Shadow Embraced (Haven Academy Book 1) [Completed]

Chapter 3

I'm in the church again. Something's different. I take cautious steps toward the mirror and realise what's wrong. Shards of glass litter the floor. They crunch beneath my feet as I move.

'Scarlet,' a voice booms. The ground shakes with its taunt.

I move my gaze around the room, but no one else is here.

'No escape.' The voice echoes around me. The Earth quakes more ferociously with every word.

"Who are you?" I scream.

'Soon,' the voice snarls.

* * *

I snap awake. I push against the rough wooden floor beneath me, struggling to get my still groggy body into a sitting position and rub my aching temple. My gaze darts around my new surroundings. I try to focus, but all I get is a blurry vision of a wooden hut. With no windows and only one door, the only source of light comes from a hole in the roof. Drops of rain splash into a rusted bathtub below. The only piece of furniture is a wooden stool sitting in the corner.

The scent of mould and wet grass fills the small room.

I push myself off the ground and stumble towards the door. Gripping the handle to keep myself upright, I try turning it, but the cool metal in my hand won't budge.

Footsteps sound outside and come to a stop in front. I suck in a breath as the handle turns and the door opens, filling the room with an icy breeze. I rush away and thrust myself into the furthest corner of my cell.

A woman enters, her hazel eyes fixing on me. Long brown hair falls in curls around her olive face. Her long white lab coat swirls as she moves.

"You're finally awake." She approaches me, a gleaming syringe grasped in her right hand.

I press myself further into the corner, striving to melt through the wooden wall and escape. Doesn't seem to be working.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit." She grabs my flailing arm and holds it firm. "Honestly, why are you all such babies when it comes to a little pinprick?"

Her grip tightens, sharp nails digging into my skin. I can only watch as the needle sinks into my arm and the small tube on its end fills with blood.

"Relax, it's just a few routine tests then you're on your way." She removes the sample cartridge and places it in a plastic bag. After stowing the vial in her lab coat, she places her fingers on either side of my chin and turns my head from one side to the other. "Your change is progressing rapidly. They really should have brought you to me sooner."

"What do you want with me?" I manage to spit out. "Where's my friend?"

Still clutching my face, she stares me in the eyes. "You're different from the others. Something's off."

"Please, where am I?" Tears blur my vision. If they want to kill me, what are they waiting for? I just want to know if Alex is safe. The last image of her lifeless body lying on the sidewalk replays in my mind. I squeeze my eyes shut, not knowing what's going to happen next.

A few moments of silence pass before she lets go of my chin. "We have a situation here."

"Take care of it like you would any other," a man's voice says.

My eyes shoot open to see who else has entered the room. No one's here but the woman. She holds a small mobile to her ear.

"Do you know what you're asking?" The woman gives me a quick glance before turning around to face the door. The still open door.

"It wouldn't be in your best interest to report this," the man says.

I'll only have one chance. Without waiting for the woman to pay me any more attention, I push off the wall and charge towards the exit. I knock her to the ground as I bolt outside.

A vast wilderness greets me. Aged trees with flaking bark tower over me.

I'm not going to stop and check where I am. I keep heading in the only direction that makes sense, away from the crazy lady with the needle. Rain buckets down, but I urge myself to go faster. Branches claw at me as I push through the foliage.

"Hey, come back here!" I hear the woman scream.

A twig snaps behind me. She must be up and chasing after me.

A low inhuman growl wafts across the field. Something's out here. The mud squelches as it approaches, sounding as big as a horse.

I turn my head, but the moment I take my attention off where I'm going my feet catches on a twisted tree root and send me crashing to the muddy earth.

The rain obscures my vision. I strain my eyes, trying to see the thing stalking me. Briefly, I catch a glimpse of a figure between the trees. A warped, misshapen creature caught somewhere between a man and a wolf.

Jagged brown quills protrude all over its body. Its glowing yellow eyes are smouldering beacons in the darkness.

It takes half a second for the terror to hit. I'm going to die. I push myself to my feet and bolt.

I run faster, trying not to slip in the mud. No matter how quick I move, the distance only shortens. Toying with me. This is how the poor girl in those horror movies must feel. The galloping feet echo behind me. It's right behind me.

Every muscle aches. The icy air rushes painfully into my lungs. What's the worst thing that can happen if I stop and play dead right here? The creature utters another bowl-shaking roar. I don't want to find out.

A decaying house comes into view. The closer I get to the building, the more I see. I slip on the mud and crash to the ground. Clambering to my feet, I dart my gaze around, expecting the creature to be upon me. There's no sign of it. I must have lost it somehow.

It's an abandoned town. Everywhere I look things are ancient and withered. Tree roots and branches wind around the cottages like pythons squeezing them to death. Weeds grow between cracked roof tiles. Other structures have collapsed.

The graveyard of buildings pales in comparison to the massive stone edifice crouching behind it, a Gothic structure built out of dark bricks. Vines claw their way up its sides as if trying to drag the towering megalith down into the very earth on which it rests. Tall spires erupt from the rooftop at bizarre angles, seemingly without reason.

A tall wall constructed from the same dark bricks surrounds the massive structure, with iron spikes on top that stretch towards the heavens.

"Welcome to Haven," a female voice whispers in my ear, just before I'm hit from behind and darkness takes over once again.