The locker room looked empty. The fluorescent lighting illuminated the space in a sickly yellow glow. Emily stepped carefully through the threshold.
"Hello?" She said loudly enough for her voice to echo against the tiled walls.
"Clever rabbit," it whispered back.
"Show yourself!" Emily said more forcefully.
"Are you sure you are ready to face me? Those other little vignettes I showed you were chump change for what you really fear," the voice chuckled.
"I am not afraid of you!" Said Emily with conviction.
"Lie to yourself all you want, darling. I know you better than you know yourself," the voice paused. "And I know your greatest fear.
The room around Emily began to spin. She felt dizzy and dropped to her knees to steady herself. Emily suddenly found herself outside, kneeling on the frozen ground beside the tree in the grove.
Twisted faces looking at her with empty eyes, mouths parted in silent screams. Beneath the tree blood pooled. Emily saw a human body under the tree. The figure looked like that of a young man. Emily walked closer towards it.
"The one you love is under that tree," whispered the voice into her ear.
"No!" She screamed and rushed towards the figure. "Morgan!" She screamed recognizing the boy. She touched his shoulder but he did not respond. His blue eyes looked listlessly at her.
Next to him lay Sam. Bloodied and gored, he was almost unrecognizable. His beautiful face contorted with horror, as if he was mid scream when his life left him.
"Sam!" Emily screamed and felt her heart break into a million pieces.
"Failure," said the voice calmly. "Your greatest fear is that you'll fail them."
Silence fell all around her. Emily could hear only her quiet sobbing and the beating of her aching heart.
"This isn't real," she said standing up. "It's just in my head! I will not fail them!"
"Big words for a tiny mortal playing a god's game," laughed the voice. "But I like your guts...so much so that I want to see them bloom red on the freshly fallen snow... delicious!" The voice laughed manically. "And what better way to do that than to let Sylvos eviscerate you himself."
The world spun around Emily once again. Images and colours blurred. She felt bile coming up in her mouth and her stomach twisted.
"Nowhere to run, little rabbit," echoed the voice all around Emily. "Become his tribute or die," laughter surrounded her piercing her souls and breaking her heart.
When the world stopped spinning, Emily found herself lying on the ground. Sam had her head propped up on his knees, while Morgan sad awkwardly at her feet, his hands resting carefully on her legs. Her head ached and she was afraid that if she move, she'd empty the contents of her stomach.
Carefully she looked at Sam. He had his eyes closed and tiny snowflakes rested on his eyelashes and hair. He looked angelic as his lips moved in a silent prayer.
"Is this real?" Asked Emily looking up at the bright blue sky.