~Cindy~
I didn’t even know how long I been runnin’.
Trees flew past me like ghosts, arms scratchin’ at my skin, branches hittin’ my face like they was mad I was breathin’. My feet was bleedin’, dress torn, lungs screamin’ for air. But I didn’t care. I just had to getaway.
Away from him. From her.
Away from what I saw.
Prince Charming? Of all the crazy things how did I let myself reach out to him. The man my Mama always warned us about. That nightmare in real time. The kind that don’t let you wake up even when you open your eyes.
And still, for some reason I just couldn’t help but feel hurt by it. The way he looked at her… the way he sounded…
I ain’t never heard him like that before. Like something ancient and pissed off had crawled outta his soul. It made my skin crawl. I don’t scared easy, but that? That had my knees weak and my spirit shook. My emotions all..shook.
I finally stopped, gaspin’ for air, one hand on a tree just to keep from fallin’ over.
“Get it together, Cindy,” I muttered, voice breakin’. “You just saw the devil choke the life outta a witch. Should be happy right?”
I tried to laugh. Came out like a sob.
Crack.
I froze.
I turned slow, my heart already screamin’ at me to run.
That’s when I saw him.
The Wolf.
Big. Gray. Did I say big? He stepped out the shadows like he owned the damn forest, eyes glowin’ yellow, claws already wet. And that smile? Wide. Hungry. Like he’d been waitin’ on me. I mean it was his forest first he could have it.
“Well, well, look what wandered out the fire,” Axe said, voice like gravel soaked in blood. “Little Cinder-girl, all alone.”
Boy please. I just balled my fists and glared, putting on my best bluff.
“You ain’t gon’ touch me,” I spat, backin’ up slow.
He tilted his head. “Why not? You look like you taste like trouble. Trouble is always delicious”
I didn’t answer.
Didn’t need to.
I turned to run, and he was on me in seconds.
His claws caught my side, burnin’ hot as fire as they sliced through skin. I hit the ground hard, snow shootin’ up around me. My ribs cracked against a rock and the breath flew outta my lungs.
“Let me go!” I screamed, thrashin’.
He yanked me up by the hair, claws wrapped in my braids.
“Nobody is comin’ to save you?” Axe sneered, breath foul in my face. “He did all the work for me.”
“I said, LET ME GO!”
“Nah,” he growled. “I like my meals fresh.”
I have to admit yall I had to be trippin’ to do what I did next. Especially after what I saw, what I knew. But it was all I had, my only life line in the face of death. So I sucked in with all my might.
“CRYPT!” I screamed, voice rippin’ outta my chest.
And just like that…
The trees went quiet.
~Crypt~
I heard her.
Her voice cut through the noise in my head like lightning through fog.
“CRYPT!”
And everything stopped.
The screams. The fire. The dead. Samantha’s lifeless body hit the ground with a thud, her last breath curling out like smoke.
My feet moved on instinct.
I ran, no, I hunted, through the trees, heart thundering, eyes burning blue. The cold didn’t touch me. The snow didn’t slow me. Every branch I passed withered in the heat of my fury.
I knew who it was. Only one bastard in these woods would lay a hand on her.
Axe. The Big Bad Wolf.
He picked the wrong damn day. I wanna see just how bad he is when he meets my wrath.
There.
I saw her.
Pinned to the dirt like prey, blood staining the , beneath her. Axe loomed above her, claws out, mouth open like he was about to feast.
Gave me chills just thinking about how I was gonna break his jaw in so many pieces for getting even that close to killing her.
“Let her go,” I growled, stepping from the shadows.
His ears twitched.
He turned.
And for a second, the wolf froze.
“...Charming?” Axe blinked, eyes narrowing. “That ain’t possible. You’re supposed to be, ”
“I said let her go.”
He laughed, all teeth and madness. “You really are alive... Damn. Father Winter’s gonna flip.”
I didn’t answer.
Didn’t need to.
I lunged and all went black.
~Cindy ~
It was like watchin’ a damn thunderstorm explode in front of me.
Crypt moved faster than I’d ever seen. One second, he was feet away. The next, he was on Axe, fist slammin’ into the wolf’s jaw with a sick crack that echoed through the trees.
