32 - Like an Awakened Memory

ARAH

She tried to pry the axe free from the bearded man's head, but her hands were slick with blood and shaking too hard to get a grip.

“Go. Move. Come on,” she whispered angrily to herself, clenching her hands.

She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then snapped them open, forcing her feet to move.

‘You gotta survive this,’ she thought.

Abandoning the axe, she rushed out of the room. She ran nonstop until she found herself in a chamber fashioned as a haunted shipwreck on a foggy, dark island. It was surrounded by a pool of water that looked to be about hip or waist-deep. The air was colder here, making her shiver. Ropes, nets, and nautical props filled the space, and mannequins dressed as zombified ship's crew members stood eerily on the deck.

An idea sparked. Quickly, she climbed the wooden ladder and hopped onto the ship. Stripping off her jacket, she draped it over a mannequin and positioned it in a shadowy corner to make it look like she was crouching there. The dim lighting ca