The Angel Hunters: Tale of Werewolves, Vampires, and Witches

My eyes sprung open.

I quickly got up and scanned the room. I'm in the living room. The place was quite messy, the couch was slanted out of place, blankets and pillows were thrown, and there was a cut - a scratch - on the wallpaper. What happened here?

I wandered, trying to gather my thoughts and remember what happened. "Hello?" I walked towards the kitchen. "Is anyone here?"

No answer. Just the deafening silence. I looked out the window and it is very quiet outside too. No vehicles, no people walking around. I hugged myself as the cold wind blew. It's very chilly, and it's a little foggy too.

I noticed a note stuck on the fridge.

"Asteria, don't look back." I read. What does that even mean? Am I Asteria? Pretty name. I wonder who wrote this note. Maybe I should look around and see if someone else is here?

I went upstairs and entered a room with dainty floral wallpaper. There is a vanity across the bed and unlike the living room, this room is very neat and organized. It looks like a bedroom for a princess.

I opened the closet and took a coat. I looked at my reflection in the mirror as I tied my hair in a side braid. That's funny. I looked down to think about the situation I am currently in, then I looked at myself again, touching my face.

I don't remember anything. I don't even remember what I look like, so I was surprised to see my reflection for the first time. How can I not know anything about myself? How is this even possible? Why is there no one around here?!

I took a flashlight from the bedside table and stumbled as I walked down the hallway and went outside the house.

"Hello?" I screamed. I waited a couple seconds, maybe even a minute, but nobody answered. I'm completely alone.

I've been walking around the town for what feels like hours but there's no one here. What's going on here? Are they all dead? That can't be possible, there's no trace of blood anywhere too, also no dead bodies laying around.

I hugged myself while walking when the cold air suddenly blew. It's very dark outside and I can notice the light of my flashlight getting dimmer. I should get back home and get new batteries, I'll continue looking around tomorrow morning.

I was about to leave when I heard footsteps. "Is anyone there?" I pointed my flashlight at the forest because it sounded like the footsteps came from there.

I was about to approach the forest and see if there's anyone in there when a big wolf suddenly jumped in front of me!

I fell on my back and the wolf immediately got on top of me. I moved backwards, hoping to escape from the wolf but it was too strong, it held me down and stayed on top of me while growling.

After a few seconds, I stopped moving. Why is it not doing anything? It's just there... staring. Why? It can eat or bite me easily but it's not moving.

I was about to try to fight it so I could escape when it suddenly howled. I gasped out of shock because of the sound it made. The wolf looked back at me, this time looking angry and wild, however, it got off of me.

I stood up and looked at it again, not sure if I should run or not, scared that it would chase and kill me. It howled again, this time, more howls followed, the sounds coming from inside the forest.

Upon hearing those howls, I ran as fast as I could! There were more wolves inside the forest. I looked back and saw that the wolf was just staring at me, not doing anything though I expected it to chase after me. What was that? Did he call other wolves so they could chase me all together?

When I got home, I immediately locked my doors and windows. I peeped outside, no one was there. Of course no one was there. What was I expecting? They were just animals, it's not like they'd intrude my house. But still, just to be safe, I made sure everything was locked and no one could get in.

I grabbed a journal and pen that I found on the desk inside the room I was in earlier and started writing on it.

-

?/??/????

I woke up with my memories wiped away. I didn't know who I was, how I got here, and why there's no one here but me. I found a note on the fridge that says 'Asteria, don't look back'. Is that me? Maybe my name is Asteria. I have no clue, but I will just call myself Asteria from now on. I looked around to see if anyone else was in this world, but all I found were wolves, however, none of them attacked me, they just stared. Why?

-

I attached the note I found on the page as well. I put question marks since I didn't know the date, I guess I'll have to find out.

The next morning, I woke up early and went on a walk. I'm not sure why, but I went into the forest to check if there's something weird or suspicious there. Surprisingly, there was nothing. What I find weird is that there was also no sign of wolves. Maybe they're hiding, but how come there's no scratches on the ground and trees? There's also no footprints. The forest was... clean. No marks at all.

After my morning walk, I went to the grocery to get some stocks. I wasn't able to sleep well last night because I was bothered by how I can survive in this world all alone.

My plan was to stock up on canned foods and instant noodles, or any food that lasts longer. I also want to consume fish and meat first while they're still fresh. I can just plant vegetables and fruits so I still have food when the stocks from the grocery store have gone bad.

