Bound Beyond Death

Chapter 5

As if from far away, Mia heard someone crying. He had such a nice voice, but with so much anguish in it. She just wanted to coil up herself in the voice and let it lull her to sleep.

But the pains in her body wouldn't let her. They were nerve wracking, crawling over every millimetre of her body and digging a thousand fine pins into each point repeatedly before moving.

It seemed to her like there was a monster in her body, seeking release, intent on tearing her apart if that's what it took to escape its prison.

Her body was the prison. She just wanted to give in to the pain and let it drag her to the promising darkness down below.

Yet, the manly voice continued calling her and crying over her, and she knew she couldn't die. Because if she did, the owner of that voice would die too, and she felt so drawn to him she was sure she would too if he did.

"Stop crying," she wanted to tell him, but the pain wouldn't let her. "I'm here for you, I'm going nowhere,"

Surprisingly, the monster in her body seemed to beat a hasty retreat at the thought. It coiled deep inside her, content as

As the pain receded, Mia gradually became aware she was in someone's arms. The arm was strong, and she felt like she could just lounge in it and not have a care in the world.

But then, she opened her eyes and saw the face - the face of her nightmares. Almost as if it was still happening, she saw the big wolf bound out nowhere, change into the face and tear the tiger apart with bare hands.

Werewolves.

She knew that's what people that could transform into wolves are called because she had watched a couple of popular movies that was all about them, like Twilight. And she knew that when they but you, you turn into a werewolf yourself.

She wasn't to become a monster. The thought frightened her.

So she jumped out of the werewolf's arms, clenched her fists and spat out the words she had read in some web novels.

"You, whoever you are, I reject you, whatever you are to me," she all but screamed it.

At the instant, she felt her heart breaking, harder than it had when she saw Mark with May. It was almost like she just lost her pendant, the one she had been told her parents put around her neck before their car hit in the crash many years ago.

Unconsciously, her hand moved up to her chest to feel the pendant – it was still there. Yet, she still felt empty, like she had lost something very dear. And to prevent herself from dwelling on it, she repeated the words again, in a whisper this time.

"I reject you, whoever you are, whatever you are to me,"

Hurt came into the werewolf's eyes. Hurt like she had never seen. But she didn't care. Pushing past the stunned man that looked like he would collapse with grief, she ran out of the cave.

"You will be back on your knees, begging," she heard the man shout after her. But she didn't care. All she knew was that she needed to escape from the monster.

She ran, and ran, and though her breath came in short bursts and there was the mother of all painful stitches in her side, she still ran.

She ran till she collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

When she woke again, the sun was rising in the east. She got up. She didn't know where the hell she was, but she knew the direction she had met the monster, so she took the opposite direction and walked on.

Few minutes later, her eyes widened and she gasped. She was back to the road she had left her car before she got lost.

There was her car, just a few metres before her. Letting out a squeal of excitement, she widened her strides, anxious to get back in the car.

Few meters to the car, she stopped.

She didn't want to, but she couldn't move forward anymore, try as she may. Her face twisted into one of bafflement as she tried to walk forward once more, but was stopped by an invisible barrier.

Not believing her eyes….well, her skin since she can't feel it, she stretched out a finger….

….and touched the barrier.

It was smooth like glass, but solid. She flattened her palms against it, pushing. The barrier didn't budge, but it did become opaque at the spot where her palms pressed.

She took several steps backwards and took several deep breaths to try and orient herself.

Her worldwide was shattering. Her reality was becoming like the movies. First, her car gets mysteriously lost, then she meets a werewolf that couldn't wait to get a bite of her.

And now, this barrier that are only seen in magical movies.

It was all very unrealistic, unthinkable.

But she just had to face the facts, no matter how out of world they seemed. She just couldn't get past the barrier.

Mia felt tears spring to her eyes.

She was stuck in this frightening….hell, she didn't even know where she was. All she knew was that the other side of the barrier where her car was parked was her world.

This place she was now, maybe, the world of werewolves, or the world of magic, or the world of myths, or MacDonald's burgers, it doesn't make any difference to her.

Weakly, she collapsed on the ground, pressing against the barrier. As she weeped, her tears slid down the barrier, looking like they're sliding down on air.

The sound of sirens filled her ears, jarring her from her grief. She looked up, and her mouth fell out in shock as police car after police car sped past the road a few meters in front of her.

It took her a moment to get her senses back, but when she did, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Help!" she screamed and screamed..

She supposed the sirens might block her voice, but she didn't care. She would be damned if she just watched them go past without trying to escape this literal hellhole.

Her hopes rose as the last of the convoy stopped. Two policemen got out and walked to her car which was parked by the roadside.

They bent down and looked at the plate number, then compared it with a sheet of paper in their hands.

All these while, Mia had been screaming to get their attention, but she might as well be on the other side of the galaxy.

It seemed they just couldn't hear her.

One of the two policemen made a call, then they both got back into their car and drove off towards the resort.

The last of her hope dried off.

In the distance, the words of the werewolf sounded.

"You will be back on your knees, begging,"

Mia knew then that she was doomed to that monster for the rest of her life. Either that, or she waits till another tiger comes along and makes her it's lunch.

With a heavy heart, Mia started walking back to the cave she had just escaped from a few hours ago.