Chapter Thirteen: Betrayal in the Shadows

The car's headlights cut through the rain-soaked night as Alex drove, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. Maya sat stiffly beside him, her mind a whirlwind of fear and confusion. Kara had insisted on staying behind to "buy them some time," but Maya didn't trust her. Something about her smugness as they'd left didn't sit right.

"Where are we even going?" Maya asked, breaking the tense silence.

"To a safe house," Alex replied, his tone clipped.

"A safe house?" Maya repeated. "How do you even have one of those? What aren't you telling me?"

Alex sighed, his jaw tightening. "There's a lot you don't know, Maya. Things I didn't want you to know."

"Like what?" she pressed.

Before he could answer, the car lurched violently to the side, the tires skidding on the slick pavement. Maya screamed as Alex fought to regain control, but the car spun out, slamming into a tree with a deafening crunch.

"Maya!" Alex shouted, reaching for her as the airbags deployed.

"I'm okay," she said shakily, her head pounding. "What the hell just happened?"

Alex was already unbuckling his seatbelt, his eyes scanning the darkness outside. "That wasn't an accident."

Maya's blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"

As if in answer, a shadow moved in the distance, too fast to be human. Alex cursed under his breath, yanking open his door.

"Stay here," he ordered.

"No way," Maya shot back, unbuckling herself. "I'm not just going to sit here!"

"Maya, please—"

A deafening roar interrupted him, the sound echoing through the night like a nightmare made real.

Maya's breath hitched as she caught sight of the figure emerging from the darkness. It was humanoid but wrong—its limbs too long, its eyes glowing with an otherworldly light.

"Run!" Alex shouted, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the car.

They sprinted into the forest, the creature's guttural growls growing louder behind them. The rain soaked them to the bone, the mud threatening to pull them down with every step.

"Alex, what is that thing?" Maya gasped, her lungs burning.

"It's one of them," he said grimly. "A hunter."

"A hunter? What does it want?"

"To deliver a message—or worse," he said, his voice tight.

They stumbled into a clearing, and Alex spun around, pulling Maya behind him. The creature was closer now, its glowing eyes locking onto them like a predator sizing up its prey.

"I'll distract it," Alex said, his voice low. "You keep running."

"No!" Maya said, her grip tightening on his arm. "I'm not leaving you!"

Before Alex could argue, the creature lunged, its speed unnatural. Alex shoved Maya aside and met the attack head-on, slashing at it with a blade he seemed to produce out of nowhere.

The fight was brutal and chaotic, the sound of metal clashing against claws filling the air. Maya watched in horror as Alex was thrown to the ground, the creature looming over him.

"Alex!" she screamed, adrenaline surging through her.

She grabbed a heavy branch from the ground and swung it with all her strength, striking the creature across the back. It roared in pain, turning its glowing eyes on her.

Maya froze, her heart hammering in her chest. But before it could strike, Alex was on his feet again, his blade sinking deep into its side.

The creature let out an unearthly wail, its body convulsing before it crumpled to the ground.

Breathing.