The Twelfth Moon || ✔️

75. The Finale

As soon as the door opened, everything crashed into me - the overpowering smell of blood, the sudden halt of voices in the middle of a hefty discussion, and pained groaning.

I didn't know what got into me, why I didn't run away at the first sign of trouble, but I stepped into that room. And once I was in, I no longer smelled the blood - I saw it.

The room was rather spacious, and it looked unfinished. The walls were made of a raw, shimmering stone, in the darkest black I had ever seen. The few white flamed torches that lit the room were completely absorbed in the stone-like material, vanishing into pure nothingness. The wall was textured, and it felt cave-like. Assuming we were still underground, it probably was a cave. Just one with a wooden door at the entrance.

But it wasn't used as a cave, I realized, it was used as a cage.

I stared right at Aven, who was positioned in the middle of the room. But he wasn't free. Both his arms were attached to chains that led to the walls, and when my eyes traveled down, I saw his feet were, too.

He hung there by the chains, limp, his head hanging over his shoulder and facing the floor. He was covered in blood. His blood, I realized, when I noticed he was entirely covered with cuts and bruises, some of those wounds looking too deep. The pained groans had come from him.

Upon my entrance, he had forced his eyes to open, and he lifted his head a bit, taking me in.

I was too late. I could barely look at him, without feeling extreme guilt. I should have run here, instead of going to those damned woods. I should have been here to warn him.

But my heart only stopped beating when I saw two familiar figures in the back corner of the room, two people I'd only see together in this way in the worst of my nightmares.

"Sari," Jerr exhaled. He seemed genuinely surprised to see me here.

Jerr's worried face contrasted against Beckett's sickening smile, a victorious look of a man who knew he'd win more than just one game today. "Well, Sun burn me. You're even more stupid than I initially thought," he laughed.

Perhaps I was. Only a fool would run back here, would march in this building and would step in this room. I had had multiple opportunities to safely escape, and I had utilized none of them. But what would my escape mean? I was sick of running. I was tired of being the one who needed help. I was tired of having to thank people for saving me - when I shouldn't have needed saving to begin with.

"Leave her alone," Jerr growled, his voice low. He then turned to me, but I didn't see him. I looked through him as I saw the villainous shadow of the man I'd grown to love. "Sari, get out of here," he ordered. "Now."

"She's not going anywhere," Beckett said amused, keeping his evil stare on me, ignoring Jerr's fuming gaze.

What was he so angry about? What had he expected? Was it because he didn't want to share his victory over me? I had to be his victim now, and his alone?

Beckett strolled towards me - but the first step he took, Jerr took a step to the side, blocking Beckett from getting near to me. "You will not touch her," he warned.

Jerr didn't realize Beckett didn't need to touch me to win. After all these years, he'd gotten creative in his ways to torment me - physical proximity wasn't always required. He could be just as vicious with words and threats that I knew weren't empty. Every promise he would make to terrify me, was one he intended to keep.

And nothing could stand in his way. "Careful now," Beckett warned him, breaking his stare off me and side-eyeing Jerr. The red flashes in his eyes intensified - something they seemed to do whenever he'd get angry. "I have no use of you anymore, Wise Moon."