WARNING: This story is even creepier than part 2. And it will get worse. That's a promise.
Ali shook Prim somewhat roughly, and I placed a hand on the blue-haired archer’s shoulder to calm her as the younger girl stirred and opened her green eyes.
“What did she do to you!” demanded Ali, squashing Prim to her chest. Prim gasped and scrabbled at Ali’s shoulders, wincing in pain. Ali held her at arm’s length and shifted aside the bottom of her pink t-shirt. Black and purple bruising was blossoming across Prim’s ribcage, each bruise perfectly the shape of a boot print. Ali snarled as Prim bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes.
“What did that – that – that evil creature do to you?!” snarled Ali, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper. In the half light, her hair looked midnight-black, and her eyes a vivid indigo. Prim shook her head violently, eyes wide at even the memories of what Fluffy had done. I punched the wall in blind fury, succeeding only in making a lovely cracking sound from my knuckles.
It must have been late, but the semidarkness was disorientating. All we knew was that we were tired, and so we curled together in a heap and dozed off.
I woke up at the bottom of a glass tower, within its walls. Up the back wall was a set of hand-holds, and the floor seemed soft. Looking around, I saw Cass, Sami, Ali and Nat in similar towers, but no Prim. Then I spotted her – dangling in mid-air by a harness, swinging dangerously over a pit of lava.
Fluffy was perched on the edge of a platform just behind Prim, next to a large timer. She pointed to a knife, aimed at Prim’s suspending rope.
“In one hour, that knife will cut the rope. If the rope is cut, Prim will fall and burn to a tiny little crisp,” smirked Fluffy, looking smugly over at the dangling Prim, who glared and spat in Fluffy’s general direction.
“All you have to do to save her is climb to the top of your tower and hold down the pressure plates – all of them at once. As I said, you have one hour. Start climbing,” She leaned over and flicked a switch. The timer started its’ deadly countdown.