Other Fan Fiction / Horror Fan Fiction ❯ Hunted ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

When I realized I was awake, I immediately wished I wasn't. Death would've been preferable. My entire head was throbbing, my right leg was stiff and sore, and the rest of me just didn't want to move. I could barely feel anything around me. As far as I knew, I was floating in midair because I had a feeling I wasn't lying on the ground. I heard muffled voices and inwardly groaned. How many times have I read something like this? Couldn't whoever was in control of my life have at least a little more creativity? Please?

How did I get here? I tried to remember last night, but it was like my brain didn't want to cooperate. What a shock. It's acting like everything else. I remember going to dinner with Nikolas and everything we talked about. Then we went to the cemetery, and that's where things went fuzzy. I remember laying down the roses, and then turning, and then... Panic. Pain. I remember being in panic, and then a crap load of pain, which might explain why my leg feels like that. But, what was the pain from? I tried to remember...but I got nothing.

 

Wrenching my eyes open and allowing them to adjust to the light, I saw that I was home in my apartment. I wasn't in my bed, though. I was on my couch and there was something lying on my lap. Suddenly, the smell of Ramen Noodles bombarded my nose and I almost cried in relief. Miyavi. Thank God.

 

She was my best friend; the closest person to me and a huge addict to Ramen Noodles, hence why I knew it was her. If there was anyone in my apartment, she's the only one that I was okay with it being. Which also means that she's back from her visit with her parents. And that meant that she's not in prison for murder, which lead me to the conclusion that her dad wasn't as bad as we expected him to be.

 

No, her real name isn't Miyavi. It's actually Anastasia Delequoi, but you'll never hear her live up to it. Not that I blame her for it. Her first name is after a Russian, fictional princess, she has a French last name, and the only blood she'll claim is Native American, which she surprisingly has a lot of. Don't ask me how that happened. Her parents don't talk about it. She started going by Miyavi years ago when she first discovered the Japanese singer, courtesy of yours truly. And from there, she's been given such a different variety of nicknames, people argue about whether her real name is Miv, Stephanie, or Butch. Don't ask me. I just like listening to these conversations. Always leaves room for a laugh. But, for the record, I don't encourage them. Off the record... I plead the fifth.

 

"Miv?" I asked groggily, trying to focus on her so my eyes sharpen and no long fuzz her features. It took a few moments for my eyesight to clear, but it eventually did.

 

"I don't wanna..." she complained, burying her head further into my hip. Normally, I wouldn't have minded. Normally, I would've just smiled and gently woken her up. However, this wasn't normal. The hip she was snuggling into was the exact same one that suddenly sent rods of pain down my leg. So, I settled onto doing something I wouldn't normally do.

 

I screamed. Loudly.

 

She jerked up so fast she knocked over the bowl of noodles onto the floor. Still getting used to the pain, I missed the first half of what she was saying, but was lucky enough, if you want to look at it that way, to hear the end of it.

 

"...sorry! When did you wake up?! And why didn't you tell me?! I've been sitting here all night waiting for you to wake up and you go and do it when I'm napping! How could you do that to me?!"

 

Great. My head's already throbbing, I regained feeling in my extremely painful leg, my eardrums are now bleeding, and there's noodles spilt over the floor. With friends like these, who needs enemies?

 

I didn't get a chance to tell her to shut up. Instead, two men ran in from the kitchen, overlooking the damage. One of them had successfully quieted down a raging Miyavi and was attempting to clean up the mess, and the second one was intently checking my leg. I'm seriously going to have to ask the first one how he did it. She was in for a rant that would've lasted a good ten minutes, and that was if I was lucky. If I wasn't...well, let's just say that I'd be completely healed by the time she took a breath.

 

Looking at the men, I recognized one of them. Nikolas was the one cleaning up the noodles from the floor. He was the one who calmed Miv. Give the man seven points for that one alone. Okay. The second man... Well, it felt like I should know him. He looked so familiar, and yet I couldn't place where I would've seen him before. He was a young, handsome man with big, brown eyes, and black hair with a tuft of blood hanging over his left eye. He wasn't a guy I would forget either. But, try as I might, I just couldn't remember where I knew him from.

 

I tried to sit up, but the familiar-yet-not man firmly kept me lying down. He checked the leg, looking to see if anything happened, then left for the kitchen. Wondering what he saw, I looked down at my leg, too, wondering if it looked as bad as it felt.

 

It did. My pant leg had been completely cut off, leaving only a little bit of fabric to cover my hip. My entire thigh was bruised. Around the complete outermost edges of the wounds, the skin was black and blue, and turned purple, brown, and yellow as it got closer to the part where what looks like teeth entered my skin. The teeth imprints continued around, forming the shape of an animalistic jaw.

 

"What happened?" I asked, horrified at the sight of my leg.

 

"You were attacked by a wolf in the cemetery last night," Nikolas answered softly, getting the last of the noodles off the tile.

 

His sentence soon sank in. "What?"

