CHAPTER 43

Amelia was crouching behind the log, her ears listening to the stillness of the forest and the air. For the past two weeks that she has been on the run, she was struggling to stay alive after leaving her cabin. Her hair was tangled, her clothes dirty and torn, and at best though her eyes were sunken as if she had no sleep at all. It's quite possible that she appeared to be all worn out, yet sti, her eyes revealed the fire in her.



It was impossible to even try to count how many times she would fight them off, the werewolves along with vampires appeared to be chasing her relentlessly. Elijah assuming she had somehow been discovered was already proven true, and with an added twist of her oddly comfortable captors. It seemed to her that every otherworldly being within a hundred miles was in the chase after her.



Regaining her voice, she remembered the last two weeks Amelia。 She had been moving constantly for days; she rarely sat or laid down for more than a couple of hours at a time. She did not get the privilege of rest often and in terms of meals was limited to what she could quickly grab or steal. There was something that she got from her hybrid; strength to single-handedly overpower her attackers, and speed that made it extremely difficult for her attackers to catch up, but she had become a target of both werewolves and vampires.



After that turn of events, Amelia slowly jerked her head towards the front when she heard a faint snapping of a twig. She perched alert with her ears forward and did not exhale. Again, illustrative as it was, the sound of the falling leaves could not have been accidental. Thus, there was someone or something out there.



Amelia also tried to get up in slow motion, still on her knees, sensing a readiness for action in every muscle of her body. In this new, cruel world it would have to learn the elementary things the hard way – that to hesitate meant to die. Her fingers went to the silver dagger at her hips, an item she received more than once in the previous two weeks than which she would like to recall.




Even this unconscious movement was accompanied by the sound of the bushes and branches shifting, and a shadow became noticeable in the trees; it was impossible to notice it with the naked eye, as it disappeared at best behind the nearby trees almost immediately. Amelia though was not human, consequently. With the help of her hybrid vision, she realized that the movement was a blur which she tried to dodge as she spun to counter a vampire's leap on her. His face contorted into a horrific parody of a smile and the creature spat out more of the vile stuff as it snarled through its fangs.



Lunging at Amelia, the vampire moved circularly around her and said, “Well, well the hybrid bitch how many of my people have you slaughtered?”



Amelia remained silent. Speaking proved to be a mistake as it only gave her foes more time to plan for the next evil deed she would come to realize. Instead, her focus was on the vampires’ movements throughout, Amelia waited for the muscles in her prey to tense as a sign that it would attack them soon.



Amelia was prepared all the same for this and the attack was swift. She bent down and avoided cutting off the vampire’s head, but sliced his chest with her silver dagger. With that, having seen enough to know that a wounded vampire was as perilous as, and sometimes actually more perilous than, a hale vampire, Amelia did not linger to watch it twist and turn.



She shot off running, squeezing in between the trees and she was practically hugging the ground. The forest now protected her; they wouldn’t be able to chase her down and get close since trees and branches hinder anyone from pursuing her. However, as she ran, she felt her tummy churned and she realized that she was growing sick to her stomach. The vampire also heard other people gaining on her through the bushes hence implying that she had not been alone.



Amelia, who was running as if her ankles would surely snap at any moment, broke into a sweat and began to ponder. She needed a plan, a way of avoiding those who were chasing her. But two weeks on the battle line day and night, constantly running had taken a toll on her. She was so exhausted in every sense of the word. She allowed herself to dwell on Bruce and the life she had left behind for a few minutes. She closed her eyes and bore the almost pain she could feel in her chest. This, of course, can hardly be the time for a case-croûte or regret and sentimental memories. And she had to make it through.






The trees began to space out and Amelia knew she was being led, and she was getting scared. She was being led by the vampires to an area where her woods tactics would not be of much use an open ground – a clearing. A blood-thirsty vampire with triumph in their eyes appeared in her way as she tried to move sideways to escape and run deeper into the jungle.



For some reason that Amelia could not comprehend she felt that she was traveling downwards, so she abruptly stopped sliding and found herself in a circle of light on a clear night. The installation of the open area left her open for attack from all angles and the carpet-like touch of the grass beneath her feet was dangerous. She was most horrified when she made a slow circle.



So, vampires with their pale faces emerged out of the darkness like phantoms of the night lit by the sliver of the moon. Farnsworth seized the opportunity to notice that Amelia counted eight, no, ten. Rather, indeed more at once than she had ever had in her life. Standing there motionless, she felt her blood running cold but at the same time her heart raced with adrenalin.



‘You have nowhere to run right now, hybrid,’ a vampire sneered. ’ Everyone seemed to be following him and he seemed to be in control of everything that was happening perhaps he was the leader. Honestly, did you think you could elude us forever?”



The situation racing on Amelia’s mind for the better idea that could save her. But the vampires had positioned themselves well, to prevent any form of movement that intends to get out of that place. She was genuinely imprisoned.



“I don’t have to escape you for the rest of my life anymore!’ said Amelia. Instantly making herself think more about her decision. It took her just long enough to turn into ash If you feel that still does not convey the true horror of this boast, let me assure you it gets worse.

A man who was the leader of the vampires laughed and it was an evil, cold, ugly laugh that made a delicate shiver run down Amelia’s spine. “A courageous statement for one so … outnumbered. ” With lazy ease, two vampires stepped out of the pack and disappeared from the crowd to flank Amelia