the driver's seat to the side as Alyssa fell back into the cabin, the other girls bracing from the shock before the caravan clipped another large branch and flipped onto its side.
"Daniel!" Triska cried out before all the girls slammed into the wall as it became the floor, the caravan crashing to a halt as fog billowed around it. Lucky snapped free from his reins and took off crying into the unseen as all the girls groaned weakly inside the cabin.
Specca slowly opened her eyes, regaining her senses as she was lying down on the dirt path. She heard rowdy laughter and shouting along with a few horses nearby, her eyes slowly focusing as she felt her body aching. She saw through her glasses that had a crack in one of the lenses bandits surrounding her, the men dressed in darker clothing as they all had wicked smiles on their faces. Specca tried to move only to realize that she was tied up, the nixie lying on her side while her arms and feet were bound with rope. She looked around frightfully at the humans that were surrounding her, the bandits laughing and eyeing the girl with cold smiles while a few others were standing around the wrecked caravan. Some of the men had axes held over their shoulders from chopping the tree down while a few of them were rummaging through the travelers belongings. A few dark horses were standing off to the side as a group of men walked towards the dirt path with Triska struggling in their grip. She was tossed down onto the ground next to Specca, the human having her hands tied behind her while her feet were bound as well. Her sword and dagger were missing while she had a few tears falling from her face.
"Triska… Triska, what's happening?" Specca asked fearfully as Triska thrashed around with loud screams.
"YOU BASTARDS!" she yelled as the men laughed at her. Specca looked at her with fright then over to the side, gasping as she saw an ant girl tied to a tree. Squeak’s body was bloodied as her hands were tied in chains and held up around a branch, the girl held up onto her feet as she squeaked weakly. There were a few men standing around her, some of them holding clubs while others had torches. Squeak shakily looked over to them as she squeaked fearfully, her mouth dripping with blood.
"No… no! Squeak!" Specca cried out. A bandit swung his club across Squeak's face before another did the same, the men ruthlessly beating on the ant girl as she squeaked weakly.
"Leave her alone! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Triska yelled before a man pushed her head down with his boot. He chuckled and looked over to the other men with a nod. Specca watched as one of the men wound up and struck down on the head of the ant girl with a sickening crunch. Squeak twitched then dropped limp in her restraints as the man laughed.
"NO!" Specca screamed before one of the bandits dropped his torch next to the dead girl's body, the fires flaring up and spreading onto the tree and ant girl.
"SQUEAK!" Triska cried out. The bandit holding her down laughed and looked down to them amusingly.
"You actually care for a monster? And you named it too, how cute, haha!" he laughed, twisting his foot as he pushed her down into the dirt. She screamed out in anger as she thrashed around while Specca stared at the burning tree with horror. The man laughed a bit then motioned others towards him.
"What about this one? Does she have a name too?" he asked with a chuckle. Triska and Specca looked over with teary eyes to seeing Alyssa being dragged towards them, the witch kicking and screaming while her focuser was in the hands of a nearby bandit.
"Alyssa… Alyssa!" Triska cried out.
"Alyssa, huh? Aw, such a sweet little name for an accursed little witch," the man said with a smirk. Alyssa was thrown to the side as she kicked around, collapsing down as the bandits laughed amusingly. She shakily looked up to seeing three large dogs rushing through the crowd of humans, the animals snarling and barking as they raced towards her. They got to an inch away from her before their rope leashes snapped taught, the animals halting in place as the witch stared with wide eyes. She screamed and franticly scooted back on her rear before a bandit grabbed her by the shoulders, the girl staring with fright at the wild dogs.
"What's wrong? They want to play with you, sounds like they want to be your new friends," the bandit laughed as he nudged her forward. She shrieked as she tried to scramble away, the bandit laughing before lifting her up and walking her closer to the dogs.
"Stop it! You're scaring her!" Triska yelled out. The bandit looked back to her with a laugh as Alyssa screamed and kicked wildly while watching the dogs with fright.
"Scaring her? But all little girls love to play with puppies, see?" he said, the bandit then throwing the witch over to the dogs. She landed down with a thump as the animals swarmed her with vicious snarls, the girl screaming in agony as the men around laughed at the sight. Triska and Specca watched with horror as they saw the dogs mauling Alyssa, the girl's screams being heard over the animals as they tore her apart. One bit down on her arm as another snapped at her leg. The third went straight for her throat, the animal biting down and crushing in the girl’s windpipe as she let out a gurgled cry.
"ALYSSA!" Triska screamed, crying shakily as the witch fell silent while the dogs chewed on her. Specca stared at the sight with wide eyes as she saw the witch's hand slowly drop down lifeless while the dogs ripped off scraps of flesh from the body.
"No… this isn't happening… this isn't happening!" Specca screamed as she shook her head.