 

The other man came back from the kitchen carrying what looked like a tube of lotion. "There was a rogue wolf running around last night, and it apparently found you. Nikolas was able to find the stun gun in your purse and shot it. By the time I got here, he had you in his car, trying to clean your wound," he explained, pouring a generous amount of lotion in his hand.

 

Something was telling me that he was lying, but I didn't have anything to back that up. And come to think of it, there wasn't anything in my head that denied any of that information. "Who are you?" I asked instead. There were times where my instinct was wrong just because I didn't know the person talking. This was probably one of those times.

 

"I'm Ryan. I'm a veterinarian working for the local zoo. I specialize in wolves, and have been good friends with Nikolas for quite a few years," he explained, closing the cap one handed and placing the tube to the side. "Once Nikolas got you to safety, he called me to inspect your leg to make sure you didn't contract any diseases."

 

He started to lower his hand to my thigh and I immediately tensed, my hand quickly stopping his. "What's that?" I asked, my voice a little squeaky.

 

He looked me square in the eye, his eyes completely sincere. "It's ointment that will help heal the wound and lessen the pain."

 

I slowly let go of his hand and allowed him to apply the ointment. The ointment was cold against my hot skin, and the slight pressure he applied hurt like hell. I hissed in pain as he slowly worked it into my skin. To keep from thrashing against him, I clutched onto the cushions underneath me, hard. My knuckles were completely white by the time he pulled his hand back.

 

"Why does it hurt so much?" I breathed, slightly shaking from the aftereffects of the pain.

 

"The wolf apparently bit all the way through your muscles to the bone," Ryan explained, carefully examining the bite. "Luckily, he didn't hit the bone, but your muscles are going to be useless until they can rebuild themselves."

 

"How do you know so much about human healing if you're a veterinarian?" I snapped at him, knowing he didn't deserve to be snapped at. I was just frustrated with the possibility that I wouldn't be able to walk for some time.

 

Ryan studied me for a moment before answering, his eyes guarded. There was no possible way for me to know what was going through this man's mind. This man was good. "Zoo workers have a lot of human-animal interaction. I work with a doctor on everything that happens to both humans and wolves there. We both teach each other as much information as possible so that if one of us isn't there, the other can handle whatever happens."

 

Logical explanation, of course, but I didn't want to hear it. That meant that he knew what he was talking about, and that he was right, and that I wouldn't be walking any time soon. Just great. How am I supposed to work? Or go to school?

 

"What happened to the wolf?" I asked, pushing those thoughts away. I'll deal with it later. It's one of my mottos - when you don't want to deal with it now, save it for some other crappy time.

Ryan looked at Nikolas, who suddenly was under all of our gazes. "He's been put down," he answered, handing me a bottle of aspirin and a glass of water.

 

Ryan carefully helped me sit up while Miv placed a pillow behind my back for support. When I was adjusted and as comfortable as I could get - which wasn't very - I took the aspirin and downed the glass...only to end up choking on the water. I spent the next few minutes coughing up what felt like a kidney, spleen, and a toe bone. Don't ask me how they got in there; I was just telling you what I felt. It wasn't until after the coughing fit subsided that we all found out what had caused the choking. I settled for a minute before issuing a rather loud, guttural, and completely un-ladylike belch.

 

"Nine point five for that one Danni," Miv responded immediately, helping me lay back down. "I had to deduct a half a point on account of the hiccup at the very end."

 

"That wasn't my fault," I protested.

 

"They never are," was her response.

 

I didn't have anything to argue that point, so I settled with my almost perfect score. The two guys just stared at us in complete disbelief. Oh Lord. If they were going to be disgusted by a woman burping, I might have to take away five points, six for Nikolas.

 

Instead, and much to my relief (I don't think I could bring myself to take away that many points from the man), they just shook their heads and continued on doing whatever they were doing before I woke up...whatever that was. Curious, I watched them disappear into the kitchen. Turning to Miv, I pinned her with a questioning look.

 

"Alright, what happened?"

 

She looked at me, turned to the kitchen, and back at me. "Last night, I got a call from your cell phone. When I answered, it was Nikolas on the other line. He briefly explained what happened and asked if I could tell him how to get to and in your apartment. I told him to go screw himself if I honestly bought all that, so we agreed to meet outside the park. From there, I just led him here and brought them inside, but there was no way in hell they were getting past the living room and kitchen, hence why you're on the couch and not your bed."

 

I nodded, following all this. It made sense, too. Miv was very protective - almost too protective - and she doesn't trust anyone about anything.

 

"So, they set you there, did what looked like the normal crap you do to injuries, then spent the rest of the time in the kitchen, as far as I know."

 

Hmm. I wonder what they're doing in there. "So why are they still here?" I asked, a little curious as to why Miv didnt automatically kick them out as soon as I was in.

 

"Well, I tried to kick them out, but..." she went silent as Nikolas came back in with a bag of ice and a towel.

