EPISODE 7 — THE WALLS

EPISODE 7 – THE WALLS

He came back to the cage, unlocked it, and fastened the chain to my left ankle with a click that sounded far too loud in the quiet.

“Hurry. You only have a few minutes,” he said before stepping back.

I stepped out of the cage cautiously, my movements slow at first, then more urgent as the cool evening air hit me. The metal chain dragged along the ground behind me with a steady clinking sound.

I glanced around the forest, my eyes scanning for any sign of water but there was none. Just trees, underbrush, and shadows growing darker by the second.

Then a moment later, I heard a faint, steady trickle.

Without wasting another second, I turned toward the sound and began to run, dragging the chain behind me, its weight slowing me down, but not enough to stop me.

I had to find that stream.

Before my time ran out.

In the distance, I finally spotted the small stream. The forest was quickly growing darker now, and I stumbled more than once over hidden roots and uneven ground as I rushed toward it. Nearly falling into the earth, I dropped to my knees at the edge of the grass and scooped water into my hands. I drank eagerly, gulping mouthful after mouthful just to soothe the painful dryness in my throat, to calm the burning thirst that had hollowed out my chest for hours.

But before I could fully quench it, I gasped, suddenly, the chain attached to my ankle yanked violently.

I was pulled back without warning, dragged along the ground like a sack of cloth. My back scraped against sharp stones, roots, and rough earth. Pain shot up my spine every time I hit a bump, and I winced as the skin on my arms and legs was scraped raw by the forest floor.

As I neared the carriage, I could clearly see the old immortal man gripping the chain in his gloved hand, pulling me in like a catch. He only stopped when I was nearly at the carriage’s side.

“Get back in the cage,” he ordered.

I slowly sat up, wincing from the stinging pain across my back and shoulders. Then I climbed back into the cage. He bent down and unlocked the chain from my ankle before stepping back and locking the metal bars again.

He turned and walked off back toward the house, its torch-lit entrance now glowing in the darkening woods.

I sat there catching my breath. My throat felt better now, not as raw. The thirst had faded somewhat, but in its place came a loud grumbling from my stomach.

While I was still catching my breath, I could feel my throat gradually recovering.

My eyes immediately landed on the bread the old immortal had given me earlier, the one stuffed with pickles and meat.

I picked it up and, without hesitation, devoured it.

Once my stomach had something in it, the exhaustion hit me like a wave. I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep inside the cage. By the time I woke up, the carriage was already moving. I could tell from the tilt of the floor beneath me, we were climbing upward, likely ascending a mountain road.

I thought we'd arrive at our destination by morning. But even when nearly dawn came, the carriage didn’t stop. It kept moving forward, rattling over uneven terrain.

But what difference did it make how long this journey took? It’s not like I was going to survive once we got there. Our destination was the territory of the beasts and once I arrived, that would be the end.

I’d be killed… and eaten.

Still, while I had the strength, I figured I might as well take in the sights. These would be the last things I'd ever see. My time was running out, and soon, all of this. The sunlight, forests, and sky would be gone from me forever.

As the hours passed in that endless journey, I saw something in the distance, a towering wall, steep and seemingly endless.

It was made of thick, reddish-brown brick, and looking up at it made my neck ache. The sheer height of it swallowed the entire face of the mountain we were climbing. I couldn’t even see its full stretch, as the rest of it was obscured by dense, ancient trees.

We were headed toward a massive gate made of metal bars.

Standing guard were more men than I could count, positioned along the entrance like statues. They were armed with various kinds of blades and weapons hung from their belts and backs. Each one wore leather armor, dark and rugged.

As soon as they saw our carriage approaching, the two guards at the gate moved. They parted the heavy metal bars as if they weighed nothing.

I swallowed hard nervously as I felt the weight of their attention shift entirely toward the carriage.

My heartbeat quickened.

I lowered my head just slightly, allowing the thick curtain of my bangs to fall deeper over my face, trying to hide it as much as I could.

I pressed myself into the farthest corner of the cage, wishing to disappear.

“That human girl is the offering for our Alphas. So they finally took one, huh? Looks like they'll be pleased… It's a female this time.”

That was the voice of one of the immortals standing nearby.

“When will we ever get a taste of a human girl again? It's always criminals and filthy lowlifes from the human region that end up with us. The women are always reserved for them...” said another.

He licked his lips as he spoke, a gesture that made the hair on the back of my neck rise.

“The Four Alphas are going to be thrilled... There's just something better when the offering is a woman.”

That was the last thing I heard as the carriage rolled past them. But their eyes didn’t follow the wheels.

They followed me.

Those hungry, predatory stares that pierced through the bars and sank into my skin.