Axe flew back and crashed into a tree so hard it split down the middle.
“Damn,” I whispered, eyes wide. “He really came…”
~Crypt ~
The wolf shook his head, spitting blood.
“Still got that pretty-boy punch,” he growled, lunging.
I met him halfway.
He swung low, I ducked.
He swiped at my throat, I blocked, caught his wrist, twisted until something snapped.
He howled, staggered, then tried to bite.
Too slow.
I hit him in the gut with enough force to lift him off the ground, then slammed him back into the , . The earth cracked beneath us.
“You like your meal fresh right, I like mine tender, and well done. ” I said, voice low.
“You were dead,” he hissed, wheezing. “Buried. Frozen. We all saw it, ”
“I suppose you’re tender enough let’s get to the well done part shall we.”
I lifted him by the throat, both hands now glowing with that icy blue fire. His eyes went wide. The fear hit him late, but it hit hard.
“No,” he muttered, throat gurgling. “You’re not supposed to be here…”
I leaned close, letting him see the truth in my face.
“Neither are you..”
And with one final hard bone-crunching squeez, I dropped him.
He hit the ground like a bag of bones, coughing blood, shaking, barely breathing.
~Cindy~
I was still layin’ in the grass, breath caught somewhere between my chest and my soul. I couldn’t move.
Crypt stood over the wolf, chest heaving, cold curling off his skin like mist. He looked like death. Like revenge. Like every scary story the elders used to whisper when they didn’t want us goin’ out at night.
And still, somehow...
He looked at me.
And his face changed.
The glow in his eyes softened, just a bit. The glow stopped spreading. His fists uncurled.
He came over to me, kneeling.
“You alright?” he asked, voice low, barely a whisper.
I was lost for words, lip tremblin’. I knew who he was, who he really was. Prince Charming. The tyrant. The butcher. The ghost that kept Freefall up at night.
But at the same time… he was Crypt. My friend. The one who made me laugh on days I didn’t think I’d ever smile again. The one who sat beside me in our pit cells and spoke comforting words. The one who held my hand when I felt like disappearing into the dirt.
I backed away, breath hitchin’. “Don’t touch me,” I whispered.
His hands hovered, unsure, but he obeyed.
“You lied to me,” I snapped. “All this time, you had a whole other name, a whole other life! You was one of them!”
“I wasn’t, ” he started, but I cut him off.
“You was royalty. A Blueblood. A killer. A monster. The same man they told stories about to keep us from dreamin’ too high. And you just, what? You forgot to mention that?”
He didn’t flinch. Just stared at me, that look back in his eyes, the cold one, the one that made my skin crawl.
“You’re hurt,” he finally said, his voice rough but steady. “Let me help.”
“I don’t need your help,” I shot back, though I knew my voice was too shaky to convince either of us. “How can I trust you? You’re him. You’re Prince Charming. The one who let all this happen, the one who killed without hesitation. Your kind killed my father!”
Again the boy was still and silent. I knew on the inside he was worried. So I decided to use it to my advantage.
“Tell me the truth,” I hissed. “Right now. Or I swear to God, I’ll crawl away bleedin’ before I ever let you lay another hand on me.”
He clenched his jaw. For a second, he looked like he wanted to walk away.
Then, he let out a slow breath. Sat back on the ground.
“I was sentenced to death, by Father Winter himself.”
His words hit me harder than I expected. I blinked, confused, a deep pit opening in my stomach. My breath still came in ragged gasps, but his confession gave me a moment of pause, just a moment. Why would a boss kill his best hitman?
“You’re... you’re tellin’ me the truth?” I asked, voice barely a whisper. The words felt too heavy to breathe out.
Crypt’s gaze hardened, that cold light dimming ever so slightly. “Yeah. I am. I didn’t choose this, Cindy.” He ran a hand through his dark hair, looking like he was torn between the anger and frustration of the situation. “I never asked for any of it. But when I found out... when I found out what Father Winter was really doin’, I, ” His fists clenched again, like the memory still had its grip on him. “I woke up. I saw the truth. And it wasn’t just about me anymore. It was about everyone.”
I almost laughed, but it came out as a bitter cough instead. “So what? You think that changes everything? You still killed, Crypt. You still helped ’em. You was one of them.”
