The Vanishing
496 Words
The forest swallowed them whole.
Aria sprinted after Liam, her breath coming in sharp gasps as branches scraped against her arms. The night was thick and oppressive, and the distant scream still echoed in her ears.
Ronan.
She wasn’t sure which terrified her more: the idea that something had happened to him or the creature they had just encountered.
Up ahead, Liam moved like a shadow, his body tense and his speed inhuman. He barely made a sound as he wove through the trees, but Aria could hear the low growl rumbling in his throat.
Something was wrong.
A sharp, metallic scent filled the air, mingling with the smell of blood.
Aria's stomach twisted. “Liam...”
“Stay close,” he ordered, not looking back.
Then they burst into a clearing.
Ronan was on the ground.
Aria’s heart stopped.
He was human again, sprawled in the dirt, his bare chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. His dark brown hair was matted with sweat, and claw marks raked across his left shoulder.
Liam was at his side in an instant. “Ronan!”
Ronan groaned, blinking up at him. “I’m alive, thanks for asking.”
Aria let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.
Liam grabbed Ronan’s arm, checking the wounds. “What happened?”
Ronan grimaced. “The rogue led me into a trap. But it didn’t fight me.”
Liam frowned. “What do you mean?”
Ronan exhaled, pressing a hand to his bleeding shoulder. “It didn’t care about me. It wanted me away from here.”
Liam stiffened. “It was distracting you.”
A heavy silence fell between them.
Aria felt a shiver crawl up her spine. “From what?”
Ronan’s expression darkened. “I don’t know.” He pushed himself up, wincing.
“But when I turned back, it was gone.”
Liam’s gaze flickered to the trees, scanning the darkness.
The rogue had vanished.
No tracks. No scent.
As if it had never been there at all.
They scoured the area for signs, but the rogue had disappeared.
Aria could tell Liam wasn’t taking it well. His frustration simmered beneath the surface, and his movements were sharp as he inspected the ground.
“This isn’t possible,” he muttered. “It was here.”
Aria glanced at Ronan. “What exactly are we dealing with?”
Ronan let out a humorless laugh. “Something worse than a rogue.”
Liam’s expression darkened. “This thing isn’t just a wolf that lost its pack.” He clenched his fists. “It’s becoming something else.”
Aria swallowed hard. “Like… what?”
Liam didn’t answer immediately.
Then, finally, he said, “Something unnatural.”
The wind howled through the trees, cold and sharp against Aria’s skin.
Something about this didn’t feel like a simple missing persons case anymore.
This was bigger.
And she was starting to think Elena’s disappearance was only the beginning.
- Writer
