The room Millie found herself in was silent, save for a woman curled up to the side quietly sobbing. Her small, mewling noises were accented by an occasional drip of liquid in the distance.

As Raj helped Millie stand up from the small tunnel they’d crawled through, they were greeted by familiar faces. But there were also new ones: strangers, nearly half a dozen, including the crying woman nearby. Looking between them, Millie was just about to say something before she recoiled, covering her mouth and nose. There was a foul smell that permeated the room, and her watering eyes cast about to find the source.

The room was a large, circular cavern with steep walls and a wide center. It was lit by lanterns hanging on metal spikes driven into the stone. But the bulk of the room, however, consisted of a pool of water several feet recessed below them. It reminded her in some ways of a canal: the steep walls encircling the water were slick, smooth, and moss-covered. Given how far down it was into the water—anyone who fell in hoping to swim across wouldn’t be getting out without help.

But along the edge, continuing at the level they all stood at, was a pair of wooden walkways. It was made of logs of wood that were also driven into the stone, like the lanterns, but also lashed together tightly with thick bands of rope. And yet there was a sense of instability to them.

Stone crumbled in many locations where the wood had been harshly implanted, and several logs were at odd angles compared to the rest. And with no handrails and a smooth wall, it seemed a questionable choice of crossing. All it would take is one slip and you’d fall.

If only that had been the only concern.

On the other side was a thin landing of stone before a drop-off. Where it went wasn’t visible, but the top of a set of ornate doors could be seen. It was obviously the way out, but Millie wasn’t sure they’d ever reach them.

Because near the edge of one of the walkways was a red stain plastered against the stone wall. A wall that was smooth save for the small impact crater sporting cracks in splintered patterns emanating from the center of the crimson.

Millie had to stifle a gasp. Chunks of bone and gore were still clinging to the wall and the small sound of dripping had been coming from the fresh blood still running down. The otherwise pristine, crystalline blue below was slowly being polluted red.

“W-what…” Millie said through her fingers, but one of the strangers moved to shush her immediately. The woman was dark-skinned and had an imposing beauty.

“Quiet,” she whispered. “It isn’t safe here.”

Millie nodded, and the woman backed off, sweeping her long black hair to the side as she turned away. But as she moved Millie saw something on her neck. A tattoo that seemed familiar. It was an Incan sunburst, centered just below the woman’s ear where it spilled up her cheek and circled her neck. After a moment, Millie’s memory caught on.

“Wait a minute,” Millie said quietly, “aren’t you…Isabella Navarro? The Instagram model?”

A resonating squeak from Tanya nearby confirmed Millie’s theory, as she turned to see the petite blond blushing furiously. It must’ve been shock that kept the little tramp quiet, and Millie had to stamp down on the memories of their shared love for fashion and travel back when they’d been friends. Even still, Millie found herself flushing slightly as the imposing girl looked back at her. Her hair swept again, showing that to be a rather practiced, and stylized, gesture of hers before she put a hand on her hip to regard Millie.

The internet star shrugged noncommittally before speaking quietly. “Yeah, nice to meet you. Just stay quiet, okay? There’s some…thing in the water. Noise attracts it and we’re not sure if we’re safe up here or not.”

“Oh please don’t start signing autographs again,” a very tall, dark-skinned man said nearby. His hair was a similar black to Isabella’s but trimmed to a more masculine buzzcut. And yet, he had an oddly beautiful, delicate set of features despite the angry look on his face. His eyes probably could have pulled off an incredible smolder, Millie thought, but he was too busy scowling as he folded his arms over the sports jersey he wore. He looked young though, and double-checking his Jersey, Millie saw it was for a high school basketball team.

“Shut it, D’marco.” Isabella snapped. She winced, however, when the waters below stirred.

“Good job, sis.” The man said under his breath, before recoiling as the girl reached out and smacked his arm. It was a hell of a slug, but she, and everyone else nearby, quickly hunkered to the sides of the opening landing as though waiting for something. Wasting no time, Millie did the same.

The silence dragged on for a few moments as they watched. Before too long, however, the waters began to stir. Something massive was shifting below and soon began to actively writhe around. Through the occasional break in the waters, Millie could see a massive serpentine body, before whatever was waiting decided to come up for a look.

Rising out of the water to tower above them was a red-stained head. It wasn’t a snake, however, despite its long tube of a body. Its face was bullet-like; devoid of eyes or features but long and pointed before it split open like a flower. It revealed unending rows of teeth spiraling down into a dark maw. A small, thin tongue came out of the tooth-filled abyss, undulating in the air as if to smell it, before retreating as the creature let loose a deep, booming growl of frustration. The foul smell was enough to make Millie gag as the thing pointed itself directly at them. Its rumbling set rocks tumbling from the path, which splashed into the water, but the creature paid little mind to it as it stared them all down.

