It hurt. It hurt so much, she couldn't cry or even breathe.
The shock numbed her at first; it didn't feel real—until it did.
A tearing, stinging pain radiated through her body, eclipsing everything else. Pain has a way of making people do monstrous things—misuse power, make desperate decisions, even destroy lives. Power was now in her hands.
Her heart pounded relentlessly, her mind a chaotic whirlwind of thoughts that refused to align. She clenched her fists leaving bloody dents. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the storm raging within.
She slammed her fist into the wall, the dull thud vibrating through the room as she struggled to grapple with her pain and the crushing weight of her guilt. That night, her thoughts blurred, her heart throbbed with a mixture of agony and resolve, and she made her choice. Her teeth clenched, her eyes hardening with determination—she would do it.
Her hand moved toward the object that held the answer— that would either seal her fate or bring salvation. Her heart felt as though it was bleeding out, and in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to disappear, to end it all. But she couldn't because then they wouldn't be saved.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the distance, growing louder. Panic shot through her, but it was too late.
"NO! What are you doing?" A voice rang out, the urgency clear.
"STOP, ARE YOU CRAZY?" Darya screamed, her face twisted in confusion, her eyes wide and filled with fear.
She spun her head around, locking eyes with Darya—who stood frozen, her expression shifting from disbelief to terror.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the pounding of her own heartbeat. "But I have to save them. I can't let them die. I just... can't. It hurts too much." Her voice cracked, her head hanging low, lashes casting shadows over eyes brimming with guilt.
"STOP IT, NOW!" Darya's voice trembled, her anger barely masking her fear. "You don't realize what you're doing! It's too early!"
"No..." she whispered, her voice hollow, the defiance there but weak, like a dying ember.
Her eyes looked vacant, dead, stripped of any warmth they once had. She looked inhuman, like a being who could kill without hesitation—cold, empty, dangerous.
"I think you don't realize..." she said, her voice deep, rough, laced with anger and a raw, unfiltered pain that cut through the air like a blade. "We made this monster together. This is the payback."
As reality dawned on Darya, her eyes widened, fear spreading across her face. She understood now—understood what was about to happen, what the other was willing to do. A chill ran down her spine, terror coursing through her veins, freezing her in place.
"What will happen to everyone else? To me?" Darya's voice cracked, her eyes searching for any trace of the person she once knew.
"I don't know..." she whispered, her voice breaking, the weight of her words pressing heavily against her chest. "But I have to try."
Tears spilled from Darya's eyes, her face streaked with fear and desperation. "PLEASE! I'm scared! STOP!" she begged, her hands trembling violently, her eyes wide with horror.
The clock tower chimed then—a deep, resonant sound that shook the ground beneath them. The vibration rattled through their bones, drowning out Darya's desperate screams, the echo of the chime ringing in their ears, growing louder and louder.
It was a chime that sealed their fate.
The last sound they heard before—
She turned it.
And in that moment, the question lingered in the air, unspoken but heavy with meaning:
Was it a curse, or was it a cure?
YOU ARE READING
Ticking Secrets At Maydale
Mistero / Thriller" My eyes widened in realization, a small gasp escaped my lips. The solution- it had been under my nose the whole time. All I need to do now is destroy it..." Far across hills and deep through meadows, lies a little village called Maydale. a br...
