Kill The Luna

56

A deep, comforting warmth flooded my chest as his familiar presence washed over the cold room. I could feel him in my very soul, and all I could do now was lie on the hard stone and wait for him to come break these chains and rescue me from this nightmare. But the agonizing reality of my body was quickly catching up to me. I could literally feel the raw life force draining out of my veins with every passing second. Each heavy drop of blood that dripped into the stone bowls beneath the altar seemed to carry a piece of my soul away with it. My vision began to blur into a messy spin, and my eyelids grew incredibly heavy and dizzy, pulling me toward a deep, permanent sleep.

At this terrifying rate, I knew I might actually die before he could even manage to find his way into this deep part of the cavern. And that was only if he even discovered the hidden entrance of the cave in the first place. Elda’s men were ruthless, and they certainly wouldn't give him a warm welcome at the perimeter. He would definitely meet a whole army of armed guards at the main gates who would do everything in their power to shoot him down and stop him from reaching me.

Suddenly, the loud chanting stopped for a brief moment. Elda completely froze in place, the heavy stone bowl hovering just inches away from her lips as the echo of the explosion rolled through the cavern. Her confident smirk instantly shattered. For the first time tonight, a genuine flicker of raw fear and panic appeared in her sharp eyes, and the sight of her trembling hands gave me a small, desperate wave of relief. She was terrified of him.

Turning sharply toward the twelve women in white robes, Elda’s face twisted with pure urgency. "Chant faster! Now!" she ordered, her voice cracking under the pressure. The women immediately closed their eyes and accelerated their pace, their voices blending into a frantic, rapid wall of sound that vibrated through the stone walls. Elda hoisted the two heavy bowls of dark red blood to her mouth, tilting her head back as she frantically drank every single drop of the warm liquid completely, wiping her stained mouth with the back of her trembling arm as the chants grew faster and faster around her.

Before she could even catch her breath, another massive explosion rattled the cave, followed by the distant, muffled sounds of shouting and gunfire near the lawn.

Elda snapped her head toward the narrow exit, her teeth gritting in frustration as she looked back at the altar. "We need to move to the underground temple immediately," she instructed, gesturing frantically to the women and guards in the room. "It is a good thing we prepared a hidden place like that in this exact time of desperate need."

She stepped closer to the stone table, her expression turning completely maniacal. "No matter what happens out there, this ritual must go on to the very end!" She spun around on her heels, locking her cold eyes onto her chief bodyguard. "Summon every single guard on the property right now. Leave me with only three men for security, and send the rest to the frontline. Make absolutely sure that whoever is attacking out there does not cross the main gates! Defend this property with your very lives!"

She took a deep, shaky breath, gripping the edge of the stone table. "If we stop the process now and try to run away into the woods, the girl's body may completely fail, she may die, and everything we have worked for would be a total waste. So, I am trusting you to carry out this defense perfectly."

The giant bodyguard stepped forward, giving a firm, respectful nod as he bowed his head low toward her. "Your wish is my command, boss," he promised, his voice deep and hollow as he immediately turned around to sprint toward the cave exit, pulling a tactical radio from his belt to summon the army of guards.

Two of the remaining muscular guards rushed over to my side. They quickly produced thick white cloths from their pockets, wrapping the fabric tightly around the bleeding wounds on both of my hands to temporarily stop the heavy flow. With a harsh yank, they unlocked the iron chains and hoisted my limp body off the stone altar. I was far too weak and exhausted to even attempt a fight, let alone struggle against their tight grips. My limbs hung completely useless like paper, and I could only watch the dark cavern walls pass by through my blurry, unfocused vision as they carried me away.

Instead of heading toward the main entrance where the gunfire was getting louder, they carried me through a narrow, hidden tunnel at the very back of the cave. We emerged into a small clearing in the woods, rushing toward a hidden iron trapdoor buried deep under layers of thick sand and dead leaves. If you didn't know the exact spot, you would never guess a door was hidden there.

They hauled me down a flight of steep concrete stairs into a dark, freezing basement underground. The moment the last guard stepped inside, Elda reached up and slammed the heavy iron ceiling door shut, locking the thick deadbolts into place with a loud, final click that cut off the sound of the battle outside.

A chilling, confident smile slowly crept back onto her face as she turned around in the dim basement light, looking down at my helpless form.

"Now," she whispered, her eyes glowing with a dark excitement as she stepped toward another stone table in the center of the room. "Where exactly did we stop?"