Episode 2

No time to die!

"Run! Damon!," he heard the voice again.

"Father!," he said, as he struggled to see through the darkness, the pushing and shoving, as the people scampered for safety against the enemy.

Just then, the power was restored, causing everyone to stand still, as they saw for the first time who the enemy was.

"Father!," Damon said again, shocked at the sight. Standing behind his father, Grace and Sophia were three men who had the appearance of the devil, each placing a sword to the throat of the victim they had in their custody. He looked around to see clearly what had happened. Just as the nightmare, nothing was different. The blood of those he loved flowed to his path, with those still alive barely able to muster strength to fight back. Jack was dead, with his throat slit. He couldn't find Emily, but he was certain she, too, had suffered the same fate. "Who are you!? What do you want from us!?," he fumed at the attackers. He tried to fight back, but he was clearly too outnumbered to even stand a chance.

"We have what we want," one of them, seemingly their leader, casually said.

"What do you want!?," he yelled at him again. Unlike the others, he didn't look scared. It felt like he was the only one who was up for it.

"Centuries ago, there was only one pack of wolves in this region. We had the honor of protecting the city against her enemies, the witches, wizards, and vampires. But our alpha, Lord Damian, made a big mistake; he let enemies become his friends, and that led to his death. You are all seeds of the enemy. We have come to destroy the remnants of that union. No one will be spared," he said, managing a grim smile.

"Please, spare our lives, we know not what you speak of," Damon pleaded, desperate.

"I am Lord Zack, the greatest of my kind!," he began, shouting at the top of his voice. He walked up to Lord Savage, looked into his eyes, and said, "Bow before me, and command your people to do the same," he commanded him.

"Hahaha! Never! You'd have to take my head for that!," Lord Savage said to him, spitting before him.

"Bow before me!," he commanded him again.

"Never! I am Lord Savage and I bow before no…"

"Dieeee!!!," he shouted, as he cut off his head in fury. His blood splashed through to Damon.

"Noooooooo!!!," he yelled, his eyes wild with shock!

"Kill the rest, but keep him alive," Lord Zack commanded his men.

Powerless, he watched on in horror as everyone that belonged to the Lionheart Pack was killed, with no room for mercy.

"Please, stop!," he kept on begging, but no one even looked in his direction. "Come on, kill me! Don't you fucking spare my life!," frustrated, he yelled at them, as he tried to free himself from their grip.

"Not now, Damon. When the time comes, you will know," Lord Zack said to him.

Having been stripped naked, they bound his hands and feet, covered his eyes with a piece of torn cloth, and took him away. As they traveled through the woods in the dark, he thought of what had just happened to his family and friends. Everything looked like a flash through his eyes, as he struggled to accept the reality. Grace, Emily, Jack, Sophia, Lord Savage, and the rest of the pack, all gone. Even though he knew he was still breathing, he felt dead, too.

"You should have killed me, too!," he yelled at whoever cared to listen. "I am of no use to you being alive!." He stopped, refusing to continue on the journey. "You would have to come for my head to have me continue on this journey with you!," he continued yelling. They tried to force him to continue walking, but his determination made up for his lack of strength.

"That's enough," Lord Zack said to them, maintaining a calm demeanor. "We will rest here tonight and continue at sunrise."

"You should have killed me!," Damon barked at him. But for the chains, he would have attacked him. The men tried to take him away from Lord Zack, but he didn't seem to like the idea.

"Let him be! Leave us alone," he said to them. He waited until they had all gone out before he continued. "I'm sorry about that," he said, offering his apology. "I will make sure they don't go unpunished."

"Why?," he asked, surprised. "Why did you spare my life?." He looked subdued.

"Oh, your life!," he said, briefly smiling. "You know, I like you already. I have been very impressed with the bravery you have displayed, even though it will serve you no good. You have proven yourself worthy to serve at my table."

His subtle answer had left Damon more confused than he was before he asked the question. Nothing made sense to him.

"You must be hungry," Lord Zack quickly added. "Zaha, get our guest something sweet for the night," he called out. "You should sit," he said, looking at Damon. He looked so gentle, a sharp contrast from the one who had enjoyed seeing his men maul an entire pack of wolves to death.

"Here, my Lord," said Zaha, as he handed him over a bowl containing roasted meat and some green leaves.

"The chains," Damon said, as he sought a way to escape.

