Chapter 1

I ran in the midst of a green and dark forest. My breathing ragged as I tried to push away all the spiky leaves blocking my way. My vision couldn't adjust to the darkness. It remained foggy and I fell on my feet. I groaned as my knee hit on the sharp stone.

"Damn fuck," I muttered and growled. I gritted my teeth as I squeezed my wounded knee. There was a painful heartbeat on it, blood spilling out.

I broke down into tears. I didn't know how long I've been running. I didn't know why I was so afraid and what the hell I was running from. I just found myself in the middle of havoc, helpless.

There was a cry, a scream all over the place. Some trees were burning with blazing fire followed by loud howls and growls of vindictive creatures. By a dread sound coming from them, it was like a music of triumph.

I gulped once and fumbled something to hold on. My feet were so weak that I felt my body weighing like a whale. The pain on my knee was no help and I could almost smell death's scent. I wished this would end like a dream did.

I heard the sound of dried leaves and broken twigs being stepped on by a heavy creature. I cupped my mouth as I held my breath. My heart was pounding against my chest that I could barely breathe. My knees were wobbling so I decided to kneel on the ground, praying no one could capture me. It will be the end of my life.

I wandered my eyes around. I could only see burning places and could only hear the breaking bones and cries of innocent lives. I felt pity for them and angry for those heartless animals. It would be easy for them to attack us since we were weak. We couldn't fight back.

Someone stiffened. By the sound of the stiff, I could tell it was not a human being or someone like me. It sounded like a dog or a wolf trying to perceive the environment.

I pursed my lips and gulped once. I ran dry my tears and tried to adjust with the darkness. The forest was. The sun's beacon signaled there would be a light to be seen at any moment.

The footsteps were coming towards me. I froze my body, praying this moment would end. I could no longer breathe because of the oozing sticky liquid from my nose.

There was a beacon coming from the burning houses. I got the chance to see the creature acting like a lion ready to capture his prey. And to my surprise, it was big. It was not just a lion, a wolf or a bear. It was like a creature from mythology. I didn't know what exactly it was.

The terrifying creature has pointed long ears. His black-pitched furs were like spikes and thorns of roses. He was huge and brutal. He looked like a combination of wolf, bear and lion. I could say this evil beast was a dread.

He howled loudly and his group followed. I swathed my ears with my hands as I continued to cry. There could be no way out. One move and it would catch his attention. I could be his next target. I already imagined myself being crunched by sharp canine teeth.

***

The sun was slowly rising like a hope in my heart. The beast already ran away and I got the chance to breathe in. I've been holding my breath for me not to be noticed. But then again, I was still shaking, traumatized by the happenings. It's already half an hour since the creature left but here I was, curling my body in mud.

The bloody scene continued. And since there was a light coming from the sun, I had seen large creatures all over the place. They were larger than wolves and bears. I didn't know what they were except for the idea that they were heartless beasts.

I rose to my feet. I had to run away from here. I had to find my family and make sure they were still alive.

I walked like a crippled old lady but I didn't care too much. The only thing mattered to me was my family. I had to go back to my house. I was pretty sure they were worried about me.

As I fled from the forest, I saw dead people with their disbanded bodies. Bloods were staining the ground. I almost fluked when I saw guts coming out and bones were dislocated. Poor they were. They died horribly.

I continued walking. My body was draining fast but I still had my strength to move. The place wasn't even familiar to me and I had no idea where to go. This was like a dream, a nightmare.

I whirled around as I traveled my eyes in the abyss of loneliness. The smoke coming from burnt houses was visible through the rays of light. It was almost five in the morning and my stomach growled in hunger.

"Where am I?" I asked, almost in a whisper.

I was alone but the place told me I wasn't. There were marks of terrorism and cruelty. Blood and smoke were all over the place. I could still hear screams and cries, begging to spare their lives. But the howl of beasts gave them no mercy. I suddenly shivered as I imagined those claws and canines scratching a helpless body. It was ruthless... brutal.

***

In one snap, I found myself running along the pebbles on the shore. The cruelty continued, so did my running. I never felt anything but nervous. My heart hammered inside its cage as I tried to run away from shape-shifters. I knew they weren't ordinary large animals. There were beasts coming from mythology. I never thought they could be real.

I hid behind a big sharp stone, just enough to hide my whole body. There was a group of wolves and gorillas. And just like what any creature does, they were ripping people's bodies and started eating them.

I stepped backward. Someone noticed my move, a king kong-like monkey. He suddenly stopped savoring the flesh. He stiffened in the air, trying to breathe in my scent. I made a few steps backward until my brain told my legs to flee. I ran away again and unexpectedly, the beast ran after me.

I waded along the shore with my heavy breathing. The ground wasn't smooth at all. There were pebbles and rocks straining to hold me but I was eager and determined to move my feet. I had to escape from the gorilla.

I was crying again and again. I felt like it was the end of my world. Everything was surreal. I felt like I was living in a dream of survival. I had no power but I could feel my abilities to elude evil.

I turned right, entering a woody place. I once again thought I was entering a forest but I was wrong. There were old houses and narrowed ways. I turned left and hid myself behind a barn house. And just then, I felt safe and comfortable. I could no longer trace and track the presence of the wild beast.

My heart pounded that I could feel the beats in my throat. My chest was tightening as well as my legs. I've been running like a mad prisoner trying not to be caught by cops.

I squeezed my chest and took a deep breath. My whole body was trembling. I could still imagine how dim the eyes of the beast were. They were in a shade of golden blue or a bluish white.

I ran down my back on the cold wall of a barn house. I was breathing heavily. Cold sweats were rolling down on my forehead. I gulped once and once again, I took a deep breath.

I closed my eyes and cried silently. I was really puzzled why I was here. I could say I was running in a maze with pitfalls.

I held my breath when I heard a low growl coming from anywhere. It was the same sound I heard when I was in the forest. Could it be possible if the beast was the same with the beast in the forest?

I shook my head and got the guts to stand up on my feet. I felt brave for a moment. My stomach was growling and my inner voice was whispering something I couldn't understand.

I heaved a long sigh. There's a spark running through my body which gave me the strength to face the beast and as I expected, it was the same animal I saw in the forest.

Now that he's in front of me, I could clearly see his dark features. He was strong as hell. He was really big that could engulf my body with no effort. His furs were shiny and they looked smooth now, unlike earlier that they were like spikes and thorns. And his eyes... They were piercing silver grey. They oozed danger but it didn't disturb me. In fact, I was mesmerized by how beautiful he was despite being brutal.

I looked into his silver grey eyes. They dilated from silver to pure grey as they softened. I was about to raise my hand to touch him but he stepped backward and a low groan escaped from his lips. His mouth was filled with sticky saliva cascading like falls and just like I thought, he wasn't terrifying at all but he was beautiful... brutally beautiful.