Seconds passed as I continued to await my excruciating execution however, seconds passed as I heard the confusing sound of the mob walk past me.

I slowly opened my eyes to see each and every one of them ignoring me. My mind was blank, I didn’t understand, I was sure that I was going to die.

“W-why…” I muttered coldly as they continued ignoring me, almost as if they were zombies.

I felt my legs finally give in as my whole body began to feel numb, I fell down into a puddle of blood that had formed under me, my arms stretched out in front of me on the cold cobble stone road as I turned to watch the zombie like hoard walking away from me towards Jace.

I thought I was dead, that was it for me, I was supposed to die, why, why , why…

As I continued to ponder my life, I turned my attention to Vince’s sword that lay silently on the floor next to me. Stretching out my numb hand, I just managed to reach it, just as I did, the hoard turned towards me and began stomping in my direction.

My heart sank and my body shuddered as I subconsciously dropped the sword trying to get to my feet again to run. Although… As soon as I dropped the sword, they started ignoring me again.

“It’s the sword!” I shrieked.

“Vince is unconscious so people under his control can’t make any advanced decisions, all they must be able to do is protect him. Without him giving them orders, they turn into mindless zombies that can only protect him and anything Vince classifies as his.” I laughed as I muttered this to myself, I felt my sanity coming back to me after almost dying. Although, this information wasn’t of much use anymore. I tried but I couldn’t even move my legs, they were completely dead. My whole body felt numb thanks to the piercing cold and my lack of blood.

I lay motionless on the ground, my head pushed against the concrete as I struggled to move even my fingers. I felt a weakness come over me as my whole body gave in to the pleasant feeling of death, I phased in and out of consciousness as my vision blurred and I across the street to the many silhouettes slowly venturing into the fog until I stopped fighting and let myself float free.

My ears rung and I felt my breath escape me, closing my eyes and allowing myself to slowly drift off.

. . .

“Shay!” Screamed a familiar voice from far away. I felt myself perk back at the call of my name, slowly opening my eyes as my senses returned. My hearing returned before my sight as everything was still blurry through my half-opened eyes. I heard the swaying of trees in the wind and birds chirping around me as I finally pushed open my heavy eyes, expecting to see Jace running towards me with Vince on his back and his armour splattered with his own blood. However, I was wrong.

“Hello, Shay.” Said the familiar voice once again as I stumbled to make out their face.

I sat in silence for a moment, I felt tranquil, my wounds were gone, the open air was soothing to breath and each gust of wind felt soft, as if it was healing me. I felt at complete peace with myself.

I continued to sit and just breathed deep breaths, the air tasted like fruit bestowed by God as the beautiful aroma of fresh flowers filled the air and soothed everything around me.

“Shay.” Said the voice once again warmly.

I perked up and stared straight at the source of the voice.

Tears began to well up in my eyes as my Grandfather stared right back at me, smiling merrily at me. The tears slid down my face, they were unlike any other tears I had shed before, they were warm and soothed me.

I held out my arms and ran forward to hug him, each and every manoeuvre felt like I was plunging through a thick liquid that tingled my skin on impact. As I neared him, I felt my vision fading to black from the outside in and my grandfather faded too, into a dark spectre like entity with dark red eyes.

“You...” It spoke as the world around me shifted into a nightmare fuelled disaster, peering around I could see mutilated bodies hidden in the corners and shadows as the spectre slithered its way behind me as dark fog swallowed my surroundings and the air turned rusty. As a metallic odour filled the foggy air and my body felt cold, almost as if someone shot hundreds of needles through me at once.

My body writhed as the spectres sudden appearance behind me shot lightning through my body, he put his hands on my shoulder, they were colder than ice, the coldest thing I had ever felt. They immobilised me completely then his dark voice whispered into my ear.

“You’re weak.”

. . .

Was this hell? Was this the grim reaper coming for my soul? A decrepit illusion? All thoughts escaped me as fear entangled my body, I felt subdued, I was unable to move an inch. My entire body froze on me as this lingering entity stood behind me in the shadows, clamping down onto my shoulders like a panther.

I tried to scream but my voice escaped me. I felt completely defenceless as I gasped uncontrollably for air in this thick fog.

“You’re weak.” Repeated the entity into my ear, I continued to hyperventilate as the entity tightened its grasp and the scent of death filled my surroundings. The unpleasant aroma filled my nostrils, it felt like each cell in my body was being melted as leaned forward and felt chunks fly up my gullet and out my mouth as I began throwing up my internal organs.

