Epiphany

Chapter 38 Part 1~The

My feet pounded against the ground and sank in a puddle of mud, splashing dirt on my clothes and landing a drop on my cheek. As I hurtled forward, I wiped at it, smearing something other than dirt on my face. Probably blood.

Droplets of water landed on my face once in a while and it was either from stored rainwater dripping from the tips of the leaves and branches, or the clouds weren’t done with relieving their pain yet, seeing how they still engulfed us with their gloominess.

My eyes twitched, already feeling the dread drench my eyeballs in the form of tears.

Not a single soul was visible amidst the sea of shelters, but voices could be discerned. That was what made me press further.

The more I ran, the more cobblestone buildings crowded the place, seemingly getting better in shape, until it resembled a village piled high with shelters clinging to the trees above or sticking to the ground.

Up ahead was a flight of rocky stairs that led to a slightly higher ground, which had most of the red roof houses piled together.

As I flew upstairs, my feet stomped on the tread and I almost flew backwards halfway due to an impact on my right shoulder.

“Watch it.”

I almost let out a cry of relief as I stared at the figure walking down the stairs.

Finally, a human being.

“Sir!” I didn’t get to see his face when he turned to answer my call because my head whipped to the side when a familiar resonating sound echoed across the expanse of the forest, causing a swarm of birds to sour into the air.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. A group of teenagers stretched their hands forward, holding a recognizable shiny weapon in between their fists as they aimed at several trees with targets on them.

Every shot they fired sent a shooting pain in my heart, and it felt like a hand wrapped its fingers around my windpipe, gradually tightening its grip.

I averted my gaze from the suffocating sight, and I went on to ask for help from the man I ran into, but he was long gone.

I looked to the other side and sighed in relief when I was met with grey eyes boring right into me. A girl about my age, with red curls framing her face, was leaning against a tree, a stoic expression on her freckled face.

“Hey, you gotta help me,” I said, running towards her. “My friend is hur—”

“You’re not from here.”

My heart jumped. This didn’t seem like a question. She knew.

But that didn’t stop me.

“Please just help me! Eli—”

“You just wait here and I’ll bring help.” She pushed herself forward then walked the other way around. Her tone wasn’t one which put me at ease at all. I just knew that I shouldn’t wait for her to bring help.

I took her tone as a cue to turn on my heels and run a safe distance away from her. I went around many corners until I realized she wouldn’t find me if she went looking for me. As I took in the many strange faces scattered throughout this village, my pace slowed to a walk.

I should not have fled. Many eyes were now turning my way, examining my absurd actions. Or maybe my unfamiliar face.

Each one of them radiated an exotic yet disturbing energy. A couple of men with broad shoulders and a fit build, both bulky and lean, passed by, their eyes glowering at me. I bit my lower lip and avoided making eye contact with them.

I glimpsed behind me when I felt I was a safe distance away from them, feeling slightly safer now that their gaze was no longer fixed on me.

I turned my head back in place and noticed a group of teenagers gathered around a tree, staring at me.

I didn’t do anything to attract anyone’s attention, yet I stood out like a sore thumb.

They all seemed to know who I was and were ready to lurch at me at any moment. Leaving me with no choice but to keep looking for a friendly-looking person willing to help.

I froze in place, and the aroma of freshly baked pastry wafted through the air, but this wasn’t the reason for my halt. The same young people who had been staring at me were now approaching me.

They all looked fit, both males and females. And it was for this reason that I needed to avoid them.

I quickly took a step to the side, entering an alley between two larger houses.

The alley was dark, and before I let my legs take me down to the other side, I heard some shuffling that stopped my legs from moving any further.

I narrowed my eyes and found a dark silhouette down ahead. If I concentrated enough, I would make out some slight movements.

I knew I had to face either what lay ahead or the set of people who seemed equally as dangerous as a pack of wolves.

I took a quiet step forward and whispered, “Hello?”

No answer.

“She's in there.”

Panic rose inside of me when someone spoke from outside the alley and this dictated my next steps. My legs propelled me forward, and the shape ahead of me became more distinct.

“Could you—" A scream cut my words short as a dark figure lunged at me, clasping my shoulders with sharp claws and sending me crashing onto the stony ground.

I grunted in pain as the crash sent the back of my head smashing against the ground, and the growl that emitted from above me got muted by the ringing noise in my ears.

Lustrous golden pair of eyes speckled with green dust seemed to be blazing in the dark as they shot daggers at me. Unnatural wide black rings that resembled pupils encircled the inner part of its golden iris. And something tickled my forehead. Dark bangs flopped over its face, reaching mine.

I pressed one hand against its chest, and the firmness of its chest told me it was a male thing.

What the f*ck was that?!

When the ringing noise subsided, it was then I knew that I was in deep sh!t. From behind clenched teeth came a raucous growl loud enough to be heard by those outside the alley. His teeth had fangs embedded in the sides.

Sharp ones.

I opened my mouth wide and yelled, “Someone! Hel—”

My other hand that gripped his steely neck almost slipped, allowing his face to only be a few inches away from mine.

The drops of transparent slime that dripped on my lips from his bared teeth were enough to tell me that he was ravenous, craving for a bite of my flesh.