Noemie screamed.
The kind of scream that didn't come from the throat but from the soul.....splitting the forest in two. Her limbs were bound to a thick, moss-covered log, arms stretched, legs pulled taut. Her face was twisted in agony, eyes searching the sky like it might open and save her.
"No, no, please... don't," she begged, her voice shaking like leaves in the wind.
From the treeline, Lina, Seraina, and Annelise watched in paralyzed horror.
Seraina had dropped to her knees, fists in the dirt, digging so hard her nails bent backward. Her mouth was open, but nothing came out. Annelise's eyes were wide, lips quivering, a faint whimper trapped in her throat. Lina was completely still....a statue, haunted and hollow.
Inside Lina, time unraveled.
She saw her mother's face as she choked to death in that cave. Her screams, the helplessness. She saw herself hitting Noemie with the stick.....not knowing, not seeing. Now, she was watching her die.
Again.
She wanted to run. She wanted to scream. But all she could do was watch.
One of the women bent over Noemie and pressed her lips to hers. Softly. Almost lovingly.
Noemie flinched.
The woman stepped aside. Another approached...this one carrying an axe.
Noemie screamed again, thrashing. "PLEASE! I DID EVERYTHING! I SAVED THEM! PLEASE!"
The axe glinted as it rose. Lina didn't breathe.
Seraina reached out as if she could touch Noemie across the distance. "No... no....."
The axe came down.
A sound. Thick. Wet.
Annelise let out a dry sob and collapsed beside Seraina.
Lina blinked. Still unmoving.
They watched.
Like dolls.
Far away, Matteo's house was drenched in orange twilight.
Eliane lay on the bed, soaked in sweat, her body trembling. Her fever had grown worse. Her breathing was ragged.
Matteo paced the room, shirt half-buttoned, eyes red.
"Fucking hell," he muttered, dialing again. No response. The doctor was delayed.
He turned to Eliane, who whimpered through clenched teeth.
"I can't enjoy this revenge if you die like a goddamn ghost," he hissed. His voice was sharp, but his hands trembled.
Matteo yanked the covers off, then stripped her clothes off down to her undergarments. His jaw was clenched. His touch was rough, angry, but not cruel.
He brought a bowl of water and a towel. Sat beside her. Dunked the cloth, wrung it out, wiped her forehead. Her cheeks. Her collarbone. Slow. Methodical.
His hand paused at her neck.
"Why did you become like this?" he whispered. "You were..... you were supposed to save me."
Eliane shivered. Her eyes fluttered open. "Matteo..."
He looked away. "Shut up. Save your breath."
But his hand lingered.
He dipped the cloth again.
Back in the forest, silence.
"No..... Noemie..." Annelise whispered.
The women were done. They stepped back from the log. One of them turned her head.
And then they saw her. Lina.
Still watching. Eyes dead.
The woman smiled.
Seraina grabbed Annelise's arm. "They're coming."
"Noemie..... we can't leave her!"
They turned. Her body was still.
Then....a twitch.
Annelise screamed.
"She's not dead.....!"
Noemie's body jerked. Her eyes opened. Her mouth moved, whispering names. Not pleading. Calling.
Lina's mouth fell open.
The women turned back toward them.
Annelise panicked. "Run!" She grabbed Lina's shoulders. "RUN!"
Lina didn't move.
"RUN, BITCH!" Annelise slapped her hard.
Lina flinched, eyes blinking back to life.
"It's..... hopeless," she whispered.
Seraina glared at them both. "Shut up. Don't forget why Noemie's dead. She did it for you. You!" she pointed at Lina. "We came here to save YOU."
Annelise snapped back, face red. "And it's YOUR fault we're here to begin with!"
Seraina slapped her.
"ENOUGH!" Lina shouted.
The women were coming closer, their smiles widening.
"We run. We survive," Lina said.
They all turned.
Ran.
Branches whipped their skin, thorns tore their legs. The ground beneath their feet felt like quicksand.
Lina bit her finger, blood running down her chin. She stopped.
Caught Seraina mid-sprint.
Threw her back.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Seraina shouted as she stumbled.
Lina didn't answer. She turned, and kept running.
Behind them, from the trees, came a voice.
"Lina..."
It was Noemie.
Noemie...walking.
But her limbs bent wrong. Her eyes were open but blank. Her lips moved soundlessly.
The axe still embedded in her side.
The women followed her. Not leading her. Not chasing.
Following.
Lina screamed.
The forest swallowed them again.