My Royal Runaway (ON HOLD)

01 | MAGIC

01 | M A G I C 

Five minutes, twenty-four seconds.

That's how long I had left.

How long we had left.

As I took a deep breath, I focused on the pressure in my ribcage as my lungs expanded and then on the calming feeling that came with the release of the breath. Ensuring my other senses remained tuned in to my surroundings, I knelt down; refusing to acknowledge the unnerving feeling of the water dampening my knees as it seeped through the black jeans I'd consciously worn to blend into the night.

Three minutes, seven seconds.

When I heard the faint sounds of unexpected rustling in the darkened bushes lining the shallow, dirty creek I was trudging through, I paused and focused my attention to the noise, relaxing only slightly when the scent I could pick up was that of a small rabbit. As soon as my shoulders dropped, as did the shoulders of the men and women following behind me and as I continued, so did they.

One minute, four seconds.

I focused my attention to the figures blackened by the night's embrace as they walked aimlessly along the edge of the bridge and stiffened when I realised something wasn't right.

One minute, one second.

Without hesitation, I raised my hand to silence and stop the people I was leading under the large bridge, wincing when one of them stopped, tripped and fell backwards into the water we were using to hide our scent.

It didn't matter though. They already knew we were here.

Fifty-nine seconds.

I shouted out a warning as, almost from nowhere, a relentless tirade of small, round objects came shooting toward us. Effortlessly I managed to dodge every single one, though I knew others behind me weren't so lucky. Speeding ahead, I flipped out my own gun and readied it, aiming and tapping the trigger faster than even I could comprehend, though I made sure I counted as each bullet left the chamber, now aware that the water was pooling around my waist, making it a lot more difficult to move.

Twenty seconds.

I felt myself wince when something sharp grazed my shoulder, but I trudged on through the muddy water, ignoring the frantic shouts echoing throughout the canal we'd been using to hide our scents.

Finally, as I finished my countdown, the sounds of echoing sirens began to blast from the large gloomy building we were all now sprinting toward.

"They're here-" someone cheered from behind me, though they were quickly cut off, their lifeless body now undoubtedly floating in the canal. I refused to look around me, though I was aware of the growls and the pained shouts as our backup arrived. Without hesitation, as we reached the end of the canal, I hurried to climb out of it, rolling out of the way just before I felt another bullet graze my leg. Just as I began to move forward, I found myself stumbling backwards as a giant, oversized wolf leapt in front of me, its large green eyes striking against its midnight black fur.

Tucking a strand of hair behind my ears, I took a deep breath in and, keeping my eyes locked on the beast before me, I ran toward it, kicking my feet off the ground to effortlessly jump and manoeuvre my body so I was comfortably sitting on its back. I quickly tangled my fingers into its soft fur, nodding when it calmly tilted its head to look back at me, silently asking me if I was ready. The wolf, when it was sure that I was prepared, bolted for the building now just over a hundred metres before us, other wolves with their own passengers joining us.