Chapter 14: Elia Part (4) Granting You A Nightmare like Life.

Joey frankly mounted the horse and pulled the reins hardly so The horse shrieked and began to run fastly towards Alicia's horse. Joey looked left and right, seeking his friends' reaction, but the view was square, his friends clapping and chanting Alicia's name only encouraging her to die! It's gruesome, whatever manipulated their minds, he doesn't know how to get them back to consciousness, but he must find a way. Joey refocused his attention on saving Alicia again, who was refusing to stop no matter how he shouted and called out her name! she kept smiling happily running towards the cliff, in her eyes she was having fun with her friends who loved horse riding just like her! Riding like this in this green land and clear air with no stop or rules, with her friends around her shouting her name in excitement and encouragement, just like a hero! It was her dream which she didn't want to wake up from.

But she doesn't know, that with her winning, she will die! Joey rode his horse fastly and ran along the fence until he took a short turn around the place till he reached it in the shortest possible time, then jumped with the horse over the fence, causing everyone to be dazzled and shocked, finally coming to see that something was wrong, which caused the villagers to grind their teeth in rage.

Alicia continued to run with the horse until she reached the nearest point to the cliff. which only Joey Saw, and here Alicia felt a hand stretching around her waist, embracing her, and when she turned around she found Joey pulling her hard with his best effort in front of him to sit on the back of the horse which he was ridding, she is now in front of him on his horse.

Joey stopped while looking behind him to see what happened to the other horse she was riding, and here he was shocked as he found that the cliff had disappeared and everything returned to normal. there was nothing but green grass with angry faces all around him.

"Leave me you, idiot!" Alicia pushed him with all her might until he relaxed his fist and she got off the horse's back: "What's wrong with you! You're acting crazy! Did something mess with your head or what!" Alicia yelled at him.

They all got to where they were standing. "What's the matter? Joey, why did you jump so suddenly and then took Alicia from her horse to yours without justification?"Ryou asked, it seems he is still worried about his friend.

Joey kept looking around in confusion, and only the eyes of the villagers caught his, who seemed very distressed as if they wanted something and could not achieve it.

Then he turned to his friends, whose reaction seemed to be no better than the villagers.

Joey got down from the horse's back and was gasping, "Are you okay?"

"Of course we are fine, but you are the one who does not look  well !?" Alicia said angrily.

Aran puts his hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "Joey, I understand your anxiety, that's normal after all we've been through a lot, but I can assure you this is a good place not what you are thinking."

"Aran ... whatever you see, guys, it's not real! something is off ..." Joey took his erratic breaths and then continued. putting his hands on his waist: " Maybe this is another underworld game for us! I have just seen dark creatures! Maybe because you have been here for a long time so you have got affected or something, but I just woke up ... No, I don't know, but there is something wrong. Trust me! ''

"Mr. Joey, I think you need to rest" an old lady put her hand on his forehead from nowhere, which caused Joey to startle. She continued with a yellow smile, "It seems you need to rest dear. Your temperature is quite high."

"I am fine! " Joey interrupted pushing her hand away in disgust.

"Joey! I think you should rest a little ..." Ryou said in a plain voice with an uncomfortable face, they all looked uncomfortable along with annoyance mixed with pity and blame overall! It's as if he ruined a wedding for them.

He couldn't believe that any of this is happening! and what should he do to get his friends back? No one believes him, no one on his side, this is a miss, is he going crazy? Are they the ones on the right side this time?

Is he the one in wrong? What are these creatures, were they even real? How can he make them believe him or see what he is seeing? Who is sane here?

Don put his hand on his shoulder which interrupted his thinking and freaked him out, gesturing for him to accompany him to his room. Joey felt unwelcomed, so he had no other choice, but and walked along with Don.

When he opened the door, he found Zain still sleeping in his place, breathing steadily, he sighed and felt relieved.

"Sleep a little until tonight's party," Don said and smiled, and when he was about to close the door behind him, Joey grabbed the door handle to prevent him from closing it. "Wait ... can I ask you a question?"

The man looked at him a little, then smiled coldly. "Of course ..."

"Are you... ...  human?"

The man looked dazzled and shocked by the Question. They both did not utter a word, the man looked Joey in the Eyes, Joey's breathing was getting quicker with each second.

