Chapter Thirty-Two
Lilith froze at the sound of chaos erupting behind her. She turned, her instincts sharp, but before she could take another step, a force yanked her backwards. She hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of her.Looking up, she saw Gale standing over her, his expression eerily calm, his left eye hidden behind that veil of red hair. In his hand wriggled a worm-like creature, glistening with malice."Gale!" she gasped, a mix of fury and betrayal in her voice.Without hesitation, Gale lunged, attempting to force the creature into her mouth. Lilith's survival instincts kicked in. She rolled to the side, narrowly dodging his grasp, and scrambled to her feet."I knew something was off about you!" she spat, her voice trembling with both rage and adrenaline. With a swift motion, she drove her boot into Gale's face, sending him stumbling backwards.Wasting no time, Lilith turned and bolted toward the room where Crimson and Miles had been moments before.As she reached the doorway, she skidded to a halt. Miles stood there, blocking the entrance. His posture was unnaturally rigid, his head hanging low. Slowly, he raised it, revealing his tightly shut eyes and a faint, haunting smile tugging at his lips."Miles?" Lilith whispered, her chest tightening.In an instant, Miles lunged at her, his movements unnaturally swift. Lilith ducked at the last second, and Miles crashed to the floor behind her.But before she could catch her breath, a figure moved in the corner of her vision—Gale. He was closing in fast, his steps eerily silent as his black eye bore into her.Her mind raced. By now, they must've gotten Crimson too.Lilith spun on her heel, sprinting down a narrow corridor to her right. At the end of the hall, a window glinted in the fading sunlight. Without hesitation, she threw herself at it.The glass shattered on impact, shards scattering like falling stars as Lilith plunged into the open air. The world blurred around her, the wind roaring in her ears. She hit the water below with a splash, its cool touch shocking her senses.The stream carried her away, its currents flowing impossibly upward, arcing gracefully between the floating buildings of Willow Haven. The water seemed alive, shimmering with an otherworldly glow. Lilith let it pull her, her breaths ragged as she scanned her surroundings for refuge.Ahead, the stream flowed into a glowing forest suspended in midair. The trees shimmered in hues of gold and emerald, their leaves radiating a soft, ethereal light. As Lilith's feet touched the forest floor, she staggered forward, her body aching but her instincts still sharp.She ducked behind a massive tree, pressing her back against its glowing bark, and tried to calm her breathing. The forest around her pulsed with a quiet, enchanted hum, the setting sun casting long shadows that danced across the ground."That was no ordinary parasite," she whispered to herself, her voice trembling. She wiped her wet hair back from her face, the droplets clinging to her skin. "A Dream Walker... Gale was holding a Dream Walker."Her stomach churned at the thought. Dream Walkers—parasites designed to trap their hosts in the perfect illusion, feeding on their consciousness while their bodies become empty vessels.By now, she realized, Crimson, Miles, and even Gale were no longer themselves. Their minds had been stolen, likely trapped in their happiest, most peaceful illusions.Her hands clenched into fists. "I won't let them take me too."Lost in the illusion crafted by the Dream Walker, Miles stirred as the shrill blare of an alarm clock shattered the silence. Groaning, he reached out, silencing it without even glancing at the time.The faint buzz of his phone on the nightstand drew his attention next. Squinting at the screen, he saw five missed calls from Laurel."What's her deal this early?" he mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Without much thought, he tapped the call button.The phone barely rang once before Laurel's exasperated voice burst through the speaker. "Where are you, Miles?!"He frowned, still half-asleep. "What do you mean, where am I? Why are you calling so early?""Early?!" Laurel's voice shot up an octave. "Miles, the graduation is about to start! People are already giving me weird looks because I've been saving the seat next to me for you all morning!"Miles blinked, her words hitting him like a bucket of cold water. "Graduation...?" he repeated, the fog in his brain clearing as he finally glanced at the clock.The realization struck him like lightning. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no!" he exclaimed, springing out of bed. "I'm so sorry! I'll be there soon!""Miles!" Laurel's voice followed him as he scrambled to find clothes, tripping over himself in his rush. But even as panic set in, Miles couldn't shake the strange, nagging feeling that something was... off.Yet the illusion was seamless, its grip on him absolute.