The Edge

The cold bites at my skin, sharp as broken glass, while silence smothers the cabin like a shroud. My breath is shallow, tight in my chest, every exhale loud in the dead stillness. The fire crackles, but it feels miles away. Outside, the night holds its breath, and so do I.

Liam stands beside me, white-knuckled around a rusted fire poker. His hand trembles. His eyes do not.

"I'm not letting you face him alone," he whispers. His voice is cracked, but his resolve burns.

I glance at him. There's so much I can't say. The truth would shatter him. "You don't know what he is."

"Then tell me."

The floorboards groan. Slow. Heavy. The sound of something ancient, unstoppable.

Lucian.

I grab Liam's wrist. "We go. Now."

The door shrieks open. The cold punches hard, air sharp as blades. Branches whip and claw at us as we tear through the woods. Every shadow feels alive, moving with purpose. The world shrinks to the sound of our breath and pounding feet.

Footsteps follow. Heavy. Steady. I feel them in my bones.

Lucian's growl tears through the dark. It's not just sound — it's pressure, vibrating in my chest, suffocating.

"Move!" I hiss, shoving Liam forward.

He stumbles, catches himself, glances back — eyes wide, terrified.

"You've made me chase," Lucian snarls, voice curling with hunger.

I spin. He steps from the dark, golden eyes burning like wildfire. His smile is slow, cruel.

He strikes. I block, but the impact shudders through my bones. My boots scrape across frost-slicked ground.

Liam swings the poker. Lucian catches it mid-air and snaps it like a matchstick. The sound echoes, final.

Lucian backhands Liam. He crashes into a tree, gasping.

I lunge, sweeping his legs. He stumbles but catches himself with inhuman grace.

"Still pretending you can win," he taunts.

I attack. Fast, feral. Fists, knees, elbows — every strike desperate. He laughs and slams me down.

Pain detonates behind my eyes.

"Stay down," he growls.

I twist, claw at his wrist. He jerks back. Liam is up, blood streaking his face, charging.

Liam slams into Lucian's ribs. Lucian staggers.

I rise, drive my boot into his side. He snarls, swings. His claws rip across my shoulder. Heat and pain flood down my arm.

"Run!" I scream.

"I'm not leaving!"

Lucian lunges. I intercept, raking my nails across his face. He roars, hurling me aside like a rag doll.

Branches crack beneath us. The earth drops away.

We fall. Air rushes past in a freezing blur. The river swallows us, brutal and cold. It drags us under, spinning us into darkness. Water claws at my throat. I fight it, snatch Liam's wrist. We break the surface, coughing, choking.

The current spits us onto muddy banks. We collapse, gasping.

"That," Liam pants, "was insane."

I grin through blood and exhaustion. "Not even close."

A roar rises behind us, shaking the ground.

"He's coming," I whisper.

We push forward, stumbling deeper into the woods. My side burns, my head swims. Every breath hurts. But we move.

The forest feels endless, oppressive. Twigs snap beneath our boots. Shadows slither. The night presses close, whispering threats in a voice older than time.

We collapse beneath a towering oak. Liam looks at me, eyes searching.

"What are you?" he asks softly.

I hesitate. "Something I can't tell you now."

The air thickens, heavy with electricity. Every breath feels like inhaling lightning.

Lucian emerges from the dark, drenched, eyes blazing hatred. His presence suffocates, pulling the warmth.

I shove Liam behind me. "Stay back."

Lucian lunges. We collide in a fury of claws, fists, teeth. He's stronger. I'm faster. But speed won't save me forever.

Liam grabs a rock, throws it. It bounces off Lucian's shoulder. Lucian barely flinches. He tosses Liam like a broken toy.

I scream and hurl myself at Lucian. We crash into the river again. Water surges around us. I claw at him, shove him under. He thrashes, kicks.

His hand tightens around my throat. Black dots cloud my vision, but I rake my claws across his face. He releases me with a gasp, rising from the water, eyes wild.

The shadows swallow him whole. The forest exhales.

I crawl out of the water, shaking, grab Liam's hand.

"We have to move."

We stumble through the night. Every step agony. My vision blurs. My ears ring. My heart pounds like a war drum.

The forest around us seems to breathe. Twigs snap to the side, but it's just a fox darting into the undergrowth. Every noise could be Lucian, or worse.

Then — headlights. A road. Civilization. Maybe safety. Maybe another trap.

We don't stop.

We run until we can't feel the night breathing down our necks. Until the forest behind us feels like a nightmare still whispering from the dark.

The road stretches ahead. Empty. Unknown.

Liam squeezes my hand. "What now?"

I look at the horizon, the sky bleeding toward dawn.

"We survive."

We keep moving. Every step forward peels a layer of fear from my bones, but it lingers, deep down, a promise Lucian made with every strike.

I glance at Liam. His face is pale, eyes hollow but alive.

"Thank you," he whispers.

I shake my head. "We're not safe yet."

A howl echoes behind us. Not Lucian — something else.

The night isn't finished.

We run faster.

The road curves, leading us toward distant lights. I don't know what's ahead, but we have no choice.

We run until dawn breaks, until the forest finally lets us go.

In the pale light of morning, soaked and shaking, we finally dare to breathe.

But I know this was only the beginning. Lucian won't stop. And neither can we. Ahead, the horizon glows faintly with promise and peril alike. Our story isn't over.

I squeeze Liam's hand tighter.

"We fight," I say. He nods, breath ragged but sure.

And as the first light warms our frozen skin, we know: whatever waits ahead, we'll face it together. Step by step, breath by breath, into the unknown.