Moonlit

Chapter Three

Terra's house was dark, save for the flickering screen of the TV. She crept slowly down the stairs and peered down at the figure in front of it. There was slight snoring from the large armchair, empty bottles scattered around. She almost scoffed as she crept into the kitchen with a bag. She filled it quickly with a couple of cans and reached behind spices, pulling out a few large bills which she tucked away. Terra crept out the back of the house and jumped her fence easily before she headed down the street.

She didn't notice the two figures moving around the light sources, keeping to the darkness that they favored. The scent trail they followed was clear. The closer they got to the source, the stronger the trail became. At one point, one of the figures branched off from the other.

He waited until Terra passed before going after her. He closed the distance between them in a few long strides, before snatching her wrist and whipping her around as he pushed her off the road. "Found you," he said. His other hand went around her throat as he pressed her against the side of a house, nails digging into her skin.

Terra's eyes went wide and she squirmed under his grip. She didn't know if the house was empty, like so many of the houses in her neighborhood. For a brief moment she considered screaming, but knew no one would come even if they heard her. Instead, she brought her knee up as her other hand went to the one around her throat. Terra tipped her head back against the house. She was quiet a moment before she spit in his face and tried to kick at him.

"Let me go," she demanded in a low voice. "Let me go or I'll scream."

"Go ahead and scream then." He drew his face close to hers, his night black hair dancing around his eyes.

She swallowed hard and tried to pull away from him again. "I won't tell anyone," Terra told him in a whisper. "Let me go and I'll leave town forever. I was going to anyway."

His head tipped to the side and for a second he seemed to be considering her request. "No. No I don't think that'll do. See, I'll be in quite a bit of trouble if I let you go free." His nails pricked her wrist as his fingers clenched. "It's a little against the rules to let someone who knows something go just like that."

Terra's eyes widened and she started struggling harder, bringing her knee up again. Finally, she opened her mouth and let out a high pitched scream. The house behind them didn't stir but down the street one light flickered on.

Her captor ripped her off the house and pulled her into his arms. "No one will come for you," he said. "You'll just be another missing person who witnessed the wrong thing at the right time." He suddenly released her all at once, shoving her away from him.

Terra stumbled back and landed hard in the dry, dead grass beside the house. She quickly scrambled back, pushing with her feet, before she turned and went on her hands and knees.

He easily kept pace with her, strolling up to her side. "You could call it a law, or a rule really," he said. "Anyone who sees something they're not supposed to, isn't allowed to live to see it again." He flashed his arms out at her, fingers digging into her shoulders as he ripped her back and threw her to the ground again. "I could either gouge out your eyes, or simply end your life." He grinned down at her. "I haven't decided which would be more interesting yet."

Terra scrambled away again and spotted something in the darkness. She grabbed the straps of her bag and swung out at him with it. She pulled it before her like a shield when he dodged it and kept moving back on the ground. Terra glanced behind her and then took a chance, lunging forward and swinging the bag at him before she tried to run towards the street.

He easily sidestepped away from the bag and took after her. Something sharp lashed out at her arm as he attempted to snatch her. With a sneer tugging at his lips, he pulled back and allowed her to gain some space.

Terra turned sharply down the street, changing her direction to lead back towards the main area of the town, even though most of the streets would still be empty.

Something dashed out before her and planted itself in her way. It was a massive black wolf, much too large to be mistaken for any kind of dog. It's golden eyes seemed to cut through the night. The hound bared its fangs at her, snapping its jaws.

Terra skidded to a halt and scrambled back, her eyes locked on the wolf. She resisted the urge to look behind her, and instead took steps to the side and into the empty street.

The wolf matched her steps, making sure to keep in front of her. Its eyes darted to the side just as the man closed the space to Terra. He grabbed her from behind, one hand seizing her wrist again and the other coming around onto her mouth and nose, holding her to him.

Terra threw her elbow back against him and tried to bite down on his fingers as she struggled, her foot lashing out towards the wolf in front of her. She thrashed in his grip and then suddenly became a dead weight, trying any tactic she could remember in a short moment.

His grip on her tightened, having no struggle to hold her up. He released her wrist to wrap an arm around her torso, pinning her arm to her side. "Humans are so pathetic," he whispered, mouth too close to her ear.

Terra struggled for a breath, her eyes going wide and her face slowly turning red. She shook her head to try and get around his hand. She tried to blink away the red and black in her vision. Her eyes rolled up and she slowly sank into him as her mind slipped away.

Hello! We just wanted to drop another thank you for reading Moonlit! We hope you're enjoying it so far, and if you are, don't forget to drop a favorite and add it to your library to get notified whenever a new chapter goes live!

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~Samantha and Runaja