Souls' Collision | ✔

T H E D U N G E O N

Liz shrugged. "Yeah."

"I've never seen a human this far into the forest." He coughed up something, spat it onto the ground behind him, and then returned his face to the bars.

"And I've never had hepatitis B."

"I don't know what that is."

She shuffled a little farther back, repositioned her jacket that she'd been using as a blanket. "Clearly... Just keep it on your side, old man. I'd like to survive the night. Then I'm outta here."

He erupted in a maniacal laugh, shaking the bars. "One night — one night, she says! Naive little girl."

"I'm not naive."

"You are, you are!"

"Look, asshole—"

"Nobody leaves here."

She scoffed, looked back to the bars, but secretly enjoyed having someone to talk to. "Oh yeah? How long have you been here?"

"Not too long. A year or two. I went in 1983."

Liz stopped her scratching. She slowly returned her attention towards the man, noticed how his hair was patchy and the place where his nails were supposed to be were just bloody hollows. It felt like a stone was caught in her throat, one impossible to swallow. "Well..." she muttered and looked down to her own nails. "I'm getting out. Red said he's gonna come for me. He is."

"Red?" A crazed look entered his eyes. "The alpha?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"What's he doing with a human girl?"

"He's—" Liz paused, remembered that she couldn't tell anyone the truth, and bit her tongue. But now she'd caught his interest; she had to say something. "He's bringing me to Akra," she settled on.

"Akra... The land of waste and chaos. Why will he bring you there?"

Liz pressed her palms against her forehead as she realized what she was about to say. "I... stole his candlesticks. So now I'm becoming a human slave. You know, the usual order of things."

"That was stupid."

"You weren't there — but yeah it was."

The man hummed thoughtfully, then pointed at her. "I like you, human girl. You're funny."

"Thanks — it's a coping mechanism."

"Because of that, I'll help you out. Come closer."

Liz gave him a once-over, then leant her head back against the wall. "Pass."

"Smart, too. But I'll tell you anyway." He grinned coyly and lowered his voice to a wheezing hiss. "Your fate might not be set quite yet. I've been to Akra a few times — they hate the bloodthirsty alpha. He abandoned them, his own blood, and never returned."

She cocked her head to the side and furrowed her brows. "Who's the bloodthirsty alpha?"

"Alpha Red. That's how he got his name. He's not quite like the other alphas, all born into their roles. But then again he's also said to be more brutal than all of them combined; he's had to be to defend his position."