Living in a Nightmare (Book 1 of the "Living Nightmare" Series)

Chapter 12

Hilda woke up with a pounding headache, feeling like her brain was trying to break through her skull. Putting a hand to her head, her fingers were met by sticky, half-dried blood.

Pressing her other hand against the wall, Hilda managed to get to her feet. Bringing her vision into focus took a little longer, but she quickly managed. 

"Great," she thought, leaning against the bars. "I'm in the nether. Just what I need."

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Vordus studied the paper as Ceris paced. "I don't understand," she said, coming to a stop. "I don't."

"I'd say no one has been in that mineshaft for at least twenty years," Kane looked to Vordus. "Yet you say that note was penned to days ago."

Vordus nodded. "I believe so . All the other things you showed me from down there look like they're twenty years old," he gestured to the note. "But this is practically brand new."

"Do you think someone is just trying to scare us?" Lance asked. 

"Or do you think whoever wrote the  note is also responsible for the killing?" Stella asked.

Ceris snapped her fingers. "Yes. That seems very likely. I still don't know how we'll catch the culprit though."

"Maybe we should search the area for clues," Ciara summoned a karambit. "I've always loved a good hunt."

Ceris nodded. "Not a bad idea. Alright, how about this--Echo and Vordus will search scour the forests around the mountains; Kane, Ciara, and Zeganirn will search the mountains themselves; Rain and Stella will go even deeper into the cave; and Lance and I will investigate the mineshaft further."

Everyone nodded and set off.

"Sooo," Echo came up to Vordus and they started walking towards the exit. "Um, is it alright if I ask you some questions? I have so many."

Vordus raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Ye," she smiled. "I haven't had a chance to talk to one of the three original 
Ender Watchers alone yet."

Vordus, even though he was worried, smiled. "You can ask me questions if I can as well."

"Okay! How long have you known Ceris?"

"Since she was a little girl," Vordus' mind played through the memory. "She was five and had Chorus Fruit juice on her face."

Echo giggled. "I can't picture that at all."

"You seem to like Ceris, I noticed."

"She's my role model," Echo began playing with her braid. "I mean, she's smart, brave. determined, a good leader. Who wouldn't want to be like her?"

Vordus shrugged. "What was your life like, Echo? I mean, Lance says they met you alone, but aren't you a little young for that?"

Echo was silent for a few moments. "I was raised by my guardians in a small village north of Dreadfort. It was attacked about a year ago by this horrible monster," she explained. "I think I'm the only one who survived. I mean, this might sound horrible, but I'm glad my guardians are dead. They taught me the bare minimum and never cared about what happened to me."

She kept talking but Vordus wasn't listening. She had confirmed what he had feared since she had first arrived.

She was the Echo.

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In the depths of the ravine, two glowing blue eyes flared open.