Who Are You?

CHAPTER THREE

Who Are You?

Blair's heart was racing as she looked around the small, dark cell she had been thrown in. The walls were made of rough, gray stone, and the air was thick with the smell of mold and decay. She shivered, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she tried to make sense of what was happening.

This was not her world. She had been ripped from her own reality and thrown into this strange, foreign place. And the people here in this world. they weren't like anyone she had ever seen before. They had strange, angular features, with eyes that glowed in the night. They spoke in a way she couldn't understand, their voices low and guttural.

Blair felt a sense of panic rising in her chest. How was she ever going to survive in a world like this? How would she ever find her way back to her own reality? The thought of being trapped here forever made her feel sick with fear.

But then, the other inmates in the cell began to speak to her, their voices soft and reassuring.

One of them walked to her and sat beside her on the floor, Blair was scared at first until she assured her that she meant no harm.

“What is your name?” She asked

Blair looked up at her, her whole body shaking from the fear of being in a strange world and amongst people she had never seen before, “B..B..Blair,” she stammered.

“I am Emily, and you don’t have to be scared,” Emily assured her safety as she swung her hands around her, “How did you get here?”

“Why do you have to ask her Emily?” Another one of the inmates said, “We all have the same story, we all got here the same way,” she added, "We stumbled upon this work and we got apprehended, we will get our judgment later."

Emily smiled at Blair before pointing to the lady, “That is Liza,” she said, “She was here before me,” she added.

“B…Before you?” Blair didn’t seem to understand what she meant by that.

“I mean, Liza was already here before I was caught and thrown into this cell,” she explained, “And that is Amy, the other one is Beth,” she introduced the other two girls in the cell.

They were standing across her, leaning on the wall with their hands folded. Amy smiled and waved at her, but Beth only scoffed and looked away.

“Don’t mind her, she’s always like that,” Emily smirked and turned back to Blair, “You will be fine okay?”

Blair wiped her tears and looked up at Emily, it wasn’t really the time to be crying, it wasn’t the time to be a weakling, she would have to plot out a plan of escape.

She couldn’t imagine herself staying in that world forever, she couldn’t imagine herself being stuck in a world where she doesn’t feel like she belong to, a world where everything was so different.

“I can’t stay here,” She let out a low whimper, “H…H..How do I get out of here? I don’t want to be here, I don’t want to be in this strange world. I have to go out, I have to seek justice for my friends,” tears rolled down her eyes again.

“You have no choice,” Beth moved from where she was and took a few steps closer to them, “You are stuck here, and that is for life, there is no way out for you,” she laughed.

“This is not supposed to be funny Beth,” Amy fumed, “She is new here, you should be nice in explaining things to her.”

“What will being nice change?” Beth turned to her and asked, “If it wouldn’t take me or her out of this cell and this damn world, then I won’t waste my energy being nice,” she went on and turned to Blair, “You are stuck here, the earlier you accept the truth, the better it gets,” she added.

Blair shook her head, “I want to go back to where I belong to, how do I get out from here?” She asked

Emily hung her head, “There is no way to get out of here Blair,” she shook her head, “Once you cross their portal, you can never go back again, but…but we can keep trying.”

“But why?” Bree cried, “Why can’t I go back? As anyone tried to get away from here?”

“I’ve tried it,” Liza said, “I even got to the portal, but I couldn’t cross it, see this,” she pulled her clothe off, showing the big scar on her back, “I got this from trying to escape, so it is better to just stay here. We will leave when the time is right.”

Blair gasped at the big scar she saw, it seemed like a scar from fire or something hot.

“A knife was placed in a fire and then on her skin, that is what you get when you try to escape,” Emily sighed and shook her head, “You can’t go back because the moment you cross the portal, the human world would be locked for you and these creatures are the only one who can open it.”

“This can’t be,” Blair shook her head and stood up.

She huddled in the corner of the dark cell, her tears falling like raindrops onto the rough, stone floor. She was lost, alone, and trapped in a world that was not her own.

“Blair,” Emily murmured and tried to walk to her but Amy pulled her back.

“Let her be Emily,” she stated, “I think she needs time to accept all these, just give her some more time.”

Blair cried until her eyes were red and puffy, her chest heaving with sobs. She couldn't see any hope, any way out of this nightmare. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of darkness and despair.

The pain in her heart was almost too much to bear. She longed for her own world, for the comfort and familiarity of the life she had known before. But now, she was surrounded by strange creatures, in a place where she didn't belong.

