The Twelve Realms (A Zodiac Story)

Chapter 45 - Loss

a/n this chapter includes blood (glittery or not) and a serious injury. If you're sensitive about that kinda stuff . . . I'm warning you.

*time skip*

Nobody POV

Aries put her chin against the railing of the waterfall path and sighed. Drake came up to her, and they watched the cascading waterfall in front of them.

"Did you like it?" Drake asked.

Aries nodded wordlessly, checking her phone. Her brow furrowed when she saw Cancer's messages. "I wish the others could've come with us, though."

The others were all talking loudly about the waterfall and other things, a little farther from the two. Aries lifted her chin and murmured, "Why do I have a feeling that they've gotten into trouble somehow?"

"You should focus on here," Drake said. "Forget the others -- the waterfall is amazing, right? Focus on that. The others can do whatever they want."

Aries checked her phone again and Drake saw her flip to Capricorn's contact. His posture hardened as she opened up the messages.

"You're not going to try to talk to him, are you?" Drake asked bitterly. "He wouldn't tell you what you needed to know, so what makes you think he's going to answer now?"

Aries furrowed her brow but put her phone away again. "I was going to apologize . . ."

"Don't. He deserves the treatment you're giving him right now."

Aries cast Drake a glance. "I was thinking maybe I was wrong."

"You weren't," Drake said seriously.

Aries breathed out a sigh and stared at the waterfall, watching the water spray once it hit the river below. 

Libra glared at Aries and Drake. "It's obvious he's trying to influence her to get farther away from Cap," she whispered to Taurus.

Taurus looked up from his phone. "Sorry, what? I wasn't listening."

Libra scowled. "Can you get away from your phone for one second?"

"But it's boring here," Taurus complained. "It would be better if Cancer was here."

Libra rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but Cancer, Cap and Scorpio are off studying some map, so you're stuck with me now."

*at the same time*

They were, in fact, not off studying some map.

"KILLER DOLL!" Cancer screamed, jumping over debris.

Capricorn dashed a glance back at the thing that was chasing them. "That's what your nightmares were about? Jeez."

"It's holding a knife, this way." Scorpio dragged Cancer and Capricorn into a separate hallway.

Cancer clutched a stitch in his side as they continued to run. Capricorn analyzed the walls, panting slightly, trying to find a way back to the truck.

Behind them was a . . . a thing. It had a doll's head and blood leaking out of the empty eye sockets, along with long, porcelain limbs. A bloody knife was clutched in its wooden fingers as it stumbled after the three.

"AFTER!"

The screech echoed through the empty warehouse, and Cancer gulped for air. Even Scorpio was running out of breath.

"How . . . the fuck . . . is it alive?" Capricorn panted slightly, leaning against the wall. "We've been running away from it for ten minutes straight and its a doll."