With a slight tickle to my nose I wiggled it, the scent of the earth soil and damp grass. I opened my eyes to a blade of grass on my nose. The panic rush made me jolt up in fright. Where was I?

Before I stood a vast land of trees and green grass and laid in the middle of it.

A stabbing pain in my abdomen made me curl in agony. I gasped to see a dagger buried in my abdomen.

The last image I remember was the bright light of a truck heading my way. I was caught in its headlight.

How did I get here?

************************************************

Waving my friends goodbye, I scurried down the path. The sound of car horns in the background.

"Bye good luck with your finals tomorrow," they squealed in their tiny voices. I beamed at them, waving goodbye.

I hummed to myself thinking of how I couldn't wait to finish my exams and lay back at home on my sofa all day watching rom-com and reading the latest werewolf romance.

Throwing my head back, I released a deep sigh. "if only tomorrow would come sooner." I said to myself, walking with a takeout in one hand. My dinner for tonight.

My phone chimed, and a new notification had come in. I reached for my phone in my pocket, and my favourite book, a werewolf fantasy, the lone she-wolf I had been reading before the exams, updated their latest chapter.

The eagerness built up as I fought hard not to fall for my desire. I took a gulp of air telling myself.

"I can't get distracted, I need to study" I repeated it like a motto until I got to my apartment. I stayed alone, with my pets.

The door was pushed open, and I was greeted by my lovely dog, a big hairy German Shepherd. His name was chubby.

I knelt on the ground, wrapping my hands around him. "Hello, who was a good boy while I wasn't around." I cooed softly to him, rubbing his head. "Yes, you were" I laughed as he barked and licked my face in response. He was fat when I first got him as a puppy. Hence his name.

Then I heard the soft meows on my lap beside me. Neko, my black cat, rubbed his furry little self on him.

I turned my attention to him picking him up from the ground, "Awww Neko you came to greet me today. I am so touched" we rubbed our noses together.

He squirmed out my hands to the floor and then made his way to my nylon of takeout.

"Or not," I said dejectedly.

I got settled down, eating the food I brought home and having to share it with my two furry friends. After eating my fill, I tidied up the leftovers in the fridge. My body ached and I was starting to yawn constantly. I needed to shower first.

Inside my bathtub, I turned on the hot shower and water dripped from the sprinklers down to my body.

I moaned at the delight of how warm it was on my skin. Singing to myself in my shower.

"I'll rise like days I'll rise in spite..." I sang melodiously at the top of my lungs.

Some minutes later I was done, draped tightly in my towel. I came out of the shower.

My phone vibrated on my desk going over to where I kept it. It was a message from one of my besties.

'About to show up at your place for the night.' The message from flora said. It slipped my mind that we had planned to read together over the night.

'I will be waiting.' I texted back. Rubbing the towel through my hair. My phone buzzed again.

'Hope you have snacks in your fridge' I rolled my eyes. Going to check the fridge. It was empty with a jar of pickles and some mayonnaise. Guess I have to head to the store now.

Quickly putting on my baggy joggers and a big t-shirt I went out to the store to grab some things.

At the store,

The door to the store opened, and I went straight to the snack section with my basket. Looking around, there weren't that many people around.

"Chips, cookies and gummy bears," I mumbled to myself, picking out my choice.

When I was done I headed over to the counter where I saw my college crush. I froze in my steps. He was attending to a man who came to buy some cigarettes and alcohol. I looked at my face through my phone putting it in order before I got to the counter.

Dropping my basket I threw him a cute smile. He took my basket flashing me a small grin. Did I do it wrong? I panicked looking at my phone to see the reflection of my face. Was there something on my face?

"That will be 15 dollars, have a good night and good luck with your exams" wait does he know me? I wanted to ask further but he was attending to the next person on the line.

Outside the store,

My shoulders slumped down, feeling sad that I had missed my chance. Does this mean he knows me? We exchanged pleasantries back in college. But we had never had a proper chat. I sulked on my way back dialling flora.

Ring ring

"You won't believe this," I said as the phone picked

"What's going on girl" flora hollered at the end of the line

"So I went into the stores close to my apartment"

"The store with the cute Canadian boy"

"Yeah that one, he was the one on the counter today. And he recognised me." I said

"Shut up"

"Never"

"You are on his radar now," she said.

So focused on explaining what happened I failed to hear the screams from people behind me shouting at me to stop. The bright lights from the truck came straight at me. I froze with my eyes wide in shock.

It knocked me onto the side, my bloodied hand trembled as they reached for my phone, hearing flora's cries from the phone. Blood dripped from my skull as I choked, coughing out blood. I took my last gulp of air and then plunged into eternal darkness.

*************

I gasped in shock, my heart raced in my chest vibrantly.

Flashes of the blinding headlights from the truck heading at me and the background screams from the people behind were so vivid in my head.

I squeezed my face feeling a stabbing pain below my abdomen. I let out another shocking gasp as I saw a blade pierce into me. My first thought was to shout for help. But as soon as I looked around I found myself in a desolate area surrounded by vast green trees. And I happen to lay in the midst of it all.

I gnawed on my lower lip thinking hard. The pain in my stomach ramped up from stiffness all the way to searing, blinding agony faster than I could blink.

My back lay against the ground as I took a calming breath which didn't help any more than make it worse. My hands felt sticky from the blood that seeped slowly from my wound.

I sucked air into my lung ignoring the throbbing pain as I tore apart the worn-out shirt I was wearing. I folded it into a rope keeping it aside now focusing on the knife. Putting pressure, I pulled it out slowly. I groaned in anguish biting down on the cloth in my mouth.

The knife came out with my blood flowing freeing in tow. I quickly picked up the clothe using it to wrap around the wound tightly to stop the blood flow. The last knot and I fell back on the grass relaxing my stiff muscle that had cramped up.

"Finally," I gushed in relief. It still throb underneath the cloth but it was bearable.

"Bloody hell" I jolted at the unfamiliar voice, sitting up see two masked people in black outfit. They gapped at me shock written across their faces.