Duskwood - For all the Ghosts that are never gone

Chapter 8: Are you scared?

Chapter 8: Are you scared?

"Surprise"

Several voices echoed in the room all at once. As brightly as a flash of lightning in the dark night sky, the light was switched on. My eyes were automatically narrowed. I felt as if my heart had stopped beating. After a few seconds of disorientation, I recognised their grinning faces.

Are you scared?

Cleo and Jessy stood in front of the others. In their hands, a silver serving tray was presented, with a squared chocolate cream cake on it. The cream was perfectly smoothed out and the small heaps of cream adorned the rim in excellent symmetry. Brightly coloured letters of sugar formed the words "Welcome to Duskwood." Each word had a separate row reserved for it. This cake didn't seem like it had been handmade. Nevertheless, I knew it was. After all, I had sent Cleo's photos of the processing in the group chat.

Are you scared?

Thomas stood behind Cleo on the left. Also on the left, although behind Jessy, was Lilly. Centrally between the both of them was a young woman whose gaze wasn't on me, but on the floor. I knew who she was.

The shy main character of my story.

Hannah Donfort.

Perfectly placed between her boyfriend and her little sister. In contrast, Dan seems like an outsider in his wheelchair several inches next to Jessy and Lilly.

Are you scared?

The corner of my left mouth tried desperately to form a smile. But the right side was still paralysed. It was strange that I felt most connected to the only stranger in the room. We were both plagued by an extreme malaise, the desire to get the hell out of here. Even though the basic motives for this feeling couldn't have been more different for the two of us

Are you scared?

I didn't understand my body and my feelings any longer. Each and every muscle conspired against me. Instead of happy endorphins or even calming serotonin, my brain flooded me with stressful adrenaline. I guess the amygdala of my brain hadn't yet been given the message that this wasn't a dangerous situation here.

Are you scared?

However, other parts of my body seemed to understand this cognition already. Otherwise, my frozen body couldn't be explained. After all, I wasn't a rabbit whose self-protection caused a death-like condition. In an actual case of a dangerous situations, I would have been a victim to any attackers.

Are you scared?

"[MC], Are you all right?" The information flow from my ears to my brain was still functioning to such an extent that I was able to process that it was Dan's voice that had spoken to me. Because my memory knew where he was, I could turn my head in his direction with mechanical movements.

Are you scared?

" Yeah, of course," I squeaked and attempted to emphasize this statement with a fake smile. Their glances showed me clearly that they had seen through my trick.

Dan merely underlined this with his particularly skeptically emphasized, " Oh, for real?"

Are you scared?

Automatically, my left foot stepped back. I sensed their irritated gazes. I didn't want to flee, just my body was in escape mode.

"I..." I began without knowing what I was going to say. Or even begin to understand my own acute emotional state.