He winced at the words like they were a physical blow. His chest heaved again, but he kept his gaze locked on mine. “I didn’t kill anyone... not the way you think. And I didn’t help them. Not by choice. Not until I woke up.”
I shook my head, feeling the sting of my own blood trailing down my arm. “You really think I’m just gonna forgive you because you got a conscience now? You think I’m gonna let you help me after everything?”
Crypt didn’t back away. Instead, he just leaned in slightly, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’m not asking you to forgive me. But I’m asking you to let me help. You’re bleeding, Cindy. And whether you like it or not, that’s what’s gonna happen.”
I glared at him, every part of me screaming to push him away, to scream and curse at him for everything he was, everything he represented. But his words... they had weight. One of a promise. There was something about the way he said them, the truth that bled through his voice. It was raw. Honest.
Still, I couldn’t make myself let him in. Not yet. “I don’t need your help. I got this. I’ll crawl outta here by myself if I have to and I dare you to stop me.”
His laugh was cold as ice. His expression hardened as he stepped back, letting me make my choice. But I was already moving, my legs aching with every step, my body screaming at me to stop. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. Not with him standing over me, that look in his eyes.
I caught sight of the wolf behind him, lurking in the shadows, its bloodshot eyes gleaming in the darkness. A low growl rumbled in its throat, and my heart skipped a beat. Crypt didn’t see it. Not yet.
I took my chance. I pushed myself to my feet and stumbled away from him, ignoring the pain in my side, ignoring the blood that stained my skin. I heard Crypt call after me, but it was too late. My legs carried me farther and farther from him, the woods swallowing me whole.
I ran, desperate. My chest burned, but I kept pushing forward, my mind focused on nothing but escape. The shadow of the wolf loomed closer, and I could hear the growl echoing in the night, growing louder as I ran.
But then, there was a crash, a sickening sound of bones breaking, and the growl stopped. I dared to look over my shoulder, just in time to see Crypt’s fist come down with bone-shattering force onto the wolf’s skull. It crumpled under the weight of his blow, collapsing to the ground in a heap.
I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.
But then... I heard him. His voice. Cold. Dangerous.
“You can run, Cindy. But you can’t hide.”
I felt it before I heard it, the weight of his presence behind me, like the forest itself was closing in. His words were laced with something darker now. There was no more softness in his tone, no more kindness. Just the voice of a predator.
“I can smell your fear,” he said, his voice dripping with something that made my skin crawl. “I can feel it. You’re not as strong as you pretend to be, Cindy. You don’t stand a chance against me.”
I kept running, ignoring the way my heart hammered against my ribcage, the way my legs screamed in protest. The sound of his footsteps behind me grew closer, faster.
“You’re tired,” Crypt continued, his voice a constant presence in the back of my mind, cutting through the noise of the forest. “You’re torn.”
A rustle behind me. A snap of a twig. He was getting closer.
“You’re weak,” he continued, each word like a knife to my chest. “faint. Running from what you know you can’t escape. It’s all in your blood, Cindy. The fear. The dread. I love the smell.”
I dared to look over my shoulder again, catching a glimpse of him, tall, his eyes glowing with that eerie light, his body movin’ fluidly, like a shadow chasing after me. This foo’ was the devil himself.
I mean he wasn’t even runnin’. He was walkin’. Calm. Unhurried.
And he was closin’ in.
“You think you know fear?” he whispered, almost to himself. “You don’t. But you will. You’ll learn what it means to fear me, Cindy. You’ll learn the truth about what I’ve become... and why you should never run from it.”
Panic gripped me tighter than the blood that still oozed from my wounds let me tell you. I pushed myself harder, but every time I tried to get further away, I could hear his footsteps, steadily approaching, unrelenting. My vision blurred, my thoughts scattered, and still he came.
With every step he took, I felt the terror settle deeper in my bones, until I was sure I couldn’t escape, no matter how fast I ran.
I pushed harder, but the pain in my side was too much. My breath was ragged, each inhale burning my chest like fire. I couldn’t keep running. I could feel him behind me, like a shadow creeping closer with every passing second.
