Chapter 1
Elizabeth forces herself to run quickly as the sound of her pounding heartbeat echoes loudly in her eardrums. Adrenaline pulses throughout her circulatory system, numbness latching onto her already aching muscles. She continues racing deeper into the woods while casting one last glance behind her. Her terrified gaze locks onto Haven estate, her feet blindly guiding her forward. She immediately spots red glowing eyes lingering somehow nearby and hesitantly focuses her attention ahead instead. Suddenly, the sound of evenly-paced footsteps moves somewhere to her left.
She mumbles something under her breath as her feet skid to an overall halt. Dirt sprays into the midnight air, her wide pink orbs frantically moving in different areas. She immediately notices those same red glowing eyes while panic pumps throughout her entire body. She swiftly hides behind a nearby tree, pressing her back against its rough bark. She covers her mouth with both of her hands and silently waits for her pursuer to vanish. Her bloodshot pink pupils cloud with heavy tears, her brain struggling to stop herself from breaking down. Her torso rises and falls rapidly.
She clenches her jaw painfully as she fights the urge to give up completely. The lingering echo of footsteps slowly dies away, a false sense of relief overwhelming her entire body. She carefully pokes her head around the side of the tree's trunk while her eyes quickly scan her surroundings. She quietly steps out of her hiding spot, swiftly placing one foot in front of the other. She angrily wipes at her tears and continues blindly walking straight ahead. She wraps her arms around her shoulders, trying to hold herself together. Rotting trees are scattered about in every direction as thick fog covers the ground. Pitch blackness gathers in the creepy atmosphere, the full moon's bright light limiting her eyesight. Sounds of small animals playing in the undergrowth adds to her despair while shadowed shapes beyond form into her darkest nightmares. The smell of thick metallic lingers in a rough breeze, her violet bangs blowing away from her sharp facial features. She lifts her head slightly higher and her gaze locks onto a group of bloodthirsty bats flying high in the darkened sky. A frown twists into her flushed face, the desire to go home weighing her heart farther down.
Suddenly, a weight settles around her waist as something pulls her roughly backward. Elizabeth screams out of fear or annoyance, automatically struggling against whoever dares to mess with her. Her shoulder-blades press into something solid while they harshly put pressure against her abdomen. She bites into her bottom lip at the sudden pain, somehow managing to elbow them in the ribcage. She hears them make a noise related to pain and they immediately loosen their grip on her. She quickly breaks free, instinctively making a beeline dead ahead.
They swiftly grab her wrist as they drag her toward them. She puts her weight on her feet, trying to twist her hand out of their grip. Unfortunately, it's useless. She's pulled into a moonlit clearing while she immediately makes eye contact with one of the boys in her grade. He frowns at her current state, her gaze focusing on his bloody red orbs. He examines her for any injuries and tightens his grip on her. He swiftly closes the distance between the two of them, flashing his fangs at her in a warning.
"I told you to stay in the estate. It's dangerous out here and it's no place for you to roam around. I also told you not to try to escape. We're trying to help you. Just stop fighting us already, Elizabeth ," he mumbles somewhat aggressively as he turns his back on her. He silently begins heading toward Haven's estate, making sure she doesn't try anything else. She growls like an untamed animal while still struggling with every step she's forced to take.
"You're all crazy! You're all out of your minds! Let go of me! I'm going to go to the police and tell them you kidnapped me!" She shouts at the top of her lungs, swiftly kicking him in the back of his kneecap. He stumbles forward a-bit and she yanks her hand free. She shoves him roughly to the ground before he regains his composure, racing in a random direction away from the estate.
Elizabeth runs deeper into the wooded area as she cautiously glances behind her out of the corner of her pink eyes. She spots her captor shape-shifting into a Hell-hound, his body bending into a massive dog. Her heartbeat begins pounding painfully against her ribcage while she forces herself to keep going. Sweat drips down her forehead, the sound of pulsing paws reaching her ears. She gracefully jumps over a boulder sticking out above the fog and turns to see the Hell-hound pouncing at her. Hot breath blows against her facial features, her body skidding directly under a high tree root. Pain plunges into her body as she continues to slide down a steep hill. Her pale skin is cut open on the dirt, mud smearing all over her frame. She spots an upcoming pile of overgrown veins ahead while her falling speed increases. She instinctively covers her face with her arms, her front half hitting it with a sickening snapping sound. Moonlight blinds her for a moment and she finds herself tumbling toward the ground. Gravity takes a-hold of her, her body landing directly in a mud puddle with a loud thump.
She lays still for a moment or two to process everything that just happened as she manages to sit upright. She spits out some mud, cleaning the dirt off of her face with her left arm. She takes in some breaths while regaining her calm demeanor. She quickly checks over herself for any major injuries, sighing in relief at the fact she's only suffered through bruises or scrapes so far. She pushes herself up to a standing position and shakes her head to clear her blurry vision. She tumbles forward with some effort, searching for a way out of her terrible situation.
Elizabeth wipes away some mud dripping toward her pink orbs as she hits something solid. She hesitantly pauses in her uneven steps, looking up. Sadness immediately pumps throughout her sore limbs while she mumbles something under her breath at the luck she's having. Her pink gaze locks onto an older boy looming above her frame, fangs glinting like blades in the brightly lit area. She bites into her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood and takes a few steps backward. She keeps her eyes on the disgusting creature, her left foot tripping over something sharp.
The creature is unnaturally tall with a lanky build. Its skin is the shade of a gravestone, sharp nails extending from its slender fingertips. Black soulless orbs flicker like moving darkness and its fangs are dyed a crimson shade. It quickly moves like a predator, stalking her without fail. Her bottom half hits the ground with a sick thump as it watches her movements carefully. She scrambles away in an attempt to save herself, her back colliding with a dead end. She growls in frustration while she realizes she's just trapped herself against a dirt wall. It leaps toward her, landing directly in front of her. It swiftly grabs the fabric of her sunflower dress and pulls her off the ground with ease. It bites into her neck, blood splattering in random directions.
