Nightmare Game
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 85
Like Hazel, Wesley convulsed, his body twisting into something monstrous, his eyes vacant, another soulless husk.
The three left stood in silence, hearts heavy.
The crisis pressed on. Three chests remained, a one-in-three shot, odds still steep.
“Humans,” the Ivory Effigy sneered, her voice dripping with scorn, “the dumbest creatures I’ve seen.”
“Greed, selfishness, hypocrisy, cunning, vanity, cowardice, cruelty.”
“You all carry these traits, but what’s amusing is how, for some petty pride or fleeting impulse, you act against your instincts.”
“Like now. You know pushing him forward is the smart play, yet you let others’ choices cloud your judgment.”
“You need to get it straight: their sacrifices are their own. They don’t bind you. Survival comes first.”
Oliver pulled a cigarette from his pack, lit it, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. His eyes locked on the effigy, anger smoldering, a spark ready to ignite a blaze.
“You talk like you know humans inside out,” he said, blowing another plume.
“You’re wrong about one thing. Sure, we fear death, like any animal.”
“But sometimes, humans find things worth more than life.”
“Hazel and Wesley’s deaths? We can’t just shrug those off.”
“My dad raised me to stand tall, to fight for what’s right.”
“Right now, there’s a fire in my chest I can’t swallow. You want me to betray my team to survive?”
“No way. I’m not playing your game.”
He turned to Bennett. “That’s where I stand. You?”
Bennett hesitated, his face a storm of doubt, glancing at Hazel and Wesley, now Human-Headed Spiders.
His mind churned. Not everyone could face death with courage.
“Young human, you led your companions to the end, guarding your pack with pride, like a true lion.”
“Unleash your gift. I await the day you become a mighty lion.”
The lion’s words, spoken when it granted his Blessing, echoed in his mind.
In this Dreamplay, he’d failed to lead, lost his lion’s pride, and now watched teammates die while powerless.
Did he even deserve the Blessing?
He gritted his teeth, slapped his cheeks hard, snapping himself awake. His gaze steadied, meeting Oliver’s.
“Hazel and Wesley sacrificed for the human side. How can I back down?”
Oliver grinned, tossing his cigarette butt to the ground, grinding it out. “Good. You’re a real man.”
“But cards on the table: unlike Hazel and Wesley, I’m not carrying baggage from the real world.”
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