"I'm going to kill you! All of you!" Triska yelled as she thrashed around under the bandit's foot. He laughed and shook his head.
"This one's got some fire in her, I love that in a woman!" he called out with a laugh. Others around laughed as well while Triska yelled out in anger. From the crowd of bandits two came forward holding Daniel up by the arms, the boy beaten and bloodied as his head hung low. They dragged him over to the path and dropped him down, with Triska and Specca staring at him with fright as he collapsed in front of them.
"DANIEL!" Triska screamed.
"What did you do to him?" Specca cried out as she tried to move. A man stomped down on her back and kept her pinned, the girl coughing as she stared at Daniel with wide eyes.
"Aw, is he special to you? Is that your boyfriend?" the leader asked as two others walked over to him, the men grabbing hold of Triska and holding her down. The leader unsheathed his dagger and held it close to her face, the girl staring at the blade with wide eyes.
"So would it make you sad if I slit his throat?" he asked with a chuckle. Triska looked at him with fright as the other men held her down.
"Tell you what; I'll spare his life, since I'm so nice like that. But you're going to have to make it worth our while," he said with a grin. She trembled as the men brought her up to her feet, seeing the way they were looking at her. The bandit held his blade to her throat then slowly drew it down the middle of her shirt between her breasts, the girl shaking her head as she was held firmly.
"Get away from me you goddamned-"
Before she could finish the bandit punched her across the face, the girl coughing out before he grabbed her shirt.
"Put out or it's lights out for you and your worthless boyfriend," he scoffed as he ripped the shirt off of her. She was thrown to the side as she screamed, the bandits around grabbing her and bringing her down onto the ground.
"No! Triska!" Specca cried out as she heard her friend shriek as the men laughed and ganged up around her. She heard them ripping the clothes off of the human, with some of the men whistling and calling out playfully as the teen was held down on the ground screaming. Specca struggled to move before she heard a sword sliding out of its sheath, the girl looking back to seeing the bandit holding her down pulling out Triska's blade.
"You however aren't even worth a go with, too bad for you," he said as he geared back with the sword. Specca trembled then looked down as she shut her eyes in fear.
"NO!" she screamed, thrashing around wildly as she shot up from her dream. She looked around franticly then quickly grabbed her glasses, shakily putting them on to seeing Triska and Squeak staring at her with surprise. The girls were sitting back in the cabin of the caravan as it rocked slightly while on the move.
"No what?" Triska asked. Specca looked at them with a stunned expression then over to see Daniel and Alyssa sitting in the front of the caravan, both of them looking back at the nixie that had suddenly screamed out in terror.
"Specca? What's wrong?" Daniel asked.
"You ok?" Alyssa asked curiously. Specca caught her breath and held a hand to her head.
"Bad dream. Very bad dream," she said shakily. Daniel smiled gently at her and nodded.
"Well you're safe now, Specca, you can relax," he said kindly. Specca nodded slowly and breathed out in relief.
"Oh my, that was a rather frightful one," she said worriedly.
"What was it about?" Triska asked curiously. Specca shook her head and looked down.
"I don't want to discuss it, I'd rather not think about it again," she said softly. Triska nodded and glanced to a few books that were lying next to the nixie.
"It's all those stories you read, and about monsters no less," she pointed out. Specca smiled slightly and glanced to the books.
"Reading helps me relax, Triska, and I'm well aware these are just stories. Besides, I feel in control of my own imagination when I'm reading a book, reading about such things doesn't frighten me," she said softly, the girl then freezing in place at realizing what she just said. Her own words seemed to echo in her mind, hearing what she said from her dream. She smiled nervously and let out a small laugh.
"What's so funny?" Triska asked. Specca shook her head and looked down again.
"Nothing, just…" she said quietly, then slowly looking back to the books near her. She hesitated for a moment then slowly reached out and picked one up, her eyes widening with surprise at the title.
"Wait…" she breathed out, the girl then quickly flipping through the pages. Triska and Squeak watched her curiously as the nixie shook her head worriedly.
"No… no no no… this… this can't be…" she said nervously.
"What's wrong?" Triska asked. Specca froze then glanced up to the girl from the book, her breathing quiet as she felt that bad feeling forming in her chest again.
"This book… it shouldn't be here," she said shakily. Triska just looked at her puzzled as the nixie looked back to the book. It was a story about a girl who was in love with her neighbor, but was too shy or scared to say anything to him. However one day when a few other girls tried to court him she went crazy, and murdered them violently to keep the boy she loved all to herself. It was a dark tale of corrupted love and sorrow as the girl killed anybody that got close to the boy, until finally she killed him out of insanity. Specca looked at the book with disbelief.
'This… this is another book I read at Ashwood… how… how did it get here? Unless…'
She jumped a bit and slowly looked up with wide eyes, realizing the truth as she felt that horrible feeling in her chest again.
