Chapter 1

Lorraine's POV

My name is Lorraine and, that's all you should know. I'll tell you more about myself later because right now, I'm running for my life.

This is what my drunk friend has gotten me into. I regret listening to her.

I'll be safe, I promise because this is the only way you'll know what happened and why I'm running.

******

"Why the hell are you all roaming about in the same place?" The mayor roared, his voice tearing into the thick darkness of the woods.

"We heard something around this place, sir…" one of his men replied, calmly, pointing to the place he was referring to as he was speaking.

"Spread the f*ck out," the mayor yelled. "Find and kill whoever it is," he ordered, clenching his jaws. Something in the mayor's voice told me he wasn't joking. He meant it when he said his men should kill whoever it is.

My heart began to throb hard. I'm not ready to die. I swallowed and darted my eyes around to see where else I would run to.

Peeping through the woods, I could see the mayor's face tighten as he ran his hands through his hair. I would never have thought a devil was lurking behind that bright smile he always had on.

Should I surrender myself and beg for his forgiveness? I thought, perhaps he would let me go.

Over the last few days, there had been cases of people, mostly drunks, found dead and drained dry. Although the police had been working towards finding the killers, I think I've found them-the mayor and his men.

A cold chill dropped down heavily in my stomach when I realised that I could also be killed and drained if I was caught right now.

About an hour ago, I was like every other citizen of Lightwood, free and safe. Now, I am a fugitive running for my life, scared that the man who was supposed to protect our lives would turn around and take mine.

All of this was Abigail's fault, she was the one who had gotten me into this. I shouldn't have followed her when I knew she was drunk.

I shrugged. Where is Abigail?

She ran away and left me to die.

Earlier, we were on our way home from the get-together party she had forced me to attend when she suddenly stopped and declared that she was hearing voices muffling from the woods.

I could hear the voices too. But it was just murmurs and nothing else.

And, most importantly, it was none of our business.

"We should be worried about getting home, not the voices coming from the woods," I snapped at her, getting increasingly frustrated.

Acting as a guard for her to walk properly so she would not stagger and fall was already enough punishment for me.

"C'mon Lore, you don't even know if the person is in danger and needs help," her voice was no longer sober, it was low-pitched and demanding. And from her tone, she was not going to take no for an answer. Not from me.

Ever since I moved into her apartment after my grandma's death, she had gotten entitled towards me.

What did I expect though? I was barely able to pay ten per cent of our rent. Talking about five hundred dollars per month and not bringing at least a hundred to the table?

That's mooching on my part.

I let myself imagine the possibilities of someone needing help. Who knows? The person might have fallen from a tree or even, have been bitten by a snake. But if that was the case, why wasn't the person crying? Why muffling voices instead of loud crying and wailing?

"Okay," I whispered lowly, agreeing to go with her into the woods. But Maybe if I make her realise that there was a high chance we would be stalking instead of helping she would change her mind. "But you do know that's stalking, right?"

"Who cares?" She rolled her eyes. This was Abigail. Even when she wasn't drunk, she did give two thoughts on what people thought about her.

If only my grandma didn't die and I didn't move into Abigail's apartment, I could have said no and stood by my words.

Luckily, in our city, Lightwood, nobody cares what anyone does so long as you're not intruding on privacies.

Lightwood was also known as the city of woods due to how it was surrounded by big trees. I still believed it got its name from that fact.

In no time, Abigail and I tiptoed into the woods towards the direction the voices were coming from. We stopped when we finally saw four men standing; three of whom wore black trench coats, and black jeans, each had a dark speck on; like the undercover spies from Men In Black.

The fourth man was taller than the other men and was dressed in a red cloak that covered his head. I could not see his face.

"Isn't that the mayor?" Abigail asked, pointing at another man who suddenly appeared from nowhere and approached the men.

"Shhh!" I hissed. stretched my index finger to her lips, making a keep quiet sign at her "Do I need to remind you that we're as good as dead if we get caught stalking the Mayor?" I whispered, stretching my hand to Abigail's head and lowering it to the floor.

"Guano," the cloaked man said, his voice threatening. "I do not welcome disappointments." He stopped for a moment, "Where did you say the goods are?" His voice was deeper now, clear and intimidating.

