How long had I been running?
What day was it?
Where was I even?
I had no idea anymore. Time had blurred into a smear of sleepless nights and frantic footsteps. All I knew was the pounding in my chest, the fire in my legs, and the echo of Andrew's lifeless eyes seared permanently into the back of my mind. Every time I blinked, I saw his body on the floor. Every time I breathed, I tasted blood.
Sometimes I stopped not because I wanted to, but because my body simply gave out. I would collapse against a tree trunk, chest heaving, vision swimming. For a few minutes I'd let my eyes fall shut. But the moment a leaf rustled, or a branch snapped somewhere in the darkness, I jolted awake and started running again, fear crawling up my spine like cold fingers.
I didn't know how long I could keep going. But I knew one thing:
I had to survive.
At some point, days later? hours? I finally saw light.
At first I thought I was hallucinating. A soft glow in the distance, warm and steady, cutting through the endless black of the forest. I blinked, rubbed my burning eyes, and blinked again. It was still there.
Light.
Civilization.
People.
Food.
Maybe even safety.
My knees wobbled as I pushed myself forward, each step feeling like it was ripping through my exhausted muscles. I didn't know if the light belonged to a pack border or a human settlement, but at that moment, I didn't care. I just needed help. Needed anything.
My stomach twisted painfully, a sharp reminder that the only food I'd had in days were bitter forest fruits barely enough to keep someone alive, let alone someone running for his life. My tongue felt dry and heavy. My lips were cracked. My clothes are dirty and torn. Every breath hurts.
Still, I kept going.
When I finally reached the edge of the trees, I saw it, a tall gate framed with gleaming metal, illuminated by bright white lamps. A city. A real city. Bigger than any human settlement I'd seen from afar. Clean walls, wide roads, and buildings stretching into the distance. Even at night, it buzzed faintly with life.
Relief punched through me so suddenly I almost stumbled.
I made myself walk forward. Not run, just walk. Calmly, like I belonged there. I even managed to nod at a few people passing by, though I probably looked insane. I had to force my body to move normally, to not betray the panic blazing inside me.
But the moment I stepped through the open space before the gates, my strength finally gave out.
"Help me," I whispered, barely loud enough to hear myself.
The security officer standing by the gate frowned deeply as he looked me over. my shaking hands, my dirt-streaked clothes, my wild eyes.
"Who are you?" he asked, one hand hovering uncertainly near his weapon.
I opened my mouth… but nothing coherent came out.
"Help me," I repeated instead. It was all I could manage. The only words my brain could hold on to.
"Sir, I can't just—" he began, irritation creeping into his voice.
But he stopped abruptly when a sleek black car rolled to a smooth halt a few feet away. The vehicle was polished enough to reflect the gate lights like a mirror. Definitely expensive. Definitely someone important.
A tinted window rolled down halfway, and I lifted my head weakly.
That was when I saw him.
A man sat in the back seat, his posture relaxed yet impossibly composed, like someone who had never once been unprepared for anything. His hair was dark, neatly styled, and the faint glow from the gate lights reflected in his eyes. Eyes that were a sharp, unnatural shade of red. Not glowing… but intense. Focused.
On me.
He didn't blink. Didn't look away. It felt like he was staring straight into my bones.
The security guard hesitated, then leaned down toward the window when the man crooked a single finger at him. They spoke quietly, too quietly for me to hear. But the man didn't break eye contact with me for even a second.
His gaze pinned me in place. Cold, unreadable, and something else, something I couldn't decipher in my half-delirious state.
Who was he?
A leader?
A human official?
The president of the city?
I had no idea. Humans had so many titles for their leaders mayor, governor, president, commander. I didn't know which one he was, but he felt like someone who carried authority effortlessly, like it was born into him.
Maybe, just maybe, he could help me.
My lips trembled, and I forced the words out again.
"Help me."
My voice cracked on the last syllable. I hated how small it sounded. How weak.
He tilted his head slightly at the sound… studying me like I was something strange he hadn't expected to see.
My vision swayed. For a moment the ground tilted under me, and I blinked hard, trying to stay upright. I couldn't collapse here. Not in front of him. Not while I still didn't know who he was.
The guard straightened again after a short conversation with the man and took a small step toward me, but the world was already turning into a blur of lights and shadows. Something warm trickled down my forehead. Sweat? Blood? I couldn't tell.
I tried to say "help me" one last time, but it came out as nothing more than a breath.
The red eyed man finally moved. Just a shift of his posture, as if he was about to rise or give an order. But my knees buckled before I could see what he did next.
Everything shook.
Everything dimmed.
Everything went black.
As consciousness slipped away, the last thing I saw was those red eyes still locked on me, still watching with unreadable intensity before the darkness swallowed everything whole.