Chapter 1

For days, Mercedes was on foot trying to put distance between her and her old town. Every minute and every second counted. She wondered if anyone found out about what happened a few nights ago. If anyone came upon the horrendous scene, that would scar the town for good. She knew that they would look for her for questioning, but she did not want to be found. Confusion still swarmed her mind and she did not even know what the hell happened that night. Just that she was fighting for her life as two men were dragging her out of the house. Nothing after that.

It was cold, and she was trying her best to keep warm. Her feet were already numb from walking without resting for a long time, but she could afford to take a rest. Not now. Time was of the essence. The problem was that she had nowhere to go and no one in her life. All her life she just had those awful people who supposedly gave her life. They hated her, and they made her feel their hatred every day of her life with them. The scars on her body were evidence of that.

Come to think of it, it was their fault that she was in this predicament today. Had it not been for them and their uncontrollable gambling problem, there wouldn't be a need for them to sell her to pay off their debt. Deep down she was relieved that one nightmare had ended. Their reign of terror over her was over. Even though the scene she woke up in still haunts her and keeps her awake.

Never in her life did she think she would be surrounded by death or gaze into lifeless eyes. She shuddered from that more than the cold night. She could not help but keep looking behind to see if anyone was following her. Because of the cold, she was able to cover herself up more than enough without looking suspicious to the onlookers. Only her wild green eyes were left visible.

She hoped that she would find someplace where no one knows her and she could settle down and forget the horrifying crappy past and erase it. If she was not yet wanted by the police.

One thing bothered her. Who would be so heartless to kill those four people? And why did they leave her? Why didn't they kill her like the others? If that person was found, it would be her only salvation from being the suspect of murder. With fingers crossed, she hopes they nab the person before her life spirals out of control.

After walking for almost the whole day, she spotted a roadside. It was in a deserted area and not many people were around. The perfect place for her to rest and get something in her into her stomach. Looking cautiously around, she crossed the street and entered the dinner. The bells chimed at the door, indicating her arrival. A few people in the room looked at her, and she made sure not to look anyone in the eyes.

She walked over to the empty booth in the far corner of the small diner. It was warm inside, and she started getting hot underneath all those clothes covering her up. But she was not going to risk it by removing them and exposing herself to these people. She had not heard the news so she was not sure about the status quo.

Soon enough, a waiter stood in front of her ready to take her order. She knew she could not afford to take a look at the menu because she probably couldn't afford anything there.

" Good evening mam. "What can I get you," the waiter asked with a bored expression and chewing gum loudly. It was a rude thing, but she was used to it. Mercedes never knew anyone who genuinely respected her or showed her some respect. All the people she knew looked down on her, or maybe she was simply undeserving of anything. Not good parents, a good home, a good upbringing, or a good life. She was a magnet for trouble.

" Uh...I'll have the cheapest thing on your menu, please." The waiter gave her a look before walking away. It was a judgmental look, but she couldn't care less. As soon as she eats and gets a move on, the better it will be for her. The waiter was back with a sandwich and dropped it on the table and left without a word. Mercedes stared at the table where the sandwich was dropped. There was no plate, it was just the bread with cheese, lettuce, and a slice of tomato.

She removed the gloves on her fingers and wiggled them a bit to bring back the feeling. She clenched them so much that they were cramping and sore. After the mini-finger exercise, she picked up the bread and turned herself slightly so she could pull down the scarf on her face. She eagerly munched down on the sandwich until it was all gone. That would be enough to keep her up until she gets somewhere.

Mercedes put down a dollar on the table and stood up to leave. She stepped out of the diner and saw motorcycles packed with bikers. They looked like they were about to come in. Some of them looked at her with intrigue, sending a quiver down her spine and she realized that she had not covered her mouth. She pulled the scarf in her mouth and tried hard not to tremble in their unwavering gaze. One of the guys specifically caught her eye because of his nasty scar that looked like an animal slashed him. Slowly she moved out of the way and walked without looking back.

She was shrouded in cold yet again. Mercedes trembled as she tried to reign in her emotions. All those overwhelming feelings were building up pressure on her, and she wanted to be released, but as I said, there was no time for her to shatter and feel weak. She had to keep going, and she had to start strong. She needed the strength to run from what is now her past.

But worry clouded her. Where was she going, and would she be received well? Would her past catch up to her faster than a bat out of hell? Or would she just end up on the streets with no place to call home? Tears started welling up, but she bit her button lip so hard so that she would not cry out. It was already getting darker, but she was thankful for the streetlights.

But her luck was starting to run out. She hadn't noticed a man following behind her at a fair distance. Like it was a sixth sense, Mercedes heard the heavy footsteps of the man from the distance he was, and she peeked behind her to see if he was following her. She could not miss the noticeable scar that caught her attention earlier. She turned back quickly and started picking up the pace. He did the same and his intentions were clear to her.

With no other choice, she began to run. She crossed the street and headed for the dense forest. Mercedes was surprised as to why she would run from one danger to another imminent danger. She was running from a strange scarred biker man into a forest with wild animals. How would that help? But she kept running, glancing behind her to see the man not far behind her. The many days of walking without rest were catching up with her. She was already out of breath but fear pushed her to keep running. She leaped and ducked tree branches, but it was hard because it was dark.

Suddenly, the moon illuminated the forest, giving her some vision of a way ahead. The man was not far behind. But her speed and agility were remarkable. She never ran this much in her life, but she was good. Then the strangest thing happened. She heard the breaking of bones and growls behind her. Mercedes thought it was a wild animal, but what she saw left her speechless. The man chasing her was transforming into a beast. She knew because she still had her clothes on which were getting ripped apart. Her eyes widened and she tripped over a root. She was bewildered and her heartbeat echoed in her ears.

She was on the ground and the man was fully transformed into a werewolf but bigger than a normal werewolf. It was an ash-colored wolf with red eyes and a big ass snout. It was a fucking Twilight scene, and he was growling and baring his sharp canine teeth. He sure was not Jacob, and he was ready to attack her. All hope was lost for her. She was exhausted and her limbs were sore. No one would help her because it was just both of them.

Her breaths were hastened, and her eyes were focused on the predator in front of her. Mercedes thought that karma was too quick to catch up to her. She just closed her eyes and accepted fate as it was. Maybe God was trying to put her out of her misery. She thought she was going to die the same horrid death as the others did. But she heard more than one growl around her and wolves, much bigger than the first one, emerged from the shadows. 3 large wolves almost the size of an SUV. They were more than just big, they were majestic. Their eyes were yellow and bright.

Mercedes did not know whether to be terrified or fascinated by them because right now they were having a face-off with scarface. She stayed on the ground and did not move an inch to bring attention to herself. But somehow her fear just went away. She was still shocked because it was obviously too much to take in all at once but she felt rather safe. Her heart rate decreased to normal and she took deep breaths to feel the cold air of the night in her lungs and feel alive. She slowly got up and dusted herself off but never for a single moment took her eyes off the 4 werewolves.

To her surprise, scarface slowly retreated without turning his back and slowly went into the shadow of the trees. Mercedes was now confused. She kind of expected a ground-shaking battle or something but nothing happened. How did that happen because no one said a word? Or maybe scarface just understood that he was outnumbered.