Eight
1166 Words
Lila
The next time I woke up, it was dark. The songs of the crickets were louder than I expected. I could hear the light bulb outside buzzing frantically.
I sat up on the bed with much ease and the realization that the pain had faded away left me delighted. The old lady had been right. She had applied the ointment to me after the Alpha had left. And that also put me to sleep faster than I expected.
But this wasn’t the time to reflect on that. I had to leave. That was the only way that I could survive. Staying with a werewolf was one thing, but a Lycan?
They were more ferocious and lethal than an average werewolf. I could remember Aunt Greta talking about a Lycan in one of my bedtime stories. The way she depicted them made me scared of them. And if they found out that I was a witch, they were going to kill me instantly.
I rose from the bed and headed towards the door. Through the darkness, I managed to walk through the room without falling over anything. My escape had to be silent if I wanted to get out of here safely. But firstly, I had to find Emma.
I was relieved when I touched the door knob. I pulled it but it didn’t budge. Of course, they had locked me inside. I cast a spell silently and the door clicked. I pulled at it once more and it opened slowly.
I stepped out of the room with a smile on my face and was met by a long hallway lit with yellow lights. The bulbs had flies dancing around them like a campfire. I shut the door behind me silently before walking through the hallway.
How was I going to find Emma? There were too many doors in the hallway. I started with the door after mine. There was nobody there. And that was the same for all the doors after it. I turned back to my left and began with the doors there.
The first door I tried was locked. That was when I knew. I cast another spell and the door clicked again. I opened it slowly and there I found Emma seated on the edge of her bed in scrubs. She was eating an apple, oblivious to my presence.
“Emma,” I said, rushing towards her.
She turned to me, her face filled with shock. I hugged her tightly and she let out a groan.
“Sorry,” I said, letting go of her.
“I think you broke something,” she said as she winced in pain.
I laughed silently, glad that the tragedy we had witnessed didn’t hurt her exuberant nature.
“What are you doing?” I asked, staring at the apple in her hand.
She shrugged and continued eating the apple. I looked at her in disbelief before slapping the apple from her hand. She looked at me completely appalled.
“What?”
“Don’t you know where we are?” I asked.
She shook her head innocently in reply.
“We are in a pack. And I’m guessing that they are Lycans,” I replied.
Emma gasped in horror.
“Lycans?”
I nodded.
“We need to get out of here Emma, and fast,” I suggested.
Emma’s eyes widened, her mouth frozen mid-gasp.
“Lycans?” she whispered again, the word heavy with dread. I nodded, my heart racing as reality sank in. We were in a den of predators, and every second we stayed risked exposure as witches. I grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward the door.
“We need to be careful, so follow my lead,” I instructed.
She nodded, her usual bravado replaced by a flicker of fear. We slipped out of her room, the yellow-lit hallway stretching before us like a gauntlet.
The buzzing bulbs and dancing flies felt like a warning, the buzzing sound masking our soft footsteps. I moved first, keeping low, my bare feet cold against the wooden floor.
Emma followed, her scrubs rustling faintly. The hallway was a maze of closed doors, but I didn’t dare open another. Every creak of the floorboards made my stomach lurch, expecting a Lycan to pounce.
We reached the end of the hall, where a heavy door led outside. I whispered a spell, my voice trembling, and the lock clicked open with a soft snap. The night air hit us, cool and sharp, thick with the scent of pine and damp earth.
Crickets chirped loudly, their song a chaotic cover for our escape. We darted into the darkness, the pack’s compound looming behind us—low wooden buildings bathed in moonlight, their shadows sharp and menacing. We had no plan, no destination, just the desperate need to flee.
We ran through the trees, branches snagging at my scrubs, Emma’s breath dragged beside me. She was scared and so was I.
The forest was a blur of black and silver, our feet crunching on pine needles. My magic felt drained, barely a spark left after unlocking the doors, but adrenaline pushed me forward.
Emma stumbled, cursing under her breath, but I yanked her along.
“Keep moving,” I hissed, my eyes scanning the shadows for glowing eyes or claws.
A figure loomed ahead, stepping from the trees, blocking our path. I froze, my heart slamming against my ribs. It was a man, tall and broad, his silhouette sharp against the moonlight. His eyes glinted, predatory, and my blood ran cold.
Emma gasped, gripping my arm.
“You can’t leave,” he said, his voice low, steady. “Alpha’s orders. I’m to watch you till he’s back.”
Emma’s hand tightened on mine, her fear palpable.
“A Lycan,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
Before I could stop her, she thrust her hand forward, muttering a spell. A log rose from the ground, heavy and jagged, and flew at the man.
It slammed onto his skull with a dull thud, sending him sprawling, unconscious, into the underbrush.
“Emma!” I snapped, whirling on her. “That was stupid! What if he’s not alone? You’re going to get us killed!”
She flinched, her blue eyes defiant but shaken.
“I’m so sorry, Lila,” she said. “I don’t know what happened, I just completely freaked out.”
I sighed understanding her situation. Before I could comfort her, a low rumble cut me off—a car engine, growing louder.
The headlights sliced through the darkness, bathing our faces in blinding white. My legs locked, fear rooting me to the spot.
Emma’s hand trembled in mine as we stood, exposed, like deer in a hunter’s sights.
The engine died, and a door slammed. A figure stepped from the car, tall and commanding, his green eyes piercing through the night.
My breath caught, that strange pull in my chest flaring again, undeniable and terrifying.
It was him. The Alpha.
- Writer
