Lisa screamed hysterically, the loudest sound she had ever made.
"NOOOOO!!! NAYLAAA!! ANNAAA!!"
Karin suddenly let go of Hana. She covered her mouth with both hands, but her body couldn't hold back the reaction. She bent over and vomited, tears mixed with sobs.
"No... it can't be..." her voice broke.
"God... they were killed... they were really killed..."
Hana fell to her knees. Her legs could no longer support her body. Her whole body shook violently, as if cold was penetrating her bones.
"Nayla... Anna..." she whispered softly. "Why... why did this happen to us... Why?"
Theo, with blood streaming down his face, just stared with empty eyes.
"Why..." he muttered hoarsely.
"Why did they... have to die, damn it..."
Kevin punched the floor with his fist, even though each punch made him hurt even more.
"WHAT DID THEY DO WRONG, HUH!? WHAT DID THEY DO WRONG, YOU BASTARDS!!!"
Hearing Kevin's incoherent ranting, one of the bandits spontaneously kicked him in the face, knocking him to the ground.
"Shut up, all of you," said the bandit flatly, clearly not understanding their language, but fed up with the commotion.
The bandit who had executed Nayla and Anna swung his sword. The blood that was stuck to it flew off, dripping onto the rocky ground. His gaze swept over the pale-faced students like a herd of trapped deer.
"Gather them all," he said flatly.
"No one is to hide or be left behind. If anyone resists or causes trouble, just kill them."
The three bandits moved like hunting dogs.
As soon as they saw several students trying to escape or hide in the corners of the cave.
Screams broke out one after another.
"RUN!!"
"I-I don't want to die!!"
"Help!!! Anyone!! Help!!"
But there was no way out.
There was nowhere to run in the cave with only one door, and even that was guarded by the bandits.
In a matter of seconds.
Eight of them were instantly killed.
Some because they ran in panic, some tried to fight back, some just cried while crouching before being mercilessly slashed.
Rahel tried to calm them down, shouting for everyone to stop running, but she fell because of the push from the panicked students. Her head hit the hard rock on the floor.
"R-Rahel!!!" Hana screamed when she saw Rahel's body lying motionless.
Kyle, supported by Lisa, forced himself to move toward Kevin and Theo. But his steps were unsteady. His breath felt trapped in his chest, each breath like a knife stabbing his lungs.
He stopped, his knees almost giving way.
Lisa held him, tears streaming silently down her face, no sobs, only despair frozen on her face.
On the other side, Karin hugged Hana tightly, trying to calm her down. But her own hands were shaking violently. Her body shrank, curling up like a frightened child, as if the embrace was the only thing keeping her standing.
The bandits gave them no time.
They dragged the students one by one. Hair was pulled, clothes were grabbed, bodies were pushed roughly. All those who were still alive were forced to gather and kneel in the middle of the cave.
"Hurry! Bring them all here!" barked one of the bandits.
"Hahaha... look at their faces... look at their fear...
"I like the sound of them screaming just now..."
"Today is truly satisfying!"
They laughed at the suffering... as if it were entertainment.
____________________
Outside the cave, the night air felt much colder than usual.
The three students who had gone out to look for Nayla and Anna, Arya, Aurel, and Jovan, stopped right behind the bushes. They were breathing heavily, their faces pale, their bodies shaking uncontrollably.
The sounds from inside the cave were clear.
Screams...
Cries...
Then silence... complete silence.
Aurel covered her mouth with both hands, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
"I... I heard Anna's voice..." she whispered, her voice breaking.
"Jovan... that was Anna's voice just now... right?"
Jovan shook his head quickly, as if trying to deny reality.
"No... no... it wasn't Anna's voice. It definitely... wasn't..."
His breathing was ragged, his face covered in cold sweat.
"This... this isn't real... We're just having a nightmare..."
Arya, the calmest of them, knelt down and clutched the ground, trying to catch her breath. But the hand she used to support her body was shaking violently.
"I-I saw... the blood flowing out to the mouth of the cave..."
He pointed with a trembling hand at the thin pool of dark red seeping from the cracks in the rocks.
Aurel let out a soft scream and covered her face.
"We have to help them! We have to!" Aurel tried to run, but Arya held her arm back.
"No! Don't go there!" Arya whispered loudly as he pulled her back into the bushes.
"Do you want to die!?"
"But the others and Theo! We can't leave them behind."
From inside the cave came the laughter of the bandits.
