The Runaway Huntress

CHAPTER 27

Melisca turned off the showerhead and strained her senses to get a feel for what was happening on the other side of the room. She caught up a single heart beating so rapidly and fast breathing. There was no one outside, only Lorna, but then, why did she cry out?

She can ask later. For now, she has to clean up herself from all the dirt and smell that have stuck on her body. The throbbing of her skull felt like a distant beating of drums. It hadn't completely vanished, but she felt better than before.

Lorna shifted on her bed, helping herself in the sitting position, leaning against the headboard. She doesn't know if it was only her imagination or if she was still half asleep from moments ago. Someone was standing inside the room earlier that had startled her. A male figure with broad shoulders and towering height. She hadn't caught his face, yet when she blinked, he was already gone. As if she was just hallucinating.

Yet the open door of the balcony was suspicious enough. The curtain danced along with the wind from the chilly night outside. She stood up and sauntered to close and lock the sliding partition. She can't remember correctly if she had left it open before or if it had been forcibly pushed aside. If it was the latter, surely she would have noticed beforehand. Yet she was half asleep earlier to have completely realized what happened.

After securing the door, she returned to her bed.

Her fast heartbeat vibrated in her ears, and the air she exhaled loudly through her mouth had woken up her exhausted body. She pulled the blanket up to her torso and reached for the cell phone on the bedside table, under the lampshade. It was then she noticed Rico had messaged her a few minutes ago.

'Bring her to the capital by noon. She has to be tested.' – His short message.

She replied that they would be there later and turned off the phone. Moving her body to lie down, and it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

Melisca heard some shuffling from the other side of the door. Lorna was moving on her bed, and after some moments, the girl's even breathing caught up by her ears.

She started putting shampoo on her head and hurried up in the shower to have her body rested too. She longed for her bed to finally occupy it.

When she had finished, she waited for the red-stained water on her foot to subside before stepping out of the shower. Putting on her nightclothes, she quickly strode to the door and got out of there.

Her body hair stuck up, and goosebumps started on her skin as the room temperature greeted her. The lampshade was the only lighting in the room. Lorna's snoring a little hadn't bothered her that much.

Melisca decided to use the hairdryer in the bathroom to not wake the girl from the noise of it, so she grabbed the equipment from the vanity desk and returned to where she just popped out.

When she entered the bathroom again, she directly plugged in the blower and started drying her hair. Sighing, it would take some time to finish for the length that she had. Her shoulders slumped, for it started to ache. Her legs were screaming for a rest already.

Her eyes landed on the cloth on the sink. Its tangy smell had faded. The movement of her hands slowed down as the feelings of the event got back to her. The sensation that she felt in each stab, the joy of the wolf's helplessness, and when she slashed his throat so deep that she almost beheaded him. She felt an unexplainable satisfaction when his life faded in his eyes and turned dull and to nothingness.

She had put down the equipment she was using beside the sink and grasped the edge of the tiled surface. Somehow, she can't raise her head against the side mirror. The side of her lips curved up, and her obsidian orbs had slightly turned grey. Unknown to her, the unusual shade occurred. The overwhelming events had her feeling thrilled and excited for her next endeavour.

Her stomach growled, and her senses came back to normal. She caressed her tummy automatically. Then a second rumbling cried out. She sighed, feeling like there was a hole dug up inside her. "Fudge, I haven't eaten anything." Mumbling, she stepped out of the washroom and sauntered to the table where the bags of meals she brought earlier.

Lorna already consumed some. Only the desserts are left. She gathered what was still edible and brought it along with her to the balcony. But before going out, she snatched her cigarette box on top of the desk and continued on her way.

Leaning forward at the edge of the terrace's steel barrier and standing only on her other foot, she gazed down the streets. Cats and dogs were sauntering around, and a few people wobbly walked down the roadside. Seldom cars were passing the area.

Melisca's room was positioned on the fifth floor of the hotel. Above them is the rooftop. She didn't know the time, but she guessed it might have already passed midnight. The twinkling dots in the sky got her to gape at it as she let the chilling breeze slap her cheeks. She munched her food quickly to feed her complaining stomach.

As she gazed at the full moon, she felt her head starting to throb again. So, she took her eyes off it and focused on the other things. She hasn't been like this before, only now and she doesn't know why. Her snacks were finished in no time and she still wanted more but, there was nothing left.

She lit one stick of her cigarette to lessen her appetite and somehow sate her still-hungry tummy. A gust of wind blew her hair and it made her body tremble from the weather.

Then, her uneasy feeling occurred. She sensed someone staring at her but she couldn't detect where from. The goosebumps she felt along with her rapid heartbeat. Who could it be? Could that person know what she is? Was it the same someone who had got her unconscious? Her head swayed from side to side as she heightened her abilities to find the stranger's position.

Her cigarette was forgotten in between her fingers. She threw it on the edge below to concentrate.

In just a blink, Melisca realized someone was at her back, the warmth of a body almost touching hers from behind. She caught her breath in her lungs as her body froze. Her mouth slightly opened as her eyes bulged out from its sockets.

She forced her saliva down her throat as she just understood her situation. "W-who are you?" She didn't mean to sound weak but her voice had cracked from the fear of the unknown. As she had sensed, the person was a male and somehow, human. She doesn't feel anything else from him. Yet, his intimidating aura still enveloped her system.

The stranger's arm snaked around her waist and the other across her chest. "Yours." His voice was so deep and dark that her mind went blank and it resonated in her mind. Almost wanted to get lost in it and herself to be drowned by his warmth. She had nearly closed her eyes as she felt the unexplained contentment. But then, her mind wandered to the werewolf she had stabbed before. Her eyes blinked open as her current state washed down her system.

She doesn't know why she remained unmoving and why she let him chained her body in his arms. It might be too late to fight him off but she started to get her senses back.

Melisca was about to use her strength as she struggled to break free from his steel-like arms, however, he got a hold of her neck and pressed a finger at her nerve again.

No! Not again. Her mind screamed, yet her body had fallen on his arms already. He caught her and gradually slid his other arm at the back of her knees, as the other at her waist.

He hoisted her up effortlessly and opened the sliding door by his foot. Sauntering to her bed, he placed her down gently. The other girl was still sound asleep. He covered her body with the blanket and stared down at her face. She has to rest for she had been greatly exhausted from her earlier adventures.

He placed the knife that she had used to kill the werewolf earlier beside her pillow. He had it cleaned and upgraded it into something.

She might already have an idea who he is, but he won't get on her way, at least not for now. Her friend shuffled before she found him out again, he vanished and slid the door closed on the balcony. He gave a last lingering look to the woman and disappeared like a bubble.

Melisca finally rested her body, unknown to her that the stranger only brought her to sleep.