FROSTBITE ─── jason grace

𝟎𝟎𝟓.

𝟎𝟎𝟓.
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As she heard the fluttering of wings getting closer, Charlie quickly grabbed the nearest thing she could find, which luckily happened to be an old, worn down baseball bat lying beside the dumpster. She moved forward so that she was slightly in front of the boy, trying to protect him the best she could. Amidst all the panic, a small part of her muddled and hazy mind was already feeling the heavy guilt settle in over having subjected the poor boy to the same situation as her.

Heart clenching in fear, she raised the bat high just as it came into view. Right as it outstretched it's claws and was a few seconds away from tearing her apart, a blinding, searing light pierced through the space in front of her.

"What-?", Charlie gasped, looking down as the remains of the monster on the ground in front of her. Stumbling back, she tried to make sense of everything that was happening. "What's going on", she whispered, her eyes turning glossy and her mind turning dizzy. Unable to comprehend everything that had happened, Charlie felt a weight settle onto her mind and lost consciousness of everything as the world turned black.

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Murky voices blurred around her and she could hear the something like that of a claw come out to grab her and-

"Calm down! Calm down!", a distant voice was continuously repeating.

Blinking her eyes to regain her bearings, Charlie groaned out, "What happened?"

"A monster just tried to rip us into shreds but it got vaporised", he helpfully, and bluntly summarised. It was the same boy she was hiding out with earlier. Earlier. Oh god, that had actually happened. It was actually real. She was about to die. She had almost died. Oh my god, oh my god-

"Hey, um are you alright? You're turning pale again.", he muttered with furrowed eyebrows.

"Oh yeah I'm great. Why wouldn't I be fine?", she grinned at him awkwardly and shot him a thumbs up. Looking at her surroundings, she realized they were still in the same alleyway but were away from the dumpster. Her clothes were filthy and she probably looked like an unravelled madwoman, but that was the least of her worries right now.

"So um thank you for helping me out back there. Carrying me while I was unconscious y'know.", Charlie smiled at him gratefully. He had close cut blonde hair and blue eyes that had specks of grey in them upon closer inspection. He was wearing simple clothes that looked extremely worn down and didn't look like they'd been washed in days.

"Oh it's no problem. And besides, this isn't the first time something has attacked me.", he flashed her a grin. Charlie's expression dropped.

"What do you mean this isn't the first time? Has that- that thing come after you before this?!", Charlie questioned with wide eyes. How did he survive all those times then? How long had he been living like this?

Something in his gaze darkened. His eyes held a bit too much of sadness for someone who barely looked fourteen. "Not this monster but ones like that. Two of them, more specifically. I've been running away from them for about two weeks."

"What about your home? Why are you on the run?", Charlie asked while tilting her head curiously. She then immediately regretted it. Gods, why did she have to be so nosy.

"Nothing important", he waved her off. He quickly changed the topic, "The other two times when they almost had me, a similar thing happened. A light of some sorts vaporized it. I haven't been able to see it because it's extremely bright. But after the first time, the light sort of...guided me."

"The light...guided you", she repeated with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah! Not always though. Sometimes, it would show itself to me. Like pointing at a place on a map or a board. As if it was a sign for me to go there. I've followed it since then and it's saved me twice since then, including today." Looking at my bewildered expression, he sighed, "Look, I know it's all hard to believe. It was for me as well in the beginning. It still is for some parts but it's the only thing I've got."

Still in disbelief, Charlie managed a smile and said, "Okay. Well, after all of this I think you should at least know my name. I'm Charlotte Hales, but just call me Charlie" . She held out her hand.

Grasping it with a smile, he replied, "Butch Walker".

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