The Only Human

CHAPTER SIX: DOUBTS

“Who are you?” I ask, my voice trembling despite my efforts to keep it steady.

The woman doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, she reaches into her cloak and pulls out a key, holding it up so I can see it glinting in the dim light.

“My name isn’t important,” she says, her voice soft but firm. “What matters is that I’m here to help you.”

Help me? My mind reels, trying to make sense of this sudden twist. Could she be telling the truth? Or is this just another cruel trick, another way to break me even further?

But as she slides the key into the lock and turns it, the door creaks open with a low groan. I realize I don’t have the luxury of doubting her. If this is my chance to escape, I have to take it.

The woman steps back, allowing me to step out of the cell. My legs feel weak, and shaky as I take that first step, but I force myself to move, to keep going. I can’t stay here. I have to get out.

“Who sent you?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Let’s just say I have a vested interest in seeing you free,” she replies, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Now, come on. We don’t have much time.”

She turns, motioning for me to follow her. I hesitate for just a moment, casting one last glance back at the cell that has been my prison for… who knows how long. And then, without another word, I follow her into the darkness.

The corridors are a maze of twists and turns, the walls pressing in on me as we move deeper into the underground complex. My heart pounds in my chest, a wild drumbeat that drowns out everything else. I can barely keep up with the woman as she moves swiftly, her steps light and sure.

Every shadow, every flicker of movement sets my nerves on edge. I keep expecting to hear the sound of footsteps behind us, to feel the weight of a hand on my shoulder, dragging me back to the cell. But there’s nothing. Just the silence and the darkness, and the woman leading me through it all.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, we reach a door at the end of a narrow hallway. The woman pauses, glancing back at me with a serious expression.

“Once we go through this door, there’s no turning back,” she says. “Are you ready?”

Ready? I don’t know if I’m ready for anything anymore.

My world has been shattered, my heart broken beyond repair. But I nod, because there’s no other choice. I have to keep moving forward, even if I don’t know where this path will lead me.

The woman pushes the door open, and a gust of cool, fresh air hits me like a shock to the system. I gasp, stumbling forward as I take in the sight before me. The forest, dark and wild, stretches out as far as the eye can see.

“We’re outside?” I breathe, barely able to believe it.

“Yes,” the woman replies, stepping aside to let me pass. “You’re free now, Oma. But you need to keep moving. They’ll be looking for you soon.”

My mind spins as I step out into the open, the cool night air wrapping around me like a comforting embrace. I can barely believe it. I’m f*****g free. After everything, after all the pain and the betrayal, I’m finally free.

But the woman’s words bring me back to reality. They’ll be looking for me. Lucas will be looking for me.

And if they find me…

A shudder runs through me at the thought, and I glance back at the woman, my heart racing.

“What do I do now? Where do I go?” I ask.

The woman reaches into her cloak again, pulling out a small pouch. She hands it to me, her expression serious.

“There’s a safe house deep in the woods, past the river. Head north, and you’ll find it. What’s inside the pouch is enough to get you there. After that, you’ll need to lay low until the time is right.”

I take the pouch, my hands shaking as I clutch it to my chest. “But what about you? Who are you? Why are you helping me?”

The woman smiles, a sad, knowing smile that sends a chill down my spine.

“Let’s just say I’ve been where you are. Betrayed, broken… but not beaten. And I won’t let them do to you what they did to me.”

Before I can ask her anything more, she steps back, disappearing into the shadows as quickly as she appeared. I’m left standing there, alone in the forest, with nothing but the pouch in my hand and a faint glimmer of hope in my heart.

I take a deep breath, my mind racing as I try to process everything that’s happened.

I’m free, but what now? Where do I go from here? And can I really trust this woman, whoever she is?

But I don’t have time to dwell on those questions. I need to move, to get as far away from here as possible. I glance back at the door one last time, a shiver running down my spine as I think of Lucas, and what he’ll do when he finds out I’m gone.

And then, without another thought, I turn and run, plunging into the forest as fast as my legs will carry me. The trees close in around me, their branches reaching out like skeletal hands, but I don’t stop.

I can’t stop. I have to keep going, to keep running, until I’m far away from the nightmare I’ve just escaped.

But as I run, something else gnaws at the edge of my consciousness, something I’ve been trying to ignore, to push away. A sickness in my stomach, a dizziness that makes the world spin around me.

I slow down, stumbling to a halt as the realization hits me like a punch to the gut.

I’m not just running from the pack. I’m not just running from Lucas. I’m running from something else. Something I can’t escape, no matter how far I go.

My hand drifts to my stomach, trembling as I feel the truth sinking in. A truth that I can’t deny any longer.

I’m pregnant. Pregnant with Lucas’s child. The child of the man who betrayed me.

My knees buckle, and I collapse to the ground, the weight of it all crashing down on me like an oppressive wave. The darkness closes in, the cold night air seeping into my bones, but I can’t move.

I can’t think. All I can do is sit there, the realization echoing in my mind, over and over again.

“Can this be happening?” i mutter, tears rolling down my cheeks.

The forest is so silent around me, the trees standing like giants, watching over my misery.

As the tears start to fall, I know there’s no escaping this time. No running from the truth.

In a matter of minutes, I begin to hear footsteps approaching the hurt. My heart skipped, alm

ost tripping off my chest.

I quickly shut the door quietly, awaiting whatever it is.