Elena's POV
Everything around me was white.
The snow stretched endlessly beneath my feet while the cold wind moved softly across the empty land. My fingers felt numb even beneath the thick blanket wrapped around my body.
Hazel sat beside me quietly underneath the blanket.
I moved slightly closer to her for warmth before glancing at her face.
Then my chest tightened as I looked at her eyes.
They were no longer the beautiful green eyes I knew.
They were now grey and lifeless, like something inside her had disappeared completely.
"Hazel…" I whispered softly.
She slowly turned toward me.
Before she could answer, a loud rumble echoed somewhere above us.
The ground beneath the snow trembled faintly.
I looked up immediately.
Far away in the distance, a massive snowstorm rolled violently across the white land toward us. The wind howled loudly around it while thick snow twisted endlessly through the air.
My breathing caught instantly.
"We have to go," I said quickly.
Hazel remained still.
The storm kept moving closer.
"Hazel," I begged softly, grabbing her hand tighter. "If we stay here any longer, we'll freeze to death."
For a long moment, she simply stared at me with those lifeless grey eyes.
Then slowly, she nodded and I felt relieved.
We stood up together and began walking away from the storm. The cold wind pushed harshly against our bodies while snow crunched beneath our feet.
As we passed through the white land, I noticed other people sitting quietly in the snow.
Some knitted blankets calmly.
Others simply sat there without moving.
None of them looked toward the approaching storm.
It was like they couldn't even see it.
A strange feeling crept slowly into my chest.
Why weren't they running?
Hazel's hand remained cold inside mine as we continued walking.
Then suddenly…
"Elena."
The voice made me stop instantly.
I turned around sharply and then I saw him— Greybeard.
He stood several steps behind us and leaned heavily against a long wooden stick while a thick grey beard cascaded down the front of his body. His eyes looked ancient and terrifying.
The wind moved around him strangely.
"You're walking the wrong way," he said quietly.
I blinked fast and shook my head.
"What?"
The old man slowly lifted his head toward me.
"Seven gates stand within the Limbo," he said gravely. "I have not passed them."
I wanted to ask him a question but he beat me to talking.
"When you walk through one, I will follow. For you are master, and I am bound to you", he continued.
The storm rumbled louder behind him.
"If you pass the seventh stop and reach the final gate in time… then you must break Ophelia's heart."
My chest tightened.
"Or," he continued softly, "you will remain trapped here forever."
Fear crawled slowly through my body.
I looked at Hazel quickly before turning back toward the old man.
"I don't understand."
But he was gone.
My breath caught instantly.
There was nothing there anymore except endless snow.
Then suddenly, Hazel spoke softly beside me.
"The stars are beautiful."
I looked up.
Far away in the distance, two glowing lights illuminated the dark sky.
One glowed amber. The other glowed green.
The colors shimmered beautifully against the falling snow.
Something inside me tightened immediately.
Somehow, I felt that whoever Ophelia was, she would be in the direction of the stars.
I tightened my grip around Hazel's hand gently.
"Are you ready?" I asked quietly.
Hazel didn't answer immediately.
She stared silently at the distant lights for a very long time.
The wind moved through her pale hair softly.
"Hazel?"
I turned toward her fully.
All of a sudden, something tightened violently around my throat. My breath stopped instantly. My hand flew upward as panic exploded through my chest.
*
My eyes snapped open and I saw a pair of pale grey eyes staring directly into mine.
A scream died inside my throat.
An old woman crouched on top of me inside the hospital bed, both hands wrapped tightly around my neck.
Her wrinkled face hung inches from mine while her grey eyes looked empty and horrifying.
I kicked violently beneath the blanket.
My lungs burned painfully.
I tried to scream but no sound came out.
The woman tightened her grip harder.
Dark spots blurred across my vision.
Then suddenly—
BANG!
The ward door burst open violently and a gunshot exploded through the room.
The old woman's body jerked sharply before collapsing directly onto me.
Air rushed painfully back into my lungs.
I screamed.
The weight on top of me disappeared immediately as Lucien Grey rushed toward the bed and threw the body violently onto the floor.
I curled against the bed trembling uncontrollably while tears streamed down my face.
Lucien quickly moved toward the fallen body with his gun raised carefully. Then he suddenly froze.
My shaking eyes followed his movements.
Slowly, Lucien bent down and shoved the body over. An old wrinkled face stared upward. The woman looked ancient.
Her mouth hung slightly open while blood spread slowly beneath her body.
Lucien immediately pulled out his phone and began taking pictures rapidly.
His fingers moved quickly across the screen before he lifted the phone toward his ear.
Behind him, a medical assistant rushed inside the ward. She came to my bedside.
"It's okay," she said quickly while trying to calm me down. "You're safe now."
But my body wouldn't stop shaking as I stared at the old lady.
Immediately, the old woman's eyes snapped open.
Lucien's phone slipped from his hand.
The woman lunged upward violently.
BANG!
Lucien fired instantly, but she was too quick for someone who looked that old.
The old woman rushed toward the open window with unnatural speed just as another gunshot exploded through the ward.
I screamed again as her body disappeared through the window.
Silence crashed heavily into the room afterward.
The curtains fluttered wildly beside the open window.
Lucien stood frozen with the gun still raised.
My vision began to blur and the last thing I saw was the empty window before darkness swallowed everything completely.