Chapter 47: Last run

Amina’s POV

As we both stood over his motionless body, I couldn’t even dare to look at Micheal. I only meant to threaten him and hurt him a bit in order to escape, but an unexpected surge of vengeful desire had led me to kill him instead. I couldn’t believe that I had let my pain infect me and corrupt my soul to the point of turning me into a murderer. I hated what I just did and I hated, even more, the fact I enjoyed doing it, but staring into Ophelia’s eyes, I knew that I had to put my feelings on hold. I promised her that we would get out of this godforsaken place and I didn’t intend on letting her down.

Within moments, my stupefied state was overthrown by an intense need to protect her. We had to get going before the guards that she distracted came back to their positions. It was now or never, so with the bloodied knife still tucked inside my right hand, I grabbed Ophelia’s arm with the other and we ran out of the room. This entire house felt to me like one massive maze as the young girl guided the both of us through the dark and decrepit hallways. Hand in hand and with our backs kept low against the wall, we made our way to the safest exit that she knew of.

We reached a narrow and heavy door that led to the right side of the house and as Ophelia prepared to bust the door wide open, I used all of my strength to shove the teenager to the ground and prevent it.

“What are you doing?” She asked me horrified.

“Shhh!” I ordered her quiet as I helped her back on her feet. “Listen.”

I opened the door a few inches and our eyes landed onto a small group of werewolves having a conversation right outside.

“What are they doing here? There’s usually no one.” Ophelia whispered to me as I soundlessly closed the door back.

“We have to find another way out.” I muttered with my mind already racing to come up with another solution.

“There’s no other way out! All the doors are guarded, this was our only hope.” She cried out as fear completely engulfed her frail body.

I pulled Ophelia into my arms wanting and needing to comfort her. Our only chance at survival rested on our capacity to remain calm and I couldn’t afford to let her fall apart now. I needed her just as much as she needed me.

“Ophelia, listen to me.” I said as I stared into her eyes. “There is something else that we can use, but you have to bring us there. Can you focus?”

She wiped her reddened nose with the back of her sleeve as she nodded her head yes. I told her about the boarded windows that I had seen earlier and that we could use them to escape without fear of guards blocking the way. As I laid down the new plans that required us to turn around, Ophelia’s eyes bulged out and she grew more panicked and restless.

“No way, we can’t go there! We would have to go back. We’re gonna’ get caught!” She couldn’t help but sob into my arms.

“I understand that you’re afraid, but we can’t give up. They’re going to find Micheal any minute now and we’re sitting ducks. We have to try, Ophelia. Just trust me, okay?” I said calmly, stroking her long black hair with a soft hand.

I could feel the tension in her body slowly ease away with my words of encouragement. She knew that I was right and that we had no other choice but to keep fighting. She took a deep breath and before I could say anything else, she dashed through the corridors, pulling me with her. We retraced our steps as fast as we could all the while trying our best to remain quiet and invisible. Within minutes, we were right back where we had started and a very sudden and loud gasp escaped the girl’s mouth.

“Oh my God.” I let out under my breath as my own eyes had followed her terrified gaze all the way to where we had left Micheal.

My jaw dropped in utter consternation and as the dismay turned into dread, my heartbeats picked up like a thousand galloping horses and my entire frame trembled with fear. His body had disappeared from the room and I couldn’t think of anything else but the imminent threat to our lives.

“The windows, now!” I yelled at the young girl, urging her to snap out of her daze.

From the moment that Micheal's body was discovered, our attempt to escape wasn't a secret anymore and I knew that being stealthy was no longer important. The only thing that mattered was acting quickly before it became too late for us as well. Under my order, Ophelia took off running and I followed her down the dim halls.

*‘One.’*

*‘Two.’*

*‘Three.’*

I counted in my head the numbers of turns that she made us take and I knew by the time the third one rolled around that we neared the long-awaited windows. If there was one thing that I was grateful for in this instant, it was my little stroll earlier with the guards.

