Merida and Melissa

Chapter 8

A violent bang shattered the silence.

The door flew open, crashing against the wall. A woman rushed in, breathless, eyes wild with urgency.

"Melissa! They are here. We are under attack!"

Melissa jerked awake, heart pounding. The room was dark, the air thick with the scent of burning wood and something far more sinister—blood.

She tossed the blanket aside, revealing a small, wrapped bundle beside her. Her breath hitched. "Oh no! They found out?"

The woman who had run in stepped closer into the dim light, her face becoming clearer. Merida.

My heart skipped. It was Old Miss Ray—young again.

What the hell was happening?

I looked around, my mind racing. This place—this moment—wasn't mine. But no one saw me. No one sensed I was here.

Merida’s voice trembled, but her resolve never wavered. “Yes, they found out. They’re coming for you. We’re holding them off, but you have minutes. You need to leave. Now.”

Melissa's eyes flickered with something—defiance. She halted and faced Merida who was agitated.

She didn’t move. Didn’t flinch.

“No.”

Merida froze at her spot. "What?"

Melissa’s gaze was steel. "I won't run anymore."

Merida’s breath came faster, her hands balling into fists. “Are you out of your mind?! Melissa, this isn’t a fight we can win! They are wiping us out! One by one. You know what happens when they catch us—when they don’t, the human also burn us alive when they sight us! How many more will we lose before you understand?!”

Melissa’s expression cracked for just a second.Her eyes flickered to the wrapped bundle.Something inside me clenched.

It wasn’t a thing. It was a baby.

A soft whimper rose from the bundle, so delicate it barely pierced the chaos outside.

Merida followed Melissa’s gaze. Her lips parted slightly, her voice softer now. She held Melissa's hand “Melissa…”

Melissa swallowed hard. “I can’t keep running like this. I—I just want her to be safe. I wanted her to have a home.”

Merida’s face twisted, pain and anger warring in her eyes.

Melissa continued, her voice hollow. "Fenrir. I miss him, Merida." Her hands trembled as she clenched them into the fabric of her nightgown. "I saw him die. I saw that monster lure him into the woods, stabbing him in the back. He continued until he was sure he wasn't breathing—I was there! And I couldn’t stop it.”

Her voice broke.

“I watched Vorgath slaughter him.”

Melissa’s shoulders shook. A deep, guttural sob tore from her throat, the kind of cry that came from losing everything.

Merida’s hands curled into fists. Her eyes burned with a rage so deep, so dangerous, that for a moment, she looked unrecognizable.

“Vorgath has always been a selfish bastard,” she seethed. “He will pay. I swear it. Now he is framing us for everything.”

“I shouldn't have, I should have listened to you when you told me to stay away. I knew the witches and the wolves couldn't be seen together. But I couldn't help it, neither could he. I was his mate.”

Merida nodded as she tried to control the tears that were threatening to fall.

“Now Fenrir, my beloved is dead. Killed by his best friend.”

Melissa wiped at her face with shaking hands, taking a deep, shuddering breath. Then she looked down at the child again. "I have to save her, Merida. She’s the only heir. Fenrir’s only child.”

My heart stopped.

Merida knelt in front of her, gripping her hands tightly. “And you will save her. But not by dying here.”

Melissa hesitated, but outside, the ground shook. The howls were getting closer.

“Come with me,” Melissa pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper.

Merida shook her head. “No.”

"Merida—"

"No!" Merida’s voice rose, her eyes blazing. “Do you remember when we were children? When I’d get into trouble, and you would take the blame? You always protected me. You always kept me safe.” She took a breath, her voice breaking. “It’s my turn now.”

The walls rumbled.

A deep, inhuman growl echoed through the air.

Merida grabbed Melissa’s shoulders. "Run, Melissa. Take her and run."

"But they want me! They want her!"

"And they will get neither of you as long as I live!"

The door shook violently.

Melissa hesitated for one heartbeat too long.

Merida shoved her. “Go!”

Tears burned in Melissa’s eyes, but she obeyed. She grabbed the baby, held her close, and fled into the night.

Merida watched her disappear into the trees.

Then—

The door exploded open.

Wolves.

Not just wolves.

Monsters.

Something about them looked unnatural. They were hungry. Their red eyes glowed with feral rage, their jaws dripping with thick, viscous saliva. They were not human. They were not wolves. They were something in between—something made of nightmares.

They sniffed the air, their eyes searching for their prey. Their eyes landed on Merida.

She sat there, unmoving. Her fingers traced idle patterns against the fabric of her dress. Merida's face was already decorated with her own tears. Obviously in pain. Calmly unbothered, yet Deadly.

They lunged uncontrollably towards Merida. I panicked but They slammed into an invisible wall. I signed in relief but the monstrous wolves seemed determined. She scratched and hit.

A deafening crack echoed through the room as the barrier held.

The creatures howled in frustration, snapping their massive fangs.

Merida’s lips parted. A whisper. A chant.

Her veins darkened, pulsing beneath her skin. Then her eyes were cloudy and black. My eyes widen in disbelief and fear.

The air shifted. A low, guttural hum vibrated through the room.

Then—

Thunder.

A burst of lightning split the sky outside.

The walls trembled.

A smirk on her face. Evil. Her hands half way as she chanted more unfamiliar words, another deafening thunder.

Dark. Endless. Consuming.

She raised her hands higher —

And the room erupted.

Fire.

Screaming.

Everything shattered.

And then—

Nothing. The room swirls and then. I gasped.

I was somewhere else.

Melissa—panting as she ran. Holding the baby tight. She turned, looking back.

The fireball swallowed the trees. The explosion thundered behind her. She screamed and collapsed to the ground and sobbed uncontrollably.

“Merida!” She cried out. She remained in that position for a while before she rose and began to walk and half run.

Through the forest, through the pain. Through the grief. And the wolves— They were coming.

Melissa, now weak, unkept. Her lips chapped, her silk silver hair flew behind her as she ran but she wasn't fast enough. She wasn’t strong enough. She stumbled— And fell.

Before her was a stream. Nowhere to run as the wolves have caught up on every corner. She swallows. With hurt tears streaming down her face.

The wolves are closing in.Melissa clutched the baby tight as she looked around for a solution. She looked down at the baby. The baby giggled.

A broken laugh escaped Melissa’s lips then it was quickly replaced with sorry and more tears. Then— She turned. Facing the wolves.

Her lips moved, murmuring words that were not audible. Her eyes changed, just like Merida but hers were white. A ray of light erupted around her. Making her glow. I gasp by the sight. Everything is still. Her eye color was back, her hair changed to black and then She fell into the water.

I screamed.

The wolves howled as she sank. My heart, pounding loudly in my chest and dizziness suddenly engulfed me. I choked.

I suddenly began to breathe as I fell on my knee. The wolves turned. Alarm. They noticed me. Their eyes locked onto me. And they launch towards me.

I tried to scream—But the world went black.