The following story is meant for a mature audience. It contains adult themes such as; violence, abuse, sexual assault, implied child abuse, emotional and mental distress, and psychological trauma. If you are sensitive to these sorts of material please find something else to read. This will be the one and only warning you will get. If you continue to read beyond this warning I, the author, do not hold responsibility. Viewer discretion is advised.
Chapter 1; a nightmare
She ran. As fast as her legs could through the forest. She'd lost track of how long she'd been running, but it didn't really matter, she kept going. Her lungs were burning and her legs felt as though they would give out at any second, but she had to keep going. If she stopped, those...things would catch her and it would be over. It happened to the rest of the group, she'd be insane to think it'd be any different for her. The day had started out just fine too.
Dorothy Blake, 26 years old, after having been released from the hospital a month prior, had finally managed to scrounge up the money for a week long European trip from America with her friends. This had been the last day of that week, and she and her friends decided to go do their own thing. Her friends went on a date at a local spot while Dorothy, being the lover of gothic architecture that she was, had taken the chance to see "Le Château du Dimitresque," a castle she had read about on a few vampire lovers forums back home. However the tour quickly took a dark turn when the group had been attacked by horrifying monsters before they had even reached the secluded village.
Dorothy, horrified, watched as people were ripped apart and eaten by the strange monsters, monsters she'd only ever seen in movies or read about in gothic novels. Monsters that were now chasing her through the woods near the village. So, she kept running. Through trees whipping at her face, and tearing at her clothes, wishing very much that she had chosen anything other than the long black sundress and sandals, sandals she had lost at some point while running forcing her to run through the woods barefoot. If she was in any kind of pain she didn't know it, the howls and snarling from the monsters chasing her kept her mind focused on one thing; survival. If she could just make it back to the main road, she could flag down a car and maybe get back to her friends. However the problem was, she had no idea how far the main road was or if she was even running in the right direction.
"Please God," She thought to herself as she held tightly to the silver ankh pendant around her neck, "Let me survive this long enough to regret the therapy bills."
As if the universe were actually listening, trees gave way to a dirt road. Dorothy stopped briefly to assess the area; to her right the road continued endlessly surrounded by woods on both sides, to her left was a stone bridge, where it led she had no idea. A loud roar echoed from the woods forcing her to make a snap decision.
She took the bridge; it may not be the way back to the main road, but at least she'd be able to see those things before they saw her. She looked behind her to see the pack of monsters close on her heels and with a gasp she returned her attention to the path ahead of her where she saw a chain link fence. A small wave of relief crashed over her; where there was a fence there was someplace she could hide. It wasn't long before she saw the smokestacks of a factory in the distance and a new spark of adrenaline pushed her forward until she slammed against one of the doors to the building.
"Is anyone there?!" She shouted as banged on the door hoping someone-anyone could hear her, "Somebody, please! Help me!"
She tried the door, locked. the sound of the monsters was getting closer, if she didn't think fast she was going to die there. Dorothy looked around for anything that would gain her entrance, there had to be another way in. She ran down the side of the building, there she found an open window, it was above a set of crates with what looked like yellow paint sprayed on the sides. That was enough to convince her to climb her way up to and through the window.
She landed hard on the concrete below. She was definitely going to feel that later, if she survived. she moaned as she forced herself to her feet and saw a plethora of work tools and scrap metal surrounding her, and beyond that, another door. Dorothy threw herself at it, only to, once again, find her only means of escape was locked. She swore, then grabbed the first thing that could be used as a weapon, a piece of rebar, in case those monsters managed to break down the door, then she waited. She waited for what felt like an eternity. Every time she heard one of those creatures slam themselves against the door, Dorothy wondered if that would be the time the door would cave. Then, everything went silent.
Deathly silent. She strained to listen for any sound from the outside but the only thing she could hear was her own heart hammering in her chest. She took a deep breath.
"Calm down Dorothy," She whispered to herself in an attempt to slow her heart rate enough to hear something, but there was nothing, nothing but the heavy sounds of the factory. Cautiously and with the piece of rebar tightly gripped in her hands, Dorothy moved her way towards the door. She pressed her face against it to hear anything from the otherside. She heard nothing at first, then after a moment heard footsteps approaching. She moved back, holding the metal rod in her hands like a bat, and when the door opened she closed her eyes and swung hard. she felt the rod connect, but instead of a pained yowl from what she thought was a monster she heard gruff; "What in the hell?"
Dorothy opened her eyes and saw a fairly bulky man in a trenchcoat staring back at her behind a pair of dark sunglasses, he had the rebar she tried to hit him with in one hand and he had a cigar in his mouth. Dorothy's hazel eyes widened as she let go of her side of the metal rod and stumbled backwards onto the ground.
