Chapter 6 – “The Girl Who Would Run Away”

  

  Narrator (Piper’s thoughts): Something’s in my head. It’s not whispering. It’s waiting.

  Scene 1 – [ON THE PATH – NIGHTFALL APPROACHES]

  They had walked for hours. The tower in the distance looked the same as always—tilted, cracked, unreachable. But the sky had begun to bleed into itself, hues of lavender and obsidian twisting like ink in water.

  Piper walked ahead of the group, arms crossed, teeth clenched.

  Thirteen: “You okay up there?”

  Piper (curtly): “Fine.”

  Blinks (whispering to Thirteen): “She’s not fine. I can sense her aura’s dropping..”

  Scene 2 – [SOMETHING WRONG]

  Every now and then, Piper would stop walking.

  Sometimes, she’d grip her head.

  Sometimes, her eyes glowed faint gold—but it wasn’t her using PSI.

  She snapped once when Thirteen tried to hand her water.

  Piper (snapping): “Stop treating me like I’m broken!”

  She immediately froze, staring at them both, horrified.

  Thirteen: “S-Sorry I just wanted to—“

  Then she ran.

  Thirteen: “Help..”

  Blinks: “Hoof, someone’s angry!”

  Thirteen pinched Blinks

  Blinks: “Ow!”

  Scene 3 – [ISOLATION – ON A CLIFF]

  Piper sat alone, knees to her chest, eyes wet.

  The wind howled like it wanted to peel her open.

  Piper (to herself): “I don’t want to hurt them…”

  She closed her eyes. In the silence of Lucidfall’s vastness, she forced her thoughts inward.

  She saw flames, golden chains, a woman’s voice crying out,

  a memory she didn’t live.

  And deeper still—

  Laughter.

  Her own voice—but warped. Like an echo wearing her skin.

  She exhaled, centered herself, and whispered:

  Piper: “I am me. I am still me.”

  A pulse of light glowed from her heart, steadying.

  Scene 4 – [THIRTEEN & BLINKS – TROUBLE FINDS THEM]

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Meanwhile, back at a rocky overlook, Thirteen sat cross-legged while Blinks threw pebbles into space.

  That’s when they saw her.

  Miss Hunter Thuh Prey.

  Silently perched atop a monolith. Sword drawn. Eyes locked on a group of shady figures below.

  A Mafia Boss Demon—huge, horned, gold rings on every limb—commanded a convoy of soul-caged slaves. The perfect contract.

  Thirteen (low): “She’s not here for us… not this time.”

  But Blinks yelled out anyway.

  Blinks: “HEY LADY WITH THE SUIT! WE’RE STILL MAD!”

  She turned. Tilted her head.

  Hunter: “YOU..”

  Then vanished.

  A split-second later—she was already behind them.

  Scene 5 – [FIGHT AGAINST THE HUNTER]

  Thirteen engaged first—scarves flaring, time-staggered punches.

  He got in a few clean hits—but she was faster.

  Thirteen fired a multitude of beams at her

  She didn’t run—she vanished, outracing light itself and leaving afterimages that arrived seconds too late.

  Every failed blow from Thirteen resulted in one from her: a slash, a slice, a kick that sent him through a nearby building.

  Blinks: “Mr. Thirteen!! I’m coming!!”

  Thirteen used telekinesis by throwing a few boulders at her.

  She wasn’t just toying this time.

  She was finishing.

  Hunter: “The chase is over. You were never fast enough.”

  Blinks threw smoke bombs. Distractions. Screamed fake spells.

  All to buy Thirteen a chance.

  Hunter: “The fu-“

  And it worked—barely.

  Thirteen locked her down with telekinetic binds. Drenched in sweat. Knees buckling. Bleeding.

  Thirteen: “Stay… down.”

  She didn’t.

  Scene 6 – [SHE AWAKENS]

  Miss Hunter Thuh Prey screamed, her mask melting off.

  She grew. Towering. Twisted. Skin like melted velvet and eyes like spotlights.

  Her sword elongated into a scythe of pure judgment. Mountains trembled beneath her.

  Demonic Form: CONTRACT EXECUTION MODE – “TITAN DEBT”

  She roared.

  Thirteen and Blinks braced for the end—

  And that’s when the sky flashed gold.

  Scene 7 – [PIPER RETURNS]

  A flash of green-light PSI dropped like a meteor.

  [PK Flash - Omega!]

  Hunter staggered, her entire form dimming—nauseated, disoriented, her logic circuitry corrupted.

  And out of the smoke came—

  Piper.

  Her bat—a crooked aluminum one she’d carried since Chapter 1—now crackled with PSI, glowing with cosmic graffiti etched across its side.

  She sprinted up the collapsing hillside and with one front flip—

  CRACK!!!

  She struck the Hunter clean across the face. The sound echoed across all timelines.

  Hunter’s massive form was launched thousands of meters into the distance—colliding with a black peak far off and vanishing into the mist.

  Hunter: “AGAHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

  Scene 8 – [RECONCILIATION]

  Blinks ran to Piper.

  Blinks: “You came back!! That was INSANE!”

  Thirteen staggered over.

  Thirteen: “You okay?”

  Piper stared at the two of them, then dropped the bat.

  Piper (raspy): “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you. I just—something’s wrong with me.”

  Thirteen (shrugging): “We forgave you before you even left.”

  Blinks: “Yeah, we figured the creepy vibe was a temporary thing.”

  They hugged. And even if Piper still felt off, for now—she smiled.

  Scene 9 – [TOWARD DREADFUL HILLS]

  They walked again.

  But the sky above was darker. The ground more uneven.

  And the tower no closer.

  A crooked sign stuck out of the road like a broken tooth.

  [WELCOME TO DREADFUL HILLS]

  Smoke rose in the distance. Laughter that didn’t belong to anyone sane.

  And behind them—somewhere far away—something groaned, deep beneath the mountains.

  END OF CHAPTER 6