"If Herb D was already this dangerous..." Natasha whispered, her eyes darting around the dimly lit chamber.
"...what kind of nightmare is Herb E going to be?"
The three of us stepped cautiously into the trap room, every footfall echoing through the eerie silence.
"Assuming we even make it out of here alive," I muttered.
Natasha shot me a horrified look.
"What do you mean? You're seriously starting to scare me."
I let out a dry laugh.
"You shouldn't be worrying about Herb E. Trust me, your biggest concern right now should be making it out of this cursed place alive."
"This should be easy...
right?" Natasha forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "We've overcome impossible things before.
We're good at surviving."
"Surviving?" I said. "Yes. Stealing from bloodthirsty cannibals? Not exactly our area of expertise."
My stomach twisted.
"This is really starting to freak me out."
"It's not too late to turn back," Natasha murmured.
"Oh, for goodness' sake." Zoah sighed in frustration.
"Do you honestly think I'm enjoying this? I'm tired of listening to both of you complain. Focus on why we're here."
"We don't want to die here," I replied.
"And you will if you waste all your time panicking instead of looking for Herb D." His voice sharpened. "We've survived worse than this. Or have the Herb C champions forgotten already?"
"This isn't the same," I argued. "This is our first time stealing. Herb C was different."
"I know it's different," Zoah admitted. "But Herb C was different too. Everyone thought we wouldn't survive that mission either. Yet we did."
"You don't get it."
I lowered my voice.
"These people are cannibals... and we're breaking into their territory to steal from them. That's far more dangerous than earning Herb C. We deserved Herb C. This..." I swallowed hard. "...this is asking for death."
Zoah stared at me for a long moment before nodding.
"Fine. I understand. But standing here doubting ourselves won't change anything. Keep searching."
I hesitated.
"And when we find it?"
"We leave exactly the way we came in."
Silently.
Quickly.
Without anyone knowing we were ever here.
I couldn't help it.
A laugh escaped me.
Not because anything was funny...
...but because it all sounded horribly familiar.
"I've seen this scene before."
Zoah frowned.
"What scene?"
"The one where the heroes sneak into the villain's lair to steal something."
"Oh no..." Natasha breathed.
"Everything goes perfectly," I continued. "They find what they're looking for... they quietly head for the exit..."
"Don't say it," Natasha whispered, her face draining of color.
"...and just when they're about to escape..."
I smiled grimly.
"...the villains appear out of nowhere."
Silence.
"You know exactly what happens next."
Natasha's breathing became uneven.
"You're freaking me out."
"I know you're both scared," Zoah said quietly.
"You're right," Natasha admitted.
"I understand why."
Finally...
Something sensible.
"I'm glad you do," Natasha whispered.
Could she stop interrupting him for two seconds?
I was terrified too.
Every nerve in my body was screaming at me to run.
But someone had to stay composed.
"We're scared," Zoah continued, "but courage isn't the absence of fear."
He looked at both of us.
"It's choosing to move forward despite it."
Natasha slowly nodded.
"O-Okay."
"We'll find the herb."
"We'll take it."
"And we'll leave this place alive."
His words hit me harder than he probably intended.
He'd said something almost identical during the Herb C mission.
No one is going to die.
And somehow...
He'd been right.
He had saved all of us.
Maybe...
Maybe he could do it again.
After all...
He was a god.
Saving people was what gods did...
...wasn't it?
I clung desperately to that thought.
"Or maybe not."
Natasha's tiny voice shattered it.
I glared at her.
"You're really not helping."
"Sorry."
She lowered her head.
"We have to trust Zoah," I said, trying to convince myself as much as her.
"O-Okay."
"Nothing is going to happen."
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.
Natasha hugged herself.
"I hope you're right," she whispered.
"I really... really hope you're right."
A chill crawled down my spine.
God...
I know it's been a long time since I stepped into a church.
I know I haven't exactly been a good person.
I've lied... sinned... helped a kidnapper... and now I'm stealing from cannibals.
But I'm still Your daughter.
Please...
Have mercy on me.
Forgive my sins.
Please let us leave this place alive.
Amen.
I quietly made the sign of the cross before returning to the search.
Every passing second felt heavier than the last.
The owners could return from their ritual bath at any moment.
We had to find Herb D...
Before this place found us first.
"I think I've found what we're looking for," Zoah said after what felt like hours of searching.
We had turned the entire room upside down, uncovering every object that stood in our way.
For the first time since this mission began, I allowed myself to breathe.
A wave of relief washed over me.
I turned to look at the legendary Herb D, the very thing we had risked our lives to steal.
I'd already given it a nickname.
The Herb of Death.
Not because it looked frightening...
But because it had the power to get every one of us killed.
It was... beautiful.
A delicate pink flower, almost identical to a rose.
Soft petals curled gracefully around its center, giving it an innocent, almost fragile appearance.
It looked harmless.
Too harmless.
Yet that single flower could become the reason we never left this place alive.
"Wow..." Natasha breathed as she hurried toward Zoah.
"So this is what we've been risking our lives for."
"At least we didn't come all this way for nothing," I said, smiling for the first time since we entered the temple.
Who could blame me?
The stakes had been unbearably high.
Every step had been filled with fear.
Every breath had felt borrowed.
But now...
We had found Herb D.
All that was left was to leave before the owners returned.
"What a cute little flower," Natasha said, leaning closer.
"To think this tiny thing made us doubt ourselves and nearly lose our minds."
"That's exactly why you shouldn't let its beauty fool you," I warned. "Even the most beautiful roses have thorns."
Natasha stuck out her tongue.
"You're just jealous because..."
Her words died in her throat.
The teasing vanished from her face, replaced by pure, unfiltered terror.
My heart lurched.
"What happened?"
I had warned her.
I told her not to trust its innocent appearance.
But...
Even I hadn't expected this.
"It's a carnivorous plant!" Zoah shouted.
He was right.
The evidence was impossible to ignore.
The flower had opened like the jaws of a monster.
Its petals had transformed into rows of fleshy, razor-like folds, clamping tightly around Natasha's hand.
Slowly...
Relentlessly...
It was swallowing her whole.
"Get it off me!" Natasha screamed, struggling desperately.
Her cries echoed through the chamber.
"You need to calm down!" I shouted, my own voice trembling.
"Easy for you to say!" she cried. "You're not the one being eaten alive!"
I opened my mouth to answer.
Then froze.
A sound.
Faint...
But unmistakable.
It wasn't coming from the room.
It was coming from above.
From the temple.
Creak...
A heavy door groaned open.
Silence swallowed us.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Then, almost at the same time...
We all realized the horrifying truth.
The owners...
Were back.