Deep Crimson Eyes

In the pitch-black forest, three beasts growled in low voices. How am I supposed to take on something like this? Let alone three of them... Am I really going to die here?

One of the beasts started walking closer towards me cautiously. Its grey fur shimmered in the moonlight, its bared fangs gleaming with hostility. One wrong move... and I'm dead.

Without warning, it lunged. Its jaws clamped down on my forearm. I screamed in pain, blood dripping from the wound to the ground. The pain was unbearable.

I kicked at its jaw, forcing it to unclench its hold. Without hesitation, I drove my dagger upward through its jaw. The blade sliced through it like butter, but the beast didn't go down easily. It thrashed wildly, claws raking across me, carving shallow wounds into my skin.

Fighting with only one usable arm is unbearable.

I ripped the dagger free from its jaw, feeling its blood dripping into the bite wound. And then... I felt a strange, searing sensation in my arm. I looked down, and I was shaken up. The wound was closing. How… is this how my arm healed?

The beast lunged again, interrupting my train of thought, its claws slashing down on me. I barely managed to leap back dodging the blow.

With no time to hesitate I charged in with the dagger in hand, stabbing it deep into its abdomen. Unluckily, I lost my grip on the dagger. The dagger stayed stuck in the beast. With a furious scream, it tackled me, pinning me to the ground.

Its disgusting face loomed closer. This was it, I was going to die. But suddenly a distant whimper cut through the chaos… then silence.

The creature's eyes shifted, It wasn't looking at me anymore. It was… afraid?

In an instant, it was thrown off me, something had ripped it away. The forest went still. The cold wind rustled the trees. And I just laid there dumbfounded. Slowly, I sat up, scanning the darkness.

Then I saw her.

Standing bathed in faint moonlight, a woman stood on top of the wolf-like creatures, covered in their blood. Her eyes were a deep crimson, shining in the dark night. She was... stunning.

Long black hair flowed behind her, pale skin glowing softly in the dark. A blood-soaked blade hung at her side.

She looked at me, and something primal screamed inside me... it was danger. She was powerful. More powerful than anything I met before.

Without a word, she stepped forward, the moonlight casting a long shadow that swallowed me whole.

I panicked. I had to say something.

"U-Uh… hello?"

She didn't respond. The silence was deafening. Alright… I might actually die today.

She stopped just in front of me, her gaze cold. She knelt down, her eyes scanning me with a blank expression.

And then for the first time, she spoke.

"...Are you alright?"

...

It's been about 2 hours since I've met this untalkative girl. She either doesn't like to talk, or maybe she's just very awkward. However, I've learned that her name is Rory.

She seemed to be hunting the creatures for food. She said something about being runaways? Whatever that means, I guess I'll find out more about that later.

One thing I'm sure of is that she has some kind of inhuman strength, the only other person I've seen that strong was my father... I wonder where he disappeared too.

Agh, I can't start slipping into thoughts right now, I should still be on high alert. She is still really suspicious. I remember Father telling me about cannibal groups or weird worshipers he used to fight off. Hopefully, I won't come across anybody like that...

She turned to me, her eyes having a dark glow in the dark night. She finally spoke again after having not said a word for most of the trip.

"We're here."

"Here?"

I replied with a confused look. In front of her stood a rundown shack in the middle of the forest, with warm light emitting from it. You could hear muffled quiet chatter coming from the inside, and something good smelling...

"It's the place where I live with some other runaways."

"Ah, so this is your home..."

*grumble*

My stomach grumbled, the smell of whatever coming from the inside making me hungrier.

She noticed my eagerness for food, turning to me with a welcome.

"I'm sure we have enough food for an extra person, you can stay here for tonight."

"Really? Is that really alright with you?"

"Of course, the more the merrier."

She responded, slowly walking over to the old shacks door. The shack looked rundown, yet brimming with life. The windows were boarded up with planks of wood, it reminded me of home...

I followed her closely as she slowly opened the rundown shack's old door, making it creak loudly. The muffled and quiet chatter which I heard behind the walls became clear and loud. The smell of pleasant cooking hit my nose more than before, it truly was mouth-watering.

We entered the old shack, Rory stood in the doorway, greeting everyone there with a simple wave.

"I'm back."

Everyone looked at her with warmth, welcoming her back, until they averted their attention to a person standing next to her... me. All chatter stopped, observing the odd scruffy-haired boy.

In a moment, Rory noticed everyone's gaze being on me, putting her on the spot.

"Ah, I should've introduced you. He was getting attacked by some beasts, so I helped him out. I thought I'd let him stay here tonight." She explained in a calm monotone voice.

I waved to the runaways, greeting them with an awkward smile.

"hello there..."