Chapter Three:

Runaway Heart

Recollecting her strength, Ágnes stood up from the ground, staggering from the pain that was coursing through her bones. Her Aura had protected her from suffering any wounds, but some internal damage was still done, due to the sheer amount of kinetic force. She did not ask herself questions, why or how this has happened, as none of that was of matter at the moment. Her enemy was still alive, somehow, and that was the sole fact, which has required her attention.

Fueled by the hate against this defiance of death, she ran headfirst back into the fray. Charging at full speed against her target, she managed to get into position and have a clear strike at the side of the creature. The dagger struck precisely between two protective plates of bones, an obvious weak point, but the blade was shockingly stopped by the thick skin and fur. It hardly pierced a mere inch, and that was nowhere near enough to seal the beast's fate.

The massive Grimm swiftly overcame the strength of the frail body, and slammed the girl down to the ground with a hard strike from above. Ágnes got pinned to the burning grass, trapped in the confining embrace of the werewolf creature. Staring right into the hellish mouth that was opening above her, she could see that this time, the Alpha wasted no time to finish off its prey. With the huntress' arms securely held under the weight of its paws, the beast was ready to tear open the exposed neck with its jaw. The Grimm's head struck downwards in an instant, but the needle-like teeth have failed to reach their target, biting into something entirely different instead.

Surprised by this sudden encounter, Ágnes' crimson eyes went wide upon seeing the Alpha's mouth blocked, struggling to break through the force that was holding it back. It wasn't flesh and bones those teeth have found, but a less appetizing meal in the form of Lily's quarterstaff. The tall girl had made the distance just in time to save the young woman, and as she held the Alpha at point, the flying drone rammed straight into its side, knocking it away. With the area now cleared, Sandra stepped to the freed Ágnes, grabbed her arm and hastily pulled her up from the ground.

The monster of Grimm was quick to get on its feet again, facing the three girls standing side-by-side to each other. A threatening howl was let against them, and Szandra watched from the distance how Lily and the others charged against the darkness. She was left alone, left behind among the heat and smoke. The once gaping wound on her back was now healed, but she could still feel the dripping blood, which was soaked up by her clothes. She felt dizzy, she felt sleepy. Cold.

Lily was the first to reach the monster, but the Alpha jumped up into the sky and over her, landing behind. She was swiftly kicked in the back, falling out of this arena of death, and Ágnes, coming in from the right to try another strike, quickly overtook her place on the field. This time the blades have sunk into the skin where the fur was burned away, the beast's back, and while this did seem to have a greater effect, without anyone to cover for her the Grimm was fast to turn around and smash away the girl. Lastly, the drone made a circle around the Alpha, and was ready to ram itself against the monster one more time. This seemed to be the most effective way of dealing with this large creature.

Expecting an attack however, learning from the past, the Grimm was able to step aside and evade the machine. In that split second, it took a hold of its handle and slammed the drone down into the ground, but just to make sure it will never fly again, the Alpha sunk its claws deep into the annoying build, tearing up the protective plate and the electronics within. Sandra was horrified to see the destruction of her partner, and on an impulse, ran forward to attempt and save what was left of it. Hearing the girl's cry, the monster threw the massive junk back at her, which hit the weak body square in the torso.

"Run away!" Szandra has screamed at them, terrified. It was clear to her that this enemy could not be defeated, yet the girls got up to their feet, ready for another push. "This way!" she waved at them, trying to get the others' attention, but her small figure was enveloped by the thick smoke, and her voice got caged by the noise of the wildfire.

Lily attempted to strike at it once again, putting all her strength into one fast blow, but a painful energy got to resonate back into her arms, as her staff simply bounced off from the bone plate covering its sides. Within this split second, the girl's expression deformed under the shock, unable to believe the loud bang of her futile attack. The Alpha was not so keen to hesitate however, and it immediately spun around for a retaliation. Its claws have marked their way through her torso, and the girl was swiftly put down to the ground as a result.

Intense pain has struck Szandra's chest. She fell forward, trying to gasp for the elusive, burning air, as she clutched her heart. Their Aura was still synchronized together, it was Lily's soul who kept her safe and protected, but the damage done has also traversed this invisible channel. Lily on the other hand stood back up to her feet, unscratched, and ran against her foe in renewed anger, to which the Alpha let out a terrifying roar, resounding in the mind of the young huntresses.

