I won't give up

I thought I saw a wolf-shaped shade just around the corner. I flinched and ran in the opposite direction. I couldn't believe that the ones who were looking for me got here so fast. It couldn't have been merely the smell of my blood that betrayed my location. They must have known about it for some time.

“Could it be that they were sniffing around the town earlier without me knowing?!” I wondered in panic.

I had become careless. I had never made such a stupid mistake. I had been fooling them for years, and yet, I got myself in a situation when I was unprepared.

“I need to get home fast. I need to take my survival bag, then get to the train station. After that, I need to take the money from the deposit box at the station and get the hell out of here,” I planned in my mind while running.

Suddenly, I heard a deep growling sound coming from the alley right in front of me. I stopped. I saw three wolf-shaped shades ominously appearing on the wall of the building. I turned around and saw two other wolf shades in the alley behind me. I was surrounded. I sighed and tossed my purse onto the ground. Then I stood in a fighting position and clenched my fists.

“Five on one?! That is not very gentlemanly of you!” I called out.

The wolf-shape shades started to turn into human silhouettes…

“We don't want to hurt you, princess. Not unless you give us a reason,” the voice coming from the alley in front of me snarled.

Three men walked out right in front of me. They were all tall and their bodies were filled with muscles. I gulped and clenched my fists even harder, standing steady on my feet.

“Just give up. You won't fight us all,” I heard from the man who just came from the back alley.

They were coming closer, sneering, and looking me up and down with disdain. I took a deep breath.

“Calm down, Lilith. You have to calm down. Aim for the vital spots. You can do it. You can fight them and run away,” I talked to myself.

They stood in a circle around me. I kept glancing at all of them, turning around and waiting for the first one to attack.

“Look, princess. We don't have to entertain you. Surrender and go quietly.” The one that resembled the strongest one reached out his hand my way, painting a sneering smile.

I used that opportunity to grab his arm and throw him to the ground using his own strength against him. He moaned painfully.

“How dare you lowly human!” another one roared and came right at me.

Fortunately, his fist wasn't fast enough to hit me. I dodged the punch. Then I hit his chin with the base of my palm and aimed for his eyes. He bellowed in fury. There were two down and three more to go.

The next one attacked me from behind. I used my hands and elbows to release myself from his grip, then turned around and hit his solar plexus. I knew that if I were to survive, I had to move even faster. As soon as he bent down, I passed him by and started running away. Two others started chasing me. I used all of my strength to speed up. I clenched my teeth, telling myself that I had to escape from them.

I briefly turned my head around to check my distance from them. There was a slight chance that they wouldn't catch up quickly. I smirked and sped up even more. I knew I had to get around the corner. There was an old, abandoned building there. It was a perfect place to hide. I ran straight, clenching my fists. I was getting closer. Only a few more steps and I would reach the building.

Suddenly, a tall, red-haired man appeared right in front of me. He smiled wickedly while spreading his arms wide and blocking my way. I recognized him right away.

“No! Only not him!” I screamed inside my mind.

I jumped to the side, frantically trying to find some other route to escape, but he was much faster than those other men chasing me.

“Where do you think you are going, princess?!” he hissed grabbing me by the collar.

His grip was so strong it almost made me choke. He pulled me back and tossed me to the ground. I jumped up on my feet. My only chance was to attack him and run. He was too tall for me to aim at his face, and my kicks might not have been strong and fast enough to damage him. I clenched my teeth, hit his stomach, and quickly jumped back. He only chuckled, while I felt as if I had broken my hand. I turned around, hoping for a chance to run away from him, but the other men were already there. I was surrounded.

“Give up, princess. If you choose to resist, I will have to break a few bones in your pretty body,” the red-haired chuckled coldly.

I panted heavily. No matter how hard I trained my body over the twenty years of my life, I was still not even nearly a match for them. My human body was at its limit, but surrendering wasn't an option.

“Not a chance, Derek. If you want me, you will have to kill me!” I roared, standing again in a fighting position.

“Well… don't say I didn't warn you,” he smirked, then nodded his head telling the men behind me to attack.

Two of them grabbed my arms, trying to restrain me. I stomped on one's foot and kicked the other's legs out. I thought that it was my chance. I had to use it and escape at any cost. I barged straight ahead, but then Derek blocked my way. He swiftly grabbed my neck and lifted me up. I couldn't breathe. I struggled, trying to release myself from his hand that clenched my throat. I grabbed it with both of my hands, but I couldn't even lift one finger of his palm. I tried using my legs to kick him, but the lack of oxygen in my lungs quickly cut all of my strength. He laughed, waiting for me to stop resisting. Tears started to flow from my eyes. I didn't want to give up. I couldn't give up. I couldn't win either…

I gazed straight into Derek's eyes. I wanted to let him know how much I despised him before I couldn't move anymore, feeling how life was slowly floating out of my body. He finally released his grip, tossing me down to the ground. I started coughing and desperately trying to fill my lungs again. He crouched right beside me.

“If you haven't been this valuable, I would have killed you a long time ago,” he whispered to my ear.

I kept lying on the ground struggling to catch my breath. I couldn't force myself to stand up, even though I fiercely tried. Derek took out a syringe from his pocket and took off the needle cover with his teeth.

“I won't risk your rebellious moves, princess. You are going to get some nice sleep while we're on our way,” he snickered, injecting my neck.

I tried to pull out the needle, but it was too late. The drug started circulating in my veins. It hurt. I felt as if my whole skin had started to burn. I lifted my head.

“You… son of a b*tch…” I hissed faintly, covering the injected spot.

“Such vulgar language, your highness?” Derek mocked me, “I will make sure to crash your arrogance very soon.”

Instantly my legs became weak. I could barely move a muscle. Even so, I still struggled to lift my upper body with my arms, as if it could allow me to improve my desperate situation. I just needed to do something…

Those vicious men came to grab me by my arms and started to drag me towards a back alley. The focus of my sight was decreasing. I felt as if my world had become darker. My head was spinning.

“Let me go… Release me… Help… Somebody, help…” I muttered, ineptly trying to strengthen up my voice.

Suddenly, I noticed a black shadow moving fast. It passed by the men who were dragging me and disappeared at the corner of an old building.

“Stupid mutts,” an ominous voice laughed.

I lifted my eyes to look ahead and saw the shape of a man in a long black coat. The high collar of his coat was standing, covering most of his face.

“Who the hell are you?!” Derek fumed.

“You don't need to know that,” the man chuckled.

“Get out of here if you know what's good for you!” one of Derek's men snarled.

“Can't do that.” The man in the coat walked closer, smirking.

Derek's man rushed towards the man in the coat. He jumped up with a kick, but the coat man grabbed his leg with one hand and broke it.

“You are dead!” Derek bellowed in fury.

The man in the coat walked closer into the light. Only then, I was able to notice his shining, silver hair. It was the man I met at the café! I gasped.

“You cannot kill me,” he sighed nonchalantly, then put on a malicious grin on his face, “I am already dead…”