I had everything planned in my head, I needed to survive. I'm not dying alone. I'm going to be healthy and live peacefully while I try to find out what this place is, how I ended up here, who I am, and how I can get back to the real world. It sounds impossible, but I trust I can figure it out. There's no way I can spend years trapped alone here.

It was a long walk, I had to carry all my groceries back home, and there were no vehicles or any means of transportation so I had to walk back. They were very heavy!

When I arrived at home, I quickly put everything in the kitchen and went to the backyard so I could plant some vegetables and fruits. I found these seeds at the store today so I figured I should start planting now so they would be good to go once I ran out of food from the grocery.

After planting, I went to look around the house for a bit.

July 7, 2023.

That date was encircled on the calendar hanging at the door. Assuming that it was July 7 yesterday, maybe it's the 8th now. I should probably keep track of the date too.

I don't have anything to do and I was getting bored being here by myself, so I decided to just clean the house. I fixed the living room first since it was a mess yesterday when I first got here.

I also cleaned all the rooms, this house has a total of four rooms, it is pretty big. The main bedroom has two bunk beds so I'm assuming four people sleep there. I wonder if this is really my house? If it is, how many people do I live with?

When I'm done cleaning, I was about to rest when I realized there's a ladder at the end of the hall that leads to what seems to be an attic.

It was a mess up there! There were spiderwebs everywhere, and it was very dusty, so I kept sneezing. There were also lots of boxes in here so I realized that maybe we use this to store all our old stuff.

I reached out to the box that has my name 'Asteria' written on it. The first thing I saw was a baby dress and some rag dolls. At the bottom, I found an album.

Intrigued, I opened it to see if there's any useful information here. Inside the album was just a bunch of old pictures of me as a baby, a kid, and a young teen. Well, at least I now know for sure that I am Asteria.

What caught my eye, however, is a picture of me when I was a baby with a woman carrying me. Maybe she's my mother? I took the picture out of the album to get a clearer look of my mother when I noticed there's a note written behind it.

'May 26, 2004 - 5th child, Asteria Marie Woods, was born ♡'

If I was born in 2004, that means I'm 19 years old now. Well, I may have not found anything in this attic about how I ended up here and where this place is, but at least I got to know information about myself.

Everyday, I do the exact same things. I take walks in the morning and look around to see if I truly am alone here. I plan my meals so I can budget food and drinks wisely, and I make sure to stock up.

I've been doing those things for two weeks now.

-

07/22/2023

I think I'm going crazy. I convinced myself that it would be fun living alone on my first day here but now I feel so lonely. I don't even have a pet, I have no one to talk to. I don't like keeping diaries but this helps keep me sane, I've been writing everyday for two weeks, and it makes me feel like I have company. I know no one will get to read this diary since I am all alone here, but if someone is reading this, please help me.

-

After writing, I stood up and carried my backpack. I'm not giving up. There has to be a solution, an answer to why this is happening. There's no way I'm all alone, how come there's still water and electricity running? Someone has to be in control.

I went outside again and tried to look for something suspicious. I went to places that I usually go to, and I even went deeper down the forest.

My mind was a blur, I wasn't thinking properly, all I know is that I need to find something that will help me. I'm not quite sure what it is that I need, but I'll know when I see it.

As I walked further in the forest, I realized that I was no longer familiar with my surroundings. I got worried for a while but I just shrugged it off. I don't think it's dangerous since I am alone, and I'm sure I can still find my way back.

Wait, what if the wolves appear tonight? That won't happen, right? It's been a week, and I haven't seen any wolves since the first day I got here.

It was getting dark, especially because there were too many trees, so they're shading the sun. However, I can see light seeping through a small path behind a very large tree. I don't want to assume anything, but it looks like it's been hidden, seeing how it was covered with plants, leaves, and bushes.

I decided I should go there, see if I can find anything. The entrance was a bit small and tight, but I can fit through. Once I was able to enter, I brushed off leaves and dirt on my shirt.

Wow. I've never seen such beauty.

It was magical here, how come I've never seen this place before? There was a river, the sound of water flowing covered the area, and it sounded so beautiful and refreshing.

I also noticed that fruits have been growing here. In the middle, there was a small cottage, which I decided to enter. I don't think I'm intruding on a house since there's probably no one living here anymore and I don't want to get my hopes up, but deep inside, I do wish there's someone here. Being alone for weeks is not easy, I feel like I'm walking on fragile glass and I break down and fall off once things get too hard for me.

