Chapter 108 - Scarlet

Unfamiliar voices filtered through the black that held me captive. I cringed inwardly. Bad things happened in the black. Monsters wearing the faces of friends hovered over you and hurt you. Hurt your body.

I pushed through the obsidian. I had to wake up. Had to protect myself. At least if I was conscious, I could float away. Keep my mind safe. Having the choice to leave was always better than waking up in the dark.

"Scarlet, honey, can you hear me?" a soft feminine voice asked. Something about it made me think of sunshine and meadows. I felt warm and safe listening to that voice.

"I don't know if she's awake, Asher," Sunshine said.

A masculine rumble came from farther away.

"No. You stay over there."

The deep rumble got a little louder.

"I don't fucking care what you want. You stay over there until she's awake and can make the decision for herself. Saint, you watch him," Sunshine said.

Asher? The bear man was here? The newcomers hadn't killed him? Something insid