2

Zaelia's heart slammed against her ribs as a vertical oval hovered directly above the circular pattern on the ground widening into a portal. The glow from it, cast a long distorted shadow.

“Casey…” Her voice wavered.

"Zaelia, isn't  this incredible?" Her eyes sparkled. "What do you think is going to happen next?"

"I don't think we should stick around to find out." The oval had expanded, and stabilized into a suspended doorway of swirling light. A wind rushed outward in a sudden burst, sending leaves spiraling and tugging at their clothes. A pebble near Zaelia’s shoe wobbled… then rolled forward.

“Casey!” she snapped, panic rising. “Let’s leave!”

It was only when, the wind no longer rushed outward, but dragged inward, that some common sense returned to Casey and she actually saw fear flash across her face.The wind intensified, sucking in dust and loose pebbles into the portal.

"This is the part in every story where people die. Run Casey!"

They were only able to take two steps before being sucked into the portal, leaving their frantic screams echoing after them.

They hit solid ground. Hard. Zaelia groaned, pushing herself up on trembling hands. The air smelled different—cool and crisp, with a hint of sweetness underneath.

“Wow, this is not the cemetery,” Casey breathed, straightening up next to Zaelia.

The sky above them was a swirling canvas of pastel colours, with no sun, and the ground beneath their feet looked like a mosaic carpet of plants that they had never seen before. The place was strange, beautiful yet wrong.

"Casey, see why you should have listened to me.” Zeala muttered weakly, scanning their surroundings. “I told you we should’ve left sooner. Now where are we?”

A strange sound came from ahead of them, and Zaelia inched closer to Casey. "What's that?"

"I don't know." Casey shrugged, as if they weren't in some strange world that could have things that could harm them. "Let me see.."

"Are you crazy." Zaelia yanked her back just as a tall luminous figure emerged, with long flowing garments. Their eyes almost bulged out, when they saw the pale wings extending from its back and the impossibly beautiful face.

"Casey is the portal still there? We need to go back. I don't trust that thing."

Casey tried to wring her hands out of Zaelia's. "Wait. No. It's friendly, I can tell. It looks like an angel. Maybe we're in heaven. Hi there… where are we? Is this another realm? Are you the ones who opened the portal? Does it only open every four years because of a lunar alignment or—”

Zaelia's legs were shaking and her mind just couldn't comprehend how Casey could be so calm and want to carry on a normal conversation in a time like this.

While Casey babbled on the creature had approached with slow steps and stopped a few feet away.

“Casey,” Zeala whispered, unease crawling up her spine. “It's not smiling.”

"Of course it's not smiling. It's probably curious about us." Casey continued, undeterred. “We didn’t mean to intrude. We were just watching the flower and then—”

The glow in it's eyes fixed on them dimmed, and it's beautiful angelic form changed instantly into the most hideous thing they had ever see. Even Casey who knew no fear jumped.

"Casey’s smile faltered. “Okay… that’s new.” She stepped back, pulling Zaelia with her.

What was once beautiful was now a skeletonized, withered, black and decayed, vampire looking thing with blacked claws. A low, distorted sound vibrated from its throat and then it let out a shriek that split the air and lunged.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***