Everything was so neat and clean inside, but there was no one.

I didn't find anything useful here so I was about to head out when I noticed something strange. At the dining table, there was a fruit basket filled with fresh fruits. How did they stay fresh?

I walked towards the table to look at it more clearly, when I suddenly felt someone moving behind me. I gasped and quickly turned around, only to find nothing.

Weird. Am I hallucinating? I could've sworn I felt someone move, I even think I heard footsteps.

I was thinking about it for a while when someone moved behind me again, so I quickly turned back and looked at the table, only to see the fruits from the basket had spilled, some of them rolling on the floor. Wait, what just happened?

Again, it moved behind me, so fast, it feels like they're moving along with the wind. I didn't even get a proper look because of how fast the person was moving, but it did hit my shoulder, causing me to fall down. How can someone walk that fast? Was it even a person?

I wasn't sure what it was. I don't think humans could move that quickly, and I didn't really see it, I just felt and heard it.

All I know for sure is that I am not alone. And I'm not sure if that's a good thing.

--

I ran as fast as I could down the forest, trying to find my way back. Shit, it's getting dark! I looked back to see if someone's following me, but I couldn't see anyone. Maybe that should calm me down, but I ran even faster.

I need to get home quickly, I don't want to be here by the time the sun fully sets and my only source of light is the moon. I'm not sure, but I think I should get home if I just run straight ahead.

I looked back again, and it was a mistake. I saw a shadow run quickly, passing by me, but again, it was so fast I'm not sure if I actually saw it or was just hallucinating. But I do know that it moved at the same speed the person from the cottage did. And judging by the silhouette I saw, it's definitely a person. How can it move that fast, though?

I fell down, landing on my butt because of the sudden movement of the shadow. It's gone now, so at least I know it wasn't following me, but I'm still trembling out of fear, tears beginning to form in my eyes. Still, I forced myself to stand up and run as fast as I can, despite being so frightened.

When I arrived at my house, it was already pitch black outside. I locked all the doors and windows while still panting. First thing I did was take water from the fridge and breathe in and out, trying to calm myself down.

Home, at last. I should feel safer now that I'm here, but somehow, I still feel uneasy and panicky. And I know exactly why I feel that way. My eyes landed on the window in my kitchen, right behind me. As I walked closer to it, I examined the yard to see if someone was there. I sighed, realizing there was no one. Maybe I am hallucinating, but it does feel like someone's watching me. I tied my hair in a bun, finally feeling relieved. I'm safe now.

I stopped what I was doing when my eyes landed on the living room. I placed my glass of water on top of the counter and grabbed a kitchen knife, as I slowly walked towards the messy room.

I scanned the place. What happened here? The frames hanging on the wall were broken, and plant vases were shattered, causing the soil to spill on the wooden floor. The pages from the magazines placed on the coffee table were torn and all the cabinets and drawers were open, as if someone was searching for something in my house while I was away. I am definitely not alone.

I grasped the knife tightly as I ran towards my room, the one that looks like a princess' room with dainty wallpaper, to see if something happened there too. I gasped loudly and covered my mouth out of shock.

The mirror in my vanity was shattered, all my drawers and wardrobe also open, and my bedding is a mess.

I looked around trying to figure out why and how this happened. Quickly, I tried to see if something had been taken.

"That's right," I whispered to myself as I walked towards my desk. "I remember placing my diary here right before I left." I talked to myself. I grabbed my head and ruffled my hair. Who would take that? And why? I've only been here for two weeks so I haven't found out much about this place. I don't think I wrote anything useful there, but why would someone take it?

I walked to the vanity again, gliding my finger across the shattered mirror but not letting the glass shards cut me. I jumped and shrieked when I saw a figure of a man standing right behind me! I turned to face him and pointed my knife at him, but he didn't look intimidated at all. Instead, he gave me a smirk.

"Who... Who are you..." I stuttered and caught my breath while speaking, horrified that after being sorrowful of thinking I'm all alone in this world, a man who's potentially dangerous suddenly appeared.

"Xavier Crawford. You?" He sounded laidback, and he even sat on my bed despite me trembling in fear.

"Asteria. Can you please tell me what's going on here?" He's a total stranger, and yet I was desperate enough to ask him, hoping to be enlightened.

"Tell me, Asteria, what do you remember?" His voice was raspy, combined with his British accent, it sounded almost seductive.

