STRANGULATE | Markicest

22 | WOUNDS

Mark stirred in bed, eyes fluttering open to find a dark, patterned ceiling. His brows furrowed, and he glanced to his right, wincing at the littlest stretch of light beaming through the closed curtains.

    Where am I?

    He squinted back up at the ceiling, wondering why its normal stipple patterns weren't there. This... was his home, right? He rubbed his eyes, flinching and whimpering at the pain shooting through his eyes.

    "Careful," came a soft voice to his left. Mark startled, still hazed, and glanced towards the sound, meeting the sight of a young woman stooped over him. Her face was round yet angled, her buzzed head and absence of brows accentuating the bright emeralds of her eyes.

    She leaned forward and gently pressed the warm rag on Mark's forehead. He flinched, a dread pooling in his stomach.

    That's right, he thought bitterly, and flashes of the forest blurred before his eyes. He winced at the mere thought, the back of his eyes pulsing as he remembered the sheer pain he felt before he blacked out. I'm back here.

    "Even though I healed you, your body still needs rest," said the woman. "Can you do that for me?"

    Mark closed his eyes, moving his fingers. He was grateful to find a blanket over his body, but as he gripped it, a pain shot up his wrists.

    "Ah—"

    "My name's Ether," said the woman as she leaned forward, gently pulling Mark's hands away from the blanket and settling them down on the bed. He glanced down, noting that they were wrapped with white bandages. A few splotches of blood soaked through the material.

His brows furrowed, and Ether smiled, pressing Mark's head back down into the soft pillow.

    "The trees you ran through are called Fanged Elders. They're ancient seeds enchanted by Evolveds to ward off humans from their sacred lands."

    Mark blinked, his eyes still sore and sensitive, and did his best to glance over at Ether.

    "Those houses," he said, voice weak and croaking. He was too tired to care how terrible he sounded. "Those weren't humans'."

    Ether shook her head. "You entered an Evolved town."

    Mark swallowed, and he grimaced, his throat scratchy and burning.

    "Do... do you have any water?" he managed out. Ether nodded, reaching behind her and holding up a glass of water with a straw towards him. She carefully supported his head from behind so he could reach the glass, and Mark sipped, sighing as the cool liquid soothed his throat.

    "Thanks," he breathed.

    Saying thank you to the people who kidnapped you, he thought sourly. How ironic.

    He glanced around the room, squinting, noting how familiar it looked. A king bed with soft, rich sheets, a drawer to the right, and a large desk pressed against the far corner of the room.

    His heart fluttered.

    This was Dark's room.

    He closed his eyes, carefully lacing his fingers together over his stomach. "Where's Dark?" he asked softly. The sheets rustled beside him as Ether shifted in her spot.

    "He's in the Other Side right now," she said. When Mark's brows furrowed, she explained. "It's what we call the Evolved City. Edwards was banished from it many years ago."