Crimson Bodies

Prologue

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She heard the bloodcurdling scream from across the lake. It was hoarse, laced with fright, and she could tell it was feminine. Ilene got up from the grass, ready to sprint away from the sound, when she realized the scream was human.

Her head snapped to the side, where he was laying down just a moment ago. She looked at him, asking for confirmation when she said "Should we?"

He nodded once, giving the signal.

She found myself running, going as fast as her legs could possibly take her. He was in front of her, going way faster than she was. Ilene knew his intimidating towering height would scare the girl, meaning she had to get to her location before he did.

A lake was in their pathway, and the only way they could reach the girl in time was to cross over it. As Ilene entered the icy water, she winced inwardly. It went up to her waist, freezing more than half of her body. The rocks pierced into the soles of her feet. No doubt they'd draw blood.

All she wanted to do was go back. But when Ilene had a goal, she'd fulfull it. And right now that goal was getting to the human on the other side of the lake, and helping her. 

They both ran through the current, occasionally flinching because of the coldness and the fact that their feet were hurting like hell. But slowly, Ilene had forgotten about the pain when she focused her mind on the task. 

Who knows? The girl across the lake might just be the only one left.

"Hurry Ilene!" He yelled, catching her eyes for a split second. She propelled herself to go faster, but she still couldn't catch up. She was tired, oh so freaking tired. Her body was drained physically over the past few days.

He ran out the lake, and she followed him out. The screams were becoming more frequent, and they were leading Ilene into the forest. Evergreen trees blurred past as she sprinted towards the scream. Harsh winds blew, and Ilene felt like her neck would freeze any second.

She didn't pay much attention to the man running beside her, although she did know he was there. They were side by side, heading to the same place.  

But then the screams abruptly stopped, and both of them lost their sense of direction. Ilene flopped down on the ground, trying to catch her breath. Her lungs were stinging, and she desperately wanted some water.

"Where is she?" He growled, running a hand through his wet hair. He paced around, fustrated.

She got up, stumbling in the process. "We'll find her." And she truly thougt so. The past few days had been hard on Ilene, but she noticed that things were turning out better than expected. They had found bodies of water, shelter, and food. Now... they could find the girl too. They just had to believe it.

"You don't get it," He breathed. His body was soaked in sweat, and he took his shirt off. "You don't understand."

"What do you mean I don't understand? I think I know how important it is to rescue her." She glared. He had some guts to say that. Did he think she didn't have a heart or something?

"It's not that." He spoke, turning around. She averted her eyes from his naked chest. She would not be that one idiot who would gawk affectionatly at somebody in the middle of a crisis. Nope, this was not the time. It never was, in their circumstances.

"What is it then?" She said as he walked closer towards her.

"The girl is Catherine."

Ilene frowned. No, it couldn't be. "How are you so sure?"

"I know her screams."

What the hell?

"Okay... and how exactly do you recognize her screams?" She asked, eyes narrowed. 

He winked, which was the only thing he had to do to make her understand what he meant.

Ilene looked away, blood rushing to her face. "I did not need to know that." she muttered under her breath.

He shrugged. "You asked for it." Suddenly, out of nowhere, she felt his hand grab her arm. Pleasure ripped through her and she almost gasped. Ilene mentally scolded herself. Here they were, trying to find the girl, and she was drooling over him. Once again, this was not the time.

"Catherine has a phone." He explained. Her eyes widened, and she stared at him with happiness written all over her face. He nodded fiercely, and for once she saw him crack a smile.

Just as she was about to reply—an ear shattering scream broke through the forest, which caused a flock of birds to fly out of the tall trees.

They ran. 

The multitude of screams led them to find her. Her back leaned against the trunk of a tree; legs sprawled across the dirt ground. Her pink clothing was clotted with dark blood, and the side of her shirt was ripped. Lifeless eyes stared at the sky above. Catherine's skin was pale.

Bloodless flesh.

She didn't want to do it but she... she had to know. She crouched down to Catherines level and reached her hand out towards the corpses neck.

"Ilene, don't." He whispered. He was choked up, just like her. Both of them had seen many bodies in the forest, and they practically broke down when they discovered a new one. It was just frightening... and occasionally the haunting faces of the people visited Ilene's dreams.

Ilene turned her head to look at him. "I have to." she sighed, rubbing a hand over her face.

Slowly, her fingers touched the frigid body. A rebel tear slipped out her eye as she stared at Catherine. Her hands found their way to the top of her jugular vein. She pressed them down, biting her lip so she didn't cry out from disgust. There were two precise holes, covered with crimson blood.

They had gotten to her.

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Please comment to let me know what you think :) All of your comments mean the world to me, and I really want to know if you guys like this story so far.

IMPORTANT: For some reason the capital i looks the same as the lower case L on wattpad. Thus, making the name Ilene hard to figure out because the first two letters of her name look the same, when in fact they are not. Not sure if this is the same case on the app... but anyways, just wanted to let you know her name is pronounced (ill-eene)