The Rising Tide
299 Words
The victory was short-lived. For every one that fell, three more emerged from the treeline. The crisis was dragging on, the danger rising as the "Hollowed" realized they couldn't touch her directly—so they began to target the vehicle.
They swarmed the SUV, their claws screeching against the roof like a thousand fingernails on a chalkboard. The vehicle began to tilt as they tried to flip it.
"They’re trying to tip us into the ravine," Lukas shouted from the front, his gun barking as he fired into the darkness.
Valerius looked down at Elara. His face was a mask of cold, divine fury. "I am going out there. Do not leave this car. No matter what you hear, no matter how much blood hits the glass, you stay in the center of the seat."
"No!" Elara grabbed his lapel, her "long suffering" heart terrified of being alone again. "You’ll be killed!"
Valerius leaned down, his lips brushing her forehead in a promise that tasted of iron and ancient vows. "I told you, Elara. I am the Alpha of Alphas. I don't die. I conquer."
He kicked the door open. The sound of the wind and the snarling monsters flooded the cabin, a chaotic symphony of "high tension" that made Elara’s blood run cold. She watched through the gaps in the seats as Valerius stepped into the fray, his suit jacket discarded, his white shirt glowing against the darkness.
As he shifted—not into a wolf, but into something larger, a "God-like" beast of silver and shadow—Elara realized the truth. The problem wasn't just the monsters outside. The problem was that she was falling for a man who was just as terrifying as the things trying to kill her.
- Writer
