BLOODLINES

perately , another sudden and piercing shriek shatte

aled. It sounded like someone was killed. The shriek's echoes faded, leaving an uneasy silence. As they st

surroundings, her expression guarded. Sarah exhaled, seeing her breath

different." Vera's gaze followed Sarah's, and her expression changed. Leila turned, taking in their

w loomed like a monolith, its windows dark. "Where are we?" Leila whispered. Vera's

seriously freaking me out. As they stood there, frozen in confusion, the

ouder, drowning out Vera's words. Suddenly, the shriek pierced the air once more. This time, it was louder, more pie

. It was as if the sound itself was shredding their sanity Leila felt her eardrums throb, her vision blurring.

lights brightened, and the colors returned, the girls exchanged nervo

reetlights began to dim. At first, it was subtle, but then the darkness deepened. "What the fuck is going

the sky, and their blood ran cold. A twisted, skeletal creature dove toward them. It

rned with an unnatural intensity. Long, curved claws extended from bony fi

creamed. Leila's voice tremb

ending her crashing against a wall. Sarah's body crumpled, her head cracking against the stone. Leila

began to seize, limbs convulsing. Foam formed at the corners

shouts. " What, I'm not leaving her" Leila shouts back. " We won't

specifically, Leila. Vera immediately grabbed Leila's hand, her grip tight."

ing off their heels, desperate to escape. The

eyes fixed on them. Sarah's motionless body layed abandoned. Ver

into an alleyway, their footsteps echoing off the walls. As they ran, Leila's foot caught on a loose p

rds Leila as she let's go of her hand. Vera's eyes locked onto hers. " Run, Leila It's after you I'll try to slow it down to buy you some

widened. "What? No!" . But soon the creature came crashing into the al

. " It's just me and you ugly let's see what your made off " she hea

n the air. Her fingers danced with precision. Just as the creature lunged towards her claws extended,

stretched.Her eyes blazed with concentration. " I won't be able to hold it for lon

eila, run! I won't hold it for long

Behind her, the creature seeing its prey escaping began thrashing harder. It's loud

ed a beat. She glanced back, horrified only to see the creature slamming

Vera whispered, her voice barely audible. Vera's eyes rolled back, and her head

xed on Leila. It took a step closer, its claws extend

hriek echoed through the narrow passageway, growing louder. She darted betwee

on her neck. She burst onto the main street, weaving through crowds of pedestrians. But in

unseen presence. Leila dodged a bicycle and jumped over a pothole, her eyes fixe

la's spine. She spotted the iron gates of the old cemetery ahea

. The creature followed, its shriek echoing off the headstones. Leila's breath

anded on a weathered tomb, its entrance slightly ajar. She darted inside,

adstones toppled. The creature's destructive path drew closer. Leila's trembling grew. She pressed herself deeper into the tomb'

rough the cracks. Leila's eyes adjusted to the darkness. She saw the

levolent gaze probing the tomb. Her heart pounded in her chest. Suddenly, the sounds of de

the creature had given up. The silence was deceiving. Suddenly, a hand burst through the tomb's door,

la was dragged out of the tomb, her back scraping against the brok

cemetery. Gravestones blurred together, their epitaphs a meaningle

dly hunger. Leila's terror reached a fever pitch. She was

la's vision began to fade. She was trapped in

rasp. Leila's horror deepened. Its mouth opened wide, revealing jagged teeth and a blood filled mouth. As it locked

y. The creature's smile grew, its eyes gleaming with malev

It knocked Leila out of its grasp, sending her stumbling backwards and unto

nally began coming around, she noticed she was layi

been watching her earlier in the day battled the creature, wielding a black sword with strange symbols and in his next ha

precision, slicing through the creature's gaunt body. Leila's gaz

f steel and flames. Leila's vision faltered, her strength exha

r effortlessly, his strides long and purposeful. Leila looked up, her eyes meeting h

her exhaustion reclaiming her. She passed out again, her