Chapter 87
Sofia Bliss.
I spun around, almost stumbling.
Her voice came from the woods.
From the shadows between the trees.
I felt I should run in the opposite direction.
But no…
It was her voice.
I tried to be brave, and then... I started walking towards him.
With slow steps.
I felt the branches scratching my arms.
Dry leaves cracking beneath my feet.
The light is fading with the dying sun.
And then… I stopped.
Because the smell changed.
The air changed.
And what I saw was worse than any blow I had ever taken in my life.
My mother was on the ground, motionless.
Covered in blood.
Her eyes wide open, dimming more each second, staring straight at me.
Her skin was pale… lifeless.
Her dress was soaked in mud.
And hovering over her…
A huge, dark wolf.
His mouth was open; I could see his teeth, and the blood? It was dripping...
I could barely breathe... desperate, I staggered backwards, falling to my knees on the floor.
“N-no... no... NO...”, I cried, screamed, and begged as I got up and started running.
''Dad!? Please! Help! Mom! A wolf hurt Mom!'' I yelled for him.
Begging for him to appear. To save her.
But when I pushed through the bushes…
He was there.
On the ground.
Dead.
Letícia too.
Both discarded like something worthless.
Dirty, beaten.
I don’t even know what sound tore out of me.
But it hurt when I screamed, when I fell to the ground.
My chest burned, seared.
''NO… NO… N.'' I screamed until my voice broke.
And then more of them appeared in the shadows.
Many.
Surrounding me as if I were the next prey.
I stumbled to my feet, even though I didn’t want to leave them there.
And I ran, blindly, desperately.
The house appeared ahead, and I burst through the door.
Except—
Inside…
It was all blood.
Everything was red.
Dripping from the walls.
Pooling on the floor.
Every inch stained in crimson.
I collapsed and vomited, sobbing.
My hands slipped—and when I looked at them—
Blood.
Red up to my wrists.
Sucking in air, terrified, I tried to stand, feeling along the walls for support.
Until I saw my reflection in the mirror.
Except…
It wasn’t me.
It was a wolf.
Not like the ones outside.
Bigger.
Its eyes are glowing.
Staring back at me as if it were inside me. As if it really was me, looking at my reflection.
''What the hell? What is happening?!'' I cried, trembling as the tears kept falling.
Why did I have to relive this?
Why did I have to feel all of this… again?
The wolf stepped closer, so close its breath warmed my face.
And then a whisper brushed the air, carried either by the wind or by that hot breath ghosting over my skin.
''Open… your… eyes…''
Her mouth opened as if to cover me entirely... I felt a shiver run through my body.
“It's time to wake up.” That strange voice made my whole body tremble.
Everything around me... started spinning... and my head... started to hurt.
I tried to scream loudly, but my voice sounded weak. I put my hand on my head and then... everything went dark.
My eyes opened. I woke up.
I got out of bed, scared... I screamed and fell out of bed, looking around, my heart racing.
I tried to take a deep breath, but it was difficult; my eyes were wide open, afraid... I tried to crawl, looking around the room, still afraid.
But there was no blood.
No wolves.
No past.
Just… Adrian’s enormous guest room.
''Am I… safe?'' I wondered, breathless, sweating as if I had run for miles.
''It was just a dream? I tried to convince myself, half laughing from the nerves.''
It had to be stress—exhaustion from everything that had happened.
Still sitting on the floor, I looked toward the window. The sun was already high.
Was it already that late? How long had I slept?
I got up slowly, rested my arms on the table, took a deep breath, and then... I heard a vibrating sound... it was my cell phone on the table.
I froze... I almost couldn't breathe...
I could still see the images from my recent nightmare in my memory, which made me even more scared... I was afraid of what might happen next...
I took a slow breath and slowly stretched out my fingers... I picked up the phone.
When I looked at the screen, I saw several missed calls.
Calls from Aunt Marta.
My whole body felt restless as I stared at the screen... I didn't know what to do... my mind was spinning.
But after a few seconds, the words came out of my mouth.
“No... this can't be happening...” I whispered, holding the phone with trembling hands.
What happened?
I hadn't recovered from the nightmare.
I could still feel it in my mind, scaring me...
But the question was... why did it feel like something was about to explode?