In The Woods ➳ H.S.

☙ s e v e n t y - o n e

The corridors were crowded with people fighting, but it was nothing compared to what I saw outside the windows. Men looked like ants as they fought in the limited space, but even though the battle had presumably only begun, the metallic smell of blood was already staining the air with every breath I took.

As I moved further and further, I find less and less people around and about in the hallways, until I reached the passage to my destination which was completely abandoned except for two figures that hurried away at the end of it.

I instinctively raise my arms, arrow already launched but it flies just past the second figure's back as they go around the corner.

I immediately drew another arrow and readied it, waiting for the two to come out, but they didn't. In hindsight, they might have just been civilians trying to run away.

I brought my weapons down before sprinting into the make-shift jailroom. "Lea?" I called out immediately.

"Anna! Anna, tell him to let me out!" I hear screaming coming from the end of the room. I make a dash for it, only slightly noticing that all the other cells were now empty.

I spot Niall standing against the wall, and Lea behind bars, clawing her arms through the gaps trying to reach him. She sees me coming and she smiles smugly up at the guard as if she knew he was about to die and she was going to be freed, but for once I wasn't here for her.

"Where is it?" I ask, directing Niall who reached into his pocket.

Lea stills for a second before snapping out of her daze as quickly as it came. "What? Shoot him, Anna! Break me out!" She screams at me, blue eyes showing confusion and desperation at the same time.

And that's when I see it. The madness Niall had referred to. It was there, clear and dark for everyone to notice at first glance.

She had only been in here for a night but her clothes had somehow become filthy, and her blonde hair hung limp around her face.

I shook my head at her. "You're much safer here." I say, and her mouth drops open.

Niall mindlessly cuts in, as he helps me place the bracelet on, his hands surprisingly steady, for a man at war, as they lock the hook in place. "Remember our deal." He says.

I nod once without a word. I glance at Lea again, telling myself that this was the right thing to do even as she glared up at me. Her mouth was moving, possibly cussing me out but my body was suddenly on high alert now. Every cell prickling as the sounds fade and all I hear is the ringing in my ears.

This was really happening. We really are in a war right now.

"You're much safer here." I repeat to Lea, disregarding her words, before turning around and heading out.

Third stone. It's hidden on the third stone. I just have to drink it if I'm in danger.

I found it odd that even me, a person who seems completely selfless, is still plagued with the fear of dying. I tell myself that I would die for my sister, or Harry, or anyone I love, but when I'm faced with Death himself a selfish instinct of fearing for my own life kicks in, and I wonder: if it truly does come to a situation where either me or a love one dies, will I really choose them over me?

Was it really human instinct to be selfish? A sort of, every man for himself mentality?

I pushed open the door to leave the room, still partly lost in my thoughts as adrenaline pumped through my system. I took a few steps forward, but in a snap I'm suddenly pressed up against the wall, a rather frail body against mine.

"My, my, aren't you a pretty little thing." The boy says. That's what he looked like, a boy. He was thin, and frail, no muscle at all. He was pale as hell too, eyes slightly curved as if showing he was from a different race.

I scowled in distaste. I didn't mind all his physical features, I mean who am I to degrade someone based off of their looks, but I did find myself wanting to throw up with the sight of his sleazy smirk and obviously over-sized ego.

"Get off me." I merely state, only slightly threatened, but he had me against the wall and I couldn't reach for my arrows.

He chuckles, leaning in closer, making me even more uncomfortable. "Come on, let me fûck you. Spread those legs for me." He tries to egg me on, and causing me to cringe.

"No." I blankly state, now really wishing I had a knife with me. We're in a middle of a battle and he's looking for a girl to sleep with?

What the hell, who is this person anyway and where the hell did he even come from?

"Come on!" He snaps, shouting at me, but just then blood bubbles out from his lips, quite a lot of it splashing in my face.

He drops down to his knees, and behind him I see a familiar girl with blonde hair and brown eyes. "No means no!" She shouts at the boy as she stood there angry with a bloodied knife at hand.

"It's her fault! She asked for it!" The boy whined as he wheezed on the ground, obviously in pain from the stab wound he can't reach on his back.

Laetitia's eyes blazed with anger once more as she kneeled down next to him. "You" stab "sick," stab "delusional" stab "fuckboy!"

Blood splattered everywhere as she mercilessly brought the knife down into the boy's body. I feel it land on the skin of my calves and it was splashed all over the girl's face. She was panting by the end of it, and I realized her eyes were slightly glossed over.

"Are you okay?" I ask, a little hesitant.

She sniffles a little, before nodding and standing up. She wipes at her eyes, causing the blood on her face to smear. "I've never killed someone before." She confesses, and that was probably the reason why she looked close to crying.

"Then why did you?" I asked again, not that I wasn't thankful, I truly am, but it didn't make sense why she would kill to save me. She didn't know me by much, hell I don't think she even knows my name, so to take someone's life for me -

"You're the only person Harry has ever loved, and down right the best influence for him, did you really I think I'd let anything happen to you?" She says, laughing lightly a little. "Besides, I can't stand guys who can't keep it in their pants." She shrugs, as if the blood on her hands and expensive dress didn't bother her at all.

I nod, not wanting to waste any more time, but I spared a glance at the boy - not one ounce of pity in me. I highly doubt I was the first one he tried this on, but I was happy I was the last. It's quite true what they say, evil doesn't really exist, just extreme cases of stupidity.

"I need to get to higher ground." I say, pulling my train of thoughts back into where it should be. Laetitia shoots me a confused look before I gestured to my bow and arrows.

Her eyes widen a little in understanding before nodding her head. "Right. Of course. Follow me." She mutters and starts to jog off to somewhere.

I follow behind her, before her words suddenly play back in my head. "What's a fuckboy?" I ask curiously as she lead me up the stairs.

She shrugs. "I don't know, I just made it up. Mark my words though, it'll be an actually term some day."

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Lmao idk what I wrote. This chapter was supposed to be gory as hell so idk I wanted to throw shade bc I'm quite the activist when in comes to women rights and that whole issue pissed me off lol

Guess the not-special guest! (If it isn't obvious)

VOTE AND COMMENT. Since we are near the end of the book Imma put a lil comment goal (not vote bc I'm happy with the usual votes I get) around 35? It isn't big at all you guys used to reach 70 okay? I'll update when the goal is reached!