“Ugh, I hate the snow,” I say, marching through the blizzard. “Of course it had to come now, just to spite me.”

  Narrowing my eyes, I try to see through the whiteout. Cold wind seeps into my body, making my bones feel like they’re made of icicles.

  Despite this, I keep moving forward, rubbing my hands together. White mist flows from my mouth, condensing in the frigid air.

  Okay, I just need to hurry up and inspect everything—make sure no one’s following us and that we’re safe. A very reasonable wariness, and totally not paranoia, like Mary likes to say. Then I can dive back into the warmth of the cabin.

  Behind me, I feel a faint vibration against my back, the same annoyance at the cold bleeding through the bond in my mind. Glancing back, I see several black tentacles attached to my back, shivering like icicles.

  “How helpful,” I mutter, turning away from them with a shake of my head. “This is definitely preferable to a fire spell or something.”

  As if understanding me, the tentacles prod insistently at my back, sending pulses that seem to ask: Whose fault is this?

  Ignoring them, I walk forward, scanning everything in this white wonderland.

  Snow clings tightly to my eyelashes, slightly blocking my vision. I brush it away and keep watching my surroundings.

  As far as my eyes can see—especially in this weather—there’s nothing but mounds and hills, all smothered under thick blankets of white snow.

  The tentacles keep prodding at me, urging me to hurry.

  I ignore them and keep staring out at nothing in particular, carefully scanning for any sign of danger. My brain relaxes a little every time I find nothing, not much, but just enough for the knot in my stomach to loosen slightly.

  Maybe…it’s safe enough. I think it should be fine to head inside. It’s not like there’s an enemy lurking somewhere out in this cold…

  I really hope not.

  “Beatrice!” a voice calls from behind me. “Wait up, you forgot something!”

  Turning around, I look back to see a short woman with dark brown skin running toward me.

  Recognizing her immediately, I swivel my head fully around to face her.

  “Mary?!” I shriek. “What are you doing out here? Aren’t you still sick?! You shouldn’t be out here!”

  She simply shakes her head. “Beatrice, I’m ancient compared to you. I think I can take care of myself at my age.”

  Staring back at the woman with a gape mouth, I slowly blink my eyes.

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  Says the woman who almost got herself crushed and buried under several tons of snow!

  Before I can say anything, a suffocating force suddenly descends over the air.

  ‘Boom!’

  A bright flash erupts behind me, blinding everything in my vision. Piercing pain vibrates through my ears, the sound grinding against my brain.

  The tangy, metallic taste of iron fills my mouth as the tentacles scream through the bond, overbearing pain pulsing into my skull and making my head spin.

  Clutching both ears, I double over and collapse onto the snow.

  As the blinding light fades, I see dark red blood drops, splattering the white snow.

  “Beatrice!” Mary calls again, distant and warped, as if underwater. The ground tilts, dragging me closer.

  The last thing I see is a pair of boots rushing toward me.

  I open my eyes and quickly sit up. The motion sends my head spinning. There's a gnawing sensation in the back of my mind—not painful, but noticeable, like a dull pressure I can’t shake.

  What happened back there? Was it an attack by some unseen enemy? A monster?

  Questions flood my brain, each one leading to even more uncertainty.

  Gritting my teeth, I rub the back of my head and stand up. As I get to my feet, I start scanning my surroundings.

  There’s nothing. Just a vast, endless void. No light. No sound. No smells. No… anything.

  …I should focus on finding a way out of here first, wherever here is. Then I can worry about everything else.

  Biting my lip, I begin walking in no particular direction. The path stretches endlessly before me, always just out of reach, no matter how far I go.

  Unseen eyes seem to bore into the back of my neck, like something is trying to dissect me. Every time I spin around, there’s nothing but the same silent, empty void.

  After what feels like several minutes, I stop in place and frown.

  “So there doesn’t seem to be a limit to this place,” I mutter, looking around. “Either that, or it’s large enough to feel infinite.”

  I chew on my lip, then place a hand over my mouth as I stare down at the ground.

  Is this… maybe the inside of one of those trap boxes? The kind that can seal someone inside completely? I’ve never been in one, but this fits what others have described.

  I shake my head and lower my hand.

  No, that doesn’t make sense. Those things cost a fortune. Why would anyone waste one on some random, low-ranked undead?

  As I stand there in silence, something starts to feel off. The void is quiet. Too quiet.

  Narrowing my eyes, I reach out mentally toward the tentacles’ side of the bond. But the moment I try to connect, I slam into something hard.

  White fills my vision, and my head spins from the impact. I stagger, clutching my forehead.

  “Ugh…” I groan. “What was—”

  Before I can finish, a wave of dread crashes over me.

  I freeze, my non-existent core dropping to my stomach.

  Something deep inside urges me to look to my right. Slowly, I lower my head and begin to turn.

  “AHHHHHH!!!” A voice screams as a red hue fills my vision.

  Something wet trickles down the side of my face as I stare, unable to look away.

  There, standing in the void, is a shadowy figure with long hair and tentacles sprouting from her back. Golden handcuffs bind her wrists, chains trailing off into the abyss below.

  Blood streams down her entire body, most of all from her eyes, where it pours like a river. And yet… her gaze is clear as she looks directly at me.

  There’s something familiar in her expression—so familiar it twists my stomach into knots.

  …Where have I seen—

  Dropping my mouth open, I begin to slowly back away from the woman.

  No… wait. Is that—

  The last of my thoughts cuts off as darkness slams into me.

  I jolt awake, suddenly tossing aside the blanket covering my body. As I jump to my feet, my right arm slams into something hard.

  “Ack!” a voice yelps, sounding a lot like Mary. “Beatrice?!”

  Before I can make sense of what's happening, the tentacles send a sharp pulse through the bond, urging me to look up.

  I follow the signal and slowly glance upward, just in time to see a large black pan spinning through the air, flying straight at me.

  ‘Bang!’