Chapter 6

(Third person's point of view)

As the dream's dark energies dissipated, Rachel's eyes fluttered open, revealing the soft morning light filtering through the window.

She groaned, rubbing the remnants of fatigue from her eyes. Just as she began to sit up, a sharp, searing pain lanced through her body, intensifying around the bite mark on her leg.

Rachel's breath caught in her throat as she studied the wound with growing concern.The veins, once a harmless network beneath her skin, now pulsed with an ominous, dark energy, spreading like crawling invertebrates up her thighs.

A sense of dread chilled her to the core. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be.With trembling hands, Rachel leaned forward, inspecting the bite mark more closely.

The skin around it was red and inflamed, the very edges beginning to darken into bruises. The veins, now clearly visible, twitched and undulated beneath the surface, as if alive.

A wave of panic threatened to overwhelm her as the reality of the situation crashed over Rachel like a dark tidal wave.

She was changing, transforming into something inhuman, just like the creatures she had always feared. The pain intensified, growing more acute with every passing moment.

Rachel jolted upright, gasping for air as the searing pain suddenly ceased, leaving her leg feeling hot, tingly, and strangely sensitive.

Her heart raced, pounding in her ears as the memories of her nightmare flooded back - the creature's fangs, the venomous bite, the creeping veins...With a shaky breath, she pushed aside the lingering dread, focusing on the pressing need to find her brother Max.

Time was short, and every minute counted.Rachel hurried to her bedroom, grabbing a small backpack and stuffing it with energy bars, dried fruit, and a canteen of water.

She knew the journey ahead would be grueling, both physically and emotionally. Stepping into the garage, she scanned the neatly arranged tools and machines, her gaze landing on a old sedan, dusty but reliable.

Hopping through the driver's side, she rifled through the glove compartment until her fingers closed around a set of keys.

Now, it was her only hope of reaching him before it was too late.

With practiced precision, Rachel unlocked the car and settled into the driver's seat, her mind a whirlwind of anxious thoughts and desperate prayers.

As Rachel pulled into the parking lot of the old mill, her eyes scanned the surroundings with a mix of caution and desperation.

The vehicle's tires crunched against gravel, the only sound in the oppressive stillness of the morning.

A sense of unease prickled at the back of her neck as she took in the desolate landscape - overgrown fields, gnarled trees that seemed to reach out like skeletal fingers, and the looming presence of the abandoned mill on the hill.

Stepping out of the car, Rachel drew a deep breath, her lungs burning with the crisp, slightly damp air.

She squinted against the piercing daylight, her gaze darting from shadow to shadow as if expecting the creatures to spring forth at any moment.

The eerie silence only adds to her unease, a stark contrast to the cacophony of the woods she had just navigated.With a calculated stride, Rachel approached the entrance of the mill, her boots clacking against the weathered wooden steps.

She hesitated for a fraction of a second before pushing open the creaky door, her heart pounding in anticipation of what she might find inside.

Rachel's heart stopped as she beheld the gruesome scene before her. The once bustling hub of human activity lay shattered and silent, the only signs of life now being the cold, lifeless bodies strewn across the floor.

Panic surged through her veins like icy water as the horrifying reality sank in - the creatures had indeed breached this sanctuary.

Her frantic search for any sign of Max yielded nothing, his absence a bitter pill to swallow.With a sinking sensation, Rachel's gaze landed on a crumpled piece of paper caught in the wreckage.

Her trembling hands reached out, unfolding the sheet with a sense of trepidation.

A mix of relief and dread washed over her as the hasty scrawl came into focus:"Rachel, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. We were caught off guard. We're all making a desperate run for the safe zone. Meet us in Willowbrook. Soldiers are helping us. Don't look back. Don't stop."

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she read the words, her brother's voice echoing through the desolate mill. Willowbrook - it was a distant town, several hours away by car.

The mention of soldiers tempered her fear slightly, but the urgency in Max's message left no room for hesitation.