Chapter 26

Before, TW: Gore, Attempted Rape.

No one is coming.

The one that smelled like mold backed down as one of the men came closer, and it was all I could do not to throw up as I felt his grubby hands all over me. I was fighting at this point, hard.

"Get away from me!" I yelled.

"Shut the fuck up, little slut!" the one touching me said as he struggled to seize my hands.

"Grab her by the neck, they like that shit," one of the others spoke. I think to any human being, it was fairly obvious I did not want this. Powerlessness made me cry even harder. I had to stop this.

No one's coming.

I must have reacted on instinct because before one of them grabbed me by the neck, I bit him.

"Stupid bitch," he said as he slapped me really hard.

I suddenly didn't feel helpless anymore. I was fucking angry. Angrier than I had ever been. It was like anger was my superpower. I felt something in me change, change so completely the man had to take a step back. This new part of me wasn't human, not even a little bit. It was driven by instinct. It was feral.

Go for the neck.

I heard that voice in my head growl. Bellow. And before I knew it, I had pounced on him as I ripped his throat out with my teeth.

The feeling was exhilarating, and as I spit part of what looked to be part of his trachea, he dropped to the floor, dead. I relished in the thought, loved the fact I had killed him. But that went away as soon as it came.

The voice grew quieter and quieter until it was merely a whisper. And I was left alone with my thoughts and with the fact I had just killed someone.

I had blood all over my hands, my clothes, my face. I had just killed someone. I kept repeating this to myself, hoping this was a dream, hoping I would soon wake up. I looked around, trying to ground myself.

I had witnesses, but they were frozen mid-step. They had turned away, but they stopped dead in their tracks as they saw something.

A huge golden-eyed man with elongated fangs.

I could only cry and watch as he pounced on one of them, grabbing him by the neck as he pushed him against the wall so hard he hit his head and passed out. Then he turned to the other one, grabbing him by the shirt as he hit him. With one hit, he broke his jaw, then his nose. He kept going as his face became disfigured.

Harlan had come. I had killed someone, but Harlan was here, and he was going to kill someone because of me. Nonononono. He had to stop. I had to stop him.

The anger on his face sent shivers down my spine as he kept hitting the man for far too long. He was dead, that was for sure. He needed to stop. Someone needed to make this all stop.

"Harlan, please," I finally managed, but it came out as nearly a whisper. He stopped immediately as if remembering I was there.

I was a murderer. I was a monster. The memories came flooding back, almost drowning me in them.

I wished I was dead. I wished I had died. I had no idea what I felt other than overwhelming fear and shock. Did they deserve it? Maybe they did, but I killed one of them and Harlan the other. One of them survived. But something on Harlan's face told me he wouldn't keep breathing for long.

Not only had I killed someone, but I also made Harlan kill someone too. Maybe I should have just let it happen. No, I couldn't. I was defending myself. I looked at the bodies and felt nothing but hatred and disgust towards them.

Did that make me a monster? I looked at my blood-soaked hands.

"You're not a monster. They deserved it," he said, but I couldn't hear him. I was too focused on the blood on my hands. He gently grabbed my jaw and forced me to look at him.

"You did the right thing. They were going to hurt you," he said. The way he looked at me made me want to keep crying. He looked at me like I was broken, and he didn't know how to fix me.

I was broken. I didn't know what I was feeling. But the way his eyes gazed upon me was so heartwarming.

He observed me with so much relief. He was so happy I was safe. So I hugged him again and refused to let go. Because I felt whole with him. I felt at peace with him. And even though I was scared, I closed my eyes.

You're safe now. You're with him.

I woke up feeling like I had the best sleep of my life. But that feeling didn't last long.

I remembered everything, the thoughts and past experiences crashing down on me, making me feel like I would die because of all the weight. But right now, I had more urgent matters.

Where is Harlan?

The first thought that popped into my head was about him. But as I looked around, I realized something else.

Where am I?

Panic struck me as I bolted out of the incredibly lush room I was in. I needed to get out of here. Had they kidnapped me? What was happening?

I came out of the room only to see multiple other rooms and some stairs that headed down. I bolted down the stairs so fast I almost fell. This house was huge. These stairs led directly to the kitchen.

"Woah, slow down, you might fall," a female voice said, and I almost sank to the ground from fear. My knees buckled as I turned around and saw a girl in a sports bra and shorts. She looked far too familiar, but I was frozen from fear.

"Are you okay, Maya?"

How the fuck does she know my name? What is happening?