Chapter 1 C1

"Damn it," I curse under my breath after being unsuccessful in making a smooth jump over the high-up tree acting as a sort of barricade. Almost made me trip to the ground but I overcome the momentum... mainly because of the heavy footsteps I can hear coming from behind me.

I'm not about to die now. Yeah, because one slip up could result in my death or anything related to that by those on my tail at the moment. If any of that happens to me today, I would only have myself to blame because I led myself into trouble. So much for trying to be good today.

I've been on the run for minutes now. And that was after I was discovered lurking about the territory of those I shouldn't have stepped my foot on. Well, my curiosity be damned because I wanted to see if I would sight something I had come across a few days ago when I had trespassed like I did today.

So it happened that I had been on the hideout after trespassing that day. During the process of trying to not get discovered, something had caught my interest. And just as I was about to go take a look at it, the owners of the territory had come into sight. Just to save my skin, I had to neglect whatever it was, with the hope of seeing it another day.

Today wasn't in my plan for sightseeing. It never even crossed my mind that I would do any of such today. But as nature would have it, and with plans not coming into place, I decided to go explore the rival territory. And look what it eventually got me into.

Okay, now I can hear the heavy footsteps approaching more and more. But at the same time, I can sense that I was close to making a complete escape away from them. I just needed to increase my pace and that was it.

'You should have listened to your instincts when you had the chance to,'

Well, that was weird. I think that just came from my head. Yeah, it felt like a thought but the weird thing was that it didn't sound anything like my voice. I didn't sound so low-pitched like that. Made it feel like something or someone was talking to me without me seeing who the voice belongs to. Or was I imagining things?

I decided not to let that get to me because I still have an escape to make. The supposed voice in my head isn't going to save me from those maniacs hellbent on catching me today. And neither would it make me move faster than this.

It's rather strange that I haven't gotten tired yet. I do not even feel weary as I ought to after going on such running motion for minutes now.

I think I need to start asking myself what is going on with me. Am I okay? I mean, should this be happening at all? Asides from the advantage it was giving me from escaping from the reach of those approaching me, it still felt weird. I should be feeling even the littlest of pain by now. Not to forget that I am totally barefooted.

I can see it now. My line of victory. The path that can separate me from them. All I need to do was make a single rollover and then probably a long jump. With that, I am completely free from their reach.

And so I begin to prepare to do it. The rollover was because of a dried cutdown tree that I don't think would be safe to jump over, knowing how bad it was during the first jump I did over a similar situation. I'm not about to risk my safety again.

The rollover was successful. Now it is left for me to do the last thing on my supposed bucket list. And just as I prepare to do it, I feel the air thicken over me.

Instantly I know what that means. I am at the inch of getting nabbed from above. My heart skips a beat immediately. I have tried not to be scared since I began this whole escape thingy but now I am scared as hell. So scared that I could pee my pants without shame.

But I keep going.

"Don't jump, Kira," I whisper to myself, and then I yell: "Slide!"

And without thinking about the consequences, I change what I initially have in mind to do. What I do is go down to the ground and then slide with full force. So much force that I wouldn't be surprised about my legs ripping apart if the need be.

At the last second, a finger that felt more like a claw tugs at my hair but I easily sway away from the touch during the whole sliding thingy, until I find myself crossing the line that I had to cross. However, I couldn't stop there because the momentum has completely taken control of the situation.

"Oh no!" was what I could utter as I watch myself getting ready to bump into a tree. And yeah, that did happen, sending myself head-on to the tree.

It stops the momentum but causes an instant throb in my head as I collapse to the ground with my legs spread apart on both sides of the tree.

I can literally see stars floating above my head. I thought I wasn't going to feel any pain again, but this just shows that it was the adrenaline that took over me when I had been on the run.

The proof that I can indeed still feel pain is when I supposedly recover from the knock on my head. I sit up to get up from the ground and that is when a shooting pain goes through my leg. Damn, that doesn't feel good.

When I look down at the leg, which is the right one, I can see it is bruised around the side. Doesn't look like something I should worry myself about, but still, it is something I have to note. Mother is going to kill me if she sees me in this state.

With the tree as support, I manage to get up to my feet. I then look down at my long skirt which has a flair at the hem, as well as a slit by the side that aided my running. A weird-looking skirt, I know. But I can see that it has been ruined in most part.

My top, with a similar color to the skirt, is still in perfect condition. To be honest, it instantly gladdens my heart because I didn't want to feel more exposed than I already am. Took a lot of nerve to get me to put on this armless top which was incapable of covering my stomach. So, apparently, my navel is completely exposed at the moment.

A smile that is laced with nothing else but mockery is plastered on my face the moment I turn around to take a look at where I am coming from.

What made me resort to that is the sight that I am met with. A bunch of angry naked men that look like they are ready to pounce on me if they get the chance to. Unfortunately, they can't because they have no way around this. Perhaps if they had caught up with me then, it would have worked for them.

It looks weird that they are all without clothes. Normally I should be bothered about the sight, especially seeing the glories dangling in between their legs. But isn't this something I see a lot? A general phenomenon, I must call it.

The distance away from me to them is nothing too much. A single jump with a lot of force would land them directly in front of me, which could spell disaster for me. But they have no guts to do that. And this is the advantage I have at the very moment.

"C'mon what's stopping you all from coming? You all scared?" I ask, taunting them with a creepy smile attached to my face. The responses I get from them are a couple of snarls, especially from the two big wolves that just appeared next to them.

Right in front of my eyes, the wolves transform into naked men just like the others. They stand up to their feet with glares evident on their faces. It makes it look like they are performing an already rehearsed rhythm.

"Stop shooting daggers at me and take up the challenge. Or is anyone of you not up to it?" and yeah, they snarl again at me which only amuses me more. "Yeah, that's the only thing you can do, you cowards!"

"I dare you to say that again..."

And right in the middle of the group of angry naked men comes the only clothed one among them. No lies about it, unlike others, this one screams terror.