Chapter 3

Freya's POV

When it reaches near enough distance, I realize that it's actually a person walking towards me. I was frozen with fear, I fear humans more than wild animals. My heart skipped a beat and began beating faster than normal. I held my breath, trying to conceal the sound of my heartbeat, hoping that the intruder wouldn't hear it.

The stranger slowly approached me without making any noise. I could smell his scent and taste his presence. It smelled like man and sweat mixed. He stopped right in front of me and stood still for a moment, staring into my eyes as if searching for something. His gaze was intense and frightening.

His features are rugged and masculine, he wore a black leather jacket with red lining on the collar and cuffs. On his left side is a dagger strapped to his waist. Something looks weird to me, I could feel it, and my sense assured me that he wasn't a human.

A normal man wouldn't have walked so comfortably in such a dark forest around that time without torches or any sort of light. Secondly, A normal man would've questioned me repeatedly why I'm alone in such a wild forest, but neither of these things he does.

I looked straight into his deep green orbs and stared at each other for quite a while, he suddenly moved closer and grabbed my chin ruthlessly.

"You're the one. You ate the fruit.....how dare you swallow my treasured marble?" He growled at me with a monstrous voice, as he pushed my back heavily against a nearby tree. That was when I knew I'm in a great shittttt!

"He's one of them. It's over," my lips mumbled softly as I closed my eyes in anticipation of death, awaiting when he'll drive his vampire claw into my heart and remove them the same way they've been doing to others.

The heinous incidents have been occurring very frequently in Manhattan since a few months ago, as dead bodies have been seen seven times in different locations, all with the same injuries and death source. According to reports, all seven of the men had their hearts removed and their chests studded in the shape of a human palm.

Rumors circulated that they were vampires, while some speculated that it may have been a psychopath, but none of this was verified. Remembering this dropped me dead, I couldn't answer nor speak a word, I was totally mute before him.

"You ate it…..you have a death wish?" He repeated his question, this time his voice sounded heavier and more terrifying.

This is it, I'm going to die tonight. I can almost feel the sharp teeth piercing my flesh. But then, I was wrong. All of a sudden, he released his grip on my neck and stepped back, letting go of me.

I was about to speak when he laid a finger on my lips, which was a sign of "Shut it up".

Confusingly, he speaks like a monster, but he had the soft hand of a human, instead of a long vampire claw as I expected. He flapped his ears and they rose tall as if he was trying to listen to something from afar off.

"Who's this man?" I kept on asking myself, but couldn't find the answer to this question of mine. To me, the hands he laid on my lips was a warning, saying "Shut the crap or I shut them for good", therefore, I obeyed and kept mute, awaiting his final judgment on me.

All of a sudden, he bent his head toward me and whispered something quietly in my ears.

"RUN OR DIE!!!" At first, I didn't understand what he meant by this, not until he grasped my hands firmly and dragged me along with him as we scurried out from the forest. It took me minutes before I realized that we were being chased.

As we were running, I was trying my possible best to see what was chasing us exactly, however, all I could see were silhouettes of countless unknown images, howling as they were sprinting towards us with all their possible might.

My life is totally confusing. I escaped my Uncle's brutal empire into another hell. The one holding my hand is a bad guy, and behind me were more bad guys who were trying their possible best to lay their hands on me and rip me apart.

Funny enough, I was being saved by a bad guy from another bad guy.

"Can't you run faster than this? You drop down my hand and you die without a trace," he snarled at me at the top of his voice.

This time I felt more confused, his voice changed again from monster to human. On the run, I could feel my torn cloth ripping apart, and gradually I was half naked. I was scared witless, yet I couldn't stop running.

My legs were moving so fast, my body was trembling uncontrollably. I was panting hard, trying to catch my breath, but no matter how much I tried to calm myself, I couldn't do it.

I couldn't tell him that my clothes were torn, of course, I couldn't imagine him setting an eye on my naked breasts and open shoulders, and neither could I drop his hands knowing that he was at least trying to save me presently.

When he realized that I was gradually slowing him down and that monsters were closing in on us, he put his hands on my shoulder. My legs were then hoisted off the ground.

He put me on his shoulder, resting me securely on his shoulder by plopping a palm on my buttocks as he sped off. Embarrassed and Annoyed I was annoyed and embarrassed to experience a man touching my buttocks ruthlessly, without caring or feeling apologetic.

I felt like cursing, fighting, and spitting on him to defend my pride, however, another me kept on whispering to my ears that "Fight him to die once and die no more".

This made me hold my peace and I swallowed up my pride, forcing myself to believe that nothing happened.

After running for hours, we reached the roadside, where I expected the monsters to depart from us as tales told us that monsters don't chase humans into the streets, lies! These monsters swarm after us more, growling and howling as they were running with all their might.

What surprised me most was the man carrying me. I would've expected him to have been tired since all those long runs, however, he never showed signs of fatigue. Instead, he ran with ease and grace, even though I could feel his muscles shaking violently under my butt.

I noticed him dipping his hands into his back pockets, then he brought out a bunch of car keys. Before I could guess what next, he halted beside a red sports car and opened the door.

He slammed the door open and pushed me inside forcibly, laying me on the passenger seats. He then bangs into the car before the monster's hands reach him and he sped off with full acceleration speed. Now that I'd escaped the predators, I felt more scared staying with such a ruthless and unmannered man whom I knew nothing about or where he was taking me, without asking for my address, even though I had none.

Finally, I summon my courage and asked "Where are you taking me......." Before completing my words, he turned to me furiously with his monstrous visage and pinched my neck with his two fingers. Immediately his hands touched me, I felt dizzy and my eyes were blurred. Before I knew what was happening to me, I collapsed.