I let out a sigh as I brought a handful of jeans to the cashier.

The lady smiled as she began scanning the items and neatly folding them into a bag.

"That'll be a hundred and twenty dollars. Will you be paying with cash or card, ma'am?"

I scoffed as I pulled out my debit card from my wallet, "You think I can afford this?"

The lady's eyes widened but she gave a sheepish grin, "Thank you, you have a nice day!"

I grabbed my bag and walked out of the store without batting an eyelash. A week had gone by since I returned from the mines and decided to go shopping to get my mind off what happened.

In the corner of my eye, I noticed a chenille sweater displayed in a store's window and sprinted inside. I scoured every rack until I found the piece of clothing and squealed as I tried it on in the fitting rooms.

"Elizabeth, is that you?"

I froze. A cold sweat overcame me. The sound of worrisome footsteps approached the fitting rooms and I prayed that he wouldn't step into the ladies section.

"...You know I'll come in."

With a frown, I stepped out into the open with the sweater on.

"Judging by the expensive sweater, you've recovered already, huh?"

At the foot of the entrance, stood Ian. He grinned a toothy smile as his chestnut gaze rested on me.

"Of course I'm fine. I walked right out after you all left crying for help", I grumbled as I changed back to my normal clothes.

"Why didn't you call us? We've been worried."

"You know where I live."

Ian ran a hand through his hair, blushing, "I didn't want to send the wrong message, Reed's been through enough."

I halted, "I'm more disappointed in Laila, she of all people should have visited me anyway."

"Wait, you don't know..?"

As I paid for the sweater at checkout, I tapped loudly on the counter, "Obviously not. Should I care?"

"Reed's at the hospital."

My eyes bulged out of their sockets and my breath hitched. The lady at the cashier handed me my bag and I took it, my arms moving robotically and dropping to my sides.

"...Right... That's right...he saw them too..."

I felt Ian's eyes peer into me from behind and it wasn't until he grasped my arm that I was snapped back to reality.

"Don't worry, the only damage he faced was falling into a coma.."

Ian's arm slid down to take hold of my hand, his soft gaze never leaving mine, "We can see him, and Laila, she's been looking after him."

"NO!!!"

I recoiled my hand, glaring at Ian. His eyes widened and he took a step away from me.

My heart dropped. A brief look of hurt flashed in Ian's brown eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Ian... I—I don't know what..."

I tentatively reached out my hand to him only to see him back away some more. His smile returned, but he glanced down at the floor.

"It's fine. I shouldn't have... I have to be home right now anyway, see ya later."

My feet were glued to the floor. I only watched as Ian's fleeting body disappeared from my sight. The bags in my hands felt like they were weighing me down as I walked out of the store.

"...What is wrong with me?", I muttered under my breath as the icy autumn wind enveloped me.

A chill ran through my spine and whispers flowed eerily though my ears.

tHEy SaW HIm. ThEy diDN't sEE YoU. tHe DeMOns sAw hIM. THe deMoNS DIdn'T SEe yOU.

The feeling in my hands disappeared and the bags slipped from my grasp. My heart hammered in my chest, sending a wave of uneasiness coursing through my body.

A memory flashed in my head and I trembled at the thought of the malevolent creatures I saw from inside the dark corners of the mines. The same beady eyes that peered into my back from that night returned as I stood paralyzed.

"Reed... I need to he..help him..", my lips quivered as I coerced my limbs to move forward.

"If I stand here and do nothing, he'll...he'll..!"

With Laila's smiling face resurfacing in my thoughts, I chewed my lip and bolted down the crowded streets of my lonesome town.

thEY SaW HIM! THey sAw HIM! tHeY SAw HIM!

My vision blurred as tears pooled in the corner of my eyes. I buried my face in the inside of my elbow and choked on my silent sobs.

The voices would only get louder the closer I got to the town's hospital... Different pitches and volumes escalated in my head and penetrated through my thoughts, my legs robotically brought me to the entrance without fail.

I balled up a handful of my hair and staggered inside the building. I groaned as the blinding lights flashed before me and worried nurses took hold of my arms, leading me further into the hospital.

"We have a delusional girl on the first floor, I repeat, we need medical assistance ASAP!!!"

I sluggishly opened the lid of my left eye and squinted as I tried to adjust my vision.

..p..Up...uP...hE'S...UP..He'S..uP!!

My eyes burst open as the nurses shoved me past the elevator. I cocked my head as I watched the elevator ding and the doors open to no one behind them.

I ripped myself from the nurses' tight hold and pounced for the elevator, tumbling inside chaotically. Mysteriously, the doors slammed shut before any intruders could catch up to me and a red light glowed from the eighth button.

"ha...ha...!", I clutched my chest and wheezed for air, for some reason it felt like I was recovering from a hard shock.

The doors creaked open and revealed a dimly-lit hallway, the lightbulb above flickering on and off. I pressed a hand to my quivering lips and silenced my heavy breaths, greatly aware of the looming paranormal presence ahead of me.

I slowly crept toward a light that shined from inside an open room and peered inside.

Breaking out into a cold sweat, I fell to my knees at the hair-raising sight of a humanoid lizard holding Reed by the neck above the ground.

"Future King of Cadyri...hmph! You're nothing but a frail human boy!" The Lizard-man snarled at Reed's horror-stricken face.

"What do we do with the girl? She saw everything." Another creature with horns sticking out of his head nodded to a motionless body spread out on the floor. My heart sank as I recognized the long, red hair stained with blood to be Laila's.

"...NOOO!!" My moans echoed through the hospital's walls as I crumbled to the floor.

The floor rocked violently as I wailed in grief at the sight of my friends' horrendous state.

"WHERE THE HELL DID SHE COME FROM?!"

The lightbulbs stopped flickering and suddenly glowed brighter, but the intensity erupted the glass and shrouded the hospital in darkness.

I froze and silenced my sobs. The horned creature stood in front of me, his balled fists emitting fire.

"Well excuse me—hehe—I meant Queen."

I shrank back as the monsters grinned from ear-to-ear, their sharp teeth protruding from their heinous mouths.

"Ahahaha!!"