A sudden pulse from her heart shook Szandra's body. She froze in the middle of the fire, and hearing that otherworldly howl, something broke inside her soul. As the heat of the flames besieged her skin, the pain drove deep into her bones, traversing though her weakened body. She felt the beat in her chest speeding up, pounding stronger and stronger, while the thick smoke of destruction filled her lungs. Everything will perish. She will... She will...

'Die...!'

The girl's body twitched in horror. Hearing this all too familiar voice in her head, this intrusive memory, it was something that her mind was no longer able to handle.

She will die... She will die if she stays...

The girl slowly stood up from the grass, shambling, eyes rigidly fixated on the battle amongst the flames. Ágnes's blades slashed across the arm the of the beast, to which the monster of darkness staggered, taking notice of Szandra on the other end of the battlefield. Its red eyes pierced the damaged soul, and as their gaze silently met, the girl took an instinctive step backwards. And another. Another. Until she was running. Entering a hysterical state, Szandra turned tails and escaped from the burning field, with screams which haven't reached anybody.

'Anywhere. Go anywhere. Get away!'

Evading the retaliation, Ágnes was in a perfect position to watch the girl disappear among the woods. A dark scowl took over her expression, as her crimson eyes carefully noted the direction she went, and then her lips curled into a sly smile, thinking of the possible choices.

The Alpha reached towards the redhead lost in thought, but its attention was quickly diverted from this attack by the rocks thrown against its skull. Sandra bravely charged against the monster with mere stones in her hand, picking them up from the ground as she went on ahead. With her drone damaged, she was left without a tool to fight with, however, that did not mean she was out of the fight. Unable to do harm with stones, she may be, but a good distraction it is, that could provide invaluable time and opportunity for her allies. The beast moved against Sandra, but Lily was fast to aid the girl, and struck the werewolf in the abdomen with the tip of her staff. The Alpha hunched forward from the blow, giving Sandra just enough height to jump up into its neck. She began wailing on the head of the Grimm with a rock, however, as soon as the beast regained its composure, she was grabbed and slammed down against the ground. Sandra tried to get up as fast as she could, but then the Alpha stomped down on her, pinning the frail body under the full weight of the monster.

The air was pressed out of her lungs so fast that the girl couldn't even cry out in pain. She was gasping for oxygen, a futile action, and as the anxiety of suffocation grew in strength, her arms began flailing around, trying to push away the Alpha's leg. Lily pushed herself against the monster in an attempt to kick it backwards, but this struggle did not give them enough time to spare. Then, all of a sudden, a red blur has rushed through at the corner of Lily's vision. Using the opportunity the others have given her, Ágnes circled around and jabbed her daggers into the back of the monster.

Staggered by this flanking maneuver, the Grimm accidentally stepped off from Sandra, who, after a taking a breath of life, rolled out from underneath the threat. Ágnes, learning from her friend's previous idea, started to climb the Alpha by repeatedly tearing into the dark flesh with her blade, reaching higher and higher with every strike, until she was able to grab a hold into its neck and pull herself up. Sharp claws reached up for her, trying to clear away the sudden parasite, but both Lily and Sandra has jumped on an arm each, using their own weight to lock down the Grimm.

The Alpha let out one more roar of anger, twitching and flailing around to shake off this invasive presence, but seeing how stubborn its prey was, something more drastic was had to be done. It turned its head towards Lily, opening up its mouth and revealing those needle sharp fangs within, ready for a deadly bite, however, as soon as it did that, Ágnes' eyes glinted with a shine of opportunity. Sitting in the neck of the monster, the redhead jammed the hilt of her dagger into its mouth. At the press of a trigger, Dust began to shoot down the throat of the creature, forcefully filling its insides with no remorse. The Alpha gagged on the harmful material, and in a sudden move, managed to throw Ágnes off. Falling down onto the hard ground did not stop the girl, however, and rolling back onto her feet, she faced the beast.

Sandra, realizing the danger of the situation, immediately let go of the arm, instructing Lily to do so as well.

