Episode5
1167 Words
The Girl In The Woods
Nathaniel had Ann in his arms.
He was running back to the den. Their den.
She was losing a large amount of blood and needed medical attention.
Judas trailed behind him.
"Hurry up" he urged him, increasing his own pace.
"She is not going to make it Nat, she's lost too much blood already," Judas said to him.
"You don't know that" Nathaniel snarled at him.
"You don't know that?"
"You just met her" Judas spoke pleadingly, "she's a human!"
Nathaniel didn't reply. He looked down at the pretty face pressed against his chest.
She had to make it. He didn't know what it was, but he just felt a click when he saw her there. On the ground, her eyes partly closed.
A perfect damsel in distress. Her blonde hair. Her fair skin. She was just a beautiful sight to behold, like an angel.
Funny how he was steadily reminded that she was a human. She was something perfect.
Exceeding human standards. She looked like she was picked straight out of a fairytale. A fairy. Lost in the woods. Cuddled up in his arms. It made his heart take a warm leap.
Watching her hair bounce to the effect of his sprint was mesmerizing.
"That look, Nathaniel," Judas noticed how his eyes were on the girl and not on the path.
"What look?" He asked. He lifted his eyes off her and to the road ahead.
"You are........ Never mind"
"What is it? Come on tell me", Nathaniel persuaded. They had approached a fallen tree that lay across. He squatted mid-run and took a bound. Leaping feet into the air. Above and across the fallen tree.
Judas did likewise. Taking a slight spin midair.
Show off.
"You are the leader of the pack, Nat" Judas went on. "You should make decisive choices. The fate of the pack depends on you."
"Yes, Judas, I am the leader of the pack" he stressed. "Besides, it won't harm anybody to show some humanity."
"Humanity, Nat, is why we are out here in the woods."
They had approached a cave. There were people around and about. Children running around.
They stopped. Paused when they saw Nathaniel approaching with the girl in his arms. All eyes followed the trio as they went into the cave.
It was a huge cave. With a very high roof. It was a whole complex inside. Different compartments. And large passages that interconnected these compartments.
"Healers!" Nathaniel called out, "Healers!!"
A group of old ladies appeared from one of the compartments, rushing to him. When they saw the limp body on his hands, They grabbed him.
Suddenly, they all withdrew from him.
"A human!" One of them growled.
"She needs medical attention!" Nathaniel stressed.
The ladies stood there. Not flinching.
"You will help her," he said in a subtle menace.
One of the ladies spat on the floor. Glaring at Nathaniel.
"Your leader commands you," Judas growled under his breath. His eyes have a little bluish glow.
But the ladies wouldn't bulge.
It was a sort of standoff.
Her heartbeat was slowing. He could hear it.
Heck, they could all hear it. The old lady was grinning.
She was happy. Happy to let her die. But he wasn't going to condone this. It was a challenge to his power.
They must have read his expression because the ladies quickly took Ann from his hug.
Keeping her at bay like she was a plague.
They took her into the compartment they had come out of.
Nathaniel followed behind. But one of the women motioned for him to stop.
"We would like to work in tranquility" she croaked. Her voice was ridden by age.
Nathaniel went to a corner of the passageway and sat on a bench. Judas came to join him.
"What would you do when she recovers?" he threw the words out. Looking on the floor.
"When she wakes up," Nathaniel said blandly.
He turned to look at the compartment where Ann had been taken into.
"What could be going on in there?" He asked Judas. He was on edge. On edge for someone whom he had never met before. It was odd.
"Good thing these walls are so superdense that our advanced hearing wouldn't be able to pick up any sound"
"I wonder what could be happening at this exact moment," he said aloud to himself. Ignoring Judas.
"Relax, lover boy" Judas chided.
Nathaniel made a minute expression. A quick blush of sorts.
Judas' eyes widened a bit.
"Bloody hell mate" he groaned "You are not being serious right now...bro she's human!"
Nathaniel wanted to talk but then kept quiet.
Judas made sense. Bloody hell, he said. Yes. Maybe this was just admiration. Maybe it wasn't serious at all.
Maybe he was mistaking pity for affection. A big pity that would have to be, to even remotely make sense.
He didn't know what his problem was. This was a human crying out loud. Maybe he was being unnecessarily melodramatic about her safety.
He chuckled a bit
"You could call it love at first sight," he joked.
"This was exactly how it was with Lilith. She was the one for you. Until she wasn't" Judas remarked. Then he decided to throw in some advice.
"You are better at leading than at love. Stick to your specialty"
Lilith. The wild and actively aggressive werewolf. He tried to recall how it was he made such a decision as to date her. They were nearly dethroned.
Fate or luck, their betrothal had been called off. To the anger of the rage-driven devil. She was displeased and saw to it that everyone felt her displeasure.
The blood-lusted maniac she had been.
"Lilith was ....well...she.."
One of the ladies walked out of the compartment.
They both stood to their feet in expectation.
"The human has gone into cardiac arrest" she croaked "She will not be able to make it."
Nathaniel brushed past her into the room.
There Ann was. On an elevated platform. Her body jerked uncontrollably. The old ladies were struggling to hold her in place.
Nathaniel rushed to her side, trying to hold her down.
She jerked for a few more seconds and then lay still.
Her heart was slowing down. The tempo is a very faint thud. Even to his advanced hearing.
It had stopped. No!!
He looked at the pretty face there. Impulse kicked in.
He opened his mouth slowly. His teeth elongated to fangs. His eyes had a bright red glow.
Judas ran over trying to pull him back and away.
But it was too late.
The ladies looked on in bewilderment as his teeth sank into Ann's neck.
Judas drew him away, "what are you doing Nat?"
Ann lay there as still as a stone.
Was she dead? The pretty angel he had just carried in his arms. He had let the poor girl die.
Thud.....thud......the sound came. Her heart had resumed beating.
“WHERE AM I?” she asked.
- Writer
