The Hunt

Chapter 1

I held onto my bag, gripping it so tight that my knuckles turned white. It was all I had left of my old life, which had fallen apart a matter of hours ago, and there was no I was letting it out of my sight. Another set of tears rolled down my cheeks, which were no doubt still pale and sickly from shock. The rumble of the train rocked me back and forth, the loud noise keeping me from shutting my eyes and falling into a deep, well needed, sleep. I shut my eyes in a desperate attempt to lock in the tears, but somehow they continued to find their way out of my eyes and down my face, where they dripped off of my jaw and onto my lap. The tears seemed to burn through my thick jeans and onto my skin, which was still burning from the change. From when I changed into that...thing. The memory would forever be stitched into my mind. 

 ~

"You were supposed to be home hours ago!" My father screamed, throwing his hands up in the air. "Where do you get off coming home at two in the morning!" My mom joined in, slamming her cell phone down on the counter and mirroring my father's intense glare. 

"I was just-" 

"No excuses!" My father bellowed, slipping past me to grab something to use to take his anger out on me. 

"I'm sorry!" I pleaded, desperately trying to get one of them to see the hurt in my eyes. "Brent's parents were fighting again, and-"

"You were out with that boy again!?" My father fumed, his face heating up until it turned tomatoe red. "You're only seventeen! You can't be out all night with a strange boy!"

"There's nothing going on-"

"Do not argue with me, Sophia." He said, staring me down with a face that was just itching for me to say something stupid. To his dismay, I kept my mouth shut, nodding in agreement. Still, I couldn't help but feel the anger building up inside of me, heating my face and boiling my blood. 

"You have always been such a little slut." My father grunted, angry sweat dripping down his strained face. 

Without thinking, something strange washed over me and I spoke. "I could stand here all night and explain to you what really happened, but that would be pointless, wouldn't it?" I glared at my parents, too late to take back what I had already said.

"Sophia!" My mother called out while my dad rushed past her and towards a wooden drawer in the kitchen. 

"Dave," My mom watched as my dad shuffled through the drawer, pulling out a large metal contraption. "What are you doing, Dave?" She said louder, concern in her squeaky voice. 

He didn't answer as he came closer to me, holding up the weapon that I soon identified as a large meat cleaver. It gleamed under the kitchen light, the light shadowing over my father's face and revealing the anger that was written all over it. 

"W-what are you doing?" I said quietly, taking small tentative steps back. 

"Someone needs to teach you a lesson." A large vein popped up in his forehead as he ran his free hand over his thinning hair. 

"No!" I shrieked as he took the first swing at me, missing my arm by inches. Without thinking, I bolted out of the kitchen and raced up the stairs, energy pulsating through my whole body. I could hear loud thundering footsteps racing after me, causing me to run faster. The house was dark, but that didn't keep me from finding my way to the bathroom and locking it before flicking on a switch. With a flicker that was quickly replaced by a soft buzzing sound, the room lit up, revealing a small bathtub/shower, covered by a tacky dolphin-themed shower curtain and an ivory toilet with a small window above it.