My Hockey Alpha

Chapter 0490

Nina

I was standing in the middle of a dark forest, the air heavy and thick with fog. Moonlight pierced through the canopy of tall pine trees, casting elongated shadows that seemed to dance and flicker in the wind.

But I wasn't alone.

There it was again-the shadow entity I had been seeing far too often lately. Its outline always seemed to be changing and morphing every time I saw it, and yet it always felt familiar in the most unsettling of ways.

"What do you want?" I called out.

But there was no answer. It beckoned to me instead, its spindly limbs contorting with the movement. For some reason, in my dream state, it had an almost seductive pull that I couldn't resist. My feet moved almost on their own accord, drawn deeper into the forest until I reached what should have been an impossibility-a replica of Mountainview.

Except it was ravaged, a haunting semblance of the day the Crescent pack attacked. Glass windows were shattered, scattered papers and belongings blew along the sidewalk, and rogues roamed the empty streets, their snarls resonating through the air like demonic laughter.

My first instinct was to scream, but no noise would come out. And even as I took a few stumbling steps backwards, the rogues didn't snap their heads in my direction. I was like a spectator, watching just out of sight. and they were completely oblivious to me.

As I stood there, I glanced up at the shadow entity, which had stopped just a few feet in front of me. Even though its face was nothing but two hollow eye sockets and an impossibly black void, I almost felt as though I could sense its intentions. It was waiting, expecting something.

"What is it?" I said, more to fill the silence than anything. "Why are you making me see this?"

The shadow entity didn't respond.

Suddenly, a searing pain erupted in my leg, snapping my attention away from the horrifying visage in front of me. I looked down to see blood oozing from where James had shot me all those months ago.

The wound, which was now supposed to be a circular white scar, had somehow reopened, and my leg trembled under the intensity of the pain. I sank to my knees, clutching at the bleeding gash, my fingers stained red like wine.

All the while, the shadow entity loomed over me, its form expanding, stretching taller as if it was feeding off my fear and agony. I mustered every ounce of my willpower, focusing on driving it away.

"Go! Leave me alone!"

My voice came out as nothing more than a strained, desperate whimper, rather than the bold cry that I had intended.

And the shadow entity remained, unfazed and omnipresent.

Finally, unable to bear its mocking presence any longer, I looked up, my eyes meeting its formless gaze. 'Who are you?"

In answer, the shadow entity's silhouette contorted, its voidlike face shifting to form an impossibly wide grin, baring a row of sharp, white teeth.

And then it did something that sent chills racing down my spine-it pointed at me with its long, spindly finger. Suddenly, I was jolted awake thanks to the sound of the doorbell blaring through the house. The pain in my leg dissipated just as quickly as it came. I was back on the couch again where I had fallen asleep before, a movie playing softly on the TV as the scent of herbal tea wafted through the house. How long had I even been asleep? It

couldn't have been long.

With a shaking hand, I reached up to wipe a bit of sweat away from my brow, and groaned softly. The doorbell rang loudly again, causing me to jump a bit. With a sigh, I stood and made my way to the door.

"Nina, we came as soon as we heard."

Before I even opened the door, Lori was bursting in with Jessica on her heels. They both stopped to shoot me a worried glance, clearly taken aback by my haphazard, half-asleep appearance.Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.

"... Um..." I paused, furrowing my brow as my brain scrambled to think of how they knew already. Then, I remembered: Luke. I had fallen asleep just minutes after he left. Somehow, he had already managed to blab to Lori and Jessica in that amount of time.