Chapter 16 Nowhere to Run

Chapter 16 Nowhere to Run

VANESSA’S POV

I didn’t look back. I just kept running. My feet were hitting the ground fast, over and over. Every time I breathed, it felt like fire in my throat. That voice on the radio wouldn't leave my head. They saw me. I don't know how, but they saw me.

Everything around me was starting to blur. This fever was really messing with my head. I knew I was moving way too fast, but I couldn't slow down. If I didn't get into the bush right now, I was going to shift right here. My skin felt too tight, like it was about to burst.

I ran around a big tree and almost ran into three guys.

"What the hell, Vanessa?"

I stopped so fast I almost fell. It was Mark, Kyle, and Jude from my class. They were hiding behind a bush with a bottle, probably trying to drink or smoke where no one would see them. With those specialists searching rooms, they must have thought the bush was safer.

"What are you doing out here?" Mark whispered. He looked at the school and then back at me. "Curfew started ten minutes ago. You want to get us all expelled?"

I stepped back till my back hit a tree. I stayed in the darker part.

"I was just going back to the dorm," I said.

"Forget about her," Kyle said, quickly lowering the bottle in his hand. He kept looking toward the gym. “Man, those guys look serious. Look at what they’re carrying. That’s not normal school security gear. Why are they even going into rooms instead of searching outside? It’s like they think whatever messed up that door handle is hiding under someone’s bed.”

“Yeah,” Jude muttered, hugging his knees. “Why the fuck are they doing all that and disturbing us?”

My hearing was so sharp I could hear their hearts. They were beating fast. Then I heard something else. Heavy boots hitting the ground. Someone was coming.

"Vanessa, why are you sweating like that?" Mark asked, stepping closer to me. "You look messed up. And your eyes... they look weird AF.”

"I'm just sick," I snapped, stepping back into the dark. "Just leave me alone.”

"Hey! You four. Stop right there."

A bright light hit the trees. It was so bright I had to use my hands to block it. We were caught.

A man in a heavy vest stepped out of the dark. He didn't look like school security, he looked like a soldier or something. He had a radio on his shoulder and a big flashlight in his hand.

"IDs. Now," he barked.

The guys started searching their pockets. They were shaking so bad I could hear their teeth. I just stood there. My hands were deep in my hoodie. My fingers were twitching. My wolf was loud in my head. I was trying so hard to stay in control.

The man walked up to us. He took the guys' IDs and looked at them for a second. Then he turned to me. He put the light right on my face.

"You," he said. "ID."

“I don’t have it with me now,” I said. I looked down. “I was going back to the dorm. I’m not feeling well.”

He didn’t move. He just stood there, staring at me. I could feel my skin getting hotter. He leaned closer, like he was checking me properly.

"You don't look okay," he said. His voice was very calm. "You're burning up."

"Just a headache," I said.

The radio on his chest made a loud sound. “Movement near the west fence. All units, go.”

His head snapped toward the woods. He looked at us, then back at the trees.

“Go back to your dorms. Now,” he said, already turning away.

He ran into the dark. The three guys didn't wait a second. They took off running toward the school building.

"Come on, Vanessa! Run!" Mark shouted.

I didn't go with them. I couldn't go back there yet. The fever was too much. I turned and went deeper into the forest. I passed another group of students hiding near the gym wall.

The school was a trap.

I ran till my chest started hurting. I finally reached a spot where the trees were very thick. It was dark and quiet. I dropped by a rock and leaned against it. I closed my eyes, trying to focus.

"I knew it."

The voice was sharp. It was right behind me.

I froze. Then I slowly turned my head.

Melissa was standing there. She was holding her phone up. The phone screen lit up her face. She was recording me.

She was smiling, but it wasn’t nice.

She stepped closer. The phone light hit my face.

"What exactly are you hiding?"

I was trapped.

Her in front of me.

Them somewhere behind me.