Her Unexpected Love

Chapter 11

Grace Jones sought solace on a secluded campus lawn with her best friend, hoping for a brief respite before the afternoon's scholarly sessions began.

Yet no sooner had they reclined than an eerie current swept over them, contorting the surroundings into grotesque shapes.

"What's happening?" Eva Hudson sat up, panic-stricken, gripping Grace's arm.

Grace about to speak, was cut off by the ground before they split, a narrow chasm opening, wafting a potent fragrance. The scent intensified, encircling them in its heady embrace.

"What is the smell?" Eva, nose covered, brows knitted in confusion.

"I can't quite tell." Grace, frowning, edged closer to investigate the fissure. Inadvertently, she was seized by a bizarre force, and yanked skyward!

"Help, Eva! Grab my hands!" Her screams pierced the air as she desperately reached Eva.

Eva Hudson, startled, instinctively clutched Grace's wrist, straining to anchor her. But the force was overwhelming, and Eva found herself lifted off the ground.

"Stop pulling. We'll fall." Grace shouted.

Eva's teeth gritted, flung Grace back onto the lawn. She continued to be drawn toward the fissure.

"Ah!" Eva's scream was cut short as she plummeted into the crevice, which snapped shut, leaving Grace alone, staring in horror as her friend vanished.

"Eva! Where are you?" Grace frantically searched for the silent expanse.

She pressed her ear to the ground, desperate for any sign of Eva. But her calls, her listening, met only with a haunting silence.

As Grace stood, lost and helpless, a pungent scent of blood suddenly permeated the air. Tracing the scent, she saw the fissure reappear, the grass around it stained crimson.

Grace is nearly fainting with fear, fought to stay conscious, shaking her head to clear it. Then, a hand emerged from the blood-soaked earth, clawing wildly.

"Grace! Help. Help me!" Eva's agonized voice rose from below. Grace recognized Eva's arm and ran to it, pulling the bloodied limb.

But touching the arm, she felt a searing pain, as if needles stabbed her skin.

"Ah! It hurts." She cried out, unable to stop-she had to save her best friend.

"Hold on!" Grace yelled, her voice trying to pierce the darkness and blood below. With all her might, she extracted Eva's arm from the blood, only to find it twisted, unmovable.

"Don't. Don't leave me! Please, save me!" Eva's voice was weak, desperate, as she clung to Grace's neck.

"Don't be afraid, I'll take you out. Just endure a bit longer, it will be okay." Grace soothed, gripping Eva's other arm.

"No, I can't be a burden anymore. You must go on." Eva's voice was exhausted.

"We must leave quickly, or something will happen, " Grace replied.

Suddenly, a chilling voice from below declared, "Leave! This is my cave, and no one shall enter."

Lightning tore through the sky, illuminating the valley. Grace saw the fissure widen, something monstrous emerging.

As the fissure grew, Grace saw the creature with dimples and a smile like Daniel's climbing from the valley. Without hesitation, she pulled Eva from the debris.

"Eva, hold onto me, run, we must leave now!" she shouted.

Eva's body was now encased in thick ice, her limbs numb in the freezing air.

"Don't mind me, run!" Eva pointed out as she ran.

Grace ran, tears streaming as Eva's form receded into the distance, disappearing.