𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔠𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔞𝔫𝔱- 𝑽𝔬𝔩𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔯𝔞 [𝔱𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱]

•𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐬•

The next morning, I awoke to sun rays shining through my curtains, my groggy mood lifting a little.

It was a perfect opportunity for a day out and a bit of "me time", which I haven't really had since leaving Volterra.

I quickly made a cup of coffee and went to look for a hiking outfit. As I suspected- Heidi didn't take a hiking trip into account.

None of the clothes supplied by her were suitable for a day spent in the woods, so I had to improvise.

I found a pair of loose shorts and, by miracle, a sweatshirt. I paired them with my sneakers - the outfit looked comical, but it was comfortable.

I skipped downstairs and left the house, locking the door behind me.

Standing on the porch, I felt a chilly breeze wash over me, contrasting with the overall warm temperature of the day.

I contemplated going back and changing into something warmer, but eventually decided against it.

I would be on the move all day so I wouldn't really get cold. With that mindset, I started my trek into the woods.

As I walked, I looked around, admiring my surroundings. It was so... green and the far ends of the woods were hidden behind a thin layer of fog. It was a bit colder than in town, and paired with the fog and never-ending trees, it gave off an eerie vibe.

After about an hour, I started inwardly cursing myself for not bringing a bottle of water with me.

What kind of idiot goes on an all-day hike without anything to drink?

Oh, right. Me.

I decided to sit down and rest for a while. I quickly found a fallen tree and literally threw myself on it- I was tired and wasn't sure how much longer my legs would support me for.

I must have dozed off for some time, because next thing I know, I heard slow footsteps behind me. I turned around and was met with red eyes.

Well... shit.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Came an eerie whisper from the figure.

"Nothing interesting, that's for sure." I replied, my voice shaking.

I wasn't scared of the vampire per se, I was worried that my hand-to-hand combat skills wouldn't be enough. I didn't have anything to protect myself with since I wasn't expecting to almost become a meal.

With a sinister chuckle, the woman moved to grab me by the throat.

I lunged to the right, remembering that the best way to get out alive of a vampire encounter is to fight- sure, they were stronger, but from what Jane taught me, they weren't expecting their prey to fight, since the human instinct was to run away.

Though, my element of surprise didn't give me much of an advantage.

The woman grabbed me by the sweatshirt and pulled me to my feet. That gave me a perfect opportunity- since both of her hands were grabbing my shirt, she couldn't protect herself.

In one swift movement, I pushed my fingers into her eyeballs, and recoiled in disgust as she screamed.

Well, so much for Jane's training.

I wasn't nearly strong enough to fight the woman, let alone to rip her to pieces, so I didn't give her another chance to go at me and bolted the very moment my fingers left her face. Behind me, I could hear a growl and rustling branches, then, a woman's frustrated scream as I crossed the bridge over the river. I didn't dare look back.
I barely remembered how I got home- I definitely tripped and fell several times.