HBWnovel Chapter 50 - 50: Predators
Chapter 50 - 50: Predators
I'm shaking.
Violently.
Every inch of me trembles, as if my body is about to collapse beneath the sheer weight of my fear.
My heart slams against my ribs, erratic, wild, like a trapped bird throwing itself against the bars of its cage.
Because it's them.
Those monsters.
The burly brute, his beard a filthy tangle, his yellowed teeth gnashing as he grins.
The tall, skeletal one, slicked-back hair plastered to his scalp, his crooked teeth gleaming in the dim light like jagged knives.
Their twisted faces burn into my mind, their very presence suffocating.
And behind them—
A pack of at least ten others.
Each one vile in their own way.
All radiating the same sickening, predatory hunger.
They're human.
But their eyes…
Their eyes pierce through me, gleaming with cruel amusement and wicked intent—
More monstrous than any beast.
It's like they're peeling me apart, savoring my fear the way vultures circle a dying creature.
Their stares dig into my skin, stripping me down to nothing.
I am not a person to them.
I am prey.
Caught. Cornered. Helpless.
My legs buckle, my breath catches, and an icy dread spreads through me like poison in my veins.
Then—
I see it.
In the burly man's oversized, filthy hand lies something delicate and haunting.
A black flower.
Black as the void.
My breath hitches.
Eris's words flash through my mind.
We just talked about this.
No.
No, no, no, no, no—
"N-Nightmare Orchid?"
The name forces its way out, my lips trembling around the syllables.
The bearded man's grin widens, grotesque, splitting his face far too wide.
"Oh? So the little kitty knows what this is?" he mocks, his voice gravelly and dripping with malice.
He twirls the flower between his thick fingers, its eerie glow casting a sickly sheen on his skin.
"You're smarter than you look. That's right—this is a Nightmare Orchid. Beautiful, isn't it? A single sniff of its pollen, and it'll show you things—things so horrifying, you'll wish you were dead."
He pauses.
Then his grin twists, turning into something darker, hungrier.
"But… how the fuck did you wake up?"
That… I don't know.
It wasn't me who broke free.
It was—
The other Felicia.
The real Felicia.
And—
Eris.
Eris!
I spin around frantically,
His voice drips with mocking amusement, as if he's enjoying the way my fear seeps into the air.
"Because of that fucking Gordon guy, we couldn't finish what we started last time. But now…"
His tongue drags across his cracked lips, the motion so vile, so revolting, that my stomach lurches.
"Now, you're in our hands."
"Ahhh, can I have some fun with her?" The slender one chimes in, his gaze crawling over me like a swarm of cockroaches.
"Just a little bit?"
"No, you idiot!" the bearded man snaps, shooting him a glare.
Then, his expression twists into something even uglier.
"We sell her. Someone as pretty as her is worth millions. The nobles will pay hefty for this."
What?!
Millions.
The word slams into me like a punch.
So that's why they're here.
That's why they're after me.
They want to kidnap me—sell me off to some noble bastard like livestock.
A slow chill creeps up my spine, making my breath hitch.
"Well, if you want to have fun, we can have the other one," the burly one says, glancing toward Eris.
"Oh yeah, that bitch is kinda hot," the slender man muses.
His eyes gleam with sick pleasure.
"Not as pretty as the white one, though, but I like it. I'm gonna make her my personal slave."
"Hehe…"
"Hehehehe!!!"
Their laughter erupts, grotesque and twisted.
Then—
Steel flashes.
Blades are drawn, brandished, glinting menacingly in the faint moonlight.
They creep forward, slow and calculated, like predators savoring the moment before they strike.
"Come, little kitty…" one of them coos, his voice mockingly sweet.
"Come to papa."
I stagger backward, my legs trembling so violently I nearly collapse.
Fuck.
What do I do?!
I DON'T KNOW!
"S-STAY BACK! STAY AWAY!!!"
The words tumble out of me in a panicked rush, my voice cracking, raw and desperate.
I bare my teeth, a feral hiss escaping me instinctively.
My grip tightens around my messer sword, my knuckles turning bone-white.
"DON'T YOU DARE COME CLOSER!!!"
"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!!!"
But they don't stop.
They don't even flinch.
"Ohhh, the little kitty's angry!" the big bastard grins, his amusement only growing.
"Once we capture her, we'll have to teach her some discipline!"
"Nah, no need. Isn't this turning you on?" one of them snickers. "Don't you love a little chick with some fierce fighting spirit?"
"Right! And when you break them—when you make them beg—it's even better."
The burly man licks his lips again, eyes gleaming with hunger.
"Man, are you sure we want to sell this one?"