He's not forcing me to answer and I don't intend on sharing too much about myself, but somehow, even though I didn't want to, my mouth opened to speak. "Nothing. I just got here a couple weeks ago and so far there's nothing I remember about myself, my family, or anything in my life and I know nothing on how I am the only one here, as if I'm existing in a parallel universe."

Without a warning, he briskly stood up which caught me off guard. He took a step towards me, so I stepped back. When I kept on backing away, I was shocked when his hot hands held me by my waist and pulled me against him, making a loud gasp escape from my mouth.

Our bodies are so close and his face was only a few inches away from mine. His green eyes stared deeply into mine, and I examined him closely. He has a chiseled jaw which was so defined and sharp it looked as if it could cut someone. His curly hair was a little messy, but it looked good with his dark aura. His nose was pointed, his lips was crimson, and it looked like his face was sculpted to perfection.

I then focused on how his body felt against mine. His hand cupped my waist perfectly, as if it was made to hold me. His arms were muscular and his body was tough, as if he exercises and works out a lot.

But what I liked the most was his eyes. They stared deeply into mine as if he could see right through me, as if he could see my soul. "You have pretty eyes." I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as he commented on my eyes.

I was about to reply when he moved his hand from my waist up to my shoulders. He held both of my shoulders firmly, it was hurting me a little. When I looked at his face to tell him he's hurting me, I almost screamed when his eyes were red, his mouth partly opened and I could see a glimpse of his sharp fangs.

I almost screamed. Almost. It was as if something was blocked in my throat which prevented me from squealing, or perhaps I feel hypnotized by his darkness.

"You will not remember meeting me today. You will find that someone entered your house and made a mess in it, but you will forget meeting a man named Xavier Crawford."

I wanted to stop him or ask him why he's saying what he just said, but I couldn't move. My whole body froze and my eyes started getting blurry, and I even felt dizzy.

"It was great meeting you, Asteria. It's not the time for us to meet yet, but we will meet again soon."

And with that, he left. He was so fast, it was like he was blown away by the wind. Concurrent with his disappearance was the loss of my memory.

I felt like I had just woken up from a nap. I am still in my room, and my house is still trashed so I know it wasn't a dream. My last memory was my house being a mess, standing in front of my desk, noticing that my diary was missing, but I am now in front of my vanity.

I covered my mouth to hold my sobs in, and I leaned on my wall, letting my body fall down to the floor while crying, confused and afraid.

On the bottom drawer of my desk, I found a camera. I didn't really know what I was doing but I just decided to press record. Since I no longer have my diary with me, I guess I need to find a new way to document everything that's been happening to me. A camera is perfect for that, since it feels exactly like I'm talking to someone.

"Hi." I looked around after saying one word, immediately feeling awkward, but also continued speaking. "This is kinda weird, but whatever. I'm Asteria. I woke up in this world all alone, feeling desperate to look for company, I ended up in the woods and almost got attacked by wolves on my first day here. But I guess that's not important right now because strangely, the wolves never appeared again after that night, so I guess they're no longer a threat to me." I stopped talking and looked outside the window when I heard a noise, but I quickly realized that it was just the wind, and I should stop being paranoid.

"Anyways, I've been here for two weeks now, and I'm not sure I can hold on any longer." With those words, I felt emotional again, but I rolled my eyes up, trying to avoid my tears from falling down. "I feel so lonely, bored, confused, and I'm constantly worrying or panicking. I need to know where everybody went. I need to know how I ended up here, and what this place is. There's a lot of questions and no matter how hard I try to look for answers, I get nothing. And I've been trying to get answers for weeks now." I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and paused for a few seconds before deciding to continue.

"Today, I saw a cottage in the forest, and I could be wrong, but I'm sure someone's living there. I even felt someone moving, but it was so fast, I'm not sure if it was real or I'm starting to see things, because I actually do feel like I'm going crazy."

"I ran back to my house only to see that it had been trashed and my diary's been stolen. To make matters worse, there were gaps in my memories, as if I did something or something important happened and yet I can't remember it. Someone's definitely living in this world other than me. I need to know who it is, talk to them maybe. It may be dangerous, but I can't be alone forever."

When I stopped recording, I quickly covered my mouth to hold in my sobs.

I tried to be strong my first week here. I had everything figured out. I came up with a way to purify water so I can drink, I stocked up on food, I planted fruits and vegetables so I know I'll never run out of something to eat, and I fixed my house to make sure I have a nice shelter. I tried to be strong and think positive so I can search for answers, and maybe two weeks isn't really a long time for some people, but I just feel so tired and hopeless already.