But, as quick as it had come out, it sank back into the water. Moments later, the pond became deceptively placid once more.

In its wake, Catherine signed the cross as Millie and a few others let out curses under their breath.

“What are we going to do?” The girl who’d been sobbing in the corner whispered. “It already…it already killed…” Her breath turned laborious before trailing off as she curled up trembling again.

“We have to get across,” Isabella insisted. “I’m sorry about your friend, but we don’t have any other options here.”

“Agreed,” Raj chimed in, sparing a soft glance for the girl in the corner before stepping up to the imposing Isabella. The beauty eyed him, but when he offered her his hand she took it cautiously. They exchanged a quick, if quiet, greeting before refocusing on the situation at hand.

“I didn’t see any eyes on the bastard,” Raj observed, “so maybe we can sneak by it?”

“Maybe.” Isabella agreed. “But that thing is fast after it rises, and the walkways are unsteady. I think it's by design.”

“Has anyone managed to get across?”

Isabella shook her head. “No, only Jacob tried. I didn’t know him, but…”

She gestured helplessly as the girl nearby tried to hide her cries.

“If it's blind, maybe it's sensitive to sound?” Millie offered. “Can we shout to confuse it?”

At her words, Isabella turned to take her fully in. The woman’s eyes lost no time drifting down to Millie’s large stomach and unmistakably stained dress. Millie’s face filled with heat as the beauty frowned, wrinkling her nose.

“We could try it.” Raj offered, stroking his mustache again. “But if the noise is all coming from the same direction, I don’t know if that will help if it just comes up here to where we're clustered. It might work better if we surround it, but I’m worried—”

A sudden noise startled the group, drawing attention. Behind them all, they looked to see another person make their way through the small entrance into the chamber. He was a familiar, pleated-dressed man, though he was covered in burns and was bleeding from the head. Millie’s eyes widened in grateful surprise, but as she began to approach him smiling, eager to welcome him back, she froze. There was a problem.

He was alone.

“I…I told her…stay down. I told her…s-stay down. Stay down…I told her…” He kept quietly stammering, ignoring the group as they tried to shush him. Then someone gasped. It only took Millie a second to realize why. He was still holding the woman’s hand.

It was all that was left of her.

“I…told…” he stumbled, before slouching next to a wall and slumping down, silent at last. Ash and blood smeared along the wall as he settled.

“Oh my god.” Someone whispered. Millie just covered her mouth to stifle her own reactions.

“Screw this,” One of the male strangers hissed out. “I’m not waiting around to be the next chump here to die.”

Isabella reached out to him. “Wait we haven’t—”

The man cut her off with a slur before beginning his journey across the path.

Isabella’s eyes widened at the word, and her brother stepped up aggressively.

“Let him go,” Braylon said, holding out a hand to stop the fuming D’marco. The young man’s eyes glared at him, before drifting to Braylon’s cornrows. He scoffed, his eyes mocking the large man, but Braylon remained patient. Eventually, the young man rolled his eyes and reached out a hand to flip off the person who’d insulted his sister. Then he stepped back, as the room waited on bated breath to see what would happen next.

Several minutes of tense silence followed as the man-made his way across. He was halfway through when Katelyn leaned over to whisper to Millie.

“M-maybe only one of the two paths is safe?” She said. “And whoever was here before us just got unlucky on that second walkway?”

Mille shrugged. “It could be—”

She was cut off when a rock fell from the path, and the stranger froze. The waters below thrashed briefly, before a now-familiar head emerged. It loomed over the room, scanning around as its tongue danced in the air. But the man just awkwardly ducked down and the creature’s tongue passed over him in the world’s most lackluster dodge. Several tense moments eked by before it hissed angrily and sunk back down.

The man sighed and edged his way further along. The group watched in hopeful silence, some less than others before he reached the other side. He’d done it. He quickly slipped down, disappearing from view.

“What do you see?” Isabella whisper-shouted. The waters stirred slightly, but all that responded was a barking laugh of the man and the sound of a door opening and closing.

“What a fucking—” Braylon broke off the curse softly as the Navarro siblings turned to look at him.

“Nice hair.” D’marco sneered, as Braylon looked away sheepishly, running a hand over his cornrows.

