C13 Nightmare

Lily

I groaned, slowly returning to reality.

The ground underneath me was frosty, biting at my skin. It pushed me further till I was awake.

My head was pounding painfully and I tasted bile. Still I cracked my eyes open, meeting darkness. For a moment everything was blank confusion surging in me. I closed my eyes, fighting off the nausea and pain and tried to remember how I got here.

The recent memories flooded through my mind like a broken dam, and with them a chilling realisation. Fear gripped me as I remembered being attacked, the screaming, the struggle, and then…nothing.

Cold dread coursed through me as the pieces fell into place. I had been taken, abducted and brought to this place.

Panic surged within me. I tried to move my hand but I soon realised both my wrists were bound tightly together.

Slowly, my eyes adjusted to the darkness till I could finally make out my surroundings.

The place was wide and empty . I could barely make sense of the echo surrounding the place, till I noticed that the walls looked metallic. I was in some sort of warehouse.

Looking up I froze, my stomach knotting in terror.

Large chains dangled ominously from the ceiling.

My body grew colder as I tried to make sense of it all.

What on earth was going on? Why was I brought here? Who had kidnapped me?

I stilled as voices reached my ears. My eyes traced the door, hearing them outside the room. Though tense, I strained to listen.

"I really don't get her importance. She doesn't even seem notable to look at" a male voice said.

“She did look like good eye candy though. Especially when we knocked her out.”

Faint snickers erupted while I let out a shuddered breath. They were talking about me.

“None of that matters.” A deep voice cut through the laughter, turning the place quite.

“It's what the boss wants. All we do is act.”

Boss? Which boss? Who had taken me here?

Another voice came out “But really, all this for this puny human? We're lucky to have invaded this Alpha's territory and it's all for this worthless meat bag!"

"Hold your tongue, Finn." The deep voice responded, filled with authority and conviction.

“There's no point in complaining. you ever put into question the orders of our Alpha. Nor you or any of these humans have a right. Understand?”

There was a tense silence, and I strained to catch any further details.

‘Alpha?’ I had never heard such things before. Nothing made sense. And why did they call people humans?

What did any of this mean? Why was I brought here?

My heart skipped a beat as a pair of footsteps approached, growing louder.

Quickly my reflexes took over and I closed my eyes to feign sleep, forcing myself to relax. Silently I prayed that they wouldn't notice I was awake.

Metal creaking filled the air and I felt light through my eyelids. My heart rushed in my ears, but I remained still.

The footsteps grew closer until I felt the person near me. I could feel the man's gaze on me, even without opening my eyes.

"I know you're awake." A chill ran up my spine. It was the

“Open your eyes now, unless you would prefer me to force them open.” his threatening tone held no boundaries, instantly turning my stomach I to knots.

Reluctantly, I fearfully opened my eyes.

The lights didn't help the constant throbbing in my head, but I forced myself to ignore it, taking in the man's imposing figure.

He was fairly tall and large, sporting a military buzz cut atop his head. His muscular frame was imposing. His face, cold and hard, promised nothing but pain.

I swallowed thickly, trying to quell the fear coursing through me.

Despite my best efforts to remain calm, my body betrayed me. Tremors coursed through me, I couldn't help but feel trapped under his stare.

He didn't look remorseful at all. Rather, his lips curled into a smile, seemingly amused as though deriving pleasure from my fear.

He knelt down to my level and before I knew it his hand grabbed my face. I blinked back my tears as his fingers bit into my cheeks, turning my head from side to side. Desperation welled up inside me, and I tried to pull away from him.

“Don't try to struggle.” he sounded unconcerned as I scrambled against his hands, pulling away to no avail.

His entire body felt like steel, immovable. Was I just that weak?

In the end I had no choice but to give in, forcing myself still. Despair settled inside me.

Looking away from the space his large frame took, I could vaguely see the open door, where other men were. Wearing the same dark outfit as him, my dread settled deeper once I saw what they were holding.

‘Guns.’ My chest tightened at the sight.

‘What did they want from me?’

I looked back at the man holding me, trying not to cry.

"Do you know why you're here?" He asked.

‘How on earth was I supposed to know?’ I wanted to scream out, if not for the feet that held back my throat.

My entire body was rigid with fear, and with his grip I couldn't speak even if I wanted to.

With the little agency I had, I shook my head fervently.

"Please...let me go." I pleaded weakly, fighting the scalding feeling in my eyes.

His laughter in response made my heart sink deeper.

"I'll take that as a no, then," he responded.

I released a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding when he let me go. I was shoved to the floor, hissing in pain as my back met the unforgiving surface.

His voice brought me back to the grim reality.

"It doesn't matter though, we're just doing a job. Nothing personal.” he shrugged, as though

“You're very unlucky, to have caught his eye. Goodness knows why. Unfortunately you've seen us already, so you can't be taken back.” he rambled openly, no hint of remorse in his voice.

The vague words frustrated me. I couldn't understand a thing that they said or what was going on. All I wanted was to be safe in my apartment. Safe.

A warm tear slipped down my cheek.

Why? Why was this happening to me?

His voice snapped me out of my terror-filled stupor.

"You best start praying to whatever God you believe in that you're the one he's looking for." he grinned.

His eyes roved over me, a creeping feeling that made me want to shrink away.

"Because if you aren't? Well, we'll just have to find...other uses for you."

My heart plummeted into my stomach at his unspoken threat.

Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced the air. It took me a while to recognize it, disbelief filling me.

Howling. It was the sound of howling.

What on earth?

I could barely comprehend it when I noticed the man straightened, looking alarmed. Looking at the others hiking their guns, they looked equally alarmed.

Without a word he turned away and left the room. The door shut, leaving me back in darkness. Relief washed over me, but the fear and confusion remained.

I wrapped my hands around myself, my stomach turning in revulsion at the past actions.

Looking down at my still-bound hands I swallowed.

I didn't know what waited for me outside, but I couldn't sit still. I had to escape.

I loosened the ropes to the best of my ability , ignoring the chafing around my skin. Finally, it turned loose till I could pull out my hands till they were finally free.

Slowly, I rose to my feet, shutting my eyes against the vertigo. Taking deep breaths, I adjusted despite the pounding in my head.

Once I recovered, I took slow, measured steps towards the door.

Suddenly a scream pierced the air, stopping me in my tracks. Soon more emerged followed by loud growls.

I could barely believe it. My hand hovered over the door in hesitation before I pulled it open.

Emerging from the room I froze at the horrifying sight.

The scene was nightmarish, and yet it was unfolding before my very eyes. I took a step back, unable to tear my gaze away as my mind tried to process what it was seeing.

Wolves. Large hulking wolves were all around. Their hulking forms moved with an unnatural speed as they attacked my captors.

The metallic tang of blood hung thick in the air, overwhelming my senses. Blood was spilling everywhere.

I watched in horror as one of the wolves tackled a man holding a gun, and with an unfathomable speed, bit their neck open.

In between the gore countless cries of pain and agony I heard a very distinct voice.

“They shouldn't have gotten here..." I turned at the groaned words, finding the same man who had threatened me.

I watched in horror as he started tearing off his clothes, the sound of bones cracking right as his body changed.

Gone was the hulking man and stood in his place was a giant brown wolf with eyes glowing yellow.

I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched the whole thing. My body went numb, and my mind reeled from the shock of it all. The gore, the sight I just experienced and the continuous pounding in my head melded together, pushing me to my breaking point.

I couldn't feel my legs beneath me, my vision blurring. As I teetered on the brink of consciousness, I spotted a dark wolf, directly facing me. Its eyes glowed bright blue, penetrating me to the core.

Then everything went dark.