When is this gonna end? Will it ever end?

-

I woke up next morning with my eyes still feeling sore because I cried a lot last night. Despite feeling unmotivated to do something, I forced myself to get out of bed and make coffee.

As per usual, I took a nice morning walk, but instead of doing it to look around and search for answers, this time, I did it for health purposes. After that, I also did a quick workout just to get my body moving.

I didn't know what I should do next, but I do remember what happened last night.

I remembered how scared I was running down the forest with that insanely fast person, and I remember how my house was invaded and destroyed. I'm not just letting this slip off, this might be big and dangerous, I need to fight. First, I need to have a weapon to defend myself.

I didn't really know where I could get one, but I stopped by this gun and firearms store that I found while walking.

I looked around the store, but I realized I don't really know much about guns. There are a few books about them inside the shop so I decided to read them first so at least I know what I'll get and how to use them. In the end, I decided to get two: a pistol and a rifle.

I practiced my shooting accuracy in my backyard, since it's also pretty huge, I thought doing this in a wide space may be good. I first tried to find the proper stance and grip I'm comfortable to work in, and I practiced by dry-firing first.

Once I felt comfortable enough and ready, I loaded the gun and started shooting. I was startled when I made my first shot. The loud noise filled my ears and I felt my hand shaking because of shock. I did terribly, I didn't even hit my target. I tried to calm myself down first and didn't let my fear stop me from trying again.

Once I felt more relaxed, I took a deep breath and fixed my stance and aim again. I focused on my sample target and kept my eyes wide open, and once I'm satisfied with my aim, I pressed the trigger steadily.

I smiled after shooting and put down my gun. I ran towards the can, which I used as a target, and smiled again, satisfied with what I just did. I didn't shoot it in the center, but at least I did hit it, and I did better than before. It's progress.

I spent the rest of the morning practicing and stopped only when it was 11 AM, because I needed to cook for lunch.

Firing and shooting has been a hobby since then. Everyday, I practice my aim, and everyday I get better at it. And I've been doing that for two months.

-

"Hello," I sat down in front of the camera. "Today is day 67 of being trapped in this world. Alone."

I stood up and left the camera rolling and grabbed a bottle of wine along with two wine glasses. I poured one for myself, and poured another glass and placed it in front of me, once again pretending that I have company.

"I got used to it. I learned a lot of survival skills because I know that I have to be strong if I want to live longer," I muttered as I took a sip of my wine, tears rolling down my cheeks, which caused my visions to blur. "I just don't get it," I sobbed.

"How is this even possible? Why is it just me? At this point, I would choose to live with my greatest enemy, rather than live here all by myself. I actually think I'm going crazy, fuck!" I screamed and hit my own head out of frustration. "I don't know what to do anymore," slowly, I took the gun from my pocket and stared at it. "I do have a choice. I can end all this." I said as I played with the gun in my hand. "But if I do, that makes me a loser. I don't want to die alone."

I stopped talking and looked away from the camera while trying to stop myself from weeping. I wipes my tears and looked back at the camera, forcing a smile. "I can do this." I smiled wider and said again, "I can do this!" I said that multiple times, until I actually sounded believable.

Fuck, I'm miserable.

After trying to convince myself that everything will be okay, I started shedding tears again. I took the photo album that I placed in front of me and stared at the people in the pictures. I looked at one that looks like a family picture. My mother and father are standing in the middle, me and my siblings on their sides. It appears that I have four siblings, and I look like the youngest one.

I gently touched their faces, trying to feel something, knowing damn well that I won't because I still can't remember anything. I try to feel sad for them, I try to miss them, but the truth is I don't care about them. They all just look like strangers to me.

I turned to the next page and found a picture of me cuddling with a man. Is he my boyfriend? He looks so handsome, although he also looks older than me, as he appears to be in his late 20s, and I know that I am only 19 years old. Again, however, I feel nothing. No love.

It already sucks that I am left alone in this world, but to make things worse, I also don't know anyone, so I'm not holding on to any feelings. I don't have anyone I love, miss, or care about. I am all alone, and I don't even know myself well enough. How can I hold on and fight to live when I know nothing about my life?

I grabbed my pistol again, this time pointing it at the temple of my head. I took a deep breath as I gathered strength and courage to pull the trigger. "Goodbye, Asteria," I said one last time to myself.

I was about to pull the trigger, when I suddenly heard a loud bang. I quickly opened my eyes again because of this and put my gun down.