“Hey, let’s not start.” Raj cut in. D’marco looked down at him, but his sister stepped up and smacked his arm again. The tall boy relented begrudgingly, rubbing at his limb.

“Alright, at least we know we can make it then,” Isabella said. “Slowly, one at a time. Same side only though?”

Millie turned to the blood-soaked wood of the alternate path. “Yeah, that sounds good,” she added.

“No offense,” Isabella said, turning to face her. “But I’m not sure how you’re expecting to get across.”

“She’s pregnant, not crippled,” Katelyn stepped in.

“Yeah, and she looks like she can barely stand right now.” The tattooed woman shot back. “What did you all do to her anyway? Why does she look so battered while the rest of you look fine?

Several people looked about guiltily before Millie interjected.

“It's not their fault! Besides Katelyn literally—”

“I don’t wanna hear it,” Isabella cut her off. Millie glared. “What's going to happen if you slip on that path? You think you can catch yourself? Are you going to crawl all the way there? Can you even crawl?”

Millie looked down, shame lighting up her cheeks. This day was like a nightmare stuck on repeat that she couldn’t escape.

But as she struggled to reply, it was Liam who stepped up.

“I’ll cross with her,” he said.

Millie glared at him disbelievingly before Raj interjected. “Maybe one of—”

“Hey, muscle man—how much do you weigh?” Liam cut in. “Fifty pounds more than me? Seventy? Point is, if the paths are unstable they may not be able to support more than one person at a time. But if she can’t make it on her own, and someone has to go with her, it should be the lightest person who can conceivably help her.”

“No thanks,” Millie replied coldly. “I’ll choose death instead.”

The woman from earlier hiccuped a sob before Isabella stepped up into Millie’s face.

“Not a good time to be joking girlie. If the pretty boy here wants to help—take it and shut the hell up. If there’s a weight limit, he’s risking his neck for you.”

Millie entered into a brief staredown with the beauty, before turning away angrily. The woman was right, but she hated being bossed around. But she also hated being helpless, and worthless, and a burden that everyone should just—

Raj’s hand fell on her shoulder.

“Hey—remember what I told you. Whatever it takes. Let’s just try to get through this. Alright?”

She grimaced, before nodding. “...yeah."

“I could go with her instead?” CJ offered. “I’m lighter than Liam, and that’s the criteria, right?”

“Sorry CJ,” Raj replied. “But if she falls—do you think you could catch her? Isabella isn’t wrong that Millie is barely on her feet here, and those walls look slick with nothing to hold onto. I don’t like doubling up, but if this is the best shot for her, we’ve got to go with it.”

CJ rubbed at his thin arms self-consciously, before looking at Millie helplessly.

“It’s alright CJ,” Millie mumbled. “I’ll…go with Liam."

“Good,” Liam said. “Now, what order are we going in?”

“It depends,” Isabella said. “How much time do we got left?”

She turned to face one of the strangers, who pulled out their phone.

“Less than fifteen minutes it looks like,” he replied.

“How sure are you on that?” Raj asked.

The guy shrugged. “I set it as soon as I could think to. And then I subtracted a few minutes to accommodate the lost time.”

Raj grunted, rubbing at his face in thought.

“If we’re running low on time, my group’s going first,” Isabella announced. “We got here first, so it's only fair.”

Millie and the others weren’t exactly enthused to hear it, but few could think of a good argument against it. All except Katelyn, oddly.

“Shouldn’t Millie go first?” She asked. “Because, you know.” She gestured feebly back at Millie, wincing in pain from the motion.

“Look,” Isabella said, “I’m all for helping little miss mommy here, but we should…”

She trailed off as she suddenly stared at Millie’s belly again.

“But what?” Millie prompted.

Isabella hesitated, before pointing one shaky finger towards Millie’s legs. Raising an eyebrow, Millie then scoffed.

“Yeah, I know, I...pissed myself, happy? Thanks for reminding—”

“Millie.” Katelyn interrupted, tugging at Millie’s dress urgently. Millie turned to look at her. The taller girl had gone pale and was also staring down below.

“What?”

“Y-you’re bleeding,” she whispered.

Millie blinked. She wanted to say something sarcastic. Given how hurt she felt all over, and how many rocks and shrapnel had dug into her in the warzone, she hardly saw why bleeding would suddenly matter. But then she felt a fluttering in her stomach and the vivid memory of the crowd.

Concentrating through the pain throbbing all over her body, she could tell there was something running down her leg. Warm, and fresh. Leaking like that time of the month. But that was impossible. She was pregnant. Glancing down at her tattered, dirt-caked dress, she sent a trembling hand between her legs. When it returned, there was fresh blood.

