Page 1 of Lethal King

Prologue

Rozalia

11 years ago…

There he is again.

No. Not ‘he’. That isn’t a man.

It’s a monster.

For a split second, the violent storm raging outside stops dead, frozen still by a vicious streak of lightning.

The jagged flash illuminates a horrifying scene.

Endless black woods. Barbed-wire fences. Makeshift watchtowers. And at the center of it all, a mysterious figure.

My heart pounds.

The threatening silhouette stands on the scraggly lawn below, right at the forest's edge, unmoving—barely visible among the shadows.

Where its face should be, I see nothing but a void. But I can feel its glare.

I’m being watched.

Sweat trickles down my forehead.

The bars on my prison window suddenly don’t feel so thick and unbreakable anymore. Whatever that thing is, it could easily break through the rusted steel—I’ve never been so sure of anything in my entire life.

But who is it?

What is it?

Another one of Egon’s guards?

No. I know all about those monsters. They don’t go outside. Not alone. Not at night. And definitely not without their hellhounds.

But this thing—well, I don’t know what this thing is.

A shiver washes over my skin. A tingle skates up my spine. An unexpected jolt of excitement rises through the horror. Dark fantasies billow through my mind like smoke.

Who knows, maybe this monster will tear Egon’s monsters to shreds. Maybe this monster will save me from my nightmare.

Or maybe it will drag me into a whole new level of hell.

In the blink of an eye, the lightning strike vanishes. The world outside returns to its impenetrable shade of black. Still, I can feel the weight of that dark gaze lingering on me.

I’ve been spotted.

A clap of thunder scatters my thoughts. Its roar is so loud the house shakes. The window rattles. Sharp shards of rain chatter against the glass. The frame creaks against a howling wind.

Yet the rusted bars hold firm.

My chin drops to my chest.

I’m still trapped.

Somewhere in the distance, a tree falls, and the forest groans.