Reclaimed (Book 1)

Chapter 1

The door exploded open and rust shot through the air like poisonous gas. The girl hurried behind a crate while fumbling for a gun she had just stolen.

"This was a bad idea," she said under her breath.

She had never held a gun before; let alone fire one. It was out of desperation that she had robbed the gas station employee of it. Now she regretted taking it. With her luck the things chasing her would use the weapon against her.

She waited. The only sound that could be heard was her labored breathing. Living on the streets for so long had forced her to adapt to different changes in the environment like weather, people, and whatever she deemed a threat. The thing that she never got used to was the silence.

The city was loud. There was the constant movement of machines and the chatter of people. It was when she began running that she found herself searching for the most secluded places that her enemies wouldn't think of looking in. That sometimes meant hours of silence.

During that time, she was forced to dwell on her pathetic existence she called a life. There was nothing glorious about living on the streets and yet here she was, fleeing from another foster house that didn't understand the threat she brought them. In a few days the police would catch her and she would go through the same process all over again.

The wind began to howl through the gaping hole that was once a door. She knew they were coming.

Stupid gun, she thought. What was she thinking? She didn't even know how to load the thing.

"She's here," croaked her hidden enemy. "I can feel her."

The girl watched as the shadows began to take shape. They pulled together like puzzle pieces until there were four men standing in the abandoned building.

It was the middle of the night but, their bodies pulsed like their skin was on fire. The people standing there were the same ones that had been chasing her for the past six months.

They were men, all of them different sizes but, wearing the same thing. Black clothes from head to toe except for a splash of purple in their hooded robes.

She turned her head and slowly let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding.

The tallest man smiled, his eyes glowing under his hood. "I know you're there," he said.

She could hear the laughter in his voice and hated herself for being so scared and weak. If these things were human she would have tried attacking a long time ago.

"We just want to talk," said another man. His voice was much more high pitched. He sounded young and arrogant; something she learned at a young age was a combination to get oneself seriously hurt or killed.

The girl chewed her bottom lip. She didn't have many choices. This time she had run herself into a room with no exit. Her only saving grace were the decaying storage bins.

She tucked the gun into her jacket pocket and willed her heart to stop beating so fast. If these guys could track her by scent, then they could probably sense her fear. She needed to be completely calm if she wanted to make it out alive.

"Okay," she said, stepping out from behind the storage bin. "I'm tired of running. Let's talk."

One of the men moved forward, his white teeth gleaming under his hood. "You are much prettier than I thought."

"The boss said not to touch her," hissed a man from behind.

The one in front whipped around and jabbed a finger into his partner's chest. "I know that! I was just saying she was hot."