In Search of You

Chapter 3

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Story co-authored by @strangegrounds

CHAPTER 3

“Whoa! Hold up! As much as I want to, I can’t run anymore!” Astrid hissed. For what felt like hours, they ran through the dense forest. Her breathing was labored and she felt as though there was a stitch in her side. She looked at Quil and he didn’t even appear out of breath. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair as he surveyed their surroundings.

It seemed as though Quil knew the forest by heart. It was dark and Astrid couldn’t see a damned thing except for when it was about to hit her in the face. Quil, on the other hand, ducked through branches and ran as silent as the night while she had multiple scratches and bruises from the numerous times that she wasn’t able to avoid low-hanging branches and tripped on vines.

Quil stopped and he threw her an impatient glare. “Just a bit more. We can rest when we find a secure place,” he whispered. Then, he took her hand once more and dragged her through the dark forest. This time, Astrid took care to mimic his movements. She ducked when he did and lifted her foot when he did. She watched only him instead of trying to see around the darkness that encompassed them both. It worked for she didn’t trip or get face-planted by a branch this time.

They ran for another couple of minutes. Astrid heard the sound of running water and that was when Quil stopped. “We’ll rest here. You can wash up on the stream,” he told her. He reached inside his bag and rummaged around it. Astrid dropped her bag beside him and cautiously walked over to the stream.

There were only a few trees beside the stream and it was easier to see here. She looked at her bloodied hands and the horror of what she did finally dawned on her. She just killed that creature—whatever that was! Her hands shook and her knees threatened to buckle. To calm herself, Astrid took in several deep breaths and listened to the sound of water running over the rocks. She knelt by the stream and surveyed the water. At first she was afraid of dipping her hand in the water in fear of yet another unknown creature biting her fingers off. She peered around the clear waters for a few more minutes and when she deemed it safe, washed her hands.

Where the fuck is she?

What kind of place is this? Was she in another planet? Another dimension, perhaps? With each second that passed, Astrid’s belief of this being all a dream diminished. Deep in her heart she knew all of this was real especially when she killed that wolf-like thing to save her life. At first she believed it was all a dream and that was what gave her courage to leap and stab that horrible creature. Everyone is a hero in their own dreams, right? But when she felt the spurt of blood beneath her fingers and the moment that the creature’s heart stopped, realization dawned on her.

This was all real and she was stuck here. Now, she needed fucking answers.

Astrid wiped her hands on her cashmere coat and returned to where Quil sat. “We can’t build a fire because it will attract more creatures. Besides, all the branches are wet from the rain,” he pointed out. Astrid knelt beside him and looked at him from head to toe.

Quil had hair as dark as night. He also had strong, aristocratic features. He had sharp cheekbones and a stubborn jaw. But what she found mesmerizing was his strikingly beautiful blue eyes. Even though it was dark, she could still see their color. Quil stared back at her and she forced herself to turn away. But when he was busy digging through his bag, she chanced another look at him.

He wore a dark jacket which was zipped up to his neck. He also wore denim pants and what looked like leather boots. Over all of those, he wore a long, drab, gray traveller’s cloak that was fastened beneath his chin with a golden brooch. She wanted to examine it further but Quil’s gloved hands covered it.