Chapter 1

Panting. Panting was the only thing I could feel as I ran through the forest. Leaping from one spot to another, with the branches of trees grazing past me, I chased a tiny creature ahead. It was small and white, probably a rabbit, I wasn't sure. The poor rabbit ran for its life. It wouldn't let its body turn into prey for a wild creature like me and nor would I stop chasing the animal. It ran as fast as it can but it couldn't escape its dreadful fate.

As I reached out to grab the creature with my claws, it squeaked trying to get away from me. Digging my sharp claws into its soft flesh, I finally tore its body apart. I could clearly sense the warmth slipping away from its body as blood splattered everywhere. As the rabbit lay there, lifeless in my grasp, I couldn't help but feel a sense of shame wash over me.

What was I doing, chasing and killing innocent creatures like this? It wasn't who I was, or at least it wasn't who I wanted to be. But as I stood there, panting and covered in blood, I realized that I had no control over my actions. I was a slave to my primal instincts, unable to resist the urge to hunt and kill. It was then that I realized the true horror of what I had become. I was a monster, a creature of darkness and destruction. And there was no turning back. I tried to resist the call of the hunt, to resist the urge to chase and kill. But it was no use. My primal instincts were too strong, and I was powerless to resist them.

As I ran through the forest, chasing and killing innocent creatures, I knew that I was doomed to a life of darkness and despair. And there was nothing I could do to change my fate. Just as I was about to put the corpse in my mouth, the world turned blank as I started to sense reality kick in.

I was asleep. I sat up in bed and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. As I reached for the glass of water on my nightstand, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled in my chest. I took a long drink of water, hoping to wash away the remnants of the nightmare. But no matter how much I drank, I couldn't shake the image of the rabbit from my mind.

I couldn't understand why I was having such violent and disturbing dreams lately. I had always been a peaceful and compassionate person, so the aggressive nature of these dreams was completely out of character for me. As I tried to fall back asleep, I couldn't help but wonder if these dreams were trying to tell me something. Maybe they were a manifestation of some deep-seated fear or anxiety that I had been trying to ignore.

Despite my best efforts, I couldn't fall back asleep. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling until the sun began to rise and the first rays of light filtered through my bedroom window. Exhausted and drained, I finally fell into a restless slumber, my mind still haunted by the image of the rabbit.

By the time I woke up I was already late for work. I couldn't help but rush my daily activities. Choosing a plain white shirt and pencil skirt as soon as I can, I quickly did some regular makeup. The laboratories I worked at were 30 minutes away from my house. I grabbed my bag and keys and headed out the door, determined to make up for lost time on the road.

The first time I had a nightmare of that sort, I was ten years old. It's always the same dream, running through forests, having claws and sharp teeth. At times there were wolves and at times other smaller creatures. But as I grew up, the dreams started to get terrifying and brutal. Before I knew it, I was waking up in the middle of the night.

When I arrived at the lab, I felt frazzled and stressed. I knew that I had to put all of these negative feelings aside and focus on my work, but it was easier said than done. All I could think about was the rabbit from my dream and the sense of unease that had been plaguing me all morning.

But despite my best efforts, I couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something was off. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something, or that there was something important that I had overlooked.

“Rebecca. There you are. You're five minutes late again.” Said a voice as I entered the office.

The voice belonged to Georgia, my coworker and the closest friend I have right now. She's always been there when I needed her and she pretty much knows about my nightmares too. Forcing myself to stop thinking about them, I replied,

“Georgie, I'm so sorry. I tried to get here as soon as I can.”

"No worries. I just wanted to make sure you're okay. You've been coming in a little late a lot lately, and I just wanted to check in and see if everything is okay," Georgia said, her tone filled with concern.

"I appreciate your concern, Georgia. I'm sorry if my lateness has caused any problems," I replied, feeling guilty for not being able to manage my time better.

“It's alright. Dr. Ingres hasn't called for us yet.”

“Phew.” I let out a sigh I didn't know I held.

“Rebecca. What happened to your neck?” Georgia asked curiously trying to touch the left side of my neck.

As I reached for it myself, I could feel a long fresh scar. I had no memory of it. I couldn't remember anything about how I got the scar.

“I have no clue where I got that from. It's not that I dealt with anything sharp...”

"That's really strange. Did you feel any pain or notice anything unusual yesterday?" Georgia asked.

"No, I didn't feel any pain or notice anything out of the ordinary. It's just so weird that I have no memory of

getting this scar," I replied, feeling frustrated and worried.

“It looks like something like a branch cut you. Were you gardening?”

“Branches? No way,” I replied.

But suddenly the nightmare of chasing through the woods, I had the previous night flashed before my eyes.