"No, please… I beg you!" I knelt on the ground, bowing over and over, pleading desperately.
"Begging now? It’s too late!" Freddie sneered, gripping my chin tightly as he shined a powerful flashlight directly into my eyes.
The blinding light burned my vision, forcing my eyes shut as tears streamed down my face.
"I want to see your young leader! Let me see Albie!" I sobbed, clinging to my last hope.
"You really don’t give up, do you?" he scoffed. "Fine, our young leader will be back tomorrow. By then, you’ll get your wish. But the real question is… will you even survive the Three Trials until then?"
Before I could react, rough hands grabbed me and in the next second, I was thrown straight into the itch water pool.
I never expected them to start the Three Trials so quickly.
The water in the pool was a murky green. Within just three seconds of being submerged, an unbearable itch spread across my skin.
At first, it was just my hands. I scratched lightly and the skin immediately turned red.
Then, my arms started itching. When I rolled up my sleeves, I saw a patch of angry red rashes spreading across my skin.
Before long, the rash had taken over my entire body, especially my face. The itching was so intense that I could barely keep my eyes open. My face swelled up like a bloated pig’s, unbearably itchy and painful.
"Hahaha! Look at her! Doesn’t she look just like a mother monkey?"
Loud laughter erupted around me.
Desperate for relief, I writhed against the ground, trying to ease the itching. My nails tore into my skin, leaving deep scratches and streaks of blood across my face.
But none of that mattered anymore. My body was unbearably itchy.
After three hours of relentless scratching, the red rashes finally began to fade, but I was completely unrecognizable. Clumps of my hair had been torn out, leaving a bald patch on my scalp.
Now, a burning pain covered my entire body. I dropped to my knees, desperately bowing to the men surrounding me.
"I was wrong! If you want money, I’ll give you anything! Please, just stop torturing me! I’ll do whatever you say!"
I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much worse the next two trials would be.
At first, I had hoped to hold on until Albie returned. That was my only chance of survival. But now, I wasn’t sure I could last that long.
"Haha, let me tell you something about our tribe’s rules. Once the Three Trials begin, they can’t be stopped under any circumstances. It’s been our tradition for a hundred years. You should’ve behaved from the start. You brought this on yourself!"
A man spat in my face before ordering two others to throw me into a pile of cacti.
"Ah!"
My agonized screams echoed through the valley.
Countless tiny thorns pierced my skin, each one like a needle stabbing into me. The searing, relentless pain spread across every inch of my body, making me feel as if I were about to lose consciousness.
I staggered out of the cactus patch, but with every step, sharp spines embedded deeper into the soles of my feet. Cold sweat dripped down my back from the unbearable pain.
Collapsing onto the ground, I started pulling the thorns out one by one. My hands trembled as blood and tears mixed, dripping onto the dirt below.
The pain was constant and sharp enough to torment but never enough to kill. It was a slow, calculated form of psychological torture.
The Hastings Tribe men stood around me, watching like spectators at a cruel show. Some burst into laughter, while others mocked me with jeers and insults.
Just then, Freddie’s phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID and his expression immediately tensed.
“Sir, you’re back? You’re already at the entrance? I’ll come meet you right away.”
Was it really Albie?
Relief surged through me. I was finally saved.
I lifted my head, a glimmer of hope flashing in my eyes.
But the next second, Freddie’s foot smashed into my face.