Then it happened. My foot caught on a root, and I went down, crashing to the ground. The earth scraped at my skin, the impact sending shockwaves through my body. I gasped, the world spinning around me. I tried to push myself up, to crawl, to keep moving... but it was too much.
I couldn’t.
I felt him then, just before I lost control of my body. His presence was suffocating, like the air.
I tried to crawl. Tried to keep movin’, but my legs felt like they was made of jelly, and the pain in my side? It was like someone was stickin’ a knife in me every time I moved.
I didn’t get far. No surprise there.
Next thing I know, his hand’s on my arm, yanking me off the ground like I was nothin’. Damn it, I should’ve fought harder, should’ve kicked and screamed until my lungs gave out, but I just couldn’t. Not with the world spinning and my blood drippin’ all over the place.
“You’re not running anywhere, Cindy,” Crypt’s voice was low, like he was talkin’ to a damn animal. He could’ve made it sound like a threat, but I could hear that edge in his voice, like he was... I don’t know, disappointed?
I twisted in his grip, tryin’ to get free, but it was like tryin’ to move a damn boulder. My body didn’t have the strength to fight back no more.
“Let me go!” I spit, but even that came out weak, like a kitten hissin’ at a wolf.
His grip didn’t loosen. Hell, it tightened. He wasn’t lettin’ go. And I was too tired, too damn tired to keep pullin’ away.
And then, then it happened. He bent down like he was gonna throw me over his shoulder or somethin’, but instead, he scooped me up. Just like that. One second, I was flailin’, tryin’ to get loose, and the next, I was in his arms, my body pressed against his chest.
“No…” The word barely left my lips. My heart was thumpin’ in my chest, but not from fear this time. It was the shock. The confusion.
“You’re too stubborn for your own damn good,” Crypt muttered, his voice almost gentle, like he wasn’t the same man who’d been the face of every nightmare I’d ever had.
I wanted to fight him. I wanted to push him away, scream at him until he couldn’t take it no more. But the world was getting blurry. The pain in my side was a dull throb now, and my eyes were gettin’ heavy.
Everything started to fade. I could hear him breathin’, deep, slow breaths that sounded like he was trying to calm me, or maybe himself.
But I couldn’t keep my eyes open. The darkness was too strong.
And before I knew it, I was out cold.
~Crypt~
The rain had come down in sheets, and the night air was thick with the scent of wet earth and the tang of fresh rain. The giant tree loomed above, sheltering us from the worst of it, but not enough to keep the chill from seeping into my bones. My hands were steady as I worked, sewing Cindy up with swift, practiced movements.
I wasn’t concerned about the rain. It was just another element in the plan.It washed away the blood trail we had left behind. No doubt after what happened at the Pumpkin Patch they would be looking for us so it was perfect. I had to get her somewhere safe, somewhere I could tend to her wounds properly. And once I had her here, in this hollow of the old tree, I could finally let her rest.
The fight had worn her down, her blood soaking into the earth as I carried her through the woods. I needed her exhausted. I needed her to trust me again, to understand I wasn’t her enemy, not anymore.
With every stitch I made, I could feel her pain, but I couldn’t let her wake up, not yet. I had to finish, to make sure she didn’t bleed out on me, or worse, suffer from infection. That was a price I wasn’t willing to pay. Not for her.
I crushed a handful of leaves, wild aloe and some herbs I’d learned about on my own, and mixed them into a paste. I worked quickly, feeling the rain begin to seep through the massive branches overhead. But I didn’t care. Not while I was this close to getting her back to some kind of safety.
When I pressed the paste into her wound, I noticed the tension in her muscles ease, even as her unconscious body shifted a little, reacting to the soothing properties of the plants. I glanced at her face. She looked peaceful, for the moment. And I could only hope she stayed that way long enough for me to finish what I started.
As I tied off the last stitch, her chest rose and fell with a deeper, more steady rhythm. I sat back, wiping the sweat from my brow. The air was damp, the earth beneath us soft, but she was alive. That was what mattered.
Then, she stirred.
Her eyes fluttered, slowly at first, then snapping wide open as she gasped for air, her body stiffening as if unsure of where she was or what had happened.
