How To End This Marriage-Chapter 73: Into the Abyss

Bernice POV Continuous 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

In the depths of my torment, the darkness pressed in, suffocating me as I screamed into the void, demanding answers from the enigmatic presence that haunted me. "Tell me! Who are you? Why do you keep tormenting me? Why only appear in the dark? Show your face if you have the guts!"

My voice reverberated through the empty abyss, but there was no response, just the unsettling silence that clung to the shadows. As my desperation grew, a chilling sound, like a mournful howl, pierced the void, sending shivers coursing down my spine.

"W-what’s there?" I stuttered, my fear intensifying with each passing moment. "I-I’m asking what’s there?" I stammered again, still met with only oppressive silence, broken only by the deepening howls that seemed to echo from all directions.

Then, a glimmer of light pierced the inky blackness, casting a faint glow upon a monstrous figure that emerged from the shadows. Its form was grotesque and twisted, impossible to discern in its entirety, but its malevolence was unmistakable. Razor-sharp fangs glistened in the dim light, and drool dripped from its maw onto the unseen ground. Its eyes, dark and malevolent, locked onto me with a predatory hunger that sent a shiver of terror down my spine.

"D-don’t come any closer!" I pleaded, my voice trembling as I took slow, hesitant steps backward. But the more I retreated, the more the nightmarish creature advanced, its two-legged form moving with unnatural grace.

"Ahhhhhh!" I screamed in sheer terror and turned to flee toward what I hoped was safety in my room. However, no matter how fast I ran, it felt as though I was on an endless treadmill. The corridor stretched infinitely, and the creature pursued me relentlessly, its presence an unrelenting nightmare.

"Erios! Where are you? Help me!" I cried out for my supposed protector, my voice frantic and desperate. But to my bewilderment, Erios remained conspicuously absent, his absence defying all reason. Why wasn’t he coming to my aid? Why was he denying my pleas?

"Erios! Please, for the love of the gods, save me! You don’t want me to die, do you? You want to protect me! Then save me! I need you!" I implored as I continued to run, the corridor stretching endlessly, the room I sought moving farther away with each futile step.

"Haaaaaaa!" The creature’s growls filled the air, its ominous presence drawing ever nearer. I kept running, my breath ragged, and hurled objects in its path, but nothing deterred it; it only seemed to stoke its anger.

"Where are you, Erios? Why won’t you help me?" I cried out desperately as I ran toward a darkened forest. I had no idea where I was going; my feet simply led me deeper into the ominous trees.

The relentless howling sounds persisted as I cowered behind a massive tree, my trembling form hidden in its shadow. However, I noticed that the creature wasn’t advancing any farther. It seemed to be searching for me, lost in the dense forest.

"Why? Can it not see me? Can it not smell me?" I wondered aloud, my voice barely a whisper. "Is it blind to me? What is its weakness?"

The creature’s distant howling continued, haunting me, but it didn’t draw any closer. It was as though it had lost track of me and was relying on sound to hunt me.

"I see! It’s following the sounds I make," I realized, a glimmer of hope cutting through the darkness. "If I remain silent, it won’t find me." As I continued my desperate flight from the nightmarish creature, I mirrored the knight’s actions by running toward the opposite end of the forest. Each step I took, I did my best to minimize noise, my heart pounding in my chest. The relentless echoes of the creature’s howls seemed to follow me no matter where I went, haunting the very air around me.

"Somebody, please help me!" I cried out once more, my voice breaking through the eerie silence of the forest. But, as before, there was no response, only the chilling echoes of my own pleas that seemed to mock me.

I pressed on, my heart heavy with fear, the darkness of the forest closing in around me. The moonlight filtered through the dense canopy of trees, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor. Every rustle of leaves or snapping twig sent a shiver down my spine, and the howling sounds of the creature continued to reverberate, even though it remained unseen.

I couldn’t tell how much time had passed as I ventured deeper into the woods. The eerie glow of the impending dawn began to paint the horizon with a faint, ghostly light. The rising sun offered a glimmer of hope, a promise of safety, but it was hard to believe in that safety while the forest remained a labyrinth of shadows and uncertainty.

"Somebody, please help me!" I called out once more, my voice trembling with desperation. The forest felt endless, and my own voice seemed feeble amidst the vast expanse of trees and darkness.

I pressed forward, not knowing where I was headed or what lay ahead. Hours seemed to stretch into eternity, and exhaustion began to weigh heavily on my limbs. The rising sun, though a welcome sight, brought with it a sense of isolation and vulnerability.

As the first rays of daylight pierced through the trees, casting a soft, ethereal glow, I could feel a glimmer of hope. It was a stark contrast to the malevolent darkness that had engulfed me for so long. The forest seemed to take on a different character in the light, less sinister but still filled with uncertainty.

"Have I survived?" I whispered to myself, my eyes fixed on the growing brightness in the sky. It was difficult to believe, to accept, that I had made it through the nightmarish ordeal. Yet, the forest still stretched endlessly around me, and I had no idea how to find my way out of this labyrinth of shadows.

"Somebody, please find me!" I called out once more, hoping against hope that my cries would finally reach someone who could rescue me from this terrifying forest.

"Duchess, where are you?" I heard voices in the distance, voices that promised salvation.

"Duchess, where are you?" the voices called out again, and a glimmer of hope filled me. I was finally free from the nightmarish creature.

"I’m here! Inside the forest!" I yelled, waving my arms desperately, praying that they could see me amidst the eerie shadows.

"Duchess, we can hear your voice, but we can’t see you," one of the knights responded, their worry evident in their words.

"Come inside! I’m in the middle of the forest. I don’t know how to get out," I cried out, shouting to ensure they could hear me over the eerie sounds of the forest. Soon, I could hear the sounds of people approaching.

"Duchess, we’ve finally found you! Where were you? We were so worried!" one of the knights exclaimed, their relief palpable.

"Where am I? I should be the one asking. Where were all of you? I screamed for help the entire night, but no one responded to my cries," I said, my bewilderment growing by the moment. How was it possible that we had such different accounts of what had transpired when I had endured such a terrifying ordeal?