"I...I thought you...you were one of those-those things out there!" She stammered. The man scowled back at her.
"Who the fuck are you?" His deep voice growled as took his cigar from his mouth and threw the metal rod aside.
"My name is Dorothy Blake! I was in a tour group, we...we were attacked by these...these monsters." She said quickly. The man that stood before her took a long drag from his cigar, the sickeningly sweet smell of the tobacco made her gag.
"Tour group? Then you're not a local." He stated, ignoring the rest of her explanation, he then paused before stating "But the closest village is miles from here."
"Please, help me. I...I think they're all dead." Dorothy pleaded, she could feel her eyes burning with tears, but she swallowed it down. It wasn't the time to be emotional, not with those things still out there. She was so tired, and the exhaustion from running was sapping what was left of her energy away. She couldn't read the man's expression behind the dark sunglasses, he seemed to be thinking. "Please, those monsters could come back. we have to go!"
"The lycans won't be back, they don't generally come into the factory." He said coolly. He then bent down to look at her, "More importantly, how did you manage to get all the way here from the village?"
A shiver ran down Dorothy's spine, she didn't need to see his eyes to know the man was eyeing her up and down. She covered herself as best she could before she answered; "I ran."
He chuckled, "So I can see that. How'd you even manage to get in?"
Dorothy's eyes flicked towards the window that was high up on the wall behind him. He followed her gaze to it then looked back and laughed as he stood, walking back towards the door. Dorothy stared after him as moved, she suddenly didn't feel as relieved as she had before.
"Let me see if I understand, Dorothy Blake," He began saying her full name back at her. the tone in his voice seemed almost jovial, "You, after watching your friends be ripped to pieces and running thirty miles being chased by Lycans, thought you could fight them off with a piece of rebar?"
Dorothy glared, was he enjoying this?! He suddenly turned back to her, , "Gotta admit kid, ya got fight!"
"Are you insane?!" She spat without really thinking, "What part of…any of this is funny to you?!"
"The whole damn thing really!" he shouted back as he waved the hand holding the cigar towards the door he had come through. "A whole village of people can barely manage one of those experimental freaks, but here you, an outsider, manages to survive a whole ass pack of them! It's fuckin hilarous!"
"Oh God. I'm going to die here." Dorothy thought to herself as she stared at the man as he seemed to dance around the room, "I ran for God knows how long from monsters, only to die by some psychopath in a factory in the middle of nowhere."
The man looked back at her and grinned as he took a long puff from his cigar, "I tell ya what, kid, I'm gonna help you out."
Dorothy remained silent, her eyes shifting between the silver haired man and her surroundings. she thought for a minute as her eyes landed on the metal rod he had thrown aside, if she could just muster up enough strength, she could hit him and run. Run where she didn't know, but it was better than whatever 'help' he had in mind. She kept her eyes on the man as he turned his back to her to look at the high up window she'd fallen through, and just as her fingertips brushed the edge, she felt her necklace start to move on its own. She looked up to see the pieces of scrap metal floating around her and the man staring down at her.
"I wouldn't try that if I were you." The man said as he bit his cigar, "You really don't wanna pick a fight with me."
She said nothing, her world seemed to turn upside down and inside out in the span of a few hours. First monsters and then a megalomaniac factory worker with freaky powers. She bit her lip and sighed, she didn't have really any more strength left to argue. so instead she just asked; "Can you help me get away from those things out there?"
The man offered her his hand with a flourish as he snuffed out his cigar and grinned, "I can almost guarantee it."
Dorothy took his hand and he helped her to her feet, pain shot out throughout her whole body. With the threat of the Lycans behind, the rest of her had started to catch up. she fell into him as her legs gave out. The man laughed as he braced her against himself.
"I'm honestly surprised, little thing like you managed to make it all this way." He said, taking note of her small body compared to his. Dorothy felt her face burn red.
"What can I say, fear for one's life works wonders on human capability." She said sarcastically. Suddenly she felt herself being hoisted up over the man's shoulder. "...and on one's ability to not feel embarrassed over becoming a sack of potatoes apparently."
She would have protested, saying she could manage, but he had picked her up so effortlessly it seemed rather pointless. she would just have to deal with how ridiculous she looked at that moment and instead she just focused on her surroundings as the man walked. since she had been chased there, she hadn't gotten a good look at the area. She noticed a few things of note; the open field beyond the chain link fence, and the complete lack of people. That particular detail struck her as odd.
All and all Dorothy Blake, age 26, after being attacked by monsters, had a lot of questions; starting with who the man carrying her was and what he had planned.