A lot of it.

“Oh god,” Millie said. “N-no, I—”

“Here, sit down. Okay?” Katelyn commanded. “I’ve got some experience as a midwife. When’s the last time you felt your baby kicking?”

Millie followed her instructions and sat. Everyone in the cave was quiet. They were staring too much before Raj interposed himself for her privacy.

Taking a shaking breath, Millie put a hand on her stomach. When was the last time her son had moved? She’d thought to check after the crowd, and he’d moved then, right? She pushed at her stomach, wincing as it hurt with a dull burning, before her son, bless his tiny heart, kicked her hand in annoyance.

Good boy, she thought. A tear escaped her as she nodded desperately, and Katelyn sighed gratefully.

“Um, okay. Let me think.” She said.

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to cross now.” Isabella interrupted. “I...hope everything’s okay with you. I really do, but we can’t wait.”

She nodded to the man with the phone, before stepping lightly onto the pathway.

Katelyn spared her a glance, before turning back to Millie. “Okay. Okay, if your child is moving around, then that’s our best indicator that this isn’t an immediate serious injury. But with blood, and given t-the possible abdominal trauma, my best guess would be a, ah...p-placental abruption.”

“What’s that?” Millie asked quickly. “I...I didn’t read any of my books. Those stupid fucking books. Fuck. I-I don’t know what that means.”

She felt stupid. So fucking stupid. Why hadn't she read her mother's books? Why? She gripped Katelyn’s hands with all her strength.

“A placental abruption is when the placenta separates from the womb prematurely. There are lots of reasons it can happen, and...well, trauma is one of them. It isn’t—”

A rock fell into the water while Isabella crossed. The group went still as the monster slowly rose. Its head scanned the room, and the toothy maw hovered just feet away from the tattooed beauty.

“Hey,” D’marco shouted, “fuck off you ugly bastard!”

Immediately the monster lunged towards D’marco’s voice. It slammed into the floor near them, causing Millie to bounce on the ground as people screamed, and Katelyn threw her body over Millie again. The creature thrashed even more from the cacophony before smashing into the walls wildly. It was hitting areas above the bridge as though striking randomly for prey.

Raj shouted for attention, before hurriedly working to shush everyone as they struggled to contain themselves. As the monster roiled in the waters, Isabella hunkered down, wide-eyed with terror on the wooden path.

After a tense minute with the group finally silent, the creature, with one final roar of frustration, submerged.

Millie heard Raj let out the breath he’d been holding. “Let's nix the yelling unless it's an emergency, okay? It may save someone in a pinch, but it looks more likely to piss it off than anything else. Slow and quiet from here on out, got it?”

Several people nodded in agreement as D’marco flushed. He quickly turned back to stare at the bridge. Watching helplessly at his sister laying there.

Isabella looked back to meet his eyes before giving him a shaky nod. Then, she lifted herself on shaking arms and slowly crawled to the stone lip at the end of the path. Throwing her legs over the side, she dropped down out of sight.

The group waited impatiently before her disembodied voice whisper-shouted out.

“There's a glass wall on this side,” she said. “I can see into the pond. It looks like it’s a giant tank. The damn worm thing looks pissed off though. Whoever is going next needs to be careful.”

“I’ll go,” the phone guy said.

“Alright,” Raj replied. “Good luck.”

Phone-guy nodded and began to cross, checking the remaining time anxiously. Millie couldn’t bring herself to watch him, however.

She sat, instead, huddled in the trembling arms of Katelyn. Eventually, the woman withdrew, but she continued to hold Millie’s hands. She squeezed them, likely trying to be reassuring, but just made Mille wince. The hand the crowd had stepped on still hurt terribly.

“S-sorry” she stammered when she noticed the bruise. “I, ah…”

“Just tell it to me straight, okay?” Millie said. She felt so numb. “How bad is it? Is my son…is he going to be okay?”

Katelyn took a breath to steady herself. “Non-serious abruptions aren’t necessarily...lethal to the baby. But the chances of stillbirth go up the further from term you are. How many weeks along are you?”

Another tear ran down Millie’s face. “Twenty-nine.”

Katelyn nodded. “It...it should be fine, you’re into your third trimester. As long as we can get you to a...ah...”

“Hospital?” Millie offered, and Katelyn looked away. “What am I going to do?”

“Just...feel for you baby, okay? Cherish every little kick. It's going to be his way of telling you he’s okay.”

“But the bleeding? Is he hurt?”

