Terror. A dimension mirroring the living one--but morphed to reflect the imagination of its Overseer. And the current Overseer... has refused to relinquish her power for centuries, tormenting her souls--"terrors"--into becoming... zombies.
Arielle f...
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The relief that pooled into Arielle's bloodstream was almost enough to warm her, to thaw the ice that had wrapped around her heart and lungs. Jade was dead, but she wasn't a zombie. She wasn't roaming around Terror with fangs that dripped blood and hair on fire. Her beautiful mane had turned frizzy, and her skin was pale from cold, but there she was—the ever-elusive but always elegant Jade, that Arielle had died for.
She'd whispered in Jade's ear, while they embraced—how she never thought she'd see her again, how Penelope had implied they'd never reunite. And how she'd been persuaded she'd have to find her, discover her in a zombie form, and kill her to save her soul.
And now, watching the wonderful woman staring at Oscar, a haze of irritation glossing over her once soothing eyes, Arielle knew what came next. She gulped, aware that she'd waited so long, avoided her feelings for months, years; but now the time had come to confess all she'd kept inside. Now was the time to tell Jade that she—
"Okay, but who the fuck are you to swoop in here and tell us where to go?" Oscar's voice was leveled, but Arielle had heard him speak enough to detect the frustration in each word.
Jade gawked at him; no one spoke to her like that, not in life, and apparently not in the depths of Terror, either. "Oh, I don't know—someone who's been down here for months and fought off zombies and has had personal access to Penelope's deepest thoughts?" She snickered at Oscar, unafraid of his towering height and his broadening chest as he perked up. "And like I said, I'm not forcing you to do anything. If you want to continue your way towards where you thought was north, be my guest. But Arielle is with me now. And Benny was already coming, so..."
Arielle spotted Benny gritting his teeth and looking at his feet. He didn't appear so sure of wanting to follow Jade, and if he meant to remind her of that, he chose to keep his mouth shut. Arielle recalled seeing him stumble into the house, completely trashed, spewing nonsense about Kylie's death as he swung a liquor bottle about himself in defense. He'd put on a brave front, but alcohol could do that to anyone.
In any case, his alcoholic rage hadn't been enough to stop Penelope. And Arielle worried his sober, lucid self wouldn't be enough, either.
"So you decide for her, do you?" Oscar spun to Arielle, eyebrows rising. The ice once caked over the bushy hairs had melted; his skin steamed with rage. "Is this true, Arielle? You'll follow her blindly into Penelope's lair and get yourself devoured?"
Arielle shrugged. He'd been her protector, no matter his moods and his brusque behavior. But Jade... Jade was her best friend, the woman she loved. "I was looking for her, and here she is. Do you really think I'd let her out of my sight?" She sighed, wincing at Oscar's slowly deflating form. "And you heard her—there's nothing north. I know your trainer said... but I trust Jade. With my life, my after-life, my everything."
Jade's lips twitched upward and she lowered her chin to hide the smile slipping over her mouth.
Folding his massive arms to his torso, Oscar rolled his eyes. "Right, fine. So you want to go towards the cold? Towards Penelope? Are you suicidal or stupid or both?"