Blood splattered across the dark ground along with sliced up pieces of my stomach and other organs. The sight forced me to projectile vomit the rest of my insides as I felt large chunks squeeze up my throat which caused more vomit to explode out of my mouth.

Just then, the entity pulled my head back which forced my insides back down my throat only to erupt more vomit as I spewed up words all over onto my face.

Finally, it came to an end as the entity tore through my body, leaving me decapitated on the ground, even though I should have been dead I still felt all of this, everything. I could no longer breath which was torture in of itself as my body was still gasping for air, despite the fact my lungs had been ruptured through. But I was still alive, this was all torture, it was horrible, this pain was devastating. Trying to divert any attention away from my bodily fluids scattered around me only lead to more mutilated bodies around me hidden away in the shadows.

Just then, I heard the entity let out an erotic gasp in awe at the sight of my splattered carcass.

“You’re still alive?” It muttered happily as if I were merely its plaything.

Suddenly I felt my body begin to move on its own, and the revolting feeling of my body putting itself back together began. My skin stretched to pick up each of the ruptured organs laying on the dirty ground, they moved on their own, connecting back up to each other as the feeling of it all stabbed me. Trying to gasp for air only filled me with an internal scratchy feeling, like my insides were being clawed at.

This was hell, there was nothing else it could be...

As my body finally finished fixing itself, I was pulled to my feet by an unknown force. Tears rolled down my face as I still felt the unbearable pain echoing through my already aching bones and a sudden screeching sound impaired my hearing and shuddered through my body. I squinted my eyes and put my hands on my head, retreating into a ball on the floor, crying as pain bounced around my body, multiplying each time it did so.

“You are weak.”

The entities words shot around me, and I heard them clearly, they were loud even though I was covering my ears, even though this piercing sound deafened the world around me. I heard him loud and clear.

“You’re weak.”

Again he spoke to me as I started clawing at my eyes until they bled, and although I had carved out my eyes from their sockets I could still see, I sensed the world around me somehow and could see it, the dark looming presence that encased my surroundings. It sat idly in front of me, hiding in with the dark fog and the jet-black shadows, but it was there, I could tell it was standing there. Staring at me with its malevolent eyes, spiting me as I glared back at it with my butchered eyes.

I let out a roaring scream as my voice echoed louder than it ever had before, deafening the piercing ringing from before.

I breathed heavily as the wind slowly whipped around us as the only sound along with my beating heart.

Time felt slower as I stared at the apparition as it stared back. It wavered around in mid-air, it was completely black and fog like in appearance, it’s only feature that I could see was its devil red eyes, they shot through me with immeasurable pressure, enveloping me with an intense feeling that made me want to throw up even more than I had done. It hid its hands from me although I knew it had some and the air around it seemed to be slightly distorted.

Then, with my fuzzy vision I saw something that made my heart sink to the bottom of my body and every hair rise. The entity suddenly opened its mouth to reveal piercing white teeth, it opened slowly, revealing more dagger like teeth, and finally stopping at a wide smile before repeating those words in my head.

“You’re weak.”

In that moment I felt my entire body entangle itself and I began exploding internally, throwing up my organs like before then after simmering in pain on the ground, the monster wafted its hand and I begun regenerating, but this was just as painful. This cycle repeated and repeated and repeated for what felt like millennia as this demon repeated the same gut-wrenching words, over and over and over and over and over and over and over…

. . .

“You’re weak.”

“Weak…”

“Weak…”

“You…”

“Are…”

“Weak…”

I lay helpless on the ground, writing in pain as blood trickled from my sliced open torso. I stared at my legs that sat helpless across from me, I didn’t think, I had stopped thinking. There was nothing more to think about.

I felt destroyed, this pain that engrossed me was eternal, forever wretched into my heart. I would never recover; I knew I would never recover. I knew it, I knew, I knew. I knew. I know. I do.

I heard the demon laughing at me from a far, hidden in the dark mist. It giggled at me, I saw it move around quickly, pushing the fog around as it did. Circling me, teasing me. Toying with me.

I felt pain erupt in me once again as my body began regenerating, though I didn’t scream this time, nor did I react at all. I let it happen, I let the pain stab at me and enthral me. All I done was exhale as I continued to lay, limp on the ground, watching the entity sway in and out of my peripheral vision.

It continued giggling at me as it began speaking in its dark, whispery voice.

“You… Are- . . .”