“No...maybe...oh, God. The blood is…the blood is likely because the placenta separated near the base of your uterus. That’s what’s leading to the external bleeding. If it had separated on the other side, you wouldn’t have found out until…. If he’s still kicking, it means it’s going to be okay. Otherwise, it would mean he didn’t have enough oxygen and he’d have stopped...m-moving. But babies and moms are built tough. Okay? Tougher than you’d ever think possible.”

Katelyn smiled, but Millie could barely process her words.

“H-hey,” CJ said from nearby. “This is a magic place, right? Maybe they have their own hospital. I bet they’ll fix you and the baby up, good as new at the end of this stupid test. Right?”

Katelyn seized on the scrawny boy’s words. “Yes! They have to, right? We’re going to be their crew. Just feel for the baby, and give him all your love, okay? We’ll get through this and—”

A large splash. Millie turned to see the phone guy cursing as he slipped on the path. He picked himself up quickly but yelled out in frustration.

“Fuck, I dropped my phone!”

It was his last mistake.

The monster rose, launching from where the phone had dropped in the water. It lurched towards the wall, mouth opened eagerly and the man panicked, diving forward with a scream. The creature twisted, before slamming forward into the wall above the man, scattering rocks and shaking the path. The man scrambled to move out of the way, desperate to outrun the monster. He was almost to the edge—

Then it got him. It was over in an instant.

The stranger splattered, popped like a balloon, as the creature’s jaws crunched down digging into the stone. Blood cascaded like wet paint, covering the path and walls before the serpent slithered back into the waters with its meal. The woman in the corner was screaming frantically before someone clasped a hand over her mouth to stop her. Millie, for her part, turned to the side of where she sat and emptied what was left in her stomach. She wasn’t the only one.

Eventually, a morbid silence filled the air. It was as close to calm as they could still get. In it, Isabella’s voice called out. It sounded strangled.

“The fucker’s...busy. Whoever can cross, do it now.”

A bitter certainty covered them all before the rest of Isabella’s group rushed forward. Raj looked less than pleased, but he didn’t push the issue.

One by one the other group made the journey before D’marco grew impatient and took the previously unused side. The path shook like the other but held.

The water began to thrash again, though, and those moving paused. But the monster didn't emerge. In its absence, the other group picked up the pace and finished crossing. Shortly after, the door on the other side opened as the group abandoned them. All save two.

Millie could hear the sound of the Navarro siblings arguing.

“I’m not a fucking coward.” Isabella hissed. “I’m gonna try to help these guys if I can.”

“But the others—” Her brother protested.

“Screw ‘em. You think they give a shit?”

Millie heard a scoff.

“It’s ‘cuz of that preggers chick, ain’t it? Jesus, Isabella, just because—”

“Shut the fuck up.” She snapped. “Enough fucking people have died already.”

He said nothing in response.

“Alright,” her voice pitched up in another whisper-shout. “The thing’s done…eating. So everyone—be careful when you cross.”

“Should…one of us go then?” Catherine said, gesturing to herself and Katelyn.

“Yeah, if you’re ready to,” Raj said. “We’re…running low on time though.”

She nodded, biting at her lip as she exchanged glances with Katelyn. The taller girl was absently fumbling at her prayer beads as she remained next to Millie.

“I’ll wait for Millie. J-just in case, I can help.” Katelyn said. “Go on ahead, okay?”

“A-alright,” Catherine responded. She took a large breath to steady herself, but it didn’t seem to help. As she brought herself up to the path, her body broke out into a violent trembling. She took one step more before she immediately grabbed at the wall.

“Oh God—I can’t do this. I f-f-f-f-fucking hate s-snakes!” She balked, backpedaling as the water began to roil in response to her voice.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Braylon said. “Here…I’ll…I’ll go on the other side. It’ll be like we’re crossing together, okay?”

“Braylon—” Raj said, grabbing his arm. They both went silent as they shared a look, but Raj gave in with a sigh. “Good luck brother.”

“See you on the other side, right?” Braylon gave him a nervous smile, before stepping up to start his slow shuffle walk. “You ready?” He asked Catherine.

The pudgy girl looked up to him incredulously. A slurry of mumbled words tumbled out of her mouth incoherently before she flushed. The big man cocked his head and tried to give her a reassuring thumbs-up. In response, the short girl breathed deeply before muttering more under her breath. But, even still, she closed her eyes and began to shuffle along. She…didn’t seem to actually care that the larger man was trying to help, even as Braylon mirrored her progress on the other side.

