The shopkeeper hurled Rose across the room like a rag doll, her body crashing into the far corner with a sickening thud. Pain shot through her ribs as she gasped for breath, her palms scraping against the rough, cold floor as she tried to crawl backward.
Her wide eyes darted around, desperately searching for anything—an escape, a weapon, a miracle. I'm not dying here. Not like this, she thought, her nails digging into the ground as she tried to distance herself from the advancing demons.
The shopkeeper loomed over her, his weapon glinting in the dim light. His cruel grin stretched wider, exposing sharp, yellowed teeth. "I'll peel every inch of your skin off with this," he snarled, his voice dripping with malice. "And then I'll find exactly where you've hidden the rest of those stones."
