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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Arielle's tiny frame and Oscar's massive body swished through the opening in the wall of fire. She'd expected to choke on the smoke, or for the flames to swallow her, detect her as an enemy, to coat her arms and legs and burn her to a crisp. Yet as the two paused on the charred grass, arms linked for stability—and emotional support—Arielle and Oscar weren't walking corpses of ash. They'd made it past the fiery fence, and were one step closer to the house. To their escape.
Both jolted around to witness the fire sealing up behind them, concealing the Being's face. They'd had seconds to get through; how would the Being re-open the thing to let Jade in? She'd have to make her way inside of the protective fires, to confront Penelope.
"Come on," said Oscar, tugging Arielle with him, his large steps hesitant. His shoulders sloped forward, and his arm trembled, but his voice was firm. Now that he knew the truth—that he wasn't defective—Arielle had no doubt he wanted to get things over with. He wanted to get out of Terror and never look back.
But Arielle wasn't so eager, so impatient to depart. No matter how she hated Terror, it was where her best friend resided, and would remain for the rest of her after-life. Couldn't she hang back and wait to make sure Jade was all right? That she'd succeed in stealing the throne of Terror from Penelope? She'd never see her, never speak to her again, that much was sure. It was final. So couldn't she have a few more seconds to capture her to memory? Couldn't she watch Jade in her glory—hopefully—as she fixed the realm, the world, and became an Overseer?
"Hey," Oscar yanked her from her reverie, "we have to go."
She'd been transfixed by the fire, still staring at the spot they'd hurtled through. "I know. It's..."
Oscar offered her a weak smile. "I know. And you told her, and your business is concluded. There's nothing left for you, for us, here. If you want to help, you have to leave. That's the only way to weaken Penelope enough for Jade to... do her thing." His nostrils flared as he said her name. Oscar hadn't appreciated Jade's snark and how easily she'd taken the lead of their group, Arielle could tell.
And Arielle hadn't recovered from Oscar's revelation, from his lies. Why hadn't he said anything? Why hadn't he been honest, from the start?
His eyes creased, the flames reflecting in them, turning them to molten gold. Arielle took that as a sign; a reminder that they'd have plenty of time to hash out their differences later, once they were in the Void. If they made it there.
The grass crunched beneath their feet as they began their trek towards the front door. Fire surrounded them, threatening to engulf them. The crackling was deafening in Arielle's ears, and worsened the closer they got to the building. A few torched remains lined the passage—the foolish zombies who'd tried to brave through the fire to reach their master.
I'd rather die by fire than by their bite.
Oscar snarled at the sight and pulled Arielle closer to him, as if expecting the corpses to reanimate and jump at them. Liar, he was, but it was clear he wouldn't let anything harm him or Arielle before they made it to their destination.
