The clouds above grew thicker, almost black, like a heavy blanket of darkness descending upon the earth. 

The wind moaned and shrieked, and then, as if the heavens had opened, the rain began to fall. It came down in torrents, beating against the ground with relentless fury, washing away all traces of the day's dust and dirt. 

The thunder followed close behind, its deafening booms shattering the silence of the stormy night. 

Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the heavens in flashes of brilliant white light. 

Beneath the mighty rain was a girl named Lilith Raziel, and she was running in the woods for her dear life. 

In a frenzied panic, the blind Lilith frantically groped for anything to guide her through the torrential downpour. 

Her ears were assaulted by the ominous thunder and the deafening patter of raindrops, creating a symphony of fear and despair. 

"Argh!"

Every second, every step, was a gamble as she fought to escape the unknown danger that lurked in the shadows of the storm.

"I have to escape that old jerk," Lilith said to herself as she continued running, allowing her white garment to become drenched with the rain.

She had no idea where she was going, but all she wanted to do was run as far as possible from him. 

"There she is!" A female voice rang out from the shadows, its icy tone piercing the silent gloom like a razor-sharp blade. 

"Arrrh!" Lilith whimpered as she hastened her step. 

Her blind cane wasn't helping a bit and it was beginning to slow Lilith from her means of escaping. 

But still, Lilith hastens her steps. 

Rain droplets could be heard falling mighty on the trees and their branches, which made Lilith instantly stretch out her hands forward, using her sense of perception to study her environment. 

Despite Lilith's best efforts to stay calm, her heart pounded in her chest like a war drum as she dashed, stumbling and tripping, through the dense underbrush.

As she ran, her feet dug into the mud ground of the forest, her heart rising in horror. "Wh... what do you want from me?" Lilith taunted, as she halted, tired of running without any direction in mind. 

"What do I want?" The cold, insidious voice of a man was suddenly heard. 

Lilith nodded her head upon hearing the voice of a man who had questioned her. 

She could feel the man being rooted to the spot, which made her less cautious about running. 

"We don't want something great, Lilith," he hissed, his voice a low, rasping growl. "We only want your heart." Lilith's stomach churned causing her skin to crawl in disgust. 

From the tone of the man, Lilith could tell that she was already in a dismay. "Did that disgusting old man send you to kill me?" She scrunches, her fear morphing into a seething rage. 

Lilith had thought the old man's lust for her was creepy, but this... this was pure evil. He had sent his henchmen to kill her and hunted her through the treacherous forest like a wild animal.

The female voice from earlier cut in, a hint of curiosity in her tone. "What old man?" She asked, causing a scowl to appear on Lilith's face. 

Lilith's voice rang with authority despite her perilous situation. "Stop playing dumb and answer me!" Lilith demanded.

A mischievous laughter echoed through the air, its cackle mingling with the ominous thunderclaps overhead.

"The old man is dead." 

"H-huh?" Lilith's voice hitched in her throat as raindrops cascaded down her lashes.

She blinked rapidly as if trying to dispel the news she had just heard. "The old man... is dead?"

"We want just your heart." A deep mysterious male voice uttered. "Surrender it willingly, and we will depart in peace."

It was at this moment reality struck Lilith. 

She realized that she had only escaped the old man only to discover herself in great danger. 

From her sense of perception, Lilith could feel the footsteps of people getting closer, and from their footsteps, she could tell that she was surrounded by more than ten individuals. 

'What exactly do these people want from me?' Lilith questioned herself, but her answer was far from reach. 

Forcing down her saliva, she began to say a silent prayer, hoping that the heavens would protect her. 

And with that...

Lilith with a positive mindset, began to run forward as fast as she could, the mud weighing her down and likewise the heaviness from her entire drenched clothes. 

"Get her!" The female voice from earlier roars towards her companions. 

They all began to run after Lilith at full speed, not minding the heavy raindrops that fell over their body. 

On the other hand, since Lilith wasn't with her cane stick, she was unable to feel everything around her.

She had no idea of how tall the trees were in the forest. 

With each frantic step, Lilith senses a potential danger lurking around every corner. But it was too late to turn back now. 

Her legs, slick with mud and rain, lost their footing and sent her hurtling forward, crashing into the unforgiving bark of a gnarled tree. 

She stumbled onto the ground.

Lilith let out a yelp of pain, the sound echoing through the forest as she crumpled to the ground, her hands reaching out to feel the extent of her injury.

She hissed in pain as she tried forcing herself to get up, but the more she struggled, the more her legs felt weak and heavy with a mighty pain being borne upon her. 

Lilith bit her button lips and she closed her eyes, trying to elevate herself up from the ground when suddenly, the faint footsteps of those after her were heard. 

"Shit." Lilith cursed beneath her breath as she tried leaping her leg.

