𝚩𝐄𝚴𝐄𝚨𝐓𝚮 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐔𝚸𝐓 𝐒𝚱𝐈𝐄𝐒

Chapter 03

When I was younger, my heart would race at the sight of a spider creeping across the floor, its spindly legs a reminder of my fragile mortality. I'd spent countless nights convinced that shadows danced just beyond the reach of my bedside lamp, probably plotting to murder me. Strangers? Oh, they were even worse—unpredictable weirdos with secrets and bad breath.

But nothing, not the spiders, not the nightmares, and certainly not my childhood fears, could have prepared me for this guy.

He wasn't just dangerous; he was the poster child for 'walk the other way' and if you looked back you'd be the dumbest person on earth. His glowing teal eyes were like headlights from hell, staring right through me as if he knew every stupid thing I'd ever done in my life. And those wings? Jesus. They looked like they'd been dragged through a forest fire and rebuilt by someone that stuck with a blueprint and decided no editing to be done to it. As grotesque as they appeared, there was a raw beauty to them. Then again, I've always believed that ugly things often carry more meaning than those conventionally beautiful. 

The air between us was thick with tension, the kind of tension where you don't know whether to run or pee yourself. And in my case, I would've honestly done both. I stuck with the first option bolting like a scared rabbit, my boots smacking against the ground as I dodged low-hanging branches and tried not to trip over my own feet. 

"Why does this crap always happen to me?" I muttered under my breath, barely able to hear myself over the sound of his wings slicing through the air. All my life, it's been a series of unfortunate events. Today wasn't any different so I really shouldn't be surprised. 

I glanced back once, just once, because apparently, I have no survival instincts. Also making me the dumbest person alive apparently as I've stated before. And there he was, floating effortlessly like some unholy cross between a Greek god and a pissed-off vulture.

"Hey you can't do that! That's not fair!" But then again what was fair about any of this? Of course whatever was following me can grow wings and start flying. Like I've said, I run fast but unfortunate events run faster. 

When I say no amount of cardio was going to save me, I mean I had better chance lying on the ground pretending I was dead. Before I could process what was happening, he slammed into me from behind, knocking me flat on my face. The ground was cold, hard, and completely unforgiving, much like my life choices.

"Oof." It felt like the the air had escaped my lungs on impact.

"Has anyone told you, you have the survival skills of a worm?" he asked, crouching beside me. His voice was maddeningly smooth, like he'd rehearsed this insult just for me. Wait did he just speak? 

"Wow, thanks," I shot back, spitting out dirt and trying to salvage what little dignity I had left. "I didn't expect to be chased by a...by a...what the fuck are you even?"

"Very funny." 

A flicker of something crossed his face, was that amusement? No, more like the look of someone deciding whether to laugh or clock me into next week.

He tilted his head, studying me like I was some kind of puzzle missing half its pieces. "Where is this?" he asked ignoring my question, his tone sharp enough to cut glass.

"Uh, Earth," I said, my voice wobbling as I tried to sound casual, though my heart was auditioning for a drumline. "You know, third rock from the sun? Real estate's terrible, but the views are nice."

His glowing eyes narrowed. "Don't test me."

"Okay, okay!" I threw up my hands. "We're on an island...pretty big, lots of trees, definitely not the mainland. I only just got here too!"