I was short of breath when I positioned myself in front of one of the windows, but there was no time to rest. I used the knife’s blade to lift up the rotten wooden planks that were blocking our path. The plywood was so deteriorated that the smallest effort caused the planks to fall and we both giggled in relief when we found ourselves staring at the forrest through the glass. Our freedom was finally within reach and all we had to do was to lift the window pane, but it never moved. Despite our combined strength, the damned window refused to let go and after a while, I could see that Ophelia was about to crack and give up.

“Give me your flannel shirt.” I commanded the young girl as I glared at the window.

We had to find another way to open it and the glass pane didn’t seem thick enough to withstand the handle of the knife. I was hoping that under the right amount of pressure, it would break. I wrapped the shirt around the steel blade to protect my hand and banged the handle against the glass. It took some time, but the glass begin to shatter under the stress of the constant blows.

“I hear something over there!” A loud male voice rose from afar.

“Hurry up, Mina!” Ophelia begged me panicking.

We could hear footsteps approaching and I began to fear that the window wouldn’t break. Desperate and unnerved, I rammed on the glass with all of my might as I screamed at the top of my lungs. The window collapsed under my last blow and the flannel ripped, letting the serrated edge of the knife meet the palm of my hand.

“Are you okay?” Ophelia asked me concerned when she saw the blood dripping out of my hand.

“I’m fine, now go!”

I ordered her to climb out of the window and in a swift move, the young she-wolf threw herself to the other side of the wall. She then turned around and waited for me to climb over, but my attention was suddenly caught by the bulky guard that had escorted me to Gisele earlier today.

“Alpha! They’re here!” He screamed out before darting towards me.

I jumped over the window as he tried to tackle me down and we both found ourselves on the ground, on either side of the wall. He got up a little faster than I did and tried to climb over the window, but I managed to cut his face with the knife before he could. The guard staggered backwards, squealing in pain as Ophelia and I ran away. We dashed through the woods at full tilt, leaving him and the house behind.

We could hear in the distance the ruckus from the rogues that were trying to regroup and pursue us. Ophelia was running faster than me and was leading the way through the trees. As I tried to keep up with her, the howls and shouts of the wolves charging for us were becoming louder and clearer. We were being hunted down and I knew who was leading the chase.

“Ophelia, stop!” I yelled for her as I came to a standstill.

“What? Why? They’re coming, can’t you hear them?” She shouted back towards me.

“I know. Where’s the road, Ophelia?” I asked out of breath.

“A mile that way.” She pointed east with her arm. “But we have a better chance at hiding in the woods.”

“Micheal’s alive. The guard called out to him before he tried to grab me. Micheal won’t stop until he has me, so you have a better chance to survive without me. I want you to run towards the road and don’t stop running until you’re far away.” I elaborated as quickly as I could.

“No! I’m not leaving you!” She screeched in anger as she came right up to me.

She wrapped both of her arms around my waist to hug me and I couldn’t stop my own tears from cascading down my face. I had to let her go to keep her away from him and I wanted her safe more than anything.

“We don’t have much time. Micheal will follow my scent and if you’re with me when he catches up, you will die." I managed to say through my tears as I pulled her away from me. “I told you I’d get you out, Ophelia. Now, please, listen to me and run.”

“Mina…”

“Go! Run!” I cut her off impatiently.

Ophelia hesitated a few moments then sprinted out of the woods and towards the road. I stayed planted there until the young girl had completely disappeared between the bushes. The cruel clamour of the hunters who were closing in forced me to resume my run through the thick greenery. I raced as fast as humanly possible, zig-zagging my way in between all kinds of trees all the while still holding on to my precious knife.

I had been running for at least ten or fifteen minutes when I stepped on a large stump hidden by a bunch of dead leaves. In the blink of an eye, I found myself thrown forward, landing my head on several big rocks. My ankle had sprained and my forehead cut open, but I didn’t flinch. My exhausted body couldn’t feel any physical pain as much anymore and it didn’t matter to me. Deep down, facing the fact that I could no longer run or fight, I sensed that my end had really come.

*‘This is as good a place as any to wait, I guess.’* I thought to myself as I struggled to get up and rest my body against the bark of a tall pine tree.

I closed my eyes and focused on the shouting and the feet trailing happening all around me. I was surrounded and trapped, but my mind was free of any worry. My decision had been made.