Iris always hated dark places.
She gets so scared easily. It was more like a nightmare. She hadn't mentioned this to anyone. She doesn't want to tell anyone she's afraid of something minor.
Iris was now in a carriage with a blindfold in her eyes and a gag on her mouth. Both her hands were tied to the back, and her feet were bound, too.
When Iris was sleeping a while ago, somebody knocked on her balcony. She saw a man in a black hood standing on her balcony, smiling. She couldn't see the face, thinking it was Fredrick at first, so she opened the door. But she was wrong, it was somebody she hadn't seen before.
The guy suddenly grabs Iris and puts a sack on her head. Holding her, dragging her out of the balcony, and throwing her at the back of a carriage.
Iris tried to shout for help, but no one could hear her since everybody was busy at the banquet.
The kidnapper put a gag and blindfold on her. She tried to struggle but felt like all her strength was leaving her body. Since the man put a gag on her mouth.
Then Iris knew that there was poison in the cloth that was put in her mouth.
Iris slowly lost consciousness and fell asleep.
Iris woke up lying on a wagon and felt they were moving along a rough road. She can't see anything since she was blindfolded. Everything was dark. Iris felt scared and wanted to cry, but she remained firm.
The wagon stopped after a long ride that felt like forever.
When Iris knew they stopped, she pretended she was still unconscious.
She heard two men were talking outside.
"Get her out," a bossy man's voice told someone.
"Yes, boss!" the timid man's voice said
Iris felt they were at the back of the wagon, maybe opening the door.
Iris felt the man was walking towards her. The man carried her out and carried her like a sack of rice.
She felt they were moving toward something. Iris heard the house door open, and the man dropped her forcefully.
Iris wanted to scream in pain, but she held it in and showed no sign she was awake.
"What should we do now?" the timid man's voice asked
"For now, we leave and wait for the boss outside," the bossy voice said
"what if she woke up?" the timid voice said
Iris felt a pain in her stomach. The man kicked her. But Iris holds the pain and still pretends to be unconscious.
"not anytime now," the bossy voice said, "let's go".
Iris felt they had left the place. She groaned in pain, but she didn't have time to lie around. Iris tried to sit up, but it was difficult. At that moment, she tried to roll until she hit a wall, then used the wall as a support and tried to sit up again.
She successfully sits up.
Now Iris was thinking how she would remove the rope on her hand. She tried to feel the floor if there was something sharp, but there was nothing on the floor.
She moved to the side to look for something that could be used, but nothing was on the ground.
Iris just lay on the floor, helpless. She felt this night was longer than she expected.
After a while, Iris felt a step coming towards her. She dared not move and just waited to see if they were going to do something.
"Look at this weak girl," a lady's voice said, laughing. "So easy to capture."
Iris knew that voice. It was the voice of Lady Catherine, Iris can't imagine she really did something as lame as this.
"hey, bring me that," Lady Catherine commanded to bring her something.
Then, Iris felt a water splashing her face. So she moved because she was surprised.
"Looks like you're awake," Lady Catherine said
"Remove her blindfold," she commanded someone.
Then, the kidnapper guy removed Iris's blindfold.
Iris saw they were in a small house. She looked out the window and saw the forest outside.
"Don't think you can escape this place," Lady Catherine said
"Don't you know we are in the death forest?" Lady Catherine said
But Iris has no idea what death forest was, so she does not react or anything.
Lady Catherine burst into laughter. "you do not know what Death's forest is, do you?" she asked.
Iris shook her head in response. Lady Catherine stood up and walked toward the window.
"Death Forest is the forest of monsters," Lady Catherine said
"no one came here that came out alive except me, of course," she said
Iris wonder why the monster won't attack her.
"hmmmphmps!" Iris tried to say something, but she couldn't.
"You want to know how I will come out alive here?" Lady Catherine asked
"but you won't be alive to find out," Lady Catherine said, giggling.
"boys, let's go," he told the two kidnappers.
They left the House, but before that, they threw something on the floor. Iris smelled it like fuel, so she knew that they were going to burn her alive.
"hhhsmmmpshd!" Iris tried to shout, but she can't.
She saw Lady Catherine leaving the House with a grin on her face as she dropped a match of fire on the floor.
The blaze immediately burned everything.
Iris felt scared and hot because of the fire. She wondered how she could get out of here alive, even if it would burn her. Then she thought of something.
She went to the fire, turned around, and let the fire burn through the ropes. But Iris felt the fire was also burning her hands.
"uggghhhhhhh!!!!!" she screamed in pain.
Iris felt that the rope was loosened up because of the burn. She tried to wiggle it around with all her strength until she broke free.
She looked at her hands. Her palm was burned.
Iris wanted to cry, but the pain prevented her from dropping some tears. Everything felt numb. Her head was becoming fuzzy because of the smoke.
She removed the gag on her mouth first and the rope in her legs afterwards.
She crawled around, avoiding the falling debris, but still couldn't find the exit. Iris was losing her strength and consciousness.
Her sight was starting to fade away.
Iris heard something from a distance calling her name.
"IRIS! IRIS!" the voice called out
"I'm here" she mumbled, but it seems no one can hear her.
"IRIS, WHERE ARE YOU!?" the voice said again.
Iris lost consciousness.
Then she felt like someone was carrying her. She opened her eyes, trying to see who was it.
Because it was dark and her eyes were blurry, she somewhat saw.
"Duke Echeron?" she whispered.
But the guy did not answer.