Bradley's snarl had faded, but the echo lingered in your ears like thunder across the hills.
As the adrenaline ebbed, he seemed to notice the way his lips had curled, his teeth flashing in full primal display. He took a slow breath, shook his head, and softened his posture. For a moment, he looked almost embarrassed.
Without a word, you, Bradley, and the still-shaken Therley moved toward the rear of the cottage. The forest was silent behind you, the birds long since scared into silence.
Nestled at the edge of the clearing, half-covered in ivy and warped by time, stood a shed. Its wooden walls leaned sideways and the hinges squeaked as Bradley pulled the door open. It smelled like damp earth and rust.
Therley hesitated—but Bradley grabbed him firmly and shoved him inside.
You followed, uneasy but trying to trust that Bradley knew what he was doing.
He had proven himself as someone who sought truth, not violence.
Someone who felt grief, not bloodlust.
But what you saw next sent a spike of ice straight through your chest.
Therley was bound.
His hands tied tightly behind a splintered pole with coarse rope, the kind that left angry welts. Leaves and grass jammed cruelly into his mouth, and another line of rope looped around his neck, taut and unforgiving.
Worse—puddles of blood had begun to pool around the bindings, staining the wood dark red. His eyes fluttered, barely conscious. His skin had lost its color.
You gasped, unable to contain your horror. The sound broke the moment like glass.
Bradley turned to you sharply, one ear twitching.
"What?" he asked. "We need to keep him silent. Who knows if he might call for help and kill us all."
You locked eyes with him—and saw something you hadn't seen before.
Mania.
His pupils pulsed wildly, his expression stretching somewhere between certainty and desperation.
This wasn't the thoughtful creature you shared candy and tea with. This was someone running from fear—and perhaps unraveling into it.
"O-okay… As you say," you replied, voice trembling despite your effort to sound calm.
There was a crack in your tone. Bradley heard it. And he smiled.
But it wasn't warm.
It was the kind of smile predators wear when their world begins to slip.
You stepped back, pulse quickening.
Something was very wrong.
And now, you weren't just trying to help Bradley.
You might need to protect Therley.
And yourself.