Chosen to Survive (ONC2024)

Chapter 13

Vanessa's POV

The chill of the evening does nothing to calm the heat of our hurried pass. Our footsteps, a desperate rhythm against the cracked pavement, echo through the empty streets of Crestwood. We are close, so close to what we hope will be safety, but the dread that clings to the shadows around us is palpable.

"Almost there," I pant, glancing back at Zack who carries a heavy backpack filled with what few supplies we could gather. His nod, grim yet determined, spurs me on.

Then, out of nowhere, a blur of motion—a whisper of displaced air—a warning I barely register. Before I can react, Zack grunts sharply and crumples to the ground, knocked from a vicious blow. Panic seizes me as I whirl around to see Jess standing there, her eyes not the warm brown I remember, but a cold, merciless black. In Jess's hand is Zack's heart, blood pouls around his body.

"Running so soon, Vanessa?" Jess's voice is chilling, devoid of any warmth or humanity. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

"Jess, please," I stammer, my heart hammering in my chest, "don't do this. Remember who you are."

But she only smirks, a terrifying grin that doesn't reach her eyes. "I remember exactly who I am," she replies coldly.

Without another word, she lunges at me, her movements unnaturally swift. I dodge, adrenaline surging, and sprint away, leaving Zack behind. Guilt pierces me, but survival instincts overpower it. I need to warn Lily and Oakley.

As I run, the sound of Jess's pursuing steps fuels my terror. They are relentless, a constant reminder of the nightmare we're trapped in. My lungs burn, my muscles scream, but fear pushes me beyond my limits.

"Lily! Oakley!" I scream as I approach our hideout, my voice breaking the haunting silence of the night. I burst through the door, barely a step ahead of danger.

"They're here! Jess—she got Zack!" I gasp out, my breaths ragged, my body trembling. Lily and Oakley react instantly, standing up, their faces etched with alarm.

"Where's Zack? Did you see what she did to him?" Oakley's voice is tense, ready for action despite the uncertainty.

"She... she killed him...I had to leave him... She was right behind me," I manage to say, fear making my words tumble out too fast.

Before anyone can respond, the sound of footsteps announces Jess's arrival. She appears in the doorway, blocking our only exit, her figure casting a long, ominous shadow into the room.

"So nice of you to lead me right to them, Vanessa," Jess says mockingly, her gaze sweeping over us. "End of the line."

Lily's POV

The air crackles with tension as Jess's sinister form looms in the doorway, her shadow sprawling across the cold floor like a dark promise. My heart thunders against my ribs, each beat a loud drum in the silence that stretches between us. Vanessa is trembling, backed into a corner with nowhere to run. In that moment, something shifts within me—a fierce protective instinct that hardens my resolve.

"Jess, don't do this," I say, stepping forward, positioning myself between her and Vanessa. My voice is steady, but inside, I'm reeling, trying to reconcile the monster before me with the friend I once knew.

Jess laughs, a sound that chills my blood. "You think you can stop me, Lily? You really think you stand a chance?"

Her words are a lash, but they steel my nerves instead of breaking them. "I have to try," I reply, reaching slowly for the makeshift stake I've kept hidden in my belt—the one we fashioned as a just-in-case, a desperate measure we hoped never to use.

Jess's eyes narrow, and in a flash, she's moving, a blur of speed and lethal intent. I barely dodge in time, her nails grazing my arm, leaving behind a sting that tells me just how close I came to not moving fast enough.

"Jess, please!" I cry out, dodging another swipe. "Fight it! Fight him!"

But the Jess I'm pleading with is long gone. In her place is a creature driven by darkness, her humanity smothered by the Master's will. Her response is a growl, and she attacks again, more ferocious, more determined.

Our dance is a deadly one, around the sparse furniture, over the creaky floorboards of our hideout. Every move I make is defensive, designed to keep her at bay, to find the Jess who might still be somewhere inside. But with every passing second, hope dims.

"I don't want to hurt you, Jess!" I shout, breathless, as I parry another attack. But her only answer is a sneer, and something in her eyes tells me it's too late for her—for us.

The fight rushes us toward the inevitable. She corners me against a wall, her face inches from mine, her breath foul with the scent of death. Desperation surges within me, sharp and clarifying.

"This isn't you, Jess. I know you're still in there. Fight him!" My voice breaks with sorrow and pleading.

Her hesitation is brief, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. It's now or never.

With a cry that's part grief, part fury, I push forward, driving the stake into her heart. Jess's eyes widen, shock and something like relief passing through them as she stumbles back.

The stake does its work. Jess's body crumbles, turning to dust before my eyes, leaving nothing but the night air between my outstretched hand and the wall. Silence crashes down on us, heavy and absolute.

Tears stream down my face as I collapse to my knees, the stake falling from my trembling hand. "I'm sorry, Jess," I whisper into the quiet, my words for the friend I once loved, for the creature I had to destroy.

Vanessa and Oakley rush to my side, their faces etched with their own pain, their own relief. "You did what you had to do," Vanessa says softly, her hand on my shoulder.

But the comfort she offers feels hollow. The horror of what I've done—what I had to do—settles around us like a shroud. Jess is gone, truly gone this time, and part of me with her.

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