It was tense as the two traveled. The ever-dwindling time limit was on everyone’s minds, but when a stone fell from Braylon’s side everyone held their breath. The monster’s head rose again. Catherine visibly bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, even as she trembled where she stood, and Braylon practically pulled a yoga move to bend in on himself to avoid the things searching along the path. But always at torso height, it never seemed to search along the path’s surface. Eventually, the creature hissed in frustration when it couldn’t find them, before descending back into the waters. But it was another minute lost in frozen silence.

They did learn something, however. Their weight difference was a clear issue as Braylon ended up causing nearly four times as many disturbances as Catherine did. At one point, the wood of his path even came loose from its stone foundations and was left hanging—suspended only by the ropes tying it to the rest of the wood. Even as Millie held her breath, staring anxiously at Braylon hugged the bridge, the monster continued its fruitless searching only to give up easily.

After a few more precious minutes, the two made it across. The ‘celebration’ of survival was something Millie and those nearby heard about, vigorously, as the portly girl verbally eviscerated Brayon on the spot, accusing him of trying to get her killed. Eventually, Isabella had to threaten to throw her into the tank to get her to stop making noise so the others could cross.

But now it was down to the wire for the rest of them. I hope this is the last trial, Millie thought. If not…well, one life-threatening moment at a time, right?

“Alright,” Raj said. “Millie and Liam you’re up. Tanya, you too, but I’m sorry. You’ll have to take the damaged side. Katelyn, are you still sure you want to wait until after Millie?”

“Yes. Please.”

“Okay. Then you and CJ will go after, and I’ll go last with…”

Raj turned to look at the man still slumped against the wall. He was still muttering as he held tightly to the hand.

“I’ll try to talk to him while they’re crossing.” CJ offered. “Maybe I can get through?”

“It's worth a shot.” Raj agreed. “But when you get across, don’t wait for us. Just go.”

“Hey,” Catherine whispered-shouted. “Are you guys coming?”

“Yes!” Millie answered carefully. “Me and…Liam are going on the left. Tanya’s taking the other side.”

She spared a glare for the petite blond as Raj helped Millie stand, but paused when she saw the look of anguish on the other girl’s face.

Of course—her 'boyfriend' is choosing his pregnant Ex over her. That probably stings, Millie thought. Bet it doesn’t sting as much as being cheated on *and* back-stabbed by your best friend though.

The resentment in her chest felt reassuring. It helped to deal with the fear—for the situation and her baby—and to block out the pain she felt everywhere. But there had been too much death already. Too much...of all of it. She felt another flutter in her stomach. All my love, right Katelyn? Millie mused, before sighing as she faced Tanya.

It felt like a lifetime ago, but the meek little Tanya—always stuck behind her camera taking pictures—had been her one of her closest friends. Even after the betrayal, the girl had still sent Millie a card to congratulate her on her pregnancy. Millie had thrown it away, obviously, but the girl had always cared. She’d just clearly cared a little too much about Liam.

But Millie would have been lying if she said she didn’t still care about her. It was why the betrayal hurt so damn much. Even now. So she’d give the girl an olive branch. At least for the being.

Millie slowly and cautiously reached out to take the other girl’s hand. The petite blonde looked taken aback, but Millie swallowed her pride.

“Be careful. ‘Kay?” She squeezed the girl’s hand briefly in reassurance before letting it go.

As far as words of encouragement went—it wasn’t much. It was right up there with ‘this is going to hurt,’ and ‘it's not you, it's me.’

But it had a dramatic effect. Tears formed in Tanya’s eyes as she collapsed into a hug with Millie. Millie stiffened in protest but allowed it. After a few moments of patting the smaller girl’s back awkwardly, she broke off the hug.

“I’m sorry, Millie.” Tanya sobbed. “I’m so sorry, I—”

“Don’t.” Millie cut her off. “Just…don’t. Not now, probably not ever. Be careful, and let's meet on the other side. Okay?”

“Okay,” she nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.

God, this makes me a saint, right? Millie mused. Forgiving a tramp for backstabbery? Then again, maybe forgiveness is too generous a word. Maybe its—

A warm hand caressed her shoulder, interrupting her thoughts. Turning, she saw the face of an angel. The boy she'd grown up with. Her love. Her first kiss. Her first everything. The man she still dreamed about. She flushed instantly in response, her body reacting despite herself.

He was her greatest heartache. The man who’d taken her feelings and ravaged them mercilessly. Who even stole her friend in the process. He smiled, and she…tried really hard to be the better person. To swallow her pride and offer an olive branch to him as well.

But then his hand slid down along her back and something inside her snapped. She pulled back her hand and slapped Liam across the face. Tanya squeaked nearby as CJ choked down a laugh.

