Lights Out (Book 2 of the "Living Nightmare" series)

Chapter 4

Ceris didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she woke up to the sound of someone muttering. She glanced around, but seeing no one awake, was about to go to sleep again when Lance muttered, "You incompetent fool."

Ceris couldn't help but smile slightly as she leaned over and brushed his hair away from his eyes. He sighed almost contentedly and shifted ever so slightly.

Ceris watched him for several minutes before entwining her fingers with his.

<>

Echo looked around as she was led down a trail she didn't even know was there. "Okay, where are we going, exactly?"

Alexsis glanced over. "We're going to see a friend of Nightshaft. Her name is Lady Myra, an enchantress who has the gift of glimpsing others futures. She also dated your father, at one point."

Echo cringed. "Are you sure she'll even want help us then? I'm literally the daughter of her ex."

"Oh, Lady Myra doesn't work like that," Waver smiled. "She once told me 'never hold a grudge against someone. All you get is bitterness and a punishment from the universe'. If anything, she'll be thrilled and happy to know that Lance found that special someone."

Echo couldn't help but look skeptical. "If you're sure..."

<>

Lyria threw a worried glance at the nighttime shadows. "Can someone please explain to me why we haven't heard any monsters yet?"

"I think it might be the weather conditions in these mountains might make it difficult to survive," Gwendolyn replied. "There aren't many mobs due to that, perhaps."

A large shadow went zipping overhead, causing Lyria to shriek: "I jinxed it!" as whatever it was crashed into a boulder nearby."

Gwen pointed her glowing staff in front of herself. "Let's find out what that was. Quickly."

The trio cautiously moved forward, Lyria relaxing slightly when she saw what it was. "Oh, it's just a Frostbourne flyer. But why--"

The door swung open with a squeal of metal and a familiar woman pulled herself out.

"Hilda?" Hogsworth asked in shock, his gaze catching on the scabbed slit on her forehead.

"Commnader!" Lyria burst out. "What on earth are you doing?!"

"I heard about what you two were doing," Hilda nodded as she dusted herself off. "And I'm here to help.

"Commander, Ser Patrick is going to be furious. He'll probably think you got captured again!"

"Don't worry about it. Nostra knows where I am."

Lyria's eyes widdened. "And she let you go? What is wrong with you people?!"

Gwendolyn meanwhile, nodded at Hilda. "Welcome to the group. We're in a rush, so come along."

Lyria gave the enchantress a dumbfounded look while Hilda just shrugged and started following.

<>

The sun was barely up before an urgent knock sounded on Patrick's door. "You may--"

"Sire!" the door burst open before he could even finish his sentence, Agatha saluting as she entered. "I hate to report this, but Commander Hilda is missing!"

He stared at her. "This better be a joke, Agatha."

"No joke, Sire. Lady Azura also reported that a single-pilot flyer went missing as well."

"Hilda left? Why? Where would she go?"

"I don't know, Sire."

Patrick sighed. "We can't spare anyone to look for her. We have to trust she'll take care of herself. Why does this keep happening?!"

<>

Kane wasn't in the cave when Ciara woke up the next morning. Before she let herself panic, she hurried outside just to find him sitting on a fallen log. She released a breath before saying, "You're up early."

He glanced up at her and she came to sit down next to him. "I didn't sleep very well last night. I kept having these weird dreams," he paused. "I think you were in most of them."

Her breath caught in her throat. They stared at each other for several moments before Kane grew uncomfortable and looked away. "Well--"

A sudden ribbit cut him off. They both turned around and Ciara blinked in surprise. "What? It can't be..."

"Is that a black and purple frog?"

Ciara got to her feet and picked it up. "I don't believe it. It's Lance's frog!"

"It belongs to the guy in a coma?" Kane joined her and studied it. "I don't like it."

"Well, a while ago, you had a very bad run-in with this frog."

"Oh. Well, I just don't think I like frogs very much."

Ciara smiled slightly and placed the frog on her shoulder. "Come on. Let's go back in."

<>

The morning was still early and the group was almost there when Hogsworth came to a sudden stop, grabbing his sword handle. "Did you hear that?"

Hilda glanced up. "Hear what? I didn't hear anything."

Instead of replying, Hogsworth crept towards a shadowy overhang; Gwen following with her staff lit.

Then everyone heard a loud of squeal of alarm and a pink and black blur bolted by, hiding behind Hogsworth. He jumped and twisted in alarm to see what was behind him. It was a small, pink Piglin girl with patches of black across her skin. She looked up at him with eyes a strange purple color, fear on her face as she whimpered something he couldn't understand.

Lyria tilted her head. "What is it?"

She looked at Lyria indignantly. "Hey! I'm not an 'it'! I-I'm Blossom."

Gwendolyn shook her head. "I don't believe it but I think she's a Piglin-Enderman hybrid."

Hilda blinked. "What are you on? 'Cause I think you're crazy."

Hogsworth leaned down and carefully picked Blossom up. "How did you get all the way out here, Blossom?"

She shuddered. "The mean old man I used to live with tied me up and dragged me out here. Then left me alone! I managed to teleport out of the ropes but now I don't know what to do."

"I think you can stay with us."

Her face lit up. "Really?"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lyria asked.

Hogsworth turned to her, a glint of anger in his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. She's a child and I refuse to leave her here to starve or freeze to death."

Gwendolyn nodded. "He has a point. Either way, we must keep moving."

They resumed walking and Blossom put a hand on Hogsworth's shoulder. "What can I call you and where are we going?"

"Well, I'm Hogsworth. That's Lyria, Hilda, and Lady Gwendolyn. We're, uh," he paused. "We're going to tell some important people something."

"Oooh, interesting."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, I suppose so."

<>

Ceris studied the frog in Ciara's lap. "So Lance's frog just showed up?"

"Yes. We don't know where it came from, but it's here. Kinda curious what else he had."

Ceris glanced over her shoulder at Lance. "Only he could tell you that, and...well..."

She didn't finish her thought because Gwendolyn burst into the cave with a group of people. "I couldn't find Echo, but we need to do something. A Nether army is hunting us down."

<>

A/N: Woo-hoo! Another chapter! Thoughts?