The pain was unbearable. Every nerve in my body screamed as the icy cold bite dug deeper into my neck. It wasn't just the physical pain, though that alone made my vision blur and my body tremble. It was something more, something wrong. I could feel the darkness seeping into me, as if the bite was pulling at the very essence of who I was.
My fingers clawed at the air, weakly trying to fight back, but my body felt paralyzed. My mind spun in desperate circles. What is happening to me?
I gasped, barely able to breathe, my world growing dimmer with each passing second. The icy fangs latched onto me mercilessly, sucking the life from me. The sound of the predator's shallow breath filled my ears, growing louder as everything else faded away.
Then, out of the suffocating blackness, I heard it.
A deep, guttural snarl.
I wanted to scream, but nothing came out.
Just when I thought I would collapse into the darkness, there was a violent movement beside me. The grip on my body suddenly loosened, and I crumpled to the ground, my legs giving out beneath me. I gasped for air, barely able to breathe as my head swam.
Through my hazy vision, I saw two figures locked in a vicious struggle. A tall, dark silhouette had tackled my attacker, pulling them away from me with a ferocity I'd never seen before. I couldn't make out their faces, but the force of the impact sent both of them crashing into the far wall with a deafening thud.
For a moment, everything was still. I pressed a hand to my neck, feeling the blood still oozing from the bite. The wound burned, a sharp pain radiating through my body, but as I touched it, the burning sensation began to fade. I blinked, trying to focus, but my mind was too clouded, too disoriented to make sense of what had just happened.
Suddenly, a familiar voice broke through the silence.
"Sera."
I looked up, my heart pounding, and saw Kieran standing in front of me. His face was tense, his eyes wide with concern as he knelt beside me. His movements were quick but controlled, as if he was holding back some kind of urgency.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice low, but I could hear the tension in it.
I nodded weakly, my breath still shallow, unable to form words. My fingers instinctively went to my neck again, feeling for the wound, but when I touched the skin, something was wrong.
Or rather—something was right.
The bite… it was gone.
I stared at Kieran, my confusion evident. "I… I was bitten," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "It… it's gone."
I stared at Kieran, my confusion evident. "I… I was bitten," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "It… it's gone."
Kieran's eyes darkened, and he reached out to gently touch the side of my neck where the bite had been. His fingers brushed my skin, but there was no wound. No blood. It was as if I had never been attacked at all.
His hand froze, and for a moment, he just stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, his eyes widened with shock.
"This… isn't possible," he muttered, almost to himself.
"What do you mean?" I asked, my confusion deepening.
Kieran didn't answer. He stood up abruptly, scanning the area again, as though he expected someone—or something—to return. His jaw clenched, and I could sense an underlying tension in him, something he wasn't telling me.
"Kieran," I managed, my voice trembling. "Who… who was that?"
He glanced back at me, but there was hesitation in his eyes. His focus was still on the now empty darkness, his jaw clenched tight, as though he was trying to make sense of what had just happened. He wasn't going to answer, and somehow, I knew that. Instead, he knelt down again, more gently this time.
"You were attacked," he said quietly, his voice soft but distant. "But you're safe now. I'll walk you out."
"No, but I was so sure it was not just a simple attack.. here at school?"
Kieran hesitated, and for a moment, I thought he was going to tell me the truth. But then his eyes shifted, and he gave a quick shake of his head, avoiding my gaze.
"You must've been in shock," he said softly, his tone careful. "It was probably a surface cut—it looked worse than it actually was."
I stared at him, not believing a word. "That's not possible," I insisted. "It hurt—more than anything I've ever felt."
Kieran's expression tightened. He clearly didn't want to explain further, and it left a pit of uncertainty gnawing at me. But before I could ask again, he reached down and offered me his hand.
I wanted to ask more, to press him for the truth, but my head was spinning. The strength in my body was fading, and everything felt too heavy. Kieran reached out his hand to help me up, and despite the distance between us—despite how little I really knew him—I took it.
But as I tried to stand, a wave of dizziness rushed over me. My legs wobbled, my vision blurred, and the last thing I saw was Kieran's alarmed expression as my body collapsed. Darkness engulfed me before I could feel myself fall.