Chapter 143: Not alike (Bonus chapter)
Chapter 143: Not alike (Bonus chapter)
Perplexed, Blake pressed further. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
Nana hesitated for a moment before responding. "Elena wasn't the first of her kind to come to this island," she explained, her voice tinged with regret. "There were others before her, others who wielded power and influence over our people. They too left their mark upon this land, their actions shaping the course of our history."
Nana sighed heavily, her gaze distant as she spoke. "However, Elena has remained the only one we couldn't get rid of. She's... special, in a way. Unfortunately, she possesses a power and resilience unlike any we've encountered before."
Blake frowned, his mind grappling with the implications of Nana's words. "Special how?" he questioned, his curiosity piqued.
Nana's expression darkened as she continued. "Elena possesses abilities beyond those of ordinary humans. She's cunning, manipulative, and possesses a strength that belies her appearance," she explained, her voice tinged with bitterness. "We've tried to rid ourselves of her influence countless times, but she always finds a way to return, more powerful than before."
Nana led Blake through the solemn rows of graves, each one a silent testament to the tragedy that had befallen their village. As they walked, the weight of grief hung heavy in the air and as for Blake, each row of stones he passed felt like a hand would pop out of the sand and grab him. But he knew this was all as a result of his imaginations and shook the anxiety away.
Finally, they reached a freshly dug grave, the earth still raw and unsettled. Nana stopped before it, her expression somber as she gestured towards the mound of dirt.
"This is why I left yesterday," she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "The horn you heard was a signal of mourning, for the chief's son."
Blake's heart sank at her words, a sense of sorrow washing over him. "What happened?" he asked quietly, his voice tinged with sympathy.
Nana's gaze grew distant as she recounted the tragic events. "He was found dead in his farm. The chief had sent his son to check on his workers, but instead, he found... this," she explained, her voice catching with emotion.
"Why... why would she do this?" Blake's voice trembled with disbelief as he turned to Nana, his gaze searching for answers amidst the sea of headstones.
Nana's expression was somber, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she met Blake's gaze. "The mistress... she craves power above all else," she explained, her voice heavy with sorrow.
Blake's mind reeled with the implications of Nana's words. Could Elena truly be capable of such cruelty, of inflicting such unimaginable suffering on innocent people? He had seen glimpses of her kindness and generosity, but now he wondered if it had all been an act, a facade to conceal her true nature.
"I... I don't know what to say," Blake murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. The weight of the revelation pressed down on him like a leaden weight, threatening to crush him beneath its unbearable burden.
"You still don't believe me, do you?" she asked, her words laced with disappointment. "Despite the risks I'm taking to show you everything..."
Nana's accusation pierced through the heavy silence, her voice tinged with frustration and a hint of desperation.
Her gaze bore into Blake's, searching for any sign of understanding or acceptance. "You're different, Blake," she continued, her tone softening slightly. "You don't have the same aura as the mistress or her other aide, Drake. There's something about you that sets you apart."
She paused, her expression troubled as she struggled to articulate her thoughts. "That's why I'm letting you into our lives, into the lives of my people," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. "But if you can't trust me, if you can't see past your doubts and fears, then what hope do we have?"
"Perhaps there's one more thing I can do to prove to you that I'm not lying," Nana suggested, her voice tinged with determination as she turned to lead Blake down another trail.
Blake followed hesitantly, his mind swirling with apprehension and uncertainty. Where were they going now? What other horrors awaited him?
As they trudged through the thick underbrush, Blake couldn't help but feel a sense of dread creeping over him. Each step seemed to take them deeper into darkness, both literal and metaphorical.
After what felt like an eternity of navigating through tangled vines and muddy waters, they finally arrived at their destination. He was thankful for wearing his boot but cursed his luck as well. Surveying the scene before him, his heart sank.
"Holy....shhhiit!!"
The sight was far worse than the graveyard they had just left behind. Blake's instinct was to run, to flee.
The scene before him was beyond cruel, beyond anything Blake could have imagined. Words failed to capture the horror of what he beheld.
Bodies, desiccated and shriveled, hung upon large stakes like grotesque scarecrows. The stakes pierced through them from back to chest, forcing them to face the relentless glare of the sun.
"What the hell is this? Which human would do this to another human?" Blake's voice trembled with a mixture of disgust, anger, and perhaps even rage. If he discovered that Elena was also responsible for this atrocity, he swore he would march straight to the condo on the beach and confront her without hesitation. This had gone too far.
"We... we did this," Nana replied, her gaze unwavering as she met Blake's eyes.
Blake felt a knot form in his stomach, his mind reeling at her words. His eyes darted between Nana, the macabre tableau of staked bodies, and the trail that had led them to this nightmarish scene.
The realization struck Blake like a physical blow - he may have unwittingly walked into a trap, perhaps the most monumental of all his missteps.
The sight in front of him couldn't described in any other word than "Fucked up".
His mind raced with self-recrimination. How could he have been so naive, so easily led into such a horrifying situation?
Nana's demeanor was inscrutable, her features betraying little of her inner thoughts. Yet, at that moment, there was an undeniable air of danger emanating from her, a palpable aura of unbridled rage and lethal intent.
Every instinct in Blake screamed at him to flee, to escape the clutches of whatever sinister force had brought him to this nightmarish place. But he stood rooted to the spot, paralyzed by fear and uncertainty, unsure of what step to take next.
"Say what now?" ...
...
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*Author's note*
If you've got extra golden tickets, gifts you would like to give out, I'll happily accept it!
Thank you!!