Harper 2
931 Words
The blindfold and wrist bound made everything worse. I couldn't see where we were going, couldn't prepare for what was coming. The SUV's engine hummed steadily as we drove through what felt like endless journey.
Heavy rain pouring and started pattering against the windows. I pressed my face toward the sound, trying to find some small comfort in this hell situation.
That's when the first gunshot rang out.
The SUV lurched violently. I heard cursing from the front seat, the screech of brakes, the crunch of metal against metal. My body slammed against the door, pain shooting through my shoulder.
More gunshots. The windshield exploded inward, showering us with glass. I pressed myself against the floor.
Through the chaos, I heard voices outside. Unfamiliar voices.
"Where is she?"
"In the back. Grab her and go."
The next second later, SUV door was ripped open. Hands grabbed me, dragged me out into the rain. Cold rain soaked through my clothes instantly, mud squelched beneath my knees as they hauled me upright.
My blindfold slipped and I caught a sight of faces I didn't recognize. Men with yellow eyes and predatory grins.
"Harper Vale?" one of them asked.
I nodded, too terrified to speak.
"Perfect. Our Alpha is going to be very pleased." They started dragging me toward another vehicle. Behind us, I could hear fighting—snarls and growls.
They shoved me toward a black van. "Get her in the van. We need to move before—"
Suddenly a loud growl made them freeze. Even the rain seemed to pause. The next second a growl came again, sounded closer, low and threatening. Completely terrifying.
Something massive crashed through the trees. At first, I thought it was a wolf—the biggest wolf I'd ever seen. But as it stepped closer to us, I realized it was something else entirely.
It stood like a human but was covered in thick, dark fur from head to toe. The creature had an elongated face with sharp, predatory features.
Its eyes were completely different from each other. One was solid black with no white showing, like it was possessed by something evil. The other was a deep blue color that seemed sad and alive.
The beast moved with lethal precision, hitting the first man with enough force to send him flying into the van with a metal crumpling bang. The second man's throat opened in a spray of red.
I stood there, frozen in pure terror, as it slaughtered every man around me. Within minutes, they were all knocked out.
Now, the beast stood before me, breathing hard, surrounded by bodies. Its glowing eyes found mine across the wreckage, and for a moment, something flickered in them.
From the darkness, the enforcers, bloodied but alive. One of them approached me.
"Miss Vale? We need to get you to safety."
The beast's head snapped toward him, a warning growl rumbling in its throat.
The enforcer froze, then nodded as if the creature had spoken. "Yes, sir. We'll be careful with her."
I was lifted into a different vehicle, this one armored and reinforced.
As they closed the door, I caught one last glimpse of the beast through the rain-streaked window. He was already disappearing back into the forest, melting into the darkness.
Hours later, the enforcers led me through endless dark corridors until we stopped at a heavy metal door. One of them pulled out a set of keys.
"Hurry before it's too late," the enforcer said quietly. "His curse is stronger tonight."
They unlocked the door and pushed it open. The room beyond was reinforced. Steel walls. No windows. No furniture except chains bolted to the wall.
And in the middle of it all was him.
The same beast from the forest, but here in this confined space, he seemed even more dangerous. More unhinged. The blue eyes that had looked at me through the rain now glowed with predatory hunger.
"Fresh meat," he growled. The enforcer behind me shoved me forward. The door slammed shut behind me.
He rose slowly, tilting his head. "The little dove....."
So he remembered me from the forest. That made this somehow worse.
"I'm here to help you," I whispered. "I'm your Soul Anchor—"
"Anchor?" His laugh was like breaking bones. "Sweet child, do you see these walls?"
He gestured around the reinforced room. The steel was scratched and dented from the inside.
"These scratches aren't from me trying to escape," he said, beginning to circle me like a predator. "They're from my fury when the others failed. When their pathetic attempts to cure me drove me deeper into madness."
My blood turned to ice.
"Three pretty little things before you. Each one promising to save me. Each one failing spectacularly." He stopped directly in front of me, his massive form towering over me.
"Do you not afraid of me?" He asked, grinning as the tip of his claw grazed my cheek down to my neck.
"Should I be? You look more sad than scary." I barked.
He laughed hard and leaned down until his face was inches from mine. The smell of blood and something wild filled my senses.
"So tell me, little dove," he whispered, his breath hot against my face.
"What makes you think your anchor will work when theirs couldn't even begin to touch this curse?" His hand shot out faster, grabbing my throat and lifting me off the ground with strength.
"Tell me...." he hissed, as his blue eye slowly lost its color, turning into the same solid black as the other.
- Writer