The pain was simply unbearable and soon, those after her suddenly caught up with her. 

"We need your heart, Lil..."

"Fuck you all!" She yelled, cutting the lady from her statement as she immediately ignored the pain from her leg. 

She began to run, leaping a little from the throbbing pain from her legs but still, she tried to run away. 

"Hahahah." The lady chortled. "You can run all you want dear, we will still catch you." She added a dreadful smirk playing at the corner of her lips. 

Lilith ignored the lady as she continued running, hearing their footsteps from behind her. 

As some strands of hair fell above Lilith's face, she pushed them backwards only to sense something. 

She could sense a safe place on the road leading to the left. 

With determination, Lilith ran towards the opening road at the left, but she was unable to get to the safe place that she had sensed because the hands of the lady from earlier suddenly pulled Lilith's hair from behind. 

"You thought you were running?" The lady scoffed, her grips of Lilith's hair tightening. "We have been walking behind you ever since your so-called running. Your thousand steps is a single walk for us." 

Lilith's stomach instantly crunched in fear and before Lilith knew what was happening, the lady raised her from the back of her hair, pulling Lilith up from the ground.

"Comply with me or I'll have to take your heart by force," she hissed, her words dripping with venom. 

The coldness in her tone sent a chill down Lilith's spine.

"B...but if I comply, I'll die, and if I don't comply, I'll still die, so what's the point?" Lilith stammered, her hands grasping at the woman's arm to prevent her from pulling her hair. 

Her words were met with an icy stare and a tightening of the grip around her hair, causing Lilith to grimace in pain.

"You're forgetting the difference," the woman replied, her voice low and dangerous. "If you comply, you'll die quickly, painlessly. But if you don't comply, you'll die slowly, painfully." The woman's eyes gleamed with malicious delight as she relished the fear she was instilling in her victim. "So, what will it be?"

Lilith felt her heart pound against her ribcage, her mind racing as she considered her options. But ultimately, she knew there was only one choice to make.

"Fuck off, you bitch!" Lilith cursed, her voice lacing with venom as her words spilled out like acid.

The lady smirked, amused by Lilith's braveness. "You ask for it then." She whispered into Lilith's ear, before throwing Lilith in the air. 

Lilith hadn't predicted to be flung away, but before she could think of anything, her body hit a mighty huge tree, causing a whimper to escape her mouth but it was silenced by the thunderstorm crack as her body crumbled onto the wet floor.

Lilith hissed in pain as she forced herself up from the floor. She knew that she was most likely going to die in the hands of the beastly lady and that was if she continued being seated on the floor. 

Clenching her teeth with her hands clenched, Lilith began to run, ignoring the dreadful pain. 

Just then, she senses a building right in front of her. 

The loud footsteps of the lady and her companions who were trailing after her could be heard, prompting Lilith to wrestle herself into moving forward. 

As Lilith stretched out her hands, her finger got collided with a bunch of grass, and it was an end road. 

"But... but I thought there was a road here?" Lilith stuttered within herself as she continued to use her hands to scorn around the glasses that were right in front of her. 

"Agh!" Lilith whimpered in pain clutching her thumb as a thorn from the grass pricked her skin which made her feel a stinging sensation. 

She stretched out her other hand unto the grass when her hand landed on a door handle. 

With a smile Lilith forcefully tried to open the door, her heart raising in fear as she continued to hear the footsteps of a lady getting closer. 

Biting unto her lower lips, Lilith placed both of her hands on the door handle as she pushed it open. 

The first thing she heard was a rusty sound that blended with the ominous thunder sound. 

Exhaling!

Lilith turned back to see if the footstep was still getting closer but to her dismay, it was. 

She could hear the sound of a lady's feet colliding with the wet grass and mud on the forest ground. 

"For goodness sake!" Lilith sighed with gritted teeth as she stepped inside the house in front of her. 

Immediately she stepped inside the house, the door behind her clanged shut with a deafening thud, taunting the heart of Lilith to skip a bit. 

She stretched out her right hand forward to observe her surroundings, but out of nowhere she felt a strong grip of a figure who had pulled her closer. 

Lilith held her breath, frightened to the core. 

As Lilith placed her hands on the figure who had pulled her closer… she became stunned to realize that it was a skeleton, and before she could react, the mouth of a skull head landed on her lips. 

Silence…

"Arghhhh!" She screamed thunderously. 

***

Hello dear readers!

I'm new to the writing scene and this book is a bit of a slow-burner, but trust me, if you stick with it until Chapter 8, you'll be glad you did.

As a new author, I'm eager to hear your feedback. Please leave comments, reviews, and power stones and do let me know if you have any questions.

Ps./ All support is greatly appreciated!

This novel is also entering the WSA 2024 competition, so please show your support if you like what you're reading.

Thanks.