Whispers, voices. A haunting melody wrapped around him, suffocating him!


A figure approached- a pale, dark- haired woman, with her fingers extending unnaturally and her mouth stretched open to reveal razor- sharp teeth lunging at him with fury! She was not a human!


Andrew screamed in terror, snapping his eyes open! In a haze of horror, he felt hands gripping his shoulders and arms, which he frantically tried to pull away from!


<< Whoa, whoa. Calm down, kid.. You are safe..>> he heard a steady voice say, gradually soothing his frantic spirit as his vision cleared. A middle- aged man stood before him. Andrew rubbed his eyes and his body and mind slowly returned to normal. Behind him, two others- a second older man and a younger one- took their hands off him and moved back to their places. They watched him silently and resumed eating pieces of meat roasted over the fire in the center of their circle. The tan skinned man handed him a flask. << Drink! You need it.>> he urged.


Andrew grabbed it and drank deeply as he was expecting water. But a bitter liquid hit his taste buds, making him choke and he spit it into the dirt.


<< What is this?!Why did you gave me this?!>> he shouted in disgust, flinging the flask back at the first man << Who are you?>>


<< What’s your name ? >> the tan skinned man asked.


<< Andrew..>>


<<Andrew.. I’m Milo..>> he said and pointed to the second man << This here is Frankie.. and this is Ches..>> he introduced the younger man. The three bore a resemblance- dark haired, sun kissed skin, long hair. The only difference was in their eyes: Milo’s were piercing green, Frankie’s were hazel green, and Ches’s a light blue.


<< Welcome to our circle, Andrew.. >> Frankie said and a weird smile appeared at the edge of his lips.


<< Andrew, we’re glad to have found you alive..>> Milo said.


Andrew noticed he was covered with a thick, leather blanket, bare from the waist up. His clothes hung nearby the fire, draped over a tree trunk, while his rifle glinted, propped against the wood. The others had their rifles within reach.


<< Can I have water please..? >> Andrew asked nicely.


<< What do you need water for? You fell into an entire lake. Isn’t what filled your lungs enough for you ? >> Frankie said in an annoyingly mocking tone.


Andrew’s gaze remained fixed on Frankie, filled with both curiosity and anger at the attack from the unknown man sitting before him.

<< Frankie just… messing with you.. >> Milo explained..<< Unfortunately, we have no more drinking water. We’ll go at some point tomorrow to find some if you are still thirsty..  Although you won’t be…>>


<< I fell.. into a lake..?>>


<< Yes.. and you died! For a second… but it doesn’t matter because you are here now, right? >> Ches said with a friendly tone in his voice.


Andrew ran his fingers through his long hair, pressing his hand to his forehead. This had to be a dream. The strangeness of it all, the eerie tension in the air- it couldn’t be real. He blinked over and over, as if he could somehow blink the scene away, hoping desperately to wake up in his own bed. But reality sank in with each shiver of the cold night air, each glance from the three men who watched him with unsettling, mocking smiles. Alone, under that vast, wild sky, he was left with them!


<< What was that you gave me to drink ? >>


<< No need to be worried.. I gave you the antidote for the black magic that had taken hold of you..>>


<< Black.. magic? What are you talking about?>>


<< You saw her, didn’t you ? >>


Andrew went silent with his memory being hazy. Yet the nightmare resurfaced with the horrid figure of that creature lunging at him.


<< I saw her.. In my dreams..>> Andrew admitted.


<< You saw her when you were awake too..>> Milo explained. << We gave you some antidote when we pulled you from the lake to help you remember…You kept slipping in and out of consciousness. The magic drained you…>> Milo concluded, chewing with his mouth open. Then he offered an aluminum plate to Andrew full with cooked meat. << Eat..>>


<< I don’t want to eat. I want to know what happened. >> he said with fear cracking his voice. He was feeling disconnected from his own reality! << Please, tell me! Tell me what happened! >>


<< Enough! >> Milo shouted << You are alive. ! You are here with us! That’s the important! Don’t be afraid! And eat! You need strength! Eat.. and while you do, I’ tell you..>>


Andrew stared intently at each of the men in front of him with skepticism clouding his gaze. Despite being saved, his trust wasn’t won. He was still alone in that vast forest, facing the unknown. His mind raced with questions, but his lips stayed sealed. For the moment, he chose to go along with them, unsure but unwilling to make waves. He hesitantly took the plate from Milo, bringing the first piece of meat to his lips. He placed it in his mouth and began to eat, realizing that the three men were watching his every move with intense interest…


<< Now… I will tell you how a seemingly strong hunter like yourself became prey to a demonic creature- a legend that, it turns out, is all too real. Around here, we call her Lamia..>>