"Sir, I… I… it… it'll be ready by tomorrow, sir" the Mayor stammered, bowing his head to the ground, avoiding the man's face.

"So the mayor's name is Guano, huh? I never knew," Abigail said and giggled and it made the leaves creak.

"Shut up," I whimpered. God! She was going to get us caught and it wasn't going to be good. I'm sure of it because whatever this meeting was about, we were never supposed to be here in the first place.

Suddenly, the cloaked man veered, "You are not alone. Who did you bring with you?" The man asked.

"Nobody, sir," the Mayor replied, sharply. "I am all alone. I didn't bring anyone with me."

"Then, there's someone in the woods."

A wave of shock traveled through my whole body and it suddenly turned into fear.

How did the man know someone was in the woods? The noises Abigail made were not loud enough for him to hear from that distance.

So how?

The mayor turned towards where the cloaked man pointed, hesitantly.

"What are you waiting for? Check the woods out," the mayor growled and his men rushed to survey the place.

As I saw the men coming towards where we were hiding, I tugged Abigail's shoulder, "We need to hide. They're coming," I warned.

She chuckled. She was still half drunk. "Calm down, Lore, they look friendly. They're not going to hurt us."

Was this a joke to her? There was nothing about these men that looked friendly. Didn't she hear when the mayor ordered the men to find and kill whoever it was?

Once again, I remembered she was drunk. I winced at her as I helped her get up then I directed her to the other side while I run in the opposite direction. We were safer on our separate ways than together.

Hurriedly, I hid behind a tree, my heart was racing, I gulped, exhaled, and desperately tried to calm my rapid breathing.

Darting my eyes around the forest, I searched for a safer place to hide. It was just a matter of time until I was found.

I pressed my body against the tree so hard that the ridges began to tear into my skin.

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in my leg. When I glanced down, there was a snake coiled around my leg, sticking its fangs into my leg for the second time.

"Ouch!" I screamed, forgetting that I was supposed to remain silent.

The venom spread quickly through me, and I instantly felt my whole body start to go numb. Was this how fast a rattlesnake's venom reacted? I asked myself.

"She's here. She's close by, behind these trees." One of the men blurted out.

Heaving, I gritted my teeth.

"I heard it too," another man replied and they continued to search.

Shit! What should I do? The pain was getting out of control, and the fast throbbing of my heart too. I knew my screaming has alerted the men and it would take only time before they find me.

I fell to the ground, covering my mouth with a hand and holding my leg with the other. "Please God," I begged. My eyes were beginning to get blurry.

"There you are," one of the men flashed his bright touch on me and walked closer. He let out a devilish smile. I tried to stand but couldn't, my legs had gone wobbly. Tears began to course down from my eyes. So this is how I'm going to die?

"Please, don't hurt me," I begged as I drew backwards. For once I wished God would answer my prayers and save me. I had no idea how he could do it but I just wanted him to.

The man grabbed me by the hand and began to drag me out of my hiding. I tried to rid my wrist off his grip but I was too weak. The only strength left in me was all I used to keep my eyes from shutting.

Suddenly, the man stopped. "Who are you?" He asked and let go of my wrist. I could barely see what was happening. However, I was still able to see the figure that had just stepped out, blocking the man.

"You asked for this," the man said, letting out a wide wicked smile before charging at the figure.

My eyes closed. They opened right when I heard a loud thud on the ground. "God!" I gaped and whispered screamed as I saw the mayor's man laying on the ground, with a knife jutting out of his chest.

For a few minutes, I froze. I've seen dead bodies but I haven't seen something like this before. When I glance at the figure, he was standing, his calm eyes trying to tear into me, urging me to trust him.

"Please," I muttered, crying as I looked back at the dead man. "Don't hurt me."

"Let's go," he said sharply, the urgency in his voice evident. "I'm not going to hurt. I'm saving you."

I struggled to get up, but my knees were wobbly. Immediately I was finally able to stand, I felt my eyes began close, my sight getting blurred and I fell forward into his arms. "Please, save me…" my voice was too low to be heard.