Chapter 7 - DO YOU TRUST ME?

I take a closer look at her face. Her gaze is intense, but it's not distant; rather, she's focused, watching something behind me. The way the expression on her face changes to one far more intimidating than I've ever seen before sends a shiver through my body, and I can be sure it's not from the cold.

"Kira, is something wrong?"

"Do you trust me?" Kira's voice is serious, do I trust her? Why is she asking me this?

"What do you mean, Kira? What are you looking at?" I try to turn around to see what Kira is watching so intently.

"Don't turn around!" Kira stops me with her scolding, and my body stops moving right away, obeying on the spot because of the frightened way she says it. Kira has never acted this way before, which makes me think something very serious is going on.

Kira grabs my shoulders, gently turning me around so that I can focus only on her. "Listen to me carefully, Yini, you need to run as fast as you can to the car, and don't look back, okay? For the life of you, don't look back and don't stop."

"But what's going on?" I insist, looking Kira in the eyes, searching for some clue to explain to me the gravity of the situation. Her hands tremble slightly on my shoulders, and her eyes become even more serious, filled with a determination I've never seen before.

"Listen to me, right now I'm just asking you to trust me, okay?" Kira's concerned look pierces the deepest part of my being. She is waiting for my answer. I look into her eyes a moment longer before nodding. Even with everything that just happened, my heart and my brain have the same answer: I trust her more than I trust myself.

Kira releases me immediately and her voice is clear: "Just do it, Yini. Run now," Kira says, giving me a little push in the direction of the car. The urgency in her voice urges me to obey and I start running, my heart pounding in my chest.

As soon as Kira releases me, I start running as fast as my legs will let me. I don't even stop to analyze it for a second, and I curse myself at this moment for not being as athletic as my parents wanted me to be as a teenager. Avoiding as much as I can looking back, as Kira asked me to, I don't know what's going on, but my heart is beating at full intensity, as if it wants to burst out of my chest and run away with me. My breath becomes visible in front of me with every exhale, but despite the cold that until a moment ago wanted to soak into my bones, I now find myself sweating, although it is possible that it is due to adrenaline.

My legs don't stop, they don't stop despite protesting with every footstep, and the car thankfully is getting closer and closer. Is Kira okay though, shouldn't I have stayed with her? I stop in my tracks. Damn, I should have questioned her, is there something wrong with her? She was so strange, I shouldn't have listened to her, or at least held on to her until I knew what was going on. With the car just inches away from me, I question whether to follow Kira's lead and leave, but I simply can't do that. How can I abandon my best friend if she's in danger?

I turn around to start running back in the direction where I left Kira, but from one moment to the next everything happens too fast. A figure rushes past the corner of my eye and crashes with a huge impact on the car, which startles me, causing the car alarm to start blaring. Something has impacted the rear bumper of the car, shattering the entire rear mirror and shattering the glass. An involuntary scream escapes my lips.

I feel the blood in my body go elsewhere, making me start to feel a wrenching cold again and my body go weak. I can't believe what I'm seeing.

"KIRA!" What has impacted with the car is Kira's body. Although my scream could have alerted everyone within a few feet, no one peeks out to see what's going on, as if no one cares what might be happening. My friend doesn't move; her body looks like that of a simple lifeless rag doll. I'm not sure how, but in less than a second I find myself running in her direction, even though I no longer have the strength in my legs to keep holding on. I step in front of her until I crouch down to her level, my hands shaking as I bring my fingers to her neck to check her pulse. "Kira?" my voice sounds much lower than a whisper.

Please, Kira, please tell me you're okay.

"That bastard..." A gasp puts me on alert and makes me take my hands off her neck, as Kira whimpers and curses. Indeed, there is a heartbeat.

But there is no moment to be relieved, for a hideous growl is heard behind me, in the shadows that the streetlights fail to illuminate. My head slowly turns, fearing whatever made that sound. As Kira continues to moan and touch her ribs, the tears that had begun to fall at some point stop as soon as I notice who that growl belongs to. Some sort of wolf-like monster, but with an irrational size and black color, watches us as if we were its prey as it comes into view. The artificial lights now better reflect its immense and terrifying body. Its snout is wrinkled as it bares its sharp fangs and thick drool slides down to the floor. This scene is too surreal for me, too supernatural. One of its front paws moves forward, followed by another of its paws, beginning to slowly advance towards us with a look full of fury.

Kira, with great effort, sits up a little, leaning against the car. "Yini, get away... now..." Her voice is weak but urgent, and her eyes, though full of pain, show fierce determination. I try to get up, to move, but my legs are paralyzed with fear.

"But what...?" I start to say, but I can't continue as my tongue is immobilized along with the rest of my body when the wolf starts running towards us and doesn't seem to want to stop. The wolf lets out another growl in my direction and as our eyes stare at each other, I fall sitting on the ground from shock. As best I can, I start backing up on my back as the small pebbles embed themselves in my hands. I crash into the car and am right next to Kira, who keeps looking at the wolf with fury.

Is this the end of us, are we destined to be eaten by this supernatural beast?