Cindy’s eyes locked onto mine for a split second. The shock and confusion were clear on her face, like she didn’t know whether to hate me more or to be scared of me. It made my chest tighten. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to. The silence between us was thick with everything that had been left unsaid, everything we both had carried into this moment.
But then, without another word, she turned her head, her body stiff and pulling away from me as much as she could. I felt it. The anger radiating off her in waves. I knew it was coming.
I hadn’t expected forgiveness. But I hoped, at the very least, she would see that I wasn’t the same person I used to be. I wasn’t the one who could’ve killed her on the spot without a second thought. I wasn’t the one who helped bring pain to her life.
“I get it,” I muttered, more to myself than to her. But I said it anyway, watching her back turn, her shoulders tense. “You hate me. You have every right to.” My voice was low, almost lost in the sound of the rain, but I knew she heard me. “I never should’ve been that person. I should’ve never lied to you. I know that now. And... I know I can’t take back what I’ve done.”
I stood up slowly, not wanting to crowd her but not wanting her to think I was going to walk away. “I’m gonna drop you off in Freefall after this passes. You’re free now, remember. I owed you that much. And I have paid my debt.”
I paused, trying to think of the right words to say, my hand resting on the ground beside me as I steadied myself. The rain dripped from the tree, falling with a rhythm that matched my heartbeat. I wanted to tel her how much I wanted to be friends again, how I felt like she was the only person in the world who understood me, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
“I’ll finish what I started. I’ll make sure this whole damn system comes down,” I said, the weight of my words heavy. “And when I’m King, I’ll make this right for you... and for everyone else. But for now this is all that lies in my power for me to do.”
I took a breath, each word coming slower, more deliberate now. I stepped closer, but not too close, letting the space between us linger for a moment.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, the words almost feeling foreign to me, but they felt right to say. “For everything. For the lies. For the pain. For all of it.”
The words hung in the air, and for a moment, I thought she might say something back. But she didn’t. She stayed silent, her back to me, and all I could do was wait. Let her take whatever time she needs. The guilt weighed heavy on me, but at least I knew I had done what I could to make things right.
The days dragged on. Slowly. Too slowly. Cindy healed. I took care of her wounds, stitched up the mess I had made, but even though the blood stopped flowing, the silence never did. She didn’t speak to me. Not once. And I don’t blame her. She had every right to hate me, to keep her distance. I was a walking nightmare, the man who destroyed everything, the one who was supposed to be a hero but turned out to be the villain.
I let her be. Didn’t push. Gave her space, but the silence between us? That shit cut deeper than any wound. Every moment of it was a reminder of how far I had fallen.
And finally, we reached the carriage. The one that would take her back to Freefall. Back to the city. Her city. The place that had been her cage, but also her only shot at freedom. She didn’t say a word when we climbed in. Hell, she didn’t even look at me. Her eyes stayed locked on the window, staring out into nothing. I knew better than to say anything. I wasn’t sure what she wanted, what she needed. But it wasn’t me.
The city greeted us with its smell, its noise, its pulse. The kind of place that never stopped, never gave you a break. We pulled up to the edge of it, and the weight of everything hit me. The promise I had made to her, the promise I was keeping, now felt like a thousand-pound weight on my chest. I slowed the carriage, pulling the reins.
“This is it,” I said, my voice scratchy, like I hadn’t spoken in a hundred years. “You’re free now.”
She didn’t respond. Didn’t move. She just stared down at the floor, like it held all the answers. It was like I wasn’t even there. I swallowed hard, feeling the lump in my throat get bigger.No words. No look. No nothing. She just sat there, back straight, eyes fixed on the floor. She was shutting me out. And I deserved it.
I let out a breath. And with that breath, I let go of everything. “Goodbye,” I said.
I couldn’t stay. Not for her. Not for me. She had her life to live now, and I had mine to ruin. I climbed out of the carriage, the street under my boots feeling cold, like the rest of me. I didn’t look back.
But damn, even as I walked away, that damn silhouette of hers stayed in my head. It didn’t fade. It stayed there, haunting me, a ghost I couldn’t shake.
I kept moving, my boots pounding the cobblestones, but I couldn’t escape the feeling. That feeling of her, like a weight on my chest. Like she was still there with me, no matter how far I walked.
And I hated that.
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