MARKED BY THE HUNTER

The first thing I remember is the rain. Not the soft kind that sings against rooftops and lulls you to sleep.. but the violent, unforgiving kind that claws at the earth like it wants to drag something down with it. That night, it dragged me. The sky split open with thunder as I ran barefoot across the muddy path, my lungs burning, my heartbeat erratic and too loud, far too loud. Every breath felt like a sharp broken glass that pierced in my heart. “Stop running, Alexa!” The voice behind me echoed through the trees. I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Because I knew... deep in my bones, deeper than fear, deeper than instinct, that if they caught me, I wouldn’t survive. Branches tore at my arms. My dress, once white, was now streaked with dirt and blood. I didn’t even remember when I started bleeding. My body felt distant, like it didn’t belong to me anymore. Another flash of lightning revealed from the shadows and moving unnaturally fast behind me. They are not human. “YOU CAN’T ESCAPE FROM US!” I tripped. My body hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air out of me. Pain exploded through my ribs. For a moment, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breathe. And that was enough. They were on me in seconds. Their hands were too strong, to grab my arms and yanked me upright. I struggled, kicked, clawed, but it was useless. My strength meant nothing against them. “You should’ve stayed ignorant,” one of them whispered near my ear. I froze. That voice….? I knew it. Slowly, I turned my head, and called his name. “...Father?” But the man staring at me wasn’t the one who raised me. His eyes, once warm were now glowing faintly, something unnatural flickering beneath the surface. His grip tightened. “You were never meant to live this long,” he said coldly. My heart shattered. “I don’t understand,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “What did I do?” “It’s not what you did,” another voice said. A woman stepped forward from the shadows. Her presence made the air itself feel heavier. “It’s what you are," she said. Lightning struck again. And for a brief second, I saw them clearly. They are not the villagers, not my family. They are the hunters. “Your blood…” she continued softly, almost reverently. “It’s wrong. Mixed. and corrupted.” "What are you talking about?" I asked with my trembling voices. “I’m just human!” I cried. But even as I said it, something inside me twisted. Because part of me, is not confirmed, unsure if that was true. The woman smiled, but I don't like the way she intentionally smiled. “No, Alexa,” she said. “You’re not.” Before I could react, something sharp pierced my side. I gasped. The pain was immediate, burning and it felt like crashing my bones, it's like an electric that can easily spread unnaturally. I looked down. Then I saw a silver blade, and a dark liquid began to spread through my veins like fire. “What… did you do…?” I choked. “Silver doesn’t just kill,” she said calmly. “Not when it’s prepared properly.” My knees buckled. And the world began to tilt. “Your special blood,” she continued. “We needed to be sure.” My vision blurred. My heartbeat slowed, too fast, then slowed. Something was wrong in them. And for me? it is very wrong. “Check the reaction,” my father ordered. The woman crouched in front of me, catching a drop of my blood as it fell into a small vial. I tried to focus. I tried to stay awake. But the darkness was pulling me in. “Fascinating,” she murmured. “What is it?” father asked. She looked up, and for the first time, there was something like excitement in her eyes. “It’s reacting.” My father stiffened. “To what?” “To everything.” My breathing hitched. And everything in me is so really... and badly hurt! Every nerve in my body felt like it was being torn apart and stitched back together at the same time. “Her blood is unstable,” the woman said. “Human… but not fully. There’s something else buried in it.” A moment pause. “Kill her.” someone ordered. The words were final and absolute. “No…” I whispered weakly. My father stepped forward. For a moment, I thought I saw hesitation in his eyes.Thinking that a father should be the first one to take care of their children. But then, that hesitation vanished in his eyes. “Forgive me,” my dear father said. He didn’t give me time to answer. He raised his blade and he plunged it into my chest directly. The pain should have been unbearable. But it wasn’t. Because at the moment the blade pierced my heart. Knowing that my father kills me. The questions stay in my head. Where did I go wrong? What did I do? Everything went silent. No rain. No thunder. No voices... just darkness. But I manage to say my last word, "father.. why?"