Laughter that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
"Hahaha! Look at them! Like frightened sheep!"
"Cut that one! Don't let them run!"
"I love the sound of them screaming!"
Aurel immediately covered her own mouth to stifle her tears.
Jovan stared at the cave entrance with wide eyes, his body retreating step by step, his reflexes telling him to get away.
"We... we have to go. Now. If we're found... we'll die too."
"But we're leaving them behind..." Aurel sobbed, her body limp.
"This is evil... We're evil..."
Arya stood up, holding back the tears that were about to fall.
"We're not running away because we're cowards... we're running because we have to live, there's nothing we can do in there..."
Jovan swallowed hard. "We... have to live first."
He said hoarsely, "We have to live and return to our world."
Aurel finally nodded, even though her whole body felt like it had no strength left.
Holding back their tears, the three of them slowly backed away, avoiding the rocks, climbing down the small cliff, then running into the forest without looking back.
Behind them, the bandits' laughter erupted again in the cave.
And the last scream of someone echoed...
then faded away.
—————————
The night grew late. The sound of crickets grew louder, as if trying to cover the silence of the forest. The cold air pierced them, dew began to rise, making their steps feel heavier. Raven's group continued to follow the river, following the pile of rocks left by William.
However, when they were just a short distance from the cave, Raven suddenly stopped. His gaze pierced through the darkness of the trees, as if he could sense something. A faint aura of death, like a cold mist, crept through the night breeze.
Raven furrowed his brow. The instincts that had awakened within him immediately screamed that something had happened.
"Raven, what's wrong?" asked Erik, who saw him stop and turned around in confusion.
The others also slowed down. Leon, who was slightly ahead, turned around with an annoyed tone,
"Hey, why did you guys suddenly stop?"
Before Raven could answer, a hoarse scream mixed with hurried footsteps erupted from behind the bushes. The sound was so close, like fear incarnate.
"Uh... what's that?" said Riana in a panic, her voice trembling.
William, who was holding a flashlight, spontaneously pointed it in the direction of the sound. His hand was shaking, the white light trembling between the tree trunks.
And sure enough, from the darkness, three students appeared, running breathlessly.
Aurel, Arya, and Jovan.
They were gasping for breath. Their faces were pale, wet with sweat, their bodies almost collapsing from exhaustion and fear that had not yet subsided.
"Mr. William! Ms. Adriana!" Jovan shouted, his voice nearly breaking. His body swayed, his feet slipped before he managed to steady himself, clearly at his limit.
"We… we're being attacked!" he gasped, his eyes wide with fear.
"They… they're coming again! Those people… they're killing our friends!
Many are already dead. We have to run! Run as fast as we can before they catch up..."
Riana immediately ran towards them. She held Aurel's shoulder, who was about to fall, her face pale.
"Who?! Which people are attacking you?!" she asked, almost hysterical.
"They... those people! The ones who were chasing us earlier!" replied Arya, his eyes wide with terror. His voice was hoarse, almost inaudible.
"The others are still inside..." Aurel tried to speak, her breath coming in gasps.
"And... they—"
Her words were cut off.
Her voice broke, turning into a sudden burst of tears. Her legs gave way, and she sat down on the ground, her knees weak and her body shaking violently from the fear that had not yet subsided.
A moment of silence enveloped the group. Riana's face was stiff, her eyes wide with disbelief.
William clenched his fists, his teeth chattering as he held back his emotions. Erik could only freeze, while Leon stood with a tense face, his tongue tied.
Raven, since earlier, had only stood silently. His gaze pierced the darkness towards the cave. His eyes turned cold, as sharp as a knife. In his silence, anger burned, not because of panic, but because he knew and was aware of what was happening.
Without waiting for anyone's orders, Raven stepped forward.
"Raven! Where are you going?!" William shouted in panic, his voice breaking the tension.
"To the cave," Raven replied briefly, her tone flat and without hesitation.
Instantly, his body shot forward. His movements were so fast that they were imperceptible to the naked eye. Raven's shadow disappeared among the trees, leaving only a piercing gust of wind to brush against their faces.
Everyone left behind could only stand frozen in place. Adriana still held Aurel, who was crying, William stood motionless with a somber expression, while Leon and Erik exchanged glances without speaking.
The night fell silent once more, but this time it was not a soothing silence—it was a suffocating silence that weighed heavily on their hearts, leaving one certainty in all their minds.
Whatever happened in the cave…
Raven would find it first.