Noctura

sixty one

lost chapter

TEAGAN SITS inside the warehouse.

She is alone.

Everyone else ran out to go fight in the war after the Nocturas exploded the AAN building.

She wouldn't admit it, but she's scared. Fear was building up inside her all day, but when the AAN building exploded and Seunghoon ran out with everyone else, the fear inside her exploded as well.

Now, she's sitting on a cushion on the warehouse floor, staring at the empty space around her. There are still racks of weapons standing up at one end of the warehouse, but not a person to man them.

Except...

Teagan shudders.

Should she do it?

Seunghoon told her to stay in the warehouse as he was running out with everyone else.

But, she trained with Seunghoon earlier today and she wasn't doing terrible. Seunghoon actually thought she was doing really well.

But that was just a simulation.

How would she do in real life?

She balls up the end of her shirt and clutches it tightly.

They could need her out there.

Seunghoon could need her out there.

With shaky hands and legs, Teagan forces herself to stand up. She makes her legs move over to the rack of weapons. She grabs a holster, a pistol and knife resting gently in it, and puts it around her belt. She stuffs some ammo in her pockets with shaking hands. Then, she grabs a pistol in her right hand and a knife in her left.

Teagan takes a deep breath, forcing her hands to hold the weapons steadily.

Then she steps outside of the warehouse.

She is greeted by gunshots and screaming as she moves down the street, moving closer to where the battle is happening.

When she comes upon the war scene, she tells herself not to think about it too much.

But it's hard when she's watching people slaughtering each other.

Her eyes immediately search for Seunghoon, but she can't see him amid the chaos.

Come on, Teagan. Get it together.

She's going to take a deep breath but suddenly hears a shrieking sound on her right. She whips her head over that way and sees a man with black and violet eyes staring directly at her.

The Noctura reacts first. He sprints toward Teagan as she brings her gun up.

Her gun goes off but the man gets to her and shoves her onto the ground. Her gun clatters next to her and the Noctura snarls above her.

Without thinking, Teagan brings her left hang up and sticks her knife into the Noctura's throat.

He spits blood onto her face.

She takes her knife back and shoves the man off of her. She grabs her gun and stands up, looking around.

"Wow, that was pretty impressive."

Teagan whips her head to the left.

There, stands a woman with long, dark violet hair, black and violet eyes, and lips covered with dark red lipstick.

Or blood.

Teagan can't tell.

"I'm Mariela," the Noctura woman says. "I think I'm going to feed on you now."

Mariela lunges at Teagan, but Teagan brings up her gun and shoots, hitting Mariela in the shoulder. This only makes Mariela angrier as she continues charging for Teagan.

She tackles Teagan to the ground and Teagan feels as her gun leaves her hand.

Mariela gets Teagan's hands trapped underneath her as she sits on top of her, grinning down at her.

"I think you're going to be very tasty," Mariela tells Teagan, letting out a small laugh.

"Get off me!" Teagan uses all the strength in her to shove at Mariela.

Mariela loses her balance and falls to the side a bit as Teagan shoves her. It's just enough for Teagan to slip out underneath Mariela and reach for her gun on her left side.

"Oh, no you don't."

Mariela grabs Teagan's leg and rips her back.

Teagan can feel the concrete scratching at her palms as she quickly turns around and kicks her heel right into Mariela's face.

Mariela stumbles backward, glaring at Teagan. "You're gonna get it now, you bitch!"

She lunges at Teagan but Teagan quickly rolls over, grabbing the knife on the ground.

As Mariela quickly turns to Teagan and reaches out for her, Teagan slices Mariela's wrist.

It doesn't do anything besides make Mariela even angrier.

Mariela grabs Teagan's left wrist and bends it back. There's a loud cracking sound and the knife clatters onto the ground beneath Teagan.

Teagan screams from the pain in her wrist. Her broken wrist.

Mariela is easily able to push Teagan all the way to the ground. Teagan feels her head slam back against the concrete. Her vision becomes blurry.

Mariela sits on top of Teagan, snarling down at her. "Stop putting up a fight. I'm going to feed on you whether you like it or not."

Teagan uses her right wrist to reach down to her holster on her belt, but Mariela stops her.

"No, no, no." Mariela grins and forces Teagan's hands away. "I want you to die just like this, knowing your weapons to kill me were only inches away and yet you still lost."

Teagan glares at Mariela and tries to shove her off, but this time Mariela remains where she's at.

"You're too weak," Mariela grins. "I know how to make you weaker."

Mariela bites down on Teagan's left shoulder. Teagan cries out with pain and can feel the blood seeping from her shoulder into her jacket.

Mariela looks down at Teagan and smiles. There's blood in and around her mouth. Teagan can see it clearly now.

Teagan can feel the throbbing in both her wrist and her shoulder.

It's so painful.

"Just give up already," Mariela coos. "You're done for. But I want to know one thing before I kill you... what's your name?"

Teagan doesn't respond. Instead, she tries reaching for her gun and knife again, but she can't. She can't fight back anymore. She's too weak.

But she doesn't look at Mariela and accept her fate.

She looks up at the sky.

I get to see Harmony now.

Mariela opens her mouth wide, black and violet eyes burning with fury and hunger.

Teagan looks up at the cloudy sky, thinking about her sister, waiting for Mariela's teeth to sink into her chest.

But they never do.