Free Lucid by L. E. Fred Page B

luxurious, but this new entrance made it look like a junkyard. Instead of bushes there were sculpted hedges that looked like creatures I couldn’t name. The fountains could have easily been Olympic swimming pools with jets of different colored water spewing from the mouths of strange statues. Though the jets shot pink, blue, and purple, they landed into crystal clear water. The entrance was also paved instead of being dirt. The bricks glittered like gold .
    â€œYou’d think we were seeing another place completely , ” Mitch muttered, his eyes fixed on the fountain. “That looks so inviting…” He looked around to make sure no one was coming. He was halfway to the fountain w hen I shouted for him to hide. Thankfully, Mitch got the message and hurried back to his spot. Something was coming up the paved entrance. By the sound of the footsteps, it seemed like a lot of people .
    â€œLeona?” I wondered. Who else would come in through this way? All of the souls had entered through what seemed to be the back door. I looked for any signs of a woman with thick, brown hair, but instead I got another image .
    Actually, I got a lot of other images.
    At first I thought an army was marching toward the fortress. They were all marching in step and appeared to be carrying large knives high above their heads. It wasn’t until they got up close did I realize those were horns, but they were sharp enough to be used as knives. In fact, some were tipped with what was unmistakably blood .
    Their bodies were humanoid, but you could tell they weren’t people in costumes. Their eyes were a little too wide, their pupils a little too small, and their skin was a grayish blue and looked scaly. They were also about a foot taller than average sized humans. They all had either red or gold eyes and razor-like teeth. I could tell because the one close to Mitch’s and my hiding spot yawned as he passed. He looked like a great white shark with legs .
    These creatures also dressed barbarically, like clothes were a mere annoyance. They had some sort of animal skin wrapped around their chests and legs like scaly and furry togas. A few sported gloves that had talon-like claws on the fingertips. Don’t ask me what kind of animals they killed to get the clothes; I really didn’t want to know .
    â€œWhoa…” Mitch looked up at the creatures in awe and terror. I assumed he hadn’t seen those creatures before coming here. “There’s no way we could fight them.”
    â€œThat’s because you’re b oth too weak to survive here,” s aid a cold voice behind us .
    Mitch and I whipped around and saw Serpentine giving us a vicious, thin - lipped smile. I immediately froze with fear. Mitch had barely escaped this woman last night, and that was with a head start. Mitch was also much stronger and bigger than I was. If Serpentine chose to strike me first, I was dead .
    â€œI guess you didn’t hear my boss last night . ” Serpentine’s cold eyes flickered to Mitch. She chuckled as she saw his hands shake. He had dropped his oar. I turned around to see if the other creatures were still marching behind the hedge. It appeared the last of them were entering the fortress .
    â€œSaw them, did you?” Serpentine had noticed where I looked. “They’re called Nightmares, and they live in this world. There are many dangerous things here; your kind is only good for menial tasks… and entertainment.” She licked her lips as if relishing the Nightmare’s idea of entertainment.
    â€œThey’re slaves!” It dawned on me. “You’re using the people as slaves here. This is a resort for those Nightmare things! You’re putting some of those people in games to die… for entertainment!” Mitch looked at me questioningly. I forgot he hadn’t been online to read Tiff’s information.
    â€œVery good, boy . ” I f Serpentine was surprised, she