Beguile

Chapter 68

My feet screamed with each impact on the unforgiving forest floor.

The woods offered no respite, the tangled undergrowth restricting my path. The canopy above cast a dim, foreboding light on the narrowing trail. And his fingers is pressing on my wrist as he leads me towards a familiar path.

"They've burned it." He said, as we stop over the small cave that he imprisoned me in before.

It had become much darker, and the noise- scratches against soil- is completely gone. No doubt, anything alive was burned down to a crisp.

He looked over to his band- checking, without ever letting go of my wrist.

I could've run easily. Push him. Kick him. Whip my hand away. But I couldn't. It's my mind that truly shackled me to him.

"Is something the matter?" I asked, looking on my band but there's not even a blink of it. It's just... there. The usual jet black that camouflages along the dark.

"They're on to us." His jaw clenched. Every muscle in his body seemed to tense, ready for confrontation, as he squared his shoulders and took a defiant step forward.

But I know he doesn't fight, or can't, because the ones tailing us are none other than the two.

Two silhouettes moved along the shadows. The echo of their footsteps reverberated off the burned walls, a haunting melody that seemed to sleep into the very essence of the cave itself.

Cloaked in darkness, their forms remained shrouded, their features obscured by the veil of the shadows. But that's how devoid they are of any expression, except how their eyes seem to gleam with gold- like a predator on a hunt.

"What were you thinking, Rie?" There's sweetness in Lucas' voice but his words are far from that. "You knew that there's nowhere to run. YOU. KNEW."

He clicks his tongue, disappointment clear on his voice. As if he was hurt. As if he has been betrayed.

"He's been nothing but a thorn in our side." Kurt growls through gritted teeth. "Every scheme, every plot- ruined by his meddling." His voice carries a venomous edge, laced with frustration and contempt.

"Hmmm..." There's something on Lucas' right hand. A sleek metallic box that rests on between his fingers like a sinister talisman. Somehow, an acrid aroma of a burning fuel starts to assault my senses.

I looked around, the cave shrouded in a blanket of ash and smoke. The scent of burnt earth heavy on the air.

My mind races with a torrent of thoughts. Then I inhaled deeply, thinking that my senses have failed me.

There's nothing out here but lingering tendrils of smoke.

"Rie's been with us for so long. He thinks like us, plans with us, and..." Lucas hesitates, a flicker of doubt momentarily clouding his features. "And yet, when it comes to her, he succumbs to greed."

The weight of his gaze turned to me, and I instinctively looked away- to the hands circling softly around my wrist, to Rie who just wanted my attention.

It might've been my fault.

Was it because I couldn't choose? That I'm greedy.

I simply wanted them all.

Rie's worships. Lucas' sweetness. Kurt's possessiveness.

I wanted to bathe on them. I wanted to drown.

Kurt scoffed, the sound reverberated through the cavern, a harsh and mocking echo that pierced the air like a dagger.

"I warned you." He started, his searing eyes turning to Lucas. "You've been too merciful, Luke. Too kind. You should've let me take the reins."