The feeling of being watched was no longer just a feeling. I could almost hear the rasp of their breaths with each step I took.
A low growl echoed from behind , and pure terror shot through like lightning. I halted, my body freezing as if rooted to the spot. My eyes darted to my sides, scanning the darkness for any sign of whoever was following . I listened intently, hoping the feeling and the thought of being followed were all in my head. But I wasn't wrong. Shadowy figures walked out from the darkness, their eyes glowing like embers in the night.
Without a second thought, I ran, my legs churning as fast as they could. The wind whipped past , stinging my face, but I didn't care. I just needed to get away, to escape the clutches of whatever was hunting . I didn't care if it was my father's n or even worse, a stranger; I just couldn't afford to be caught.
But as if luck wasn't on my side, I ended up in a dead end – a tall brick wall blocking my escape. I slamd to a stop, trapped, my back pressed against the cold, rough brick as I waited for my pursuers to show their faces.
The one who seed to be the leader stood in front, wearing a sneer on his face, a cruel twist of his lips. "Well, well," he drawled, his voice dripping with amusent. "Look at the little rabbit. Running scared, are we?"
The others laughed. "Don't touch ," I snarled, my voice trembling. I turned my fingers into claws, my nails extending into long, sharp points. I let out a growl that rumbled deep in my throat, exposing my sharp canines. Hoping... praying I would at least look like a threat.
For a mont, silence stretched between us. Then, their amusent turned into sothing far more sinister – greed.
"A half-shifter!" the leader exclaid. "This one could fetch a hefty price on the black market."
My terror turned into a different kind of fear. I wasn't just prey anymore. I was a prize. Panic threatened to swallow whole, but I pushed it back. At this point, the only option I had was to find a way to escape. But how?
I took a step back as they lunged at , a snarling mass of furs as they transford. I fought back, I really did, fueled by fear and a strength I never believed I had. But they were too many, too strong, and I was just too weak. Their claws raked across my skin, their teeth tore at my clothes. The pain was a distant throb as darkness crept around the edges of my vision.
The last thing I heard before everything finally went black was their laughter echoing in my subconscious, a chilling reminder of the fate that awaited .
I didn't know how long I had passed out, but when my eyes fluttered open, a wave of nausea crashed over . My whole body ached like it had been in a wrestling match with a giant. I choked out a cough as I held onto my chest. Heaving out a sigh, I blinked at the harsh light coming from a dirty window high up. It took a mont for my blurry vision to clear, and when it did, pure terror filled .
I was in a cage.
A rough wooden box, barely big enough to stand in, held captive. Thick tal bars kept from getting out, and heavy chains were wrapped around my wrists and ankles, digging into my sore skin. Panic choked , making it hard to even breathe. I held my chest tightly as each breath ca out in gasps.
What happened? The alley, the tavern, the pursuers, the fight – it all ca back in flashes, filling with fear and pain. Wasn't it all a nightmare?
But the throbbing pain in my arm and the blood trickling down different part of my body quickly dispelled that notion. This was real... it was all real. It was all too real.
A whimper escaped my lips as I tried to seat up, a pathetic sound that echoed in the quiet cage. But the silence was broken a mont later by the sound of shuffling feet and a low, guttural moan. But the moaning sounds ca from soone closer.
I flinched, my heart hamring against my ribs as I slowly turned my head towards the source of the sound.
Across a narrow hallway, another cage held a prisoner. A skinny figure, almost hidden in the shadows, stared back at . But it wasn't the thinness of its body that showed its bones that sent a jolt of terror through . It was the eyes.
Those eyes, sunken deep into their sockets, held no life. They were vacant, like the eyes of a dead man. The figure whimpered again, a sad, animal sound. It sounded like a broken person, a living nightmare.
Then, from sowhere beyond the walls of this prison, the shuffling sound of footsteps beca louder, followed by another sound – a person's scream, raw and filled with unimaginable fear. It cut through the silence like a knife, sending chills down my spine.
The tal cage door that was holding captive screeched open, and a rough-looking hand shoved a struggling figure, who seed to have been the one screaming, through the opening.
My heart jumped into my throat. My eyes darted to the newcor. It was a girl, barely older than , with terror plastered all over her face. Her hair was tangled and matted, with blood caked in it. Her clothes were ripped in shreds, offering little protection against the cold, damp air.
She tumbled to the ground, whimpering, her body shaking with silent cries. The guard grabbed her hair, a whole fistful of it, and yanked her up. She cried out in pain, and I held my mouth shut to hold back any sounds from escaping my lips as tears stread down my cheeks.
"Useless thing!" he spat, his voice dripping with disgust. "Another mouth to feed, another waste of space. You better hope a buyer cos along soon, or you'll be food for the dogs!"
With a final, bone-rattling kick to her legs, he sent her sprawling back to the floor. Then, with a loud bang, he slamd the cage door shut and walked away. The only sound left was the girl's choked sobs.
A wave of nausea washed over , a sickening mix of fear and terror. This was the reality of this place, my... new reality.
The girl huddled in the corner, hugging her knees so tight they were white. She rocked back and forth, whimpering like a wounded animal.
I slowly turned my gaze from her and stared at the wooden wall in a daze. This has to be a dream.
Reviews
All reviews (0)