Chapter 1 – Betrayed on a Honeymoon
The days after marriage are typically
happy for a couple, but Darrell and Bree have been put in a horrific situation.
Their best friend, Penelope, has been jealous for a while that Darrell chose to
be with Bree over her. She made a deal with a dark force to get her revenge on
her former best friend and get the man she fell in love with. Up until the day of
the wedding, she acted like the same supporting friend she’s always been. After
Darrell and Bree’s wedding, Penelope followed them to the casino they were
going to as part of their honeymoon. She took the place of the dealer in disguise
as they were playing cards.
“I’m here to give you a special
deal. It’s on the house for the newlywed couple,” Penelope said, “If you play Death’s
Hand, then you’ll win a big prize. If you don’t, you either lose or win money
like usual.”
“What do you think, Bree?”
“There’s no harm in trying it, so let’s
do it.”
With the deal signed with their
agreement, Penelope feigns a card game then deals them Death’s Hand.
“Congratulations,” Penelope said as
she revealed herself, “You win.”
Before they could say anything, Darrell
and Bree felt their necks choked by thorns. They disappeared with Penelope into
another dimension. It’s a dark and foggy forest where they can barely see
anything. The couple tried to talk but they felt thorns in their throats choking
them. A rose started growing in their right eye until it fully bloomed. It didn’t
remove their vision though it did give power to the thorns in their throats and
makes a thorny choker forms around their neck.
“I wouldn’t talk if I were you.
There’s a curse on you that makes feel like thorns are choking you from the
inside of your throat. Keep trying to talk and they’ll solidify. The only way
you can speak to each other is through song,” Penelope says.
Darrell and Bree tried to talk with
their hands to ask Penelope what was going on.
“I know you’re wondering what is
happening to you and I’ll give you an answer. This is a place where love goes
to die. Few couples make it out of here. The only way to escape is to either accept
my offer or to endure the tortures of this place.”
Both Darrell and Bree were still
shaking their hands and twisting their expressions for an answer.
“Darrell. You have to marry me.”
Darrell looked confused along with Bree.
“Yes. It is me who is really your
true love. Your marriage may have been put together by God, but it can be
reversed if you vow to be with me until death do us part. Bree won’t die or be
left behind in this place. If you accept, we will go back as if nothing
happened. What do you say, Darrell? Will you marry me?”
Bree looked to Darrell who shakes
his head to refuse Penelope’s offer. Penelope’s expression was eerily static as
she tried to deal with her rejection. In the blink of an eye, Darrell’s right
arm was taken from him by Penelope though the quickness doesn’t mean that it wasn’t
painful. He fell to his knees as a thorny vine arm grew in its place to stop
any bleeding before it began.
“I’ll take this arm from you since
it has your wedding ring on it. It’ll be one of your keys to getting out of
here. You’ll have more opportunities to change your mind, so I won’t take this
too personally. Besides, I still love you.”
Penelope gave Darrell a kiss on his
cheek before she disappeared into the dark and foggy forest. Bree rushed over
to help Darrell up and now the two lovers must find a way out along with Darrell’s
arm and endure whatever this dimension may hold.
Bree breaks down in tears. Darrell
holds her hands as he tries to comfort her. She uses one hand to try to
communicate why she’s sad by pointing in the direction Penelope went and at her
own face to tell him how different she looked. This dimension tears apart
couples but it also helps them understand each other and Darrell understands
her worries and pains.
He gives her a confident smile on
puts his fist to his chest to show that he hasn’t given up hope. This gives her
comfort and a reason not to be sad, so she picks herself up with a smile and
they walk in the direction of Penelope. They hold each other’s hands as they
walk through the dark fog. Looking around, they see that the forest looks mostly
the same with very few differences in the landscape and surroundings. Their
bond is the only thing from making them lose their nerve, but what they see
next sends shivers down their spine.
It's a lost soul with what look to
be demons on their back controlling their every action with their many hands
and fingers. The lost soul has tree bark blades for arms that it thoughtlessly waves
around at whatever the demons want for their amusement. Another lost soul
arrives, and the demons make them fight each other. Since these people are
already dead, none of the damage done to them affects them as their blades don’t
cut through their skin despite the blades cutting through the thick trees
around them.
Darrell looks at his vine arm and
his imagination makes him view his arm as one of theirs. He shakes off his
imagination and pulls on Bree’s hand to get her to move. He then points forward
and nods his head to remind her that they must move forward and she nods in
agreement with confidence. They move as quietly as possible through the grass as
the lost souls continue to fight. A crackle in the grass around them attracts
the attention of the lost souls whose demons move them to investigate it. By
the time they do, Darrell and Bree are gone. They keep moving as fast and as
quietly as they can while trying to look back.
“This isn’t going to be that
simple,” Penelope’s voice echoes throughout the forest, “Watch as more of these
lost souls come out to show you what you will become if you continue to refuse
my offer.”
More lost souls come out of the
dark fog. There are so many that Darrell and Bree can’t move fast and quietly
enough. The demons controlling the lost souls discover Darrell and Bree and
chase after them until they surround them. Darrell and Bree hold onto each
other as it seems like their end is already in sight, but the lost souls are
stopped before they kill them.
Penelope appears out of the dark
fog and says, “Now you know how easily you can be killed even though we can’t
just strike you down when we feel like it. Things like this must be fair after
all or it wouldn’t be allowed to exist. I’ll ask you again, Darrell. Marry me.”
Darrell shakes his head to deny her
request. He didn’t think about it for a second. Penelope’s smile turns to a
frown for a fraction of a second before going back to normal.
“What do you think, Bree? You can give
him to me, and I’ll find a way to make the deal go through. Think about it. You’ll
be saving both your lives in the process.”
Bree shakes her head to deny her
request faster than Darrell. In her eyes, her best friend is a traitor. Penelope
starts shaking slightly with her pupils enlarging and shrinking oddly before
she calms down.
“That’s fine. Maybe the things that
lie ahead of you will change your mind.”
The lost souls along with Penelope
disappear in the dark fog. Shaken by what happened, Darrell and Bree hold each
other. They feel as if they need to comfort each other in some way other than
touch so they begin to sing to each other.
When I saw you, I was struck with
fear
It was so sudden like a bolt of
lightning
I've never felt anything like it
before
My hands were trembling as you
stole my heart
You helped me realize what I was
missing
My life was a struggle up until the
point
Up until the point when I met you
Your eyes captivated me
When we first saw each other
Your touch calmed me
When we first held hands
My life was forever changed
When I First Met You
When I saw you, I was amazed
How could someone be so beautiful?
Were you sent from Heaven?
Why didn't you enter my life
sooner?
You helped me overcome my flaws
My life was a struggle up until the
point
Up until the point when I met you
Your eyes captivated me
When we first saw each other
Your touch calmed me
When we first held hands
My life was forever changed
When I First Met You
Your smile gives me hope
When we're together
Your love heals me
When we kiss
My life was completed
When I First Met You
After finishing their song, they
realize that they just sang. Their song gives them strength and hope that they
use to continue. In the distance, Penelope watches them.
“I didn’t know their hearts were
this connected. Hearts connect and sing to one another here, but Darrell’s
heart will be mine sooner or later. It’s just a matter of time.”
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