Nightmares in Paradise by Aden Polydoros

Author:Aden Polydoros
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Published: 2024-02-06T20:33:42+00:00

15

The prize was what?

“Wait!” I stepped forward, nearly wobbling on my feet. “That’s not—”

A sudden gust of wind stole my words from my mouth and the breath from my lungs. The shadows of the trees rippled and darkened like rivers of ink, creeping over the girls like a dark blanket, woolly and thick enough to touch.

“Well?” Lilith asked, her eyes on Ash.

He nodded gravely. “That prize is fair.”

Lilith’s smile widened to show her teeth. White and small. They were perfect, eerily so, in the same way that Ash’s were. As if she were wearing false teeth.

As the wind died down, the shadows faded. The two girls had vanished, leaving only a faint floral aroma as disturbing as funeral flowers.

Slowly, Ash exhaled, his shoulders loosening. His gaze flicked my way, and even though he didn’t smile, I could tell he was relieved, like how I felt after passing a science test.

“How could you agree to that?” I demanded. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Zach—” he began.

“Zach is right!” Sandra said. “You can’t just let them kill Naomi!”

“If I didn’t agree, you two would probably be dead now,” he murmured gravely. “Lilith is a murderer of children.”

“Yeah, kind of figured,” I snarled.

“Calm down,” Ash said. “All we have to do is get to the Tree of Life first.”

I threw my hands in the air. “You say that like it’s easy!”

“Why does she want the fruit anyway?” Sandra asked as we continued walking, this time at a harried pace.

“The fruit is capable of healing the most devastating wounds and breaking curses. Lily has lived with her curse since the day she left this place.”

“Curse?” Sandra asked. “What is it?”

Ash’s gaze shadowed over. “Pray you don’t find out.”

“I don’t care about the fruit or curses,” I said. “And forget about stupid games. If we look for Naomi, we can find her before Lilith gets to the Tree of Life.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, Eden is massive,” Ash said. “It would take months to cross from one end to the other.”

“Do you have any better ideas?” I snapped. Then Sandra snagged my wrist.

“Zach, let’s hear him out,” she said.

“Where would you go if you were lost in the forest?” Ash asked.

I didn’t answer. If this was a riddle, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.

“To the most visible landmark.” He nodded toward the forest canopy. Through the tangle of branches, I could just barely make out the massive tree looming in the distance, veiled through fog, with a trunk so old and bark so faded, it resembled a cracked stone pillar. “To the Tree of Life.”

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