41

My perfect escape is going as badly as it could. I’ve already been discovered less than five minutes into the plan.
“Let her try; she won’t get far. Let her tire herself out.” I can hear the challenge in her voice. Not waiting to see who she’s talking to, l jump, my ankle rolls on impact and shooting pain runs up my legs. I stand on shaky legs and run, but I have no idea where I am.
The entire property is surrounded by trees. I glance back at the house, trying to figure out which way to run, and how many people are after me by this point. The house is a huge stone farmhouse. It has three stories and a huge veranda wrapping around the entire house. I don’t see anyone spilling out of it after me yet, but who knows how long I have. I don’t wait, I sprint towards the treeline. The sun is starting to go down. If I don’t make it to the other side of those trees, I’ll be stuck in the middle of nowhere with no safety.
The tall grass comes up to my thighs, the sharp edges dig into my skin, punishing me for running. Trickles of blood appear all over my skin. I run through the yard as it turns into a paddock, domesticated beasts turn big eyes on me as I streak by – straight for safety, only to come to a wire fence. Lifting the taunt strings, I ignore their bite into my flesh and squeeze through their grasp. Once through, I race away, hobbling, but still able to move.
My ankle screams for me to stop. When I finally make it to the line of trees, I keep running, refusing to slow my pace no matter how much my body hates me for it. Pain is way better than being killed. The branches and twigs dig into my feet, making me hiss in agony. Tears stream down my cheeks, the monsters’ words echo in my head. They want me dead or in a state of suffering they won’t even put details to. I don’t stand a chance out here in the woods by myself. I don’t understand what I’m dealing with exactly, but I know they are sinister and dark. Everything inside me screams to keep moving, to escape or I’ll never survive.
The sun finishes its path, dipping below the horizon and casting me into the darkness. There’s no moon tonight, it’s just me and my imagination. Every rustle of wind amongst the trees makes my body shake and more tears well. But no matter how far I run, I haven’t spotted a single animal, not even a bird. The place is eerily silent, the only noise is my feet breaking twigs while I run and my own heavy breathing.
It takes all my willpower to keep going. I want to curl up into a ball and wake up from this nightmare, I must have slipped into from drinking too much. None of this can be real. I stagger forward, hands stretched in front of me. The trees thin out, I head toward them, the twigs slide over my cuts, trying to push me back to this side of the tree line.
I burst through, to a long road, barely visible without the moon around. A twig snaps behind me and I whirl to stare into the inky black. My heart pounds, but I can’t see anything. But I can hear the heavy breath right beside me. A breath that isn’t my own.
I turn on my heel, heart threatening to force itself out of my body. “You don’t need to be scared, Imogen,” Theo’s voice is soft, soothing. He is treating me like a wild animal again. No, maybe more like a pet will be accurate. Is that what I am to these monsters? A pet?
I take a step backwards, back towards the woods, letting the bushes grab my skin again. I can’t outrun Theo, I know that but my brain is being really stupid. Theo doesn’t take any steps towards me so I whirl and run forward, straight into a brick-like chest. Tobias’s arm circles around my back, stopping me from falling. His chest is bare, my fingers slide over his muscles. He only wears a pair of red draw-string shorts. I grab a piece of the brush, wielding a butter knife-sized stick and push away from them both.
“Put the stick down, Imogen,” Tobias’ voice cuts through the silence.
“No, stay back,” I warn them, holding it out. It won’t do much if they get serious with me, but I won’t let them just kill me or hurt me. I’ll fight until the end.
“Come back with us. We won’t hurt you, I promise,” Theo holds his hands out to me again. His green eyes practically glow in the dark. “Come, you will catch a cold out here. It’s freezing.” I haven’t noticed the cold, adrenaline is keeping me warm. They step close, too close. I swing the simple weapon and they step out of the way. Theo frowns at me, eyes reproachful and hurt. Why does he look hurt? I’m the one about to be tortured.
“Imogen put the fucking stick down. You will only hurt yourself,” Tobias voice snaps, a vicious growl overtakes his voice.
I grip it tighter. He’s one of the ones I need to fend off, doesn’t he understand? Tobias’ eyes change back to deep black orbs, which is even more nerve wracking in this darkness. He’s a demon, possessed and very ticked off.
“What are you? Stay away from me!” I scream. My hands tremble, holding the stick out in front trying to ward them off.
Tobias sighs, head dropping, “I’m a werewolf, Imogen.” The light returns to his eyes bit by bit.
I laugh, a long drawn out cackle. I thought demon that wants to suck out my soul, or even damn vampires considering his fucking bite. But werewolves? People that can turn into dogs? “You expect me to believe you both turn into furry dogs?”
Tobias huffs, clearly insulted by my words. “He does, not me,” Theo’s voice rings out like twinkling bells. I forgot he was standing there, my attention mainly on Tobias as he is closer, but now Theo is close again, his eyes focused on mine, a self-confident smirk on his lips. I turn and swing the stick at him, he moves quickly avoiding being hit.
“Then what are you? We have fluffy over there, what furry creature do you turn into?” I spit sarcastically. I can hear Tobias growling from behind me, making my skin crawl and a shiver runs up my spine. My body breaks out in goosebumps, his feral growl echoes off the trees. But it’s replaced all too soon with something worse, the cracks of bones snapping, changing, becoming something different. I cringe, dropping the stick to cover my ears. I can’t escape the noise. I turn to look at Tobias, it isn’t him but the stray stalking towards me, teeth bared and dangerously sharp.
Then, Theo’s voice is in my ear. “I’m something much worse,” his whispers send chills down my spine. I scream at the soft touch of his hands on my wrists. The whole escape plan has failed. I’ve fallen to monsters.