Krystal

64

I don't leave the house for the next couple of days until my bruising has gone down. I heal faster than a mortal, but clearly not fast enough because I still feel like hell after the beating I took.

Now that I know I shouldn't go out running alone in the mornings anymore, I decide to go for a swim in the lake instead once I feel up to it.

It's a beautiful sunny afternoon when I swim out into the cool water. After I'm done, I lay down by the lake, taking in the suns rays.

Gradually the afternoon wears on and I begin to wonder whether the cloaked man is out there watching me this very second, or if I would even know it if he was.

I hear a similar rumbling noise as last time and open my eyes to see a flash of light in the distant sky. If that's another ravager ship arriving like I suspect, then it's landing a few miles away.

The ground beneath me shakes again, so I head back inside the house.

"FRIDAY, was that an earthquake?"

"Miss Star, there is no seismic activity in this area".

"Any recent activity on the motion detectors?"

"None, Miss Star".

Just like last time.

I run upstairs and get dressed quickly, just incase any ravagers managed to get close to the house. If they're coming for me, then I definitely didn't want to fight them in my bathing suit.

"FRIDAY, black out the windows and turn off all the lights in the house, please?"

Large black screens lower down from between the thick glass of the windows, blocking out any source of natural light from outside.

Once they're all down, the lights shut off one by one throughout the house and I make sure the doors are locked before finding a safe place to lay low.

Nothing happens for the longest time while I sit upstairs in the dark for hours. When I ask FRIDAY, she tells me it's now dark outside.

Maybe the man in the woods had already killed them all?

I'm almost contemplating the idea of turning all the lights back on when I hear a loud banging on the front door.

It continues to get louder and louder when who or whatever it is at the other side, is clearly becoming more determined to get inside the house.

I make my way to my bedroom, still in darkness to find my weapons when I hear the door downstairs finally giving way.

In my room, I find my hilts all while hearing the large booming footsteps of what seems to be one ravager walking through the house.

Not knowing what to do next, I get down on the floor and hide underneath the bed.

The footsteps echo throughout and they get even closer when I suddenly feel something sharp on the ground next to me.

It's the small blade that the cloaked man had thrown at me the other night. I must've dropped it after I got back here and collapsed on the bed in pain.

Figuring that it can't hurt to have another weapon at hand, I tuck it into the back pocket of my jeans.

I can't see anything, but I know someone's coming into my room so I cover my mouth, hoping they won't hear me breathing under here.

"Have you found her yet?" someone shouts from downstairs, proving me wrong about there only being one ravager in the house.

"Not yet, but she's here. I can smell a witch from a mile away" a deeper, non earthly voice replies.