CHAPTER 20
A deep sleep fell upon me - a sleep like that of death." ~ Edgar Allan Poe, "The Pit and the Pendulum"
She was standing in a bustling alley. A stream of screaming and wailing people rushed past her, heading in the opposite direction.
Bodies bumped into her, jostling her shoulders as she struggled to avoid being swept away by the crowd. She glanced at their faces, trying to plant her feet firmly on the uneven ground.
They seemed terrified, as if their lives were in danger. Hazel noticed a child crying, calling out for his mother.
She moved to comfort him when a woman dressed in a tattered skirt and an overly large shirt hurriedly picked up the child, casting a terrified glance at Hazel before disappearing away in the flood of people.
Hazel was taken aback. It appeared the woman thought that she might harm her baby.
What was going on?
Where was Ethan?
She felt apprehensive and terrified.
Sweat started to trickle down her armpits as she pushed through the crowd.
She needed to find Ethan to make sure he was okay. It was essential. Or else.
No! 'Or else' was not an option.
Please be alright, Ethan, please.
Where are you?
Hazel coughed, her eyes burning and watering from the thick smoke billowing in the distance.
A dark plume rose into the sky, carrying the scent of burning wood and plastic. She grimaced, spitting to rid her mouth of the foul taste. The screams around her grew louder and more shrill.
Something was on fire.
She pushed her way through the crowd aggressively, bumping into bodies as she went.
Her shoulders would surely be bruised and sore from all the jostling. Breathing became difficult as the crush of people pressed in around her.
Despite the struggle, she pressed onward, forcing herself to take one step in front of the other. The crowd slowed her pace until she finally reached an open street.
Collapsing to the ground, she coughed and sputtered, her eyes and nose running as she struggled to clear her airways.
Hazel shook her head and rubbed her eyes. Soot was blocking her vision. Her heart skipped a beat, and she pulled herself upright.
Ethan.
She had to keep pushing.
She had to find him at all costs.
She dashed into another alley, where the crowd was thin and hushed. People were walking briskly instead of running, their heads bowed low on their shoulders, their eyes fixed towards the ground.
No one here was screaming; no one was even whispering. People glimpsed at her and quickly averted their eyes as though terrified of her.
What was going on?
This is so bad. Fuck.
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WHISPERED SINS 👑❤️🔥
Romance"I used your blood to bind you to me. There's no escape. You're chained to me until your last breath." She hated him so much that she wanted to poison him, rip the mask off his cruel face, and stare into his eyes as she plunged the dagger repeatedly...