Blair's mind was consumed with fear and confusion. She didn't know how to make sense of what was happening to her, how to find a way back to her own reality. She cried until she was exhausted, her body wracked with sobs.

As the tears began to subside, Blair felt a deep sense of emptiness inside her. She didn't know how she was going to survive in this strange world, how she was going to find her way back to the life she had known before.

But even in her darkest moments, a tiny voice inside her whispered that she couldn't give up hope. She had to keep fighting, keep searching for a way out of this nightmare, no matter how hopeless it seemed.

So Blair wiped away her tears and stood up, determined to keep moving forward, even in the face of overwhelming despair. She didn't know what the future held, but she knew that she had to keep trying, for her own sake and for the sake of the life she had left behind.

“We are with you Blair, you are not alone in this,” Emily broke the silence.

Blair found herself clinging to her word, a small glimmer of hope taking root in her heart. Maybe they were right. Maybe she wasn't alone in this strange, new world after all.

She walked back to them and claimed Emily’s opened arms.

“Everything will be fine,” she assured, “Let me tell you more about this place,” she added and made her sit on the floor.

But then, the guards came. They were massive, hulking creatures, with skin the color of ash and eyes that glowed like hot coals. They dragged the inmates out of the cell, their sharp claws digging into flesh as they forced them to their feet.

Blair shook in horror as they were being taken away, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt alone once again, trapped in this dark, musty and dangerous world, with no idea of what would come next. But even as fear gripped her, she knew that she couldn't give up hope. She had to find a way to escape, to get back to her own reality, no matter what it took.

She clung tightly to Emily, one of the inmates who had comforted her earlier, hoping that she could provide some sense of safety and comfort in this terrifying situation.

As they were taken to the execution ground, Blair's fear intensified. The place was enormous, like a playground, but she could sense that something was horribly wrong. The air was thick with the stench of death, and she could see skeletons scattered on the ground, some hanging from ropes, as if they had been left there as a warning to others.

“W..what is this place?” She asked, with her whole body shaking.

“This is the execution ground,” Emily responded, “This where they execute the traitors and humans,” she added.

“What do you mean traitors and humans?” Blair asked and turned to her.

She couldn’t understand what she meant by that, why would human and traitors go in the same sentence.

Emily chuckled, “Humans like us are seen as their enemies, we are traitors to them just like I said,” she explained, “Humans are their enemies and they hate us, that is why they capture us and throw us into the cell whenever we cross the portal,” she explained further.

“S…S..So what will they do to us after that?”

Emily shook her head and shrugged, “I can’t say, each one has their own fate.”

“Move,” the guards shouted and they began to follow after them again.

Blair's stomach churned with revulsion and fear. She had never seen anything like this before, never even imagined that such a place could exist. She wanted nothing more than to run, to hide, to find some way to escape this nightmare.

But as she looked around, she could see that the other inmates were filled with a determination to survive, to find a way out of this place, no matter what. They moved with a sense of purpose, their eyes darting around, searching for any way to escape.

Blair felt a glimmer of hope as she watched them. Maybe they could find a way out of this nightmare, maybe they could escape the clutches of the guards and the horrors of this world. She clung even tighter to Emily, feeling the other woman's determination and strength, and resolved to do whatever it took to survive.

But even as she tried to summon her courage, Blair couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the sheer horror of the place. The smell of death and decay filled her nostrils, and she could hear the screams of those who had come before her, echoing in her mind.

“What do I do? How do I get away from here?” She murmured silently to herself, she wished she could turn back the hands of time and listened to her home.

She wished she had just listened to her mom and not gone out with her friends to the woods.

But it was her birthday, how could she be absent from her own party.

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady herself. She had to be strong, she had to keep fighting, even in the face of unimaginable terror.

“Hey!”

She heard a loud shout and opened her eyes to see the manly in her front.

He stood tall and proud, with a physique that was the envy of many. His broad shoulders tapered down to a narrow waist, giving him an imposing and commanding presence. His chest was wide and muscular, his arms thick and sinewy, and his legs were strong and well-defined.

“This is the prince,” Emily whispered to Blair before releasing her hand and stepping into backwards with her head bent, Blair was lost.

She looked at Emily and back to the man who was in her front and staring deep into her eyes.

His stare was so intimidating that she looked down.

“Raise your head,” his voice was filled with so much command that Blair raised her head within a second.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to himself, staring deep into her eyes which he raised her head with his hand.

Blair didn’t know what to do, she wanted to avoid his intimidating eyes but she couldn’t, it was difficult.

“This mark,” he said, still staring deep into her eyes, “Who are you?” He asked, and Blair was lost once again.