"Scatter!"

The girls scurried away from the flinched creature of Grimm. Having a clear way, the redhead walked back to the beast with slow, graceful steps, uninterested in the threat that it still poses. Red mist was overflowing from the Alpha, it visibly being in pain from it, but seeing the red haired girl at arm's reach caused bloodlust to fill its glowing eyes. In a strike of vengeance, the creature jumped for the girl's throat.

Ágnes smiled, then a shimmer of gold appeared in her crimson eyes, staring right at the volatile Dust seeping through its fang.

"Sleep!"

On command, the world was shaken in a second hellfire. Sandra lost her balance and fell to the ground from the incredible shockwave, but Lily stood strong, watching the reborn flames with terrified eyes. The Grimm was no more; its torso burst open from the explosion on the inside. The fire has now reached the treeline as well, raising a pillar of black smoke into the air to signal the demise of this creature of darkness.

A relieving feeling of calmness has settled in the soul of the blonde girl. It was over. The breath was hers to take, no longer pressured. Her immediate thoughts were of Szandra, wanting to rush back to the injured girl's side, making sure she is all right, however, Lily's relaxed expression has hastily deformed, finding no sign of her friend.

"Szandra!" She cried out her name, repeatedly, and with every shout, more anxiety took residence in her voice. "Szandra!"

Not a single reply she was offered to calm her heart. The girl was gone, and as Sandra quietly noticed, so was Ágnes, who did not emerge from the flames, using them instead to cover her own escape.

I***I

Finding some peace leaning against a tree, Szandra took a moment to catch her breath. She fell to her knees, unable to support herself any longer, and the brief moment became seconds, the seconds became minutes. Lost in the woods with no clear way to follow, the girl was alone and defenseless, with no idea where to continue or how to get back. Losing the last bit of her composure, the floodgates have opened, letting out the tears that she was holding back. She did not try to justify her actions. She ran. She ran away. She left Lily to fight that invincible monster, and did not escape with her, did not wait for her.

She buried her face in her hands, hiding away her shame from the world, when after all that sitting around, the bushes up front began to rattle. Szandra jumped up to her feet in response and leaned against the tree to protect her back, expecting another enemy. This wasn't what she signed on for... This whole mess, these monsters... the blood... and the constant threat of death... this was insane, a madhouse, and she wanted to get out as fast as one possibly could.

To much of her surprise, it was not a Grimm the bushes have held secret, but that red-haired girl, who set fire to the forest.

"Finally found your runaway heart," Ágnes sighed, seemingly exhausted and under a lot of worry.

Wasn't she supposed to be fighting that monster?

"W-what happened?" Szandra sheepishly asked, afraid of the answer. How was she found, anyway?

The redhead was haunted by the disturbing events that have conspired in the past few minutes, so cut her summary as short as possible to save the precious time.

"Too much... We're on the run now. The Alpha... it's too strong for us!" Ágnes explained with a shaking voice, holding the supposed bruise on her arm with a pained expression. "We have to find one of the checkpoints, as soon as possible!"

"R-right!" Szandra nodded, wiping away her tears with newfound confidence. If she gets to a checkpoint, she is saved!

Her sudden eagerness was then met with Ágnes's surprisingly cold change of tone, derailing the whole atmosphere.

"Although...you are not safe yet." she grunted, and then took a suspicious look towards the trees behind Szandra. "The threat is not yet gone..."

Following the direction of that crimson gaze, Szandra turned around, fearful of the lurking enemy. She expected to find something horrible creeping towards them, this is what Ágnes' eyes were sending her as a message, however, the forest laid empty. False alarm. Or was it?

Falling for the bait of misdirection, Szandra noticed too late the rushing steps incoming her direction. She turned back towards her newly acquired friend, but by the time she had done so, the sharp obsidian blade was already pressed against her neck, pinning the girl to the tree. Ágnes did not wait for Szandra to come to her senses, and so before the small girl had the time to even realize what was happening, the dagger has slipped in its position and violently tore through along the throat of her victim.

A scream of agony has escaped into the air, but the broken voice quickly died, as the pain itself faded out of existence...

To be Continued...