Holly

Just a walk

I wake with a start as the attic door is thrown open. Killian is hunching further over than earlier as he drags himself up the stairs. His eyes are entirely a sickly green with pupils missing as he stares at me in hunger. He pauses a few feet from me, breathing heavily.

"What do you want?" I ask, still sitting on the dirty floor. My voice is meant to sound angry but I know it just sounds afraid.

He continues to stare at me and I nervously start to think of ways to escape. The sun is just starting to set and a stream of orange light shines in from the small window. It is the only barrier between me and Killian. The light should be something beautiful and welcoming. Instead, it paints my cell with a mockingly beautiful shade of amber light.

"I'm starting to wonder if God has been unfair." His voice is rattly, sounding completely unnatural. "I did something horrible and so did your mate. Why don't I get to find my mate? Why don't I get to have powers?"

Maybe because you don't deserve them. God sees no rehabilitation for you, monster.

I remain silent.

He takes a step closer. "I have no clue what I am supposed to do here. I have always taken what I wanted. Maybe I'll do it one last time." He smiles as he leans over me.

He reaches out and grabs my shirt. I scream and try to shove him off me. He laughs and starts to rip the buttons of my shirt off. I feel tears welling up in my eyes as the fear of what will be taken from me becomes realized.

"Get off me!"

"You are all mine."

He yanks me closer to him, starting to reach for his pants.

I shove harder and this time he stumbles back. I take this opportunity to sprint down the stairs and out the front door. Behind me I hear him cackling.

"You know you can't get away, Holly! I'll get you, little human!" It is hilarious to him. To him, this is a hunt and the last ride of his life.

The pounding in my head gets worse as I race through the woods. The trees are tall and intimidating but there are no bushes to slow me down. The shadows that the trees cast in the setting sun mock me in their power and superiority. They don't have to be threatened the way I am. The wind is cold and bites at my skin as I run with all my strength.

Behind me, I hear the crashing of leaves and an animalistic panting.

"Get back here, bitch!" I make a sharp left as I feel claws narrowly miss my back. The monster roars in rage and it slams into a tree behind me. I keep sprinting, trees flying past me.

The sun continues to set and it feels like I am running against time. It is only a matter of time until this monster catches me. These woods must be massive and I'm sure it has more stamina than me. I am chasing the sunset, trying to run away from my fate behind me.

I take a sharp right and feel its body fly past me into another tree. It roars again but my legs only get faster and the adrenaline builds. The roar this time is mixed with screeching and an angry man's yell. The distorted vocal cords make me run faster, not wanting to see what is about to prey on me.

"I'm going to kill you, Holly! Just you wait. I'll get my last fix in if it is the last thing I do!"

I see the line of trees stop ahead of me but I keep running. I am flying through the woods, nothing stopping me. Maybe it is a clearing. My freedom or doom ahead.

The air flies past me and the wind hits my body hard. My heart drops to my stomach as I quickly approach the cliff's edge, no time to stop. I am going too fast and quickly find myself going over the edge. One hundred feet below me are sharp jagged black rocks that pierce the air as smoothly as they will pierce me.

It is a quick fall, my death quickly approaching me before I fully have time to register what is happening to me.

The scream in my throat gets blocked by the shock and I flail as my body plummets to the raging ocean waves. I was never far from the sea like it told me.

A large blue wave reaches out and wraps around me. The force of falling is broken by this wave and I sink into the ocean's depths.

I feel strong arms wrap around me and instant relief. We surface instantly and I cling onto him, already knowing who it is by the sparks that run through my body. Just like water, my fear from the monster chasing me washes away the moment I open my eyes and see him looking down at me with concern.

"HOLLY!" Its voice is distorted and gurgly.

We both turn our heads to see the monster above reaching the cliff's edge. It slides over the cliff like a snake and plummets towards the ocean.

"Don't watch." His voice is deep and so different from the one I have been forced to listen to for several hours. Arius lifts his hand and the water obeys him. It grabs a hold of the falling monster but with more violence than the water did with me. Arius wraps his arms around me but remains focused on the monster.

Slam.

Slam.

His eyes are a mix of boiling black rage and complete surrender to the desire to kill.

Slam.

Slam.

I look over my shoulder and see the wave slamming what was once Killian against the cliff wall.

Smack.

Smack.

I look away and back to Arius whose eyes are even more intense as he watches the monster come apart.

Crack.

Crack.

Splat.

"Arius." His eyes snap to mine and I see the rage dissipate. "Please stop. I'm sure it is dead."

He nods his head and I hear a splash behind us. "Are you okay?" He asks, placing his palm against my cheek.

I nod. "I was so scared." Tears water in my eyes as the reality of what Killian almost did sinks in.

"So long as I'm here, no one can hurt you." He says, placing a small kiss on my forehead. "Let's go home."