CHAPTER 202: CHAPTER 202: THE OLD MOON BRIDGE

Lorraine’s POV

The moon was crawling its way toward the sky, slow but relentless, it was a glowing warning we couldn’t ignore. We had already been walking nonstop, and my legs felt as heavy as Lead. But the moment we stepped out from behind the thick wall of trees, I spotted it.

The Old Moon Bridge.

Stretching across a long, narrow ravine like an ancient scar left behind by a forgotten war. The bridge looked older than time itself, large cracked stones, wild vines wrapped around its pillars, the center swallowed in a soft mist that refused to move even with the evening wind.

Kieran stepped in front of us, posture rigid, eyes fixed on the bridge.

"We have to cross it now before the moon fully rises," he said, voice cold and steady as ever.

Felix gulped loudly behind me, clutching his hands together. "But.... it’s already pretty late. What if we’re halfway across and the moon rises and.... and we hear the ghosts screaming?" His voice shook like a leaf in a storm.

Varya rolled her eyes so hard it was almost audible. "You are such an overgrown baby," she snapped. "Look...." she jabbed a finger upward "...the moon isn’t fully up yet. We have time. Right, Kieran?"

Kieran nodded once. "But not much. We must move now."

To prove his point, and maybe to shut Felix up, he was the first to step onto the bridge. His boot pressed against the ancient stone like he was testing whether it would swallow him whole. Nothing happened.

No wind shift.

No ghostly howl.

Just silence.

Varya didn’t hesitate, she followed right behind him. Then Alistair walked up, giving Felix a pointed smirk as he joined them.

"Come on," Kieran called out to the two of us, motioning forward.

My feet wanted to move.... but something inside me didn’t.

The uneasiness from earlier crawled its way back into my chest, slithering beneath my ribs like a venomous reminder. That vision. That burning. That scream. It replayed in the darkest corner of my mind.

And somehow, just the sight of this ancient bridge, made me even more uneasy.

I inhaled slowly.

Don’t think.

Just move.

Felix angled his shoulder against mine, shivering. "Let’s hurry, please," he whispered, which was enough to force my legs forward.

We stepped onto the bridge.

The moment my foot touched the stone, a shiver ran down my spine. My heartbeat kicked up so fast I swore the others could hear it. My skin prickled from the inside, the feeling sharp, like fire trying to burst out from under my flesh.

Ignore it. Keep walking.

I told myself repeatedly.

Felix rushed ahead, practically sprinting now. Varya and Alistair were already at the middle, walking quickly. Kieran kept glancing over his shoulder, probably wondering why I looked like a malfunctioning robot.

I tried to breathe normally, but the air around me felt wrong.

Heavy.

Thick.

Tainted.

My fingers curled around my shirt where my heart slammed against my ribs.

Just a little more. Just....

My body stopped.

Completely.

My legs refused to move. My lungs seized like someone shoved ice down my throat. And the burning, vicious and violent, roared beneath my skin like wildfire.

"Lorraine?" Kieran’s voice cut through the air.

I couldn’t answer.

Because then the metallic sound started, that horrible scratching, scraping against the edges of my skull like claws dragging across bone. My vision blurred. My wolf growled inside, loud and panicked.

No...

Not here....

You shouldn’t be here...

Kieran rushed toward me, closing the distance in a blink.

"You have to keep moving," he urged, his hand reaching out to grab me.

The moment his skin touched mine....

Pain seared through me like lightning splitting my bones apart.

Kieran recoiled with a pained hiss. "What...?!"

My breath stuttered as something snapped into place.

And suddenly....

I heard him.

Not his voice. His thoughts.

Lorraine.... why does it hurt? Why can I feel everything she feels...?

His confusion echoed in my skull like an overlapping chorus.

I gasped. Kieran? My voice, but inside his head.

His eyes widened. It was the first time in a while I’d seen shock crack through his usual icy composure.

"I can hear your thoughts," he whispered aloud, voice trembling despite him trying to control it.

I can hear yours too. I didn’t mean to send the thought back, but I did.

The air around us pulsed.

And then, the moon broke free completely from the horizon.

It was high up in the sky, and it suddenly glowed so brightly it was almost blinding.

Pain exploded again. Deeper this time.

A scream tore through the bridge, at first I thought it was mine, but no, there were more.

Not human. Not alive.

Faint misty figures.

Thousands of them.

With angry, tortured voices shrieking words I couldn’t understand, until suddenly I could.

Useless. All your fault. You should have died. You bring death with you. You killed us. Cursed girl. CURSED.

My knees buckled, slamming me into the stone.

Kieran collapsed beside me, jaw clenched so tight his fangs drew blood inside his mouth. His breaths came sharp, like he was swallowing knives. He was hearing something too, maybe different, but just as tormenting.

Varya’s scream echoed from the other side.

"Kieran! Lorraine! HURRY!"

Kieran’s entire body trembled, but he forced himself through the pain. Through the voices. Through the agony ripping us apart. He pushed himself upright and grabbed me again, despite the burning that flared between our skin.

He lifted me in his arms.

And the rest was a blur of motion.

Stone turned into dirt beneath his feet.

He had supersped off the bridge.

Varya and Alistair were already there, reaching out to steady him. Felix hovered nearby, wide eyed and pale as chalk.

Kieran dropped to one knee, panting like the air itself was razor edged. He lowered me to the ground gently, hands shaking.

I could no longer hear his thoughts.

But the other voices....

They continued.

Whispering right into my ears.

So close. They were whispers. Yet they were so loud.

It’s your fault they will die. Every life that is ruined. Every death caused. It was and will be because of you. You are cursed. You are death. You doom everyone you touch.

My heart rammed against my ribs, as if desperate to escape me.

I pressed my palms against my ears, squeezing my eyes shut.

But the whispers only grew sharper. Crueler.

I sat there....

Broken.

Shaking.

hearing every terrible word like a dark prophecy that just wouldn’t stop coming.....