I ran towards my window, only to see smoke coming from a distance. I know it's probably just dangerous, but this gave me hope. At least I'm not alone, after all. And the fact that more people suddenly just appeared here like I did means there's also a way to go back. I can still fix myself.

I held on to my gun tightly and also brought a dagger with me. As if all those weapons are still not enough, I carried a bow and arrow on my back as well. I need to be prepared, as I don't know what danger awaits me when I follow the smoke.

Sure, I feel scared and thrilled. But at least I feel something, which is more than I ever got in a month. I will embrace whatever the danger I will face today because I know that the results will either be I die and all the pain ends, or I get the answers I've been longing for.

--

Once I was armed and ready, I left the house and looked around. Following the smoke was no easy task, it was actually harder than I thought. I've been walking for about an hour now, making sure that I remain alert in case of any approaching danger, despite feeling tired.

"Patrol the area."

I immediately crouched and hid behind the wooden crates when I heard someone speak. I peeped to see a group of men, they're soldiers, I think. They nodded in unison upon hearing their leaders' order.

I looked around and scanned the place. There's about seven of them, scattered all over the area, making it hard for me to decide what my next move will be. Luckily, there's no one near me, because the crates I am hiding at are placed on top of a hill, meanwhile, they are scattered below me. Still, I need to be very careful.

Screw this. I'll never be able to defeat seven men in a fight, especially because they're not ordinary men, but soldiers. Maybe I should just move quietly and go back to where I came from.

I quietly backed away from the wooden crates, about to leave, when I suddenly heard muffled screams. Shit, what was that? I went back to my old position, hiding and peeped through the little space between the two crates in front of me. Why didn't I notice that? In the very middle of the land below the hill, 10 people are held captive. Their hands are tied over wooden posts and their mouths are gagged.

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. This isn't my fight. What I need to do is think about how I can keep myself safe now that I know there are soldiers in this place. I wonder what they want? And what is it that those men did that made them angry?

This time, I successfully stood up and was able to leave my position behind the crates. I hurriedly ran over to the large tree and hid behind it, planning to run away once I'm sure no one's around me.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

I almost jumped when I heard a loud scream. I quickly looked down to see where the noise was coming from.

I covered my mouth out of shock and tried to avoid myself from making any noise. I even tried to hold my breath, afraid that it was too loud.

The soldier leader removed the gag from one of the captive and he slit his throat mercilessly, despite the guy begging for his life! I watched as blood dripped down from his neck, to the ground, as his head drooped.

I can't leave them to die.

"Y'all saw that right?" one of the soldiers, their leader, I think, asked. "If you don't want to end up like him," he pointed at the guy he just killed. "Answer my questions, NOW!" He screamed the last word, the captives immediately trembling. "I'm not a very patient person."

One by one, he removed their gags, waiting for an answer, however they refused to speak. Because of this, the leader picked up a wooden plank and he spanked the first guy in the line hard! The guy screamed loud and it was probably one of the most terrifying sounds I've ever heard.

Maybe I am not good enough at fighting, but at least I could try saving their lives. I wanted to kill myself this morning, so even if they catch me and kill me, it's fine. And if I do successfully save them, then I won't be lonely anymore. Either way, the results will end up in my favor.

Instead of using my gun, I took out my bow and arrow and took aim. I held my breath and steadied my position. I pointed the arrow at one guy who was watching over the forest alone. Then, I slowly let go of the arrow.

Once my arrow successfully went through his head, I was able to breathe fine again. Everyday practice and hard work pays off, huh?

Now feeling more confident, I moved back to the crates and positioned myself again.

So there were seven guys, and I've killed one, so there are six left. The only way I will be able to save them is if I kill them unnoticed.

I scanned the area again, trying to look for soldiers who were alone. There are two guys watching the captives, one of them being the leader, and three more guys are surrounding them, standing very closely to each other so I can't take them out. Wait, two and three, I only see five. Where's the other one?

I examined the place again, trying to look for the missing guy when all of a sudden, someone grabbed me by my shirt from the back. I was startled, but I tried to not make noise, hoping I can still get away with this, even though I was caught.

"What are you doing here, little girl?" A man who seemed to be in his 40s asked. He turned me to face him, now grabbing me by my collar.

He grabbed a knife from his pocket and pointed it at my neck. I was shaking out of fear, afraid that my end would come sooner, but still, I tried to gather my strength and muttered the words, "I... I was lost. I just ended up here."

