In love with the ghost of you | Thiam

8 - The Bite

A/N: Thank you guys so much for 1.4k reads!!! This chapter is a bit longer again, so have fun reading<3

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As Liam walked home from school, a mix of emotions swirled within him. Six weeks had passed since he last heard from Theo, and while part of him felt relieved by the absence of communication, another part of him was consumed by worry. The weight of guilt still lingered, gnawing at his conscience. Lost in his thoughts, Liam heard footsteps behind him and turned around slowly, expecting to see his friend Mason. "Mason, I told you there-" Liam began to speak, but before he could finish his sentence, everything went black. It was as if the world had been swallowed by darkness, enveloping Liam in a shroud of uncertainty. The suddenness of it all left him disoriented and bewildered, his mind racing with questions as he struggled to make sense of what was happening.

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As Liam slowly opened his eyes, he was met with a pounding headache and a sense of disorientation. "What the- Not again..." he muttered to himself, his mind racing with confusion. "Why am I here again? Just kill me..." Liam's words trailed off as he realized he was once again in a dire situation. Suddenly, a hunter knelt in front of Liam, a cruel smirk on his face as he laughed. "How did your little friend come back from hell?" he taunted. Liam's brow furrowed in confusion. "What friend?" he asked, trying to mask his fear with defiance. "The boy, just a bit older than you, brown hair... Does it click? If not, I'm very sure Nolan can tell us his name since he saw him with you like a few weeks ago." the hunter replied, his tone dripping with malice. With a sudden movement, he punched Liam in the stomach, causing him to groan in pain and double over. "What would you want from Theo anyway? He's dead..." Liam managed to gasp out between breaths, his voice strained with agony. "We don't care about Theo. We only care about what he has in his blood. I remember very well shooting an arrow into his heart. And all of the sudden someone saw him again." the hunter explained, his words sending a chill down Liam's spine.

"Theo Raeken is dead! He died in my arms." Liam insisted, his voice trembling with emotion.The hunter scoffed, clearly not convinced. "Oh yeah?" he retorted skeptically. "Yes. Nolan must have made a mistake!" Liam argued, desperation creeping into his voice. Before the conversation could continue, two hunters entered the room, dragging someone behind them. Liam's heart sank as they threw Theo at his feet, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth. Theo looked battered and broken, but still alive. "Why did you lie to us, boy? Just tell us how you brought him back." the hunter demanded, his tone dripping with menace. "I didn't!" the hunter scoffed and kicked Theo. "NOW TELL ME!" Liam's anger surged within him, but he knew better than to provoke them further. "I didn't bring him back." Liam repeated. In response, the hunter took out a knife and brutally stabbed Liam in his shoulder. Liam's breath caught in his throat as pain coursed through his body. For a moment, he stopped breathing, the agony overwhelming him. Eventually he gasped for air. With a callous gesture, the hunter wiped the knife clean and left the room, leaving Liam and Theo alone in their grim circumstances. The other two hunters followed suit, locking the metal door behind them and leaving the two friends to face their fate in silence.

Despite the excruciating pain, Theo managed to crawl over to Liam and stand up, ripping off the shackles that held Liam to the wall. Liam collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach in agony. Meanwhile, Theo moved to the other corner of the room. "Without me, you're a sitting duck, Dunbar," Theo remarked bitterly as he sat down on the floor. "I don't need you. I'm doing just fine without you," Liam retorted defiantly, his voice strained with pain. "Really? That's not what it looks like to me." Theo countered. "And why are you here? Because you're the best at survival huh?" Liam challenged, his tone laced with sarcasm. "I have created a pack!" Theo asserted. Liam couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "And where is it now? Oh yeah... They're all dead because you betrayed them!" he accused, his words filled with anger and resentment. Theo looked at him, his expression pained. "I didn't betray them!" he protested, his voice raw with emotion.