"Oh, the chains," Lord Zack said. "Take it off him," he said to Zaha. "Everything," he added, as he watched him take them off him. "Leave us alone," he ordered Zaha, who didn't seem too impressed with the alpha's decision to have Damon completely freed from the chains. "I know it's not something you are used to," he continued, making reference to the food, "but there is a lot to look forward to. Eat for strength."

Without hesitating, Damon mauled the food. He had lost so much strength while trying to defend his pack, so much that he did not even seem to care that the green leaves were bitter and the meat half roasted.

"I'll be right back," Lord Zack said. He stood up and took a couple of steps away from him.

That was Damon's chance! He needed no second invite. He had seen an opening, one he was determined to grab with both hands. With one eye, he scanned the entire place, as he looked for an exit route. He waited until he was sure no one had eyes on him. Certain, he quickly made a run for it, as he escaped into the dark.

"Get him!!!," Lord Zack commanded the men, furious that he had slipped off their hands.

They combed everywhere for him, trying to catch his scent, but with every step they took towards finding him, he seemed to be steps ahead of them. Frustrated, the men went back to Lord Zack.

"We couldn't find him; he must have escaped," one of them said to him.

"He was just an ordinary prisoner, not having the physical strength of any of you, but you fucking let him slip away! You will pay with your lives. Knee!," he barked at them, his eyes having turned red. The men knew what was coming for them.

"Please, spare our lives, and we will find him," they begged, but he was never going back on his word.

"Yeah, you will, but on the other side!" The rest watched on in horror as he took their heads off their bodies with his sword. He let out a loud roar, frustrated that his prisoner had gotten away.

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Damon, having waited until he was sure he heard noore footsteps, managed to come out from his hideout. He knew Lord Zack and his band were not going to stop searching until they had found him. But he had no place to go to, for he looked lost in the woods in the dark. He was scared, for even the mere giggling of the leaves got his heart racing, skipping beats.

Just as he had predicted, he began to hear footsteps, advancing quickly in his direction. Without a second thought about who they were, he took to his heels, running as fast as he could through the dense forest, his heart pounding in his chest. He had to find a place to hide.

As he ran, Damon stumbled and fell down on a steep embankment. He landed so hard on the ground and felt a sharp pain in his right leg. Determined not to be caught, he tried to stand up, but his leg gave way beneath him. He almost let out a loud yell, but he knew he could not afford that luxury. He knew immediately that he was injured and that he could not run any further. Frustrated, he took cover under a small hole that had served as a dumping site for all kinds of dead animals. The smell seemed to choke whatever was left of his life, but he had been left with no choice; he knew he had to hold still until he found help. He thought of calling out for help, but even if he gave in to the thought, he knew no one was going to come for him, for his voice was hoarse and weak. He could even barely hear himself. Frustrated, he decided to save whatever was left of his strength for death.

Suddenly, he heard a low growl coming from behind him. Not sure the hole offered him enough safety, he managed to drag his wounded leg out, managing to take cover elsewhere before he was found out. He turned around and saw a pack of wolves emerging from the shadows. They looked so huge and menacing, with eyes that glowed in the dark.

He knew that he was in trouble, as they kept on advancing towards his direction. He tried to get up, but his wounded leg didn't seem to be in tandem with him, for it had been stretched and stressed beyond what it could carry. The band of wolves had closed in on him. Their teeth bared and their eyes fixed on their prey.

Thinking that it was useless begging them to spare his life, Damon closed his eyes and waited for the feast to begin. But instead of making a feast of him, the wolves surrounded him and began to howl. Damon realized that did not seem interested in killing him. Slowly, he opened his eyes, seeing clearly for the first time who they were. They looked different from the pack that had destroyed his friends and family. At least, they didn't wear the same uniform, and, besides, he had not seen Lord Zack with them.

"Please, spare my life," he said to them, gathering whatever was left of his strength as he made sure they heard him.

Without saying a word to him, the wolves helped Damon rise to his feet, as they took him with them, haunting through the forest. One of them took great care of his wound with a magical touch. He was able to journey with them without support.

"I am Damon, son of Lord Savage," he said to them, trying to get their attention. He was worried that no one had said a word to him. "My pack was attacked and destroyed earlier today by another band of wolves. I was the only one who survived the attack," he said again, clearly determined to get a word out of them. Still, no one said a word to him. "Who are you!?," he asked, clearly making his frustration visible.

"Put him to rest," one of them finally spoke, commanding another.