The man laughed at my response and spoke again, "You don't sound convincing. Come," He suddenly turned me around again so he could force me to walk forward. He's bringing me to their leader. I can't be caught by him, he's a killer. He'll kill me along with the nine captives left in an instant, and no one will be here to save us.

I tried to move gently so he wouldn't think I'm trying to fight him, and once I successfully gripped the dagger I had hidden on my belt, I wasted no time. I pulled it out and stabbed deep into the man's neck in a split second.

I watched as he choked on his own blood, looking at me as if I betrayed him, when we weren't even on the same team to begin with.

Two down.

"What's going on here?!" Just when I thought I had escaped, another soldier appeared, and he wasn't as quiet as the first one.

He immediately caught the rest of the soldiers' attention because of his scream, but I had pulled my gun before them, shooting the guy who appeared behind me in the head, doing so without hesitation.

Because of that, the soldiers started shooting in my direction, good thing I'm on top and far away from them, so none of their bullets hit me. I took cover behind the crates again, and I noticed that two out of four men are now gone.

From the crates, I tried to move towards barrels on my left side, still crouching while walking so they won't hit me.

When I moved successfully, I took out my bow and arrow and practiced my stance and position. I aimed at one of the guys' heads, then, I let go of the arrow and watched it successfully hit him. I moved quickly and aimed at another guy's head, making sure to be fast because they were now shooting at me, knowing my new position.

I then accidentally let go of my arrow when a guy jumped at me from my back. I groaned when I missed my target.

I slapped the guy hard and tried to get away, but he grabbed my foot so I tried kicking him. Just when I thought I could finally run, another guy appeared and hit me in the face with the back of his gun. I touched my forehead where he had hit me, which gave me a bloody hand.

I took out my dagger again and swung it, giving the guy a deep cut on his arm. I kicked the one grabbing my foot on his face with full force, making him touch his nose because of the pain, so I took advantage of that and kicked him again. I swung my dagger again, but then the guy with a cut on his arm suddenly pointed his gun at me.

"Drop the dagger." He commanded. I didn't answer, I just smirked at him, which made him look confused.

In order to threaten him, I had a gun pointed at the other soldier's head, and this made him hesitate whether he should shoot me or not. With his pause, I knew this was my chance to take him down.

With my other hand, I threw the dagger at him, and luckily, it hit him in his heart. With that, I shot the other guy's head.

I looked down to see where the leader was, but it looks like he's gone.

I looked at the captives' eyes and saw them gleaming with hope. I smiled at them. At least this rescue is going better than I imagined. I ran down the hill and cut their ties and removed their gags one by one, each one of them thanking me.

"We don't have much time, miss." One of the men said. "I heard their leader talking to someone on his radio. He left so he can send another team, with more guys than before. We need to get going."

I nodded. "Where do you live? Let's go there, I'll take care of your wounds." I said and looked at them, they all looked weak and beaten up.

"Actually, we don't know this place so we can't show you the way to our house. They blindfolded us when they brought us here." Another man said.

"Follow me, I'll bring you to mine."

With that, we were all running away as fast as we could, as if our lives are depending on it.

Just when we were about to take a rest because of how long we've been running, we heard gunshots aiming at us. We ran harder in a zigzag motion, hoping that none of us would get shot.

I looked back, which is the worst decision I've ever made because it slowed me down. When I tried to look in front of me again to run fast, one of them suddenly shot my shoulder, which made me trip and fall down because of the impact.

I tried to get up, but it felt like my whole body was in pain, I had no choice but to let out a scream, hoping it would help lessen the pain.

I was going to die at this moment, but one of the guys I saved carried me bridal style and ran very fast, as if I weighed nothing.

I held on to his shoulder, now feeling safer than ever.

I tried to contain myself and stay composed so I can still point the direction of my house even though my shoulder hurts so bad.

"It's going to be okay, miss," the guy reassured me, while applying pressure to my wound. "Hey, stay with us, okay. Please don't close your eyes, we need you. You can rest when we arrive at your place, we'll take care of you."

My visions are still very blurry but hearing those words made me smile. They'll take care of me. I'm not alone anymore.

When we arrived home, I pointed my room to him so he could place me on my bed. Two men followed him.

"Damien, keep applying firm pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. Ryle, get a dressing or a tourniquet, make sure it's clean." He ordered.

After laying me down, he quickly walked to the door without even looking at me, so I spoke to try to stop him. "W-Wait. Please stay. I... I'm so scared." For unknown reasons, I feel comfortable around him. Maybe it's because he's the first person to make me feel something, literally, since I was trapped here alone.