The man raised his head and smiled coldly

"No"

Joey's face became pale as his hand begin to loosen its grip on the doorknob, he froze in his place without moving or even blinking, as his mind stopped thinking. he felt it but never thought the answer to be so honest.

The man smiled and ignored all of this, "Rest a little. I'll come to wake you at 8 o'clock to celebrate!" Then he closed the door gently.

Joey no longer had the energy to stand and his knees began to twitch, so he sat with a strong thud on the bed that Zain slept on.

"How? How does everyone believe this, no, but they did not even see these demonic beings! Why am I the only one who saw them? Did .... did I go crazy while I am to blame ... No, but this man said No! could he be just joking? Hell, what should I do? Am I crazy now?! " Joey said to himself with these endless thoughts, he put his hands on his head as he was pulling his hair out of a lot of thinking and anger, he had a severe headache, as he laid on his back and did not know when he fell into a deep sleep and did not wake up until he heard the knock on the door.

"Please wake up, we are already late," said a lady as soon as she walked into the room.

Joey's POV:

I got up quickly and looked beside me, Zain was still asleep, he did not even move a finger. Is it normal for him to stay asleep for all this period? ... no isn't it better this way? Being like that for now instead of being Like them..is he even gonna wake up...or what is going to happen? Joey thought in his mind.

"Mr. Yang?" The lady called out

"Yes ?"

"Let's go to where the ceremony is held! Everyone's waiting for you" she said smiling.

We went out and headed to the place where the so-called celebration or festival, whatever it was, I did not like what I saw at all, the party was not huge, but it was some tables that were put together to put the most delicious dishes on it and some people who dance with strange dancing moves, maybe It was traditional customs, and some of the fires that were occupied beside a quietly flowing black-colored river, the river looked terrifying, especially at night, besides all this my friends or who seemed to be my friends who lost their minds. seem to have so much fun.

"What are you doing there? Come on! Drink this! It's delicious!" Ryou jumped toward me with a cup in his hand filled with black liquid in it. It looked very bad and uncomfortable.

"What is this?"

"It's our very own village drink, Mr. Yang," said a young girl with beautiful features to the point of being unnatural. She grabbed another cup and walked toward me. Ryou moved away and looked at her. "Look, look how beautiful she is," he said and He seems ecstatic.

"Our village girls are much more beautiful than her," I said. He seems unhappy with what is happening, Ryou is not typically a man who tends to his desires easily.

The girl came with the cup and gave it to me. throwing herself along! Approaching me, My face turned red as she got too close to my face! Suddenly I even felt her warm breath near my face which started to turn to a tomato color: "What are you doing please move away a little!" I pushed her away gently.

"You don't know how to treat women right?" She said throwing herself with a look and a smile as if this act made her more stubborn and persistent.

"I don't like being forced into something, I apologize," I said, looking at the ground and taking steps to the back. As my back was facing the river.

"Mr. Joey drink this. "As soon as I looked behind me, I was held by another woman! but this time it was too unexpected and fast as I, unfortunately, could not stop her in time as she came by surprise And grabbed my neck from behind and forced me to drink while I was struggling as soon as I felt a forced movement as she used force, but it was not just her now! I felt many people coming one by one holding me down and preventing me from moving, they pinned me down forcing me to drink! And I couldn't move or refuse to drink and among them were my friends who were laughing while they were holding me down! They all forced me to drink until I swallowed the drink and started coughing heavily as the drink went into my throat in one go As if I swallowed fire! Something so hot and bitter made its way like fire into my heart.

My eyes began to tear because of the suffocation until the liquid of the drink even ascended to my nose and began to choke me. as my hands and nails were scratching in the hands of whoever was holding the cup, and the hand that I scribbled began to bleed, I felt it in their skin! But they did not move an inch! As if they did not feel any pain. They were enjoying this.

All I saw was that I was surrounded by people who were laughing to my torment and my friends who were laughing and forced me to drink and could not see that I was being killed and needed their help. this hurt!

I closed my eyes with a tear falling down my red cheeks now. after I felt that death was easier than what I was feeling right now as my mind and body finally gave up, my chest hurt badly now and I cannot breathe right no more! black spots were dancing in front of my eyes till everything became black. and lost consciousness.

End of chapter 14