hunted in the dark

warning:there is an attempted rape scene so if this triggers you please skip

That’s how I ended up here — lost in the forest, empty-handed, surviving off bitter fruits and sheer will. No food. No water. No plan. Only instinct.

The bullying, the endless fights... all those years had unknowingly trained me for this: survival.

It’s been four brutal days since I crossed Shadowmoor territory, and every second I’ve felt like prey.

The moon hung low behind thick clouds, offering little light, and the forest pulsed with unseen dangers. Every crack of a twig, every gust of wind sounded like a threat. My heart beat so violently it drowned out my own thoughts.

I should have known better. A lone female in these woods was asking for trouble.

I heard the voice before I saw him.

"Well, well, well," he drawled, voice dripping with malice. "What’s a pretty thing like you doing all alone out here?"

My stomach twisted. Every nerve in my body screamed: RUN.

I pivoted and sprinted, muscles screaming in protest, feet pounding against the uneven ground. The forest became a blur of shadows and panic.

"You can’t outrun me, little girl!"

Branches clawed at my arms, tearing my skin. Roots snagged at my ankles. Still, I ran.

Behind me, heavy footsteps thundered closer. His laughter — harsh, cruel — followed like a noose tightening around my neck.

My lungs burned. I couldn’t outrun him forever.

A sharp pain shot through my foot as I stepped on something jagged, but I pushed forward, fueled by raw terror. My dress — a ridiculous bubblegum pink — snagged and ripped on the thorns. It didn’t matter. I needed to survive.

A cave loomed ahead, its mouth gaping like a promise of safety or a deeper trap.

I bolted inside, heart hammering against my ribs, diving behind a massive boulder slick with moss. I curled into myself, hands shaking uncontrollably, every sense straining for any sound.

Silence.

Then — the slow, deliberate crunch of boots against gravel.

"You can’t hide," he called softly, his voice echoing in the darkness. "Come out. It'll be easier for both of us."

Tears welled up but I clamped a hand over my mouth. I bit down hard, forcing myself not to make a sound.

The stench of him — sweat, alcohol, something fouler — crept closer.

I spotted a faint glow further inside the cave — an exit?

I began crawling toward it, silent, desperate. Rocks dug into my palms and knees. My vision blurred, either from terror or exhaustion, I couldn't tell.

I was a breath away from freedom when fingers clamped around my ankle.

"Got you," he snarled.

Panic exploded inside me.

I kicked and screamed, raw, animalistic sounds tearing from my throat. He dragged me backward across the rough ground.

"Should’ve made this easier," he hissed, grabbing at the hem of my torn dress, yanking it upward.

Revulsion, pure and paralyzing, flooded me.

"Help!" I screamed. "Somebody, please!"

The slap cracked across my face, snapping my head to the side.

"No one’s coming," he laughed, breath hot and rancid against my ear.

This can't be it. This can’t be how it ends.

My hand scrambled across the ground — and closed around a rock, heavy and jagged.

With everything I had left, I swung.

The stone smashed into his head with a sickening crunch.

He reeled back, cursing, blood gushing from the wound.

I didn't hesitate. I kicked free and ran, barefoot, bleeding, dress in tatters, heart screaming in my chest.

His roars followed me, but I didn’t dare look back.

Through the trees, I saw it — walls. Gates. A border.

Hope flared. I screamed again, voice hoarse and desperate.

"Stop! Please! Help!"

Two men stood by the gate, their silhouettes barely visible in the moonlight. They saw me. I know they saw me.

But they didn’t move. They didn’t lift a finger.

The gates began to close.

"Please!" I sobbed, stumbling toward them. "Please don't shut me out!"

"You really thought they'd save you?" he jeered behind me, voice twisted with glee. "No one cares about a defenseless little bitch."

He was right. No one was coming. No one cared.

But I wasn’t giving up.

I forced my broken body forward, every step agony, lungs burning, tears blinding me.

"Please, Moon Goddess, save me..." I choked.

The gates were nearly closed.

A gunshot shattered the night.

I froze.

The man behind me screamed, then fell silent.

Through my tears, I saw her — a woman, tall and fierce, lowering her smoking gun.

I collapsed into her arms as she caught me effortlessly.

"Take care of the body," she barked to the guards. Her voice was pure steel.

She glanced down at me, her expression unreadable.

"And you two," she growled at the gatekeepers, "my office. First thing tomorrow. You're dead."

The last thing I remember before darkness swallowed me was the feeling of safety, brutal and sudden, like a dam bursting.

I was alive.

For now.