Zia waited in the corner with her heart about to explode in her chest. She had no idea what her next move was or how long she stooped in the corner.
Her body was sore from fighting off the large man and sitting in a corner for so long. Her hands and body shook uncontrollably. She licked her dry lips and tried to find moisture within her mouth, but there was none.
She had to find a way out of the room, but the only way out was the locked door she stared at.
She glanced over at the man in the bed as he remained motionless. Zia wanted to stop him from harming her, not kill him. She wasn't a murderer. She felt sick to her stomach. How did she get to this point?
She never imagined a life like this, yet this was the only life she had known. If she made it out alive, where would she end up? What kind of life would she live? Would she have to hide forever? Would Damien hunt her down?
A soft groan caused her to shrink even further into the corner.
She looked up to see the man stir slightly. He wasn't dead. For a moment, Zia was relieved, but the relief quickly dissipated when she realized what could happen if he woke up.
The man stopped moving again as Zia felt panic building inside of her. She leaned her head back on the wall trying to think of a way to leave. She pulled the plush leather chair that blocked her, closer to her. She had hoped it hid her well enough.
The sound of the key unlocking the door nauseated Zia. She focused on the door slowly opening and removed the blanket from her body as it fell to the floor.
Damien walked into the room and looked around. He noticed the broken glass on the floor and walked over to the table.
Zia slowly rose from the floor and crawled out of the room, careful to not make a sound. She stood up as soon as she was out in the hallway and ran on her toes, down to the entrance.
She tried to unlock the door, but after unlocking the top latches, the knob required a key to unlock it. Zia ran over to Damien's desk and began opening the drawers.
There must be a key in here somewhere. She thought.
She frantically rummaged through the drawers as a top panel of one of the side drawers fell down, revealing a set of keys. She grabbed the keys and ran back to the door trying to unlock the door one key at a time as her hands trembled.
Damien looked over at the bed and noticed the man's head was wrapped with a cloth and he wasn't moving. He pulled the sheet back to find the man motionless and tied up with the pillows next to him. The cloth wrapped around his head was saturated with blood.
Damien checked his pulse. He was alive. He would have to get rid of this man before he caused any trouble for the circus, but right now, he had more crucial things to take care of.
Before the man could awaken, Damien extended his claws and sliced the man's throat, causing a gush of blood to spill, ending the man. He would remove the body and bedding once he found Zia.
He looked around the room and didn't find any sign of Zia. He checked the closet, under the bed and everywhere she could hide.
He noticed the edge of a blanket in the corner and walked over to the chair, throwing it out of the way, only to reveal the crumpled blanket on the floor.
Damien ran out of the room and down the hall to find his front door wide open.
He stepped out of the door and looked outside.
"Goddamit! He cursed.
Zia was gone but he could still smell her. She couldn't be far. She wouldn't cross the borders. She was too afraid, or was she? He thought. Had he finally pushed her to the point where she no longer feared death? He wondered.
He ran over to the handler's cabins. Many of them stayed in a large cabin with bunk beds. He pounded on the door, yelling for them to open up.
When they didn't answer immediately, he used his key to unlock the door, pushing it open as it slammed against the wall. He turned on the lights, barging into the room.
"Everyone get up! Zia has escaped. The first person who finds her gets a hefty reward." He said, as the men slowly began getting up and getting dressed.
The first men that were mostly dressed grabbed flashlights, knives, and whatever weapons they could find. They rushed out of the room, following Damien.
Damien followed Zia's scent across the field and came to an abrupt stop at the border where the circus lights ended. Damien's heart sank as he realized she had left the protection of the circus.
"Damien, we cannot go beyond the borders." One of the men said as Damien could hear the fear in his voice.
Damien rushed the man, grabbing his shirt and lifting him off of the ground with one hand.
"Find her or face me. If you fear the darkness, you do not want to know what I will do to you." He growled with his fangs elongated.
"Damien, he is right. We will all be killed, including you." Another, smaller man said with a trembling voice.
Damien growled as frustration consumed him.
"She is getting away!" He snarled.
"She will not get far with the Dark Stalkers out there Damien." The smaller man said as he lowered his eyes to the floor.
"Go and find her now! I want her back alive!" Damien yelled as he began to shift into his demon. He could no longer control his rage.
The men ran into the forest before Damien could harm them.
Damien fell to his knees, half shifted, and roared loudly as he dropped his face into his hands. He had lost her.