Liam recoiled, glaring at her, and she hissed through her teeth, "Stop touching me without permission."

He narrowed his eyes at Millie but nodded. “Fine. But don’t do that again, Millie.”

She glared at him, before offering him her arm. He took it with a scowl, then gestured for her to go forward.

Ladies first, huh? She thought. How fucking chivalrous.

Stepping cautiously, Millie felt the wood on the path creak and moan underneath as her legs trembled. On one hand, it was a bit mortifying to feel as though the path was admonishing her for her weight. And yet, on the other hand, a distant part of her was reminded absently of high school. Memories came to her of nights where she had snuck out of Liam’s house, or he from hers. Midnight trysts from their next-door escapades. A budding romance of youth.

A starry night cuddled under a blanket where she bore her heart to him. He’d turned to her and stared into her soul as he echoed her words and she became a woman. Had he meant it back then? Or had he just said it in the moment so he could be her first? She wished she would've known that he’d repay her love only with lust.

She angrily wiped at fresh tears.

“Are you okay?” The angel whispered, and she turned back to glare at him.

“I’m fine, I just—”

And just like that—her foot stepped awkwardly as her ankle gave out, her legs collapsing into jelly.

It was…surreal. One moment she was walking, shuffling forward trying not to think about the red, sticky mess she was approaching as she reminisced about the past. And the next?

The next moment, the world was falling away and there wasn’t anything she could do. She just reached out and—

Liam’s hand gripped hard, practically crushing her already swollen, injured hand, but he couldn’t stop her feet from slipping. He tried to pull her back, but her weight nearly pulled him with her. He kept his footing, but one leg gouged against the wood before it scrapped against her back. The pain ripped through her, and it felt like her arm was going to pop out of her socket. She vaguely saw Liam straining visibly as she found herself dangling in the air, spinning lightly. Even as she curled up, trying to keep her legs close, trying not to flail and make things worse—

Her flailing foot flung a shoe into the pool.

The creature exploded from the surface in response. As it reared up, she was knocked back against the platform, stifling a scream as she bent painfully to desperately avoid the beast. The creature let out a furious roar before a shadow covered her and Liam.

Millie looked to see the thing scanning around, searching for the source of the disturbance before it locked onto her trembling form. She looked up at Liam and saw...

A look of hesitance in his eyes. A calculation, as he looked to the side, watching as the tongue of the beast came out. It was scanning, torso height like before. Like every time before. But, if he ducked down, she’d dip into the water and it would notice her. If he stayed up, it would find him. He looked to their clasped hands, and then back to the monster. She could see it written a thousand times over on his perfect face. The one she’d written about in her diaries.

He was considering letting go.

Her thoughts flashed back to her father. The moment the light had appeared around her he’d rushed into the fire in a heartbeat. No hesitation—no backing down. He’d burned himself, screaming in agony as he tried to push through to her. Again, and again. Trying so hard to get past the barrier to save her. That was what a real man was.

She wished in that moment that Liam could be half the man her father was. But she also knew he should probably just let go. It was a dark, morbid sense of romance that made her long for him to die with her.

Her body shook as the creature roared again. Liam’s clasp began to weaken, and Millie turned her bleary eyes to see the monster’s chattering maw opening behind her. It filled her vision as she stared into the face of death. She was going to die. He was going to let go any second, and then—

Someone screamed. The creature’s jaws slammed shut inches away from Millie as it turned to roar again, before lashing out at the sound.

Blinking, Millie saw Tanya. She was on the other side yelling, trying to distract it. Trying to save her. Even as the thing came straight at her.

It struck nearby. Tanya docked down, quietly babbling as terror finally broke her. The monster tore into the stone above her, showering the area with rocks. Its fury was unrelenting as it sought to find its prey, writhing in the water covering Millie in the blood-soaked slurry its pool had become. The loose hand on Millie’s arm finally re-tightened as Liam snapped out of his hesitation and labored heavily to pull her up. Millie’s feet scrambled again, splashing into the water, and the creature turned back towards them, shooting upwards.

It smashed into the ceiling and chunks of rock cascaded down. More people screamed, and more slurry bathed Millie, slamming her into the pathway as debris rained. The breath was knocked out of her as her back was scraped bloody against the wood. Her vision went white, but Liam got her gravid form over the edge. The world around them trembled, and through her shaking vision, she saw the creature smash into the wall right above her.

