TAKEN

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting eerie shadows over the little village of Herrena, Elise and I knew our time was running out. Our humble village had seen better days, but ever since those sinister creatures of the night, or as some whispered, the demons, ravaged our land, we had been plagued by suffering. They'd slaughtered every living creature we had—cattle, chickens, rabbits. Our livelihoods vanished in a nightmarish whirlwind of bloodshed. The hatred that simmered within me for these invisible malevolent entities knew no bounds.

Only Chief Ottawa, a man of unparalleled bravery, had encountered their enigmatic leader, seeking some semblance of peace. That audacious encounter was the reason he was our chief. The alternative to his daring endeavor was extinction, and Chief Ottawa's courage had spared us, so far. Our village now teetered on the precipice of an uneasy truce, a fragile peace that depended on our obedience to one unwavering rule—never linger outside after dark. To do so was to willingly vanish into the shroud of night, swallowed by an abyss of unfathomable horrors.

Elise and I had done most of our chores.After tending to our daily tasks and watering the village garden, our last obligation was gathering mushrooms in the woods just a short distance away. The time was against us, and Elise glanced at the darkening sky with furrowed brows. "Octavia, we can't go any further; it'll be dark soon."

I could feel my mother's disappointment looming heavily, threatening to shroud our home in an air of desolation. We would go to bed hungry if we returned empty-handed. The provisions we had wouldn't suffice, and I couldn't bear the thought of the children in our village crying from hunger. We had to act, and we had to do it quickly.

"Elise, we have to get those mushrooms and gather some berries too," I insisted, determination driving my words. "The food we have won't stretch through the night, and we can't let the children go without. If we run, we can still make it."

Elise shared my concerns, albeit with a sense of trepidation. She nodded, and without a second thought, we retrieved our baskets and sprinted into the woods, heading for the mushroom haven that had sprung to life during this season. While Elise gathered berries along the way, filling her basket to the brim, I focused on the mushrooms. In a matter of minutes, we had gathered enough to feed the entire village.

Panic set in as the sun's descent accelerated. We realized that returning to Herrena before darkness enveloped us was an impossible feat. Then, the sound of rustling leaves reached our ears, chilling our spines. We both knew, we wouldn't make it back in time.

With urgency, I recalled a small cabin nestled in the woods, not far from our present location. "Elise, let's head to the cabin," I urged, my voice quivering with fear. "We won't reach the village in time. We'll be safe there."

Elise's gaze met mine, her eyes brimming with tears. She was scared, just like me. We ran as if our lives depended on it—because they did. We reached the cabin, bolted the door, and tried to quiet our thundering hearts as we heard a malevolent laugh echoing outside.

The demon was upon us.

Elise's trembling hand clutched mine tightly, her voice a quivering whisper, "We are going to die." The menacing laughter outside grew louder, like a sinister symphony that threatened to engulf us.

Some say they are vampires, blood-sucking creatures, while others insist they are Lucifer's beasts.Rumors claim their leader is Dracula's son, known as Dracula the second. Chief Ottawa was the only one who spoke with their leader, but he has never uttered a word about that encounter. My grip on Elise's hand tightened, offering what little comfort I could muster. "We won't die, as long as we stay inside. That's the rule. As long as we're locked inside, they can't harm us."

The echoing thuds against the cabin door sent Elise into a panic, her tear-filled blue eyes darting wildly. Death was a terrifying prospect for anyone, and it loomed before us. I couldn't accept our fate so easily. I tied my long, pitch-black wavy hair into a ponytail and reached for a sword mounted on the wall, offering one to Elise. "We won't die today," I affirmed, my voice determined. "If they get in, stab anything that moves. Don't stop, no matter what."

Positioning myself between the door and Elise, I braced for the impending onslaught. With a sudden crash, the wooden door came tumbling down, revealing a sight that defied everything I'd known. Before us stood a creature, a man, with pale skin as white as snow and a sinister smile. He appeared human but bore an otherworldly beauty, and I knew, instinctively, that he was no ordinary man.

"Stay back!" I warned, wielding my sword. The creature merely chuckled, unfazed by my defensive stance.

The next moments blurred into a nightmare. One instant, the creature resembled a man, and the next, it was a monster, with ghastly black veins crisscrossing its pale skin. Its eyes, once human, were now as black as the night, surrounded by ominous red veins. The scene was a grotesque transformation.

Elise was right beside me but within a blink of an eye she was in the Demons arms.Elise's scream was a symphony of terror as the creature tore into her neck, rending flesh and spilling crimson life. I watched in helpless horror as my friend's body crumpled to the floor, her dirty blonde hair stained with blood, her eyes vacant, devoid of life.

"No! No!" I screamed, my rage overtaking reason as I lunged at the beast. But it moved with supernatural speed, and before I knew it, I was hurled backward, slamming into the wall and crashing through a wooden table. The table splintered into pieces, and the air was forcibly expelled from my lungs, coughing blood.

My vision blurred, and I fought to maintain consciousness, my grief for Elise threatening to swallow me. Her lifeless eyes stared back at me, haunting and accusatory. The monster loomed over me, that wicked smile never fading. I reached out blindly, grasping a sharp shard of wood from the broken table.

In a surge of desperation, I plunged it into the creature's chest, where a human heart would be. It shrieked in pain and fell to the ground, attempting to crawl away. I crawled towards it, my limbs heavy as lead, and struck from behind with the sword. The creature screeched once more before its head rolled away from its body, coming to a rest in a pool of blood.

I screamed and sobbed, the weight of what had transpired crashing down on me. Covered in blood, surrounded by two lifeless bodies, I clung to Elise's lifeless form, my tears flowing freely before everything faded into an engulfing darkness.