Hunt In The Darkness
1382 Words
Alina´s POV
Mercy... I don't know how long I've been running. My heart is hammering in my chest and my lungs are burning like they're on fire. This miserable bastard said he wanted to take me home, but he stopped the car in the middle of nowhere and simply declared that he would give me a five-minute head start. Then he started squirming...
I didn't need much explanation. I didn't even wait.
Before I even fully understood what was happening, my body had already reacted. Pure instinct. I ran, I ran as if my life depended on it. And maybe it did.
What does he intend to do to me when he catches me? No... He won't catch me.
The forest closes in around me, the shadows cast by the moon blending between the twisted trunks and the tall vegetation. The damp, uneven ground threatens to knock me down with every step, but somehow I keep going. The scariest thing about it all is the familiarity. I've never run like this before, but my feet know where to step. My eyes, even in the dark, see enough. The smell of wet earth, the sound of leaves rustling in the wind... Everything seems strange and natural at the same time.
Then I think of the feeling that always comes at those moments. That intense heat, that electric current that spreads through my body. My heart is pounding and my hands are shaking. It's not just adrenaline. It's something deeper, something that always comes when I'm on the edge.
A growl behind me.
I pick up the pace, but it's too late.
A crushing weight hits me hard, knocking me to the ground. Pain rips through my arm as sharp teeth dig into my skin and a scream escapes my throat. The wolf - huge, with dark brown fur and fierce eyes - lets go of my flesh and snarls, circling me as if it's amused by my desperation.
My breathing is erratic.
I remember... That boy. That poor boy I chased into the forest.
I didn't want to hurt him. But I couldn't help it. My instinct was screaming at me to run, to chase, to hunt.
Now I'm the prey.
My body trembles, not just from fear, but from something else. Something grows inside me, burning from the inside out. It's suffocating, paralyzing.
-What do you want? - my voice comes out hoarse, almost a whisper.
The brown wolf gives one last growl, watches me for a moment... and then simply runs off into the darkness, disappearing into the trees.
I stand there, panting, my body aching, my mind confused. Why didn't he kill me? Why did he let me go?
My dignity has already been dragged to the ground, but I gather what little I have left and try to get up. My legs tremble and my chest still burns. Breathing is difficult. But I have to get out of here. I need to get back to the road, to find help.
No cell phone. No bag. I have no idea what's going on.
I take a step, then another.
Then a rustle of leaves behind me.
My body tenses up. If it's him again, let him come from the front. I don't want to be attacked from behind.
I slowly turn around.
A new wolf faces me. Different from the first one. This one is as white as snow, with intense eyes and an imposing stance. He doesn't attack. It just watches me.
My chest rises and falls with heavy breathing. It doesn't move. It just sits on its hind legs, as if waiting for something.
-What do you want? - I repeat, my voice choked.
He doesn't answer. But he tilts his head to the side and, for a moment, I swear he nods in the direction of the road.
I swallow.
If he wanted to kill me, he would have done it by now. Right?
I just drive. And he watches me go.
Back to civilization?
The road isn't far. Thank God for that. My body aches, my arm bleeds, but at least I'm out of the forest.
I hear an engine. A car is approaching.
I raise my hand, hoping the driver will stop. When the window opens, my heart freezes.
Marco.
- Get in the car - he orders, looking sideways.
My body reacts in front of my mind. I take a step back.
- Just give me my bag back and leave me alone! You left me there to die! You tried to kill me!
In the blink of an eye, he gets out of the car, grabs me and pushes me into the passenger seat.
- Don't argue. Just get in.
- Take me to a hospital, please... - My vision begins to darken. Everything becomes distant, my world falls apart.
In fact, waking up...
The insistent beeping of the machines is the first thing I hear.
The smell of the hospital hits me.
Slowly, I open my eyes.
I'm in a white room, cold sheets over me. My arm is bandaged, as is my abdomen. The attack... It was real.
- I'm glad you're awake, miss,” says a nurse, entering the room. - We were worried. You were attacked by a wolf. The forests of Georgia are very dangerous.
I can hardly hear you. My thoughts are elsewhere.
Did he bring me here? Did he save me after trying to kill me?
- I'll call your escort,” says the nurse, leaving the room.
My heart sinks. And then Marco walks in.
My hands clutch the sheets. My body, still weak, tries to react. I try to get up, but he holds me by the shoulders.
- You have to rest,” he says, pushing me back against the mattress.
- Get your hands off me! - I shout. - You tried to kill me!
He sighs, out of patience.
- I didn't. I just wanted to scare you. But someone followed us. Someone attacked you.
My eyes narrow.
- How could they not? Why didn't you finish it?
- Did you hit your head? I didn't attack you. When I transformed, I realized there was a group of wolves nearby. I went to check, but it was just a distraction. Someone wanted to catch you alone. In other words... You've been annoying more people out there, dear.
The smile at the corner of his mouth hides something deeper. Could it be worry?
He crosses his arms and looks at me for a moment.
- What did the wolf that attacked you look like? - he asks, his expression serious.
My brow furrows. - It was brown. Big. Strong. He chased me and knocked me down.
Marco's eyes narrow. - Was he the only one?
I hesitate. - No. There was another wolf. A white one. He didn't attack me... On the contrary. He sort of... He guided me to the road.
Marco is silent for a long moment. His gaze analyzes every detail of my face, as if he were processing an important piece of information.
- A white wolf... - he mutters, more to himself than to me.
- What's wrong? Do you know him?
He just shakes his head, looking away.
- I just... I want to go home.
I throw the sheets aside, trying to get up.
- Lie down. That's an order. You're not leaving here until you're fully recovered.
I stare at him. He's unbearable. Authoritarian. Irritating.
But if he weren't so insufferable... Maybe I'd admit that he's absurdly handsome.
The doctor says I'll be discharged in five days.
He leaves the room.
And then the voice I most wanted to hear echoes inside my mind.
“Me.”
- Alid? Are you there?
Silence.
- Are you serious? All you have to say is “me”? I almost died, and you did nothing!
She sighs inside my head.
“If it were possible, you would have turned.”
- Then why didn't it happen?
“Because we're not one yet. You need to trust me.”
- Trust? Are you blackmailing me?!
She disappears.
I take a deep breath.
Yes. We definitely have a problem.
Or rather... More of a problem.
- Writer