After hearing those words, he walked back and kneeled beside my bed. "Don't worry," he held my hand as he spoke. I flinched at his touch at first, but I quickly calmed myself. "Damien will stay here to keep you company. He'll take care of you while I'm gone. I'll be back, I just need to get some supplies that may help with your wound." He let go of me and walked away.

"So... does it really hurt terribly?" My eyes darted at Damien when he spoke. "Stupid question. You're clearly in a lot of pain, sorry for asking. What's your name?"

I wanted to laugh at him for feeling stupid for asking but I couldn't, the pain is too much. I gathered my strength to talk. "Asteria." I mumbled.

"Oh. Nice to meet you, Asteria. I'm Damien, but pretty sure you already know that. Actually I'm not sure if I'm actually Damien. We all just made our names up." He laughed at himself again. "The guy who carried you was Matt. He's kind of our leader."

Matt, huh? I think I'm interested in him.

After that, they inspected my wounds. They would clean it from time to time and try to stop the bleeding, while the others try to learn how to handle bullet wounds and gunshots from medical books. They've been taking care of me for a day now.

"Asteria, listen, we're going to bring you to the hospital today." My eyes widened. The hospital? Why? Is there someone who can help me there? Are we not alone anymore? "There are lots of supplies, medicines, and other resources there that can help you, and even help us to take care of you so you can heal. To be honest, your wound is not doing that great." Matt stated.

I had my doubts, to be honest, I'm not feeling comfortable with them taking care of my gunshot wound but what choice do I have? I need to do something, otherwise it could get worse and I might even die. It's better to let them try to fix me than be in a worse condition doing nothing.

They carried me inside an ambulance I assumed they stole. When we arrived, I looked around. The hospital's even scarier when there's no other people around. It's so quiet, I can hear the sound of my own breathing.

"What are you gonna do to me?" I asked them.

"We... We're going to remove the bullet." A girl whose name I don't know answered.

"No. No way. I won't let you." I quickly replied. My eyes got watery again thinking about how risky removing the bullet would be.

"Look, princess, we have to. Getting shot on the shoulder is a big thing, leaving the bullet in there may interfere with important processes and keep you from healing." Rafael said with his eyebrows furrowed, looking slightly annoyed with my opposition.

"Hey, everything is going to be alright," Matt approached me and placed his hand on my shoulder, slightly rubbing it. "We've debated over this because removing the bullet may just make the situation worse and cause further damage, but if it's left in there, it puts you at greater risk, seeing how it already has an inflammatory response. This way, we can also avoid the risk of infection. We'll do it very carefully."

I thought about it for a few seconds, and they all just stood there, waiting for my decision.

"Let's do this."

-

"Hey, buddy. Good to see you're awake now." I woke up to Damien sitting right beside me. "Are you okay?"

I smiled at how enthusiastic he sounded, like he sounded so happy to see I'm awake and feeling good. "I feel better." I looked around, but no one was there. Just the two of us. "Where are the others?"

"Matt, Ryle, Michelle, and Wilhelmina went to explore the place and look for resources. I'm here to watch over you, and Rafael, Hayden, Axel, and Josette are practicing and learning to fight so we can defend ourselves against the... uhm, I don't know, are they soldiers?" He said looking confused. I liked how he mentioned all of their names to me, it's a great way for me to start getting to know them.

"How are you feeling, by the way? It's been a couple of days since the bullet was extracted." He added. I'm not really surprised that a couple of days have passed already. I feel like I got enough rest, definitely feeling more energetic now.

I looked down at my wound. It definitely looks better now compared to before. I also tried to get up and move it. "I feel a lot better. It still hurts a little, but I guess that's normal, right? At least it's not as painful as it was when the bullet was still inside. I'm much more comfortable now."

It was at that moment I knew I could trust them. They could've left me and saved themselves, but they chose to stay and save me.

The next day, they took me back home. Although I feel good now, they weren't allowing me to move a lot. They said I need to take a rest first, and only do heavy tasks when I am fully healed, which they say might take a week.

The girls made dinner as I just sat in the living room, reading a book. After a while, dinner was served. We chatted while eating, and I got to know all of them, they also got to know me.

I went from being alone for two months to living with nine other people. Living in this world is hard, it still is, but at least I am not completely alone now. I have people around me, people I can call my friends, or maybe even my family.

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