 

"Here," he said, gently laying the towel over my thigh. "Let's see how this feels." He set the ice bag on the towel, and I almost died. The light weight of the back was almost too much for me to deal with.

 

I sucked in a harsh breath and told myself that I could take it. It was going to be okay, I kept repeating. Yeah, right.

 

"Is it okay, Danni?" he asked, concerned.

 

I tried to smile, but I'm pretty sure it looked like a grimace. "I'll live," I replied. Yeah, I'll live, I'm sure of that, but it's going to be a damn painful existence until this wound healed.

 

He gave me a sympathetic smile. "Are you hungry?"

 

Am I? I asked myself. Life lesson: You know you're out of it when you have to consciously assess your body to see if you're hungry. My stomach decided that my brain was taking too long to decide, so it answered for me.

 

His smile widened before he nodded and walked back into the kitchen. He was in there for a few seconds before walking out with Ryan, carrying a plate of food. Ryan carefully laid a pillow over my lap before Nikolas laid the plate on top of that. I had to check my mouth for drool when I saw what he had made.

 

There was a meatball sub that looked pretty much perfect along with some Doritos. He also set a glass of sweet tea on a tray that Ryan had set up. It looked beautiful.

 

"Miv, there's a plate in there for you if you get hungry," Ryan said. "We have a few things we have to do today, so we're going to leave. Is that okay if we stop by later tonight to check on you two?"

 

Miv looked at me, leaving me to answer.

 

"Yeah, sure," I replied, my brain only barely taking itself away from the food in front of me. "Just call before you show up."

 

They nodded, said their good-byes, and left my apartment. I was just about to take a bite of my sub when Miv interrupted me. "Don't eat without me!" she called from the kitchen.

 

"I thought you didn't like meatball subs," I replied, trying to keep my stomach from crying.

 

"I don't," she answered.

 

"Then why do I have to wait for you?!"

 

She walked back in the living room with a plate of food. "They made me a turkey sandwich."

 

Wow. I'm impressed with the guys. Two points for each of them. She set her play on the tray before going back in the kitchen for a drink.

 

"Hurry up! I'm starving!"

 

***

 

Looking up from the book, he saw the woman - Danni - was still sitting across from him, watching him. The other men were standing in a far corner quietly talking amongst themselves. He met Danni's gaze for a moment before looking back at the looking in his hands.

 

"Where are you?" she asked softly, still looking at him.

 

"Not far," he replied, keeping his eyes focused on the book. "Nikolas and Ryan just left the apartment."

 

"The first time they went there?" she asked.

 

He nodded. They sat in silence for a few moments before looking up at her. She could see the question in his eyes, but remained silent, letting him ask it.

 

"Is this really your story?"

 

She merely nodded, keeping her eyes on his.

 

"Everything that's happening in here really happened to you?"

 

She nodded again.

 

He broke her gaze looking around the room, taking in the details of the inviting study, just thinking about this new bit of information. She was a normal person, like him. It was just a bit weird for him to read about what seemed like a fictional woman only to realize that she was sitting in front of him. And that just brought on a new thought entirely.

 

"What does it feel like?" he blurted out.

 

She smiled in amusement. "What does what feel like?"

 

He looked down, a little sheepish. "What does it feel like watching someone read your story?" He met her eyes again as he finished his question.

 

The other men went quiet as well, pausing in their conversation to hear her answer.

 

She leaned back in her chair, just looking at him. Her eyes were carefully guarded, cleverly hiding any and all thoughts running through her mind. He almost wanted to take back his question, but curiosity was getting the best of him. He could never imagine what it would be like to allow a complete stranger read something as intimate and personal as what he was reading.

 

Finally, she spoke, to his surprise. He half expected her to avoid answering.

 

"I'm not exactly sure what it's like," she said, her voice soft. "It's just weird. There's this writer part in me that's always anxious about whether or not the person reading likes it or not. Then there's another part that relives everything while they're reading through it. That's the part I don't particularly like. There are some things better left forgotten."

 

"Then why do you let people read this?" he asked.

 

She smiled at that, giving him a soft, almost inviting smile that took him completely by surprise. "It's easier for me if they read the story rather than have me tell it."

 

He nodded, understanding her reasoning, but it didn't answer all of his questions. "Why tell them at all?" he asked. "Right now, none of this really seems very relevant to me."

 

She laughed at that. Her laugh was light and feminine, betraying the softness she had hidden until now. "Well, I have to establish the fact that I was human at one time. By telling you my entire story, I let you know that we weren't always what we are. You see my struggle of learning, accepting, and becoming what I am today, so you then have a little more information than I had. Also, through this story, you learn exactly what happened to completely change our race. Before I was turned, werewolves were exactly like in the myths, with a few changes here and there. My existence changed everything, and the best way for you to understand that is to read my entire story."

 

"But why all the extra detail? Why make it into what seems like a fictional novel?"

 

"Would you rather read a bestseller or a history book?" she responded with a smile.

 

He returned the smile. "Point taken."