All I can hear is the sound of my feet hitting the ground, a sound perfectly in sync with the rapid beating of my heart. All I see are the thousands of trees that surround me. All I can think about is the virus eating my sister, Ava, apart from the inside, and the mythical plant,Lilium, that is her only chance at survival. I’m trying to focus, but all I can think about is my sister’s face as I last saw it. Her bright blue eyes squeezed shut, her long blonde hair hanging limply over her shoulders. She was thrashing and calling out in her sleep. My heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest when I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, quietly opened up the door, and with one last glance back at Ava, I left.
My mind is brought back to the present when I hear a branch snap.
“We know what you want.”
I whirl around, trying to find the source of the voice.
“We know why you are here.”
It is low, masculine, and seems to be coming from everywhere at the same time.
“We will stop you.”
Cautiously, I pull out my bow and fit an arrow into it. I slowly turn in a circle, but there is no sign that anything is amiss. A moment later, I lower my bow. I still can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching me, but every second I stand here is a second longer than I can’t afford. Ava has a day, at most, before her body gives in to the virus. A day before I will lose her forever.
The thought of her death gets me running again, though I don’t put down my bow. I see the outline of the castle, in the distance. Somewhere inside is the Lilium that will save Ava. I pick up the pace, and suddenly find myself at the edge of the forest.
The huge castle looms above me menacingly, but gazing up at the castle’s tower, I see the Lilium sitting in the window. At the site of it, I smile, and allow myself a sliver of hope. In that moment, I am unstoppable. I will save Ava.
Just as the thought crosses my mind, a hand clasps over my mouth, and I detect a sickly-sweet scent. I begin to lose consciousness as I am dragged back into the forest.
“You were warned”
I recognize that voice, even in my groggy half conscious state, that low booming voice. The voice from earlier. I didn’t pay attention to it before, but I will pay for that now. Not only with my life, but with Ava’s. I thought it was Ava who would die as a result of my failure today. I could never have imagined this happening. I love Ava, and without her, I’d be nothing. But now, we are falling into the great unknown, together, forever.