Lucien dashed out of the house, his feet pounding across the yard in pursuit of Blaise. The wind whipped through his hair as he strained to keep up with his stepbrother's swift strides. Blaise's agility surprised Lucien; how was he this fast? Lucien was left struggling to keep pace.
Blaise sprinted towards the woods, his form swiftly disappearing into the dense tangle of trees. Lucien skidded to a halt at the forest's edge. He already lost sight of Blaise.
What was he supposed to do? Go in after him? Lucien had never been in these woods before. He was a city boy, and wasn't sure he could navigate the woods well.
If he went in, would he be able to find his way back out?
He'd seen Blaise sneak out into the woods at night. He'd come back in one piece those times, so the woods couldn't be that dangerous. Lucien decided he would leave a trail of x's carved onto the bark of the trees. That way, it'd be easy to find his way back.
Lucien glanced up at the sky. He wouldn't have much time; it was already past 4 o'clock in the afternoon. "This… was stupid of me," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. But he stepped into the woods all the same.
The sinking sun cast long, ominous shadows that twisted and contorted among the trees. Lucien's heart raced as he stepped though the leaves and branches, his senses on high alert. He stopped and listened, but couldn't hear much except the birds singing their evening song. He sighed, and marked an x on his first tree.
"Blaise!" he called out. He stopped and listened again. Silence.
Again and again he called out, but his pleas were swallowed by the encroaching darkness.
His footsteps crunched through the silence as he ventured deeper into the woods, marking x's on trees as he went. The woods were starting to grow denser than he'd anticipated, and once or twice he stumbled over knotted roots.
This was more dangerous than he'd thought. Maybe he should go back.
Then, he heard a crunch in the leaves, somewhere to the left of him.
"Blaise?" He listened, heart thudding in his ears. Again, there was no response.
The fading light played tricks on his vision, distorting the shapes and making every bush and tree seem like a menacing predator. Lucien's breath grew short, anxiety clutching at his chest. He arrived at a small clearing; the sight of the crescent moon above him was a relief, and he leaned against a tree to gather his thoughts.
It was getting too dark. He had to go back. But would Blaise be okay out here, by himself, in the dark?
Well, Blaise had done this many times before. Lucian, deep in thought, followed his marks in the trees as he began trudging back the way he came. Blaise would be all right. Besides, he grew up here and probably knew the woods like the back of his hand. He probably had some secret path that he had memorized. After all, the times he'd snuck out before were at night.
Lucien followed another x carved into a tree trunk, and emerged the small clearing once again.
"I went in a circle." Fear started setting in, and his throat felt like it was closing up. For a few minutes he just stood there, mind blank.
"What am I going to do?"
Lucien took a few deep breaths. He'd probably just took a wrong turn at one of the trees. He just needed to pay more attention this time. He was probably not really lost. Honestly, it was silly of him to think he wouldn't make any small mistakes. And it was probably just that - a small mistake.
He looked at the trees and found the one that had an x on it, and began retracing his steps, this time paying more attention. He did not go in a circle this time. Waves of relief washed over him.
"See?" he said to himself. "It was nothing."
Then, his foot caught on a root. The foliage whooshed up around him as he fell into the leaves. The leaves started sliding; Lucien found himself tumbling down what felt like a small hill, then rolled with a splash into something wet.
Lucien opened his eyes, and jumped up. He was standing in a small stream, a trickle really, at the bottom of an incline. In the tumble he was turned around, and it was getting dark. He could barely make out the little hills on either side of the stream, let alone figure out which side he'd fallen from.
He decided to climb up the side that was to his right. He reached the top without much difficulty, and began searching the trees for an x. But it wasn't there, and now he couldn't even find the stream again.
Lost in the labyrinth of trees, panic gnawed at Lucien. His breaths came in short, frantic bursts as he tried to reorient himself. The woods seemed to shift and morph, disorienting him further in its maze-like embrace. This time, he was really lost. And the night had only just begun.
Taking a deep breath, Lucien willed himself to remain calm. He closed his eyes, attempting to visualize the path he had taken. It wasn't helping—he was lost.
As Lucien stopped to listen, he realized everything had gone silent. Eerily silent. No singing of birds, no croaking of frogs, no summer crickets, nothing. The fading light cast black shadows among the gnarled branches and thick undergrowth, and he couldn't see much. Maybe it was just his imagination, but now it felt as if something was out there, watching him.
A gust of wind whispered through the trees, causing the leaves to rustle and shiver. Lucien's steps faltered, a subtle unease creeping up his spine. He quickened his pace, an instinctual response to the encroaching darkness. He wanted to run, but he didn't knew where he would be running to.
Suddenly, Lucien heard a low growl. He froze in his tracks.
What was that?
His heart hammered in his chest as he strained to locate the source of the menacing sound. The shadows seemed to take shape, morphing into grotesque forms of monsters that lurked just beyond his field of vision.
He heard a few crunches of footsteps. Heart pounding, he said, "Blaise?" Lucien's breath caught in his throat as he fought against the rising panic. Sweat trickled down his brow as he listened, hoping to hear a human voice.
Then, from the depths of the forest, emerged a pair of glowing eyes. They glinted in the dim light, sending a shiver down Lucien's spine. The creature, its form shrouded in darkness, prowled toward him with an unhurried grace.
Lucien's heart pounded in his ears as he stumbled backward, desperate to put distance between himself and the approaching danger. But the woods seemed to conspire against him, ensnaring his feet in twisted roots and hidden brambles.
The creature, now closer, revealed itself as a massive wolf—a creature of primal power and untamed fury. Its snarls reverberated through the woods.
Fear flooded Lucien's body. Every nerve in his body screamed for flight, urging him to abandon reason and succumb to raw instinct. But his path was blocked, hemmed in by the gnashing jaws and relentless advance of the monstrous beast.
He began to slide around to the side of the tree, thinking maybe he could run the other direction. But it was no use. The foliage behind the tree was too dense. He glanced up; the branches of this tree were too high.
Lucien realized he was a dead man.
Time seemed to slow as Lucien braced himself for the inevitable. This was not how he thought he'd die; there was still so much he wanted from life!
But just as the wolf lunged forward, teeth bared in a feral snarl, a blur of movement caught Lucien's attention. There was a little glow of light - a lantern.
It was Blaise!
His expression was wild, like an animal's, as he emerged from the shadows. The wolf turned its head toward Blaise, and snarled, taking a step back. Blaise put the lantern on a rock, his cold predator eyes never leaving the wolf.
In a fluid motion, Blaise lunged at of the wolf. Lucien gasped as Blaise jumped in the air and landed on its back in one leap, sinking his teeth into its exposed neck.
A surge of disbelief and horror washed over Lucien as he witnessed the macabre scene unfold before his eyes. Blaise was biting the wolf, spilling the lifeblood of the predatory creature. And must have hit the jugular vein, for blood was pouring all over the place.
Lucien's breath caught in his throat, his body frozen as he realized Blaise wasn't letting go after the bite.
Blaise was drinking the wolf's blood!
Lucien's world shattered. How was this possible? Unless...
Blaise turned his gaze toward Lucien, blood dribbling down his pointed canines, his eyes gleaming with a hunger that sent a shiver down Lucien's spine.
Time stood still as Lucien's mind struggled to process the grisly scene before him. The truth about Blaise was now clear. He was no ordinary boy, but a creature of darkness—Blaise was a vampire.