Nightmare Game
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 21
What on earth was going on?
Daisy felt like screaming, but the sound caught in her throat, refusing to come out.
Her hands and feet turned ice cold, and her whole body shook uncontrollably.
The room echoed with piercing wails that muddled her thoughts completely.
Could those black garbage bags really be filled with living things? Had Grace just tossed them all into the incinerator like they were nothing but trash?
No way, Daisy thought, shaking her head over and over. When she and Grace had carried the bags and loaded them onto the cart, she could tell from the feel of them that they held nothing more than ordinary household waste. Where would living creatures even come from?
Yet she had clearly seen movement inside those black bags, and the wails kept going, as if whatever was in there still endured the scorching heat of the furnace.
“Grace,” she managed to whisper in a trembling voice, “we’ve finished the order. We should go now.”
“Order?” Grace paused, finally reacting to Daisy’s words. She spoke in a low, muffled tone.
The eerie scene filled Daisy with wild relief, convinced she had gotten through to her.
“Yes!” Daisy nodded eagerly, speaking quickly. “You’ve burned all the garbage. We can head back to the castle now.”
At that, Grace just lowered her head, her shoulders starting to shake as if she’d heard the funniest joke ever. She let out a strange, unsettling laugh.
“Ha ha ha ha...”
The creepy sound made Daisy’s scalp tingle and goosebumps rise all over her skin.
Then anger flared up inside her, mixed with embarrassment at being scared by someone she looked down on.
“What are you laughing at?”
Grace kept laughing without answering.
Daisy could no longer fool herself. The Grace she knew was meek and timid, someone who would never defy her orders, let alone act this strangely.
She backed away, her hand gripping the door as she tried to pull it shut quietly.
Just as she was about to close it, she caught sight of Grace lifting her head.
This time, Daisy got a clear look at Grace’s face, and that single glance was enough to doom her forever.
Grace’s once delicate features had twisted into a furious, demonic glare. Flames flickered in her eyes, and her hair flew wildly in the waves of heat.
She looked every bit like a vengeful spirit consumed by rage.
“Where’s it all burned?” Grace’s voice seemed to rise from the depths of hell. “Isn’t there still one big piece of trash right here?”
“Ah!”
Daisy let out a bloodcurdling scream. Just meeting Grace’s gaze made her eyes burn with intense pain, as if they were on fire.
She couldn’t close the door anymore. Clutching her eyes with both hands, she stumbled blindly toward the exit.
Footsteps echoed behind her, probably Grace following.
Daisy had no idea what was happening, but she knew one thing for sure.
If Grace caught up, it would end badly for her.
Her eyes throbbed like they were ablaze, but she hadn’t gone completely blind. She could still make out faint light.
She groped along the wall as she moved, and soon a burning sensation spread to her palms too.
Glancing at her hands, she saw only a bright blur, unable to focus, as if the flames tormenting her eyes had jumped to her skin.
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