Nemesis

prologue

Warning

Reader discretion is advised.
The following content may contain elements that are not suitable for all readers.

This book contains content that might be troubling for readers, including, but not limited to, depictions of and references to death, suicide, bullying, violence, murder, abuse, trauma, eating disorders, self-harm, and more. Please be mindful of these and other possible triggers.

Disclaimer

This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

...

The cold of the night was piercing into their skin, anxiously waiting for what seemed like an eternity. Leaves were crunching with each step they took, branches creaking in the cold shivering wind and the lightning crackling through the night.

"Where are they?" Ciara rubbed her arms as the wind brushed against her skin. "Gosh, what if they plan to kill us?!"

"Will you stay calm? We will be fine; there are 5 of us. We have our phones and cars with us if we need to escape." Daphne said with a monotonous voice.

"Cars?! We're practically in the middle of nowhere, Daphne. We'll never find our way back!" Ciara exclaimed.

As Ciara uttered her words, they realised they had walked too far into the woods. Too far that they were, indeed, in the middle of nowhere.

"Fuck this nonsense; let's get out of here," Elliot said, but before he could even take a step, a hoard of unidentifiable people surrounded them. "Who the fuck are these guys?"

The people were wearing jet-black cloaks and silver masks that hid their identities. Their eyes then fell to what these people were holding; they held deadly weapons. To her horror, Daphne hurriedly checked her phone to call for help, but there was no service. They could potentially try to fight these people, but it was obvious that the ending would be a losing game. It was clear that whoever was behind all of this was, without a doubt, a high-powered and capable person.

The feeling of assurance they had has entirely vanished. They knew they were screwed. There was no way of escaping. This day could very well be their last day in this world. Everyone was frightened, paranoid, and nervous.

Ciara tried to distract herself from the situation by fidgeting with her sleeves and fingers. At the same time, Elliot maintained his silence, trying to calm his mind down.

"This is absurd! I am such a fucking idiot for even coming here in the first place." Nicholas snapped out of nowhere, making everyone direct their attention to him.

"Are you going to cry now? Complain to father dearest who is in prison?" Luke taunted Nicholas whilst glaring at him, causing him to be more irritated.

"How dare you talk to my father and me that way! You three are the main reason we are even in this situation right now!" Nicholas pointed at Luke, Daphne, and Elliot.

As the two rivals continued to quarrel, Ciara couldn't help but notice their surroundings darkening and the sound of leaves crunching getting louder around them. She shifted her attention to the people in black cloaks and saw more and more of them appear from the darkness.

"I can't do this anymore. Not with you." Luke distanced himself from the enraged boy.

"I'm still talking to you! You get back here!" Nicholas gripped the back of Luke's collar. The two enemies have entirely forgotten the life-threatening situation all of them were involved in. Anger and frustration overtook both of them.

"Guys... Guys, look!" Ciara managed to get everyone's attention.

A shadow figure has risen from the darkness of the forest. Their hair stood on end as shivers raced down their spine. Daphne squinted her eyes to determine who the person under the long black cloak was.

Until the alloy-silver disc hanging in the sky gleamed light on the figure. This figure's cloak was somehow different from the cloak the people surrounding them were wearing. They froze in place with widened eyes as their eyes landed on the familiar crest pin on the figure's cloak.

Their heart skipped a beat when they realised it was the person they had been expecting and waiting for—the person behind it all.

Nemesis...