Lyerin nodded, his eyes briefly meeting the distorted gaze of the grotesque creature that was once a little girl. "You're welcome," he murmured, the words leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He turned slightly, ready to make his escape, but then, from behind him, he heard the faint buzzing of insect wings growing louder, signaling the return of the Mother Queen's swarm.
Lyerin glanced down at the object in his hand—a twisted, pulsating organ that he had ripped from her flesh—and then back at the approaching swarm.
"Bye," he said, his voice tinged with urgency as he prepared to bolt.
"Bye bye, mister," the girl replied in her pitiful, broken voice. But then, just as Lyerin was about to turn away, she called out again, her voice halting him in his tracks. "Mister, are you coming back for me?"
The question hung in the air, thick with a mix of hope and desperation.