"I'm still dreaming," she breathed out as she saw Triska glaring at her, the human having her dagger struck out at her side and into Squeak's neck. The ant girl was gripping her hand with a frightful expression, her squeak coming out as a gurgled whimper as blood spurted from her neck. Specca backed up against the wall with fright as Triska yanked out the dagger, the blade slicing out of the ant girl's neck with a slick crunch. Squeak dropped down with a thump as Triska smiled wickedly at Specca.
"Triska," Specca breathed out in horror.
"He's mine… mine…" Triska hissed as her eyes slowly glanced over to Alyssa. She lunged over and grabbed the witch from behind, shoving her dagger into the girl’s throat as Daniel looked over with surprise. Alyssa cried out hoarsely as blood spurted out from her neck, her arms flailing around before dropping at her sides.
"Triska! What are you doing?" Daniel cried out. Triska laughed erratically as she pushed the witch over the seat, the girl falling down in front of the caravan. As the ride bumped a bit from the witch's body being pulled under the wheels Triska grabbed Daniel and yanked him into the cabin, the boy landing on his back as Triska leaned down close to him with a deranged smile.
"I love you, Daniel, I LOVE YOU!" she screamed before she struck her dagger into his chest. He yelled out in agony as he struggled to push her off, the girl laughing maniacally as she carved upward with her blade. The razor edge sliced through his body and up into his neck, the girl pushing it down with frustrated growls and grunts as blood splattered around.
"How could you even consider choosing them over me, Daniel? How? I loved you! I loved you!" she yelled out as Daniel coughed out blood, flailing about before dropping down limp. Triska yanked the blade out and looked to Specca with a twisted smile, the nixie backing up fearfully as she stared with shock.
"No… it's just a dream… it's just a dream… it's just a dream!" she screamed, watching as Triska laughed manically before lunging at her with the dagger. The human tackled her down and jammed the blade into her chest, the nixie crying out as she kicked around underneath the girl.
"He's mine… he's mine, you bitch!" Triska screamed as she carved upwards through the nixie’s body, the blade slicing through her flesh as blood poured out and formed into a puddle around her. Specca coughed out blood as she flailed around, watching with fright as Triska smiled devilishly down at her.
"TRISKA!" Specca screamed as she shot up from her dream, thrashing around in a fearful state. She stopped and looked around to seeing everything blurry nearby, the girl quickly grabbing her glasses and putting them on. Looking ahead she saw Triska and Squeak staring at her with surprise as they sat against the wall, the girls sitting in the cabin as it was moving along like before.
"What?" Triska asked startled. Specca breathed heavily and shook her head with fear in her eyes.
"Specca? What's wrong?" Daniel asked up front in the driver's seat of the caravan, the boy and witch looking back at Specca with surprised expressions as well after her outburst.
"You ok?" Alyssa asked curiously.
"Make it stop… make it stop!" Specca cried out as she scrambled back away from everybody, hudd
ling up in a corner by the back wall as everybody looked over to her with wonder.
"Specca, calm down. What's wrong?" Daniel asked as he entered the cabin and slowly moved towards her.
"She's freaking out, Triska what did you do to her?" Alyssa asked looking to the human.
"I didn't do anything, she was asleep peacefully then she just screamed out my name," Triska said defensively while shaking her head.
"Great, she's having nightmares about you. That explains everything," Alyssa said flatly.
"What? Why, what did I do?" Triska asked in disbelief. Squeak moved towards Alyssa with a worried expression along with Daniel, the nixie screaming and shaking her head in terror.
"Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop!" she screamed. She looked down to seeing a book lying in front of her, the girl shakily grabbing it and looking at the cover. Her mouth quivered as she shook with fear, her eyes reading the title of the book. She threw it away and held her hands to her face as she screamed.
"Not again! Wake me up! Wake me up! Wake me up please!" she cried out as the book bounced past Daniel and the others, all of them watching the nixie as the clouds above started to turn darker. Slowly fog started to creep around the fields of tall grass and old trees that passed by, all while Specca curled into a ball and screamed in fear for what story from Ashwood she would be living out next in this endless nightmare.
"WAKE ME UP!"
*****
"Wake up! Wake up already!" Falla shouted as she shook the sleeping nixie franticly inside the caravan. Next to her Luna was trying to pry open Squeak from her curled up sleeping position, the butterfly girl straining herself to even budge the ant girl.
"Wake up, please!" she grunted before dropping back onto her rear, looking at Squeak with wonder as the ant girl slept quietly while tucked into a ball.
"I said wake up! Tell me what happened to Daniel! Tell me right now!" Falla yelled before she slapped Specca across the face. The nixie didn't even flinch or make a sound, seeming to be out cold in a deep sleep.
"They're not waking up, what's wrong with them?" Luna asked worriedly.
chronicles of eden - act I Page 74