Welts of pain blossomed as more rocks pelted her, but with trembling limbs, she tried to crawl, to follow Liam but she couldn’t. Liam tried to drag her, but he didn’t have good leverage. More screams echoed out as the creature continued to berserk, before smashing back towards the landing platform where someone had been screaming even louder. Katelyn. She was barely pulled out of the way by Raj.

Everyone tried to go silent, to give the monster a moment to calm down. But it was having none of it. It was out for blood, and the bouncing path Liam and Millie shared dropped more stones that drew its ire. Liam froze again, likely debating whether to hunker down or not, but the monster slammed into the wall near the entrance and then dragged itself along. It was sweeping the path clear. There would be no hiding. They were going to die.

But then, someone leapt at the creature.

A dull wet thud and Millie turned to see the pleated dressed man smack into the beast. It balked before twisting down. His form disappeared into the water and was followed immediately by the coiling worm. Despite the muddy, reddish texture of the pond, it bloomed with a fresh rush of scarlet.

“Why? WHY!?” Millie screamed. It wasn’t possible. Why had he done that? Why…?

“GO!” Raj bellowed.

Liam resumed dragging her, as she laid there limply. Raj started crossing shortly after, going along the unsteady path Tanya was on. Katelyn followed him, and CJ joined Millie’s side. In the mad dash, the wooden path bounced and shook, anchoring points dislodging left and right. It began to sway unsteadily. Rocks tumbled down in droves into the thrashing waters below.

But the monster was busy. It ignored them.

Millie glanced to the other side to see Tanya, Katelyn, and Raj reaching their end as Liam, CJ, and herself reached theirs. Liam helped her sit on the ledge and face the other end. Braylon stood, standing at the bottom waiting. He reached up, tall enough to easily grab her. A part of her flushed, realizing he could see her private bits, but they were so caked in blood and muck, did it matter? She didn’t fight it when Braylon lifted her, hoisting her by the armpits like a child, before setting her down gently. CJ and Liam jumped down after.

She felt numb. Useless. Worthless. Dead weight. A part of her wanted to be furious. At Liam, at Raj, at Braylon. At the way she was constantly helpless through everything. Handled like a china doll about to break.

All while people kept dying around her. Hurting themselves for her. Why had he jumped?

She could taste bile on her lips as she leaned against a wall. She turned her head to the side and stared at the glass wall Isabella had described. She watched the bloody mess swirl around as the creature devoured the man whose name…she suddenly realized, she didn’t even know.

“Why did he do that?” She whispered before turning to CJ. He’d been with the man last, hadn’t he?

CJ, ever the goofy, scrawny, kid that was quick to laugh things off and play the fool, was shaking. Trembling. He looked haunted.

“He...ah. He lost his wife, Millie. When the creature started going nuts he just... I-I don’t know what happened.” He looked away, unwilling to meet her eyes.

Oh god, this really is all my fault, isn’t it?

Millie put a hand on the glass tank. It was warm.

“Did you get his name?” she whispered.

CJ didn’t answer.

“Isabella?” She asked, but the woman glanced off to the side, silent as well.

I should have been more careful crossing, she admonished herself. If I’d been paying attention instead of letting myself get distracted he could still be alive. If I’d paid attention in the trenches, maybe the woman would still be here too.

If I was stronger I could have done something.

She buried her face into her hands as she fell into despair. A gentle arm fell on her shoulder and she looked up to see Raj. There was pain in his intense gaze.

“Raj?” She asked. For the first time since she’d known him, he turned away, unable to meet her eyes. Why would he look away? Did he feel bad he hadn’t been able to save that man? Millie was sure he’d done the best he could. He’d gone above and beyond in everything! He’d said, and been true to his word, that he’d do whatever it takes to protect…

To protect her. Whatever it takes. A dark thought blossomed in her mind, like blood flowering in a pool. What if the pleated-coat man...hadn’t jumped?

What if he’d been thrown?

“Oh my god…” She lurched back as Raj let her go. Her moment of panic, however, was interrupted as CJ cursed loudly.

The group turned to look at him, and he wiped at his sweating forehead as his face went pale. He was staring at his phone.

“What is it?” Isabella demanded.

He met her eyes, before casting a long look at everyone nearby. Then he let out a defeated sigh.

“If your friend was correct, then...we’ve run out of time.”

“How badly are we over?” Raj asked. “If it's just a few minutes, maybe we can…”

Raj trailed off, as CJ closed his eyes, pinching at his nose. The group held their breath as they watched him struggling to breathe as he choked back tears.

“We ran out of time over ten minutes ago.”

And then, one by one, they all turned to stare at the ornate set of doors. They sat closed and uninviting just yards away.