I remember suffocating, the cool grass dancing around me as I fell into it. My body had gone limp, my eyes were burning from tears. Leighton could have killed me right there, trapping me in an airtight ball, but he wanted to believe in my loyalty. The poor fool, I pitied him at times. Joining his forces was a big step into learning about how he works. To take apart the machine you have to find what makes it tick, so thats what I did. I remember when I left, the betrayal and pain in Adira’s eyes was almost enough to kill me as I walked away. Though it didn’t compare to what I saw in that valley. Her beautiful emerald eyes looked like cracked gems, drowning in a river of tears. She could barely speak, her words had came out strangled with emotions. I closed my eyes trying to forget about it, but the memory was too real and too recent. The sensation of the arrow leaving my fingertips raced through my hand. God I had wished she was quicker, but I hit my target. The arrow had pierced her right in her shoulder. I hoped she understood I had to make it look like I was actually trying to hurt her. Though, I would have given anything to have allowed myself to be caught in her pain, so take her suffering, and let it just consume me. But now I sit in my quarters in Leighton’s castle, two guards on post outside to keep an eye on me. Leighton needed me, I was the only one who could convince people to follow him by not using terror. I guessed that was the only reason I was alive. My damp room was more of a cell, no windows, and nothing adorning the walls. The only thing in there was my trunk at the foot of my bed with my things in it, with a few candles along the wall to give off some light. My body ached and my face was stained with tears. My thoughts were interrupted by Leighton himself. He looked ghastly, as though he was living in this world and with the ghost. His smile reminded me of an injured wolf, right before it tried to bite you.
“So Leo... recent events have made me..question..your loyalty.” His voice was the icles that hung from roofs in the deep winter, I gave him a warm smile.
“Leighton, listen. I know what that looked like but I was trying to stop her!” I gave him my most casual I-So-Didn’t-Try-To-Kill-You look and kept talking,
“She put up a good fight, I had to scale those trees after her!” I knew my story wasn’t adding up, yet. “I was trying to keep minimal casualties, but I didn’t think she would be so stupid as to try the Valley of Pesadilla to escape! We are forbidden from entrance, but I managed an arrow to her shoulder before she got off too far.” Hopefully that would do the trick. I took steady breaths, trying to slow my heartbeat. Leighton had hyper-sensitive hearing, he could hear peoples hearts beat and could tell if they were lying by how fast it would beat. I silently prayed I sounded normal enough. Leighton was actually a very silent person, he seldom spoke unless he was provoked. Being in the same room with him felt like you had locked yourself in a cage with a bear. His crooked smile slowly inched across his face.
“Of course... I was wrong to think otherwise, Leo. My apologies.” He gave a slight little bow, inclining his head forward, and left the room. The door shut behind him. I hear hushed voices float under the door. He doesn’t believe me. I quickly move over to my trunk and open the lid, inside lay all of my personal belongings. A couple books, some cloths, and pictures of Adira and I during school. Her smile shines up at me as we have ice cream all over our faces, sitting on the school grounds with friends. I remember shoving her ice cream into her face and then everyone had one big ice cream fight. The memory brought a burning sensation to my eyes as tears swelled up. I picked up the small wood box all of my things sat on, underneath through the bottom of my trunk was the tunnel. It was dark and damp, it sloped almost 90 degrees before leveling out. Months of manpower, and some enchanted shovels, had given me my best shot to escape. I shook the pillowcases off of my pillows and tied them together, forming a makeshift bag. I shoved all of my things inside and climbed into the trunk. I lowered the piece of wood as I slid down the hole. Upon reaching the bottom I realized that a penguin slide wasn’t as smart as it had originally seemed. I now had holes in my shirt and was covered in dirt. The tunnel was dark and there was only enough space for me to crawl on hands and knees, I had only just been able to make it wide enough for my broad shoulders. I inched forward like a blind mouse. I strained my eyes to focus in the pitch dark, my senses were on full alert. The farther I got the more aware of how claustrophobic I really was. My chest started to tighten as the image of Adira seeped into my mind. She was smiling at me, laughing, as I had smashed ice cream in her face. Our friends joined in but she never took her eyes off me, I remember my face went bright red from the attention. A smile creeped across my face as I slowed my breathing and lightened the weight on my chest. I continued crawling, digging my fingers into the rough dirt to pull me forwards. I reached a corner to the tunnel, light danced around me. I had placed a porous rock over the exit, just enough to hide the tunnel but to give me an indication I was almost there. I pushed the rock aside and tumbled out. I stood up to stretch, my limbs sounded like wood crackling in a fire. I had emerged in the middle of the woods where just a few hours ago I raced across the tree tops with Adira. I decided for now I could avoid tree climbing, wincing as I looked at my still bloodied fingernails. I decided I needed to get moving. Though I became increasingly aware at how silent the forest was, no birds singing or squirrels playing tag in the brush. I was on high alert now, with each step I took getting closer to Pesadilla Valley the more paranoid I got. With ease I made my way to the valley. I guess Leighton may think I am still in my quarters, I grin at the thought of outsmarting the psycho.
A cold breeze ruffles my hair and nips at my face. Pesadilla Valley looked like you were seeing things through a black and white screen. Everything was very alive and healthy but all in shades of grey, black, or white. The grass no longer was soft and danced in the breeze but felt like sandpaper and seemed to be guarding the land. As I made my way through the valley the temperature decreased until it should have been impossible for anything to be alive, though the sun shone brightly in the sky. With slight horror though I realized that the sky and sun itself looked like one big polaroid picture. Though onwards I trekked, the grass clawed at my ankles and the trees seemed to stare at me accusingly. I finally made it to the middle of the valley, here everything really was dead. A faceless man stood by a smooth rock, his robes seemed to whisper all the nightmares of the world. By this time my bones were made of ice and my skin was just layers of snow blanketing them. I only guessed how blue my lips must have been. I shivered my way over to the figure. I stood up as straight as I could and was just about to say something when the man raised his hand. No, he wasn’t a man. I almost turned in disgust as his decayed hands pulled back his hood to reveal nothing. He had paper thin skin that seemed to reflect into my mind. I had hardly noticed his face swirling until his wretched and gnarled hands grabbed my face, and I was sucked into my worst nightmare.