The Never-Ending Nightmare

[PrincetDime 143]

In the farmstead just inside the outer gates of Rozania, a small halfling would be in a deep, deep slumber. It would have been weeks since she fell into it. Nothing could wake her - not even the stench of tippen’s root.

 

Her heart continued to beat; her lungs continued to breathe.

 

As unresponsive to the outside world as she was, Belladonna was still alive. She was simply ‘sleeping’.

 

And that meant dreams.

 

More specifically - a single, repeating nightmare.

 

~~~~

People were dying.

 

Being murdered in the streets.

 

From inside the Scorched Rose Inn, she could hear the trampling of many hooves, the slicing of air as blades cut, the screaming of those who saw what was coming but only too late.

 

But what could she - wee, halfling she - do? If she left the tavern, she was guaranteed death. Even in the tavern, she wasn’t guaranteed life - not if the invaders were set on slaughtering every last Rozanian.

 

Bella heard Elion scream in pain from somewhere just outside the tavern, and that pushed her to move. Rozania may be outnumbered, and she may not be able to do much, but what kind of person would she be if she hid while her friends and neighbors were killed in their own streets?

 

So she unsheathed the dagger she used as a sword, rubbed her thumb against the bull on her bracelet-ring, and pulled open the tavern door to find the nearest fucker to stab.

 

Her timing was awful.

 

The door opened just in time for her to see Peralien’s head run through with a blade, pumpkin guts coming out the back of her skull. She crumpled, and her murderer made sure to trample her armored body enough to squish more of her innards from the openings.

 

Bella slammed the door shut and locked it, barely holding back vomit and tears.

 

Laughter came from just behind the door, and the same blade that stabbed through Per stabbed through the door. It barely missed Bella, but there were still bits of pumpkin.

 

“I’ll be back for you.” The blade receded. “Make it interesting.”

 

Then she puked, her stomach clenching horribly and eyes stinging. She retched for a while, unable to do anything but that - until a thud on the door startled her back to reality, the handle being tugged on.

 

“Please open up!”  Delphi cried from the other side, fear shaking her voice.

 

Bella’s fingers fumbled with the lock, but she got the door open. Her hand reached out to grab the other, to pull her in to where it was at least somewhat safe-

 

Delphi’s head toppled from her shoulders, panic frozen to her face as her body crumpled, neck leaking blood.

 

More laughter rang out as Bella slammed the door again, shaking and sick and sobbing. Her stomach lurched, trying to puke again, but there wasn’t anything left. Just tears she couldn’t control and images she’d forever have seared in her mind.

 

“Toki yi toshu!”

 

The battle cry tugged at her chest. “T’ey aren’ all dead ye’,”  she mumbled to herself, trying to steady her nerves despite the way her whole body quivered.

 

She pushed herself from the door and went to look through the windows to find Mellow. The door wasn't an option.

 

As soon as she saw him fighting a guy off horseback by the apple tree, she grabbed a mug and smashed through the glass. He looked to be losing, and she wasn't going to have that.

 

She shook her bracelet-ring to warm it back up, preparing to shoot a charge of fire.

 

Her ring was ready too late though, as a second attacker rode up on horseback and brought a hammer down on Mellow. He crumpled like the rest, head caved in despite the helmet he wore.

 

The fireball shot at the first attacker, but that only brought their attention to her. Mellow was dead. They had no reason to pay attention to him anymore.

 

And Bella had broken the window to her safety.

 

“Get her.”

 

Bella turned and to take off into the tavern, but her little legs only get her a few steps in before there was a sudden, hot pain in her chest. When she looked down, vision turning hazy, she saw a sword sticking out of her torso - her own blood covering it.

 

As her vision faded to nothingness, ringing in her ears, the only thing she could make out was the laughter of those that did this.

 

And then it repeated.

 

It was never the exact same. Sometimes it was Delphi that was trampled, Peralien that had the war hammer come down on her, Mellow that was decapitated.

 

But it always repeated.