Lyra's POV
"You bitch! Stop running already!" One of the bounty hunters yelled. I could hear their breathing wheezing from a short distance. Whether they were incredibly fast or I was incredibly slow, either way, I would get screwed if they caught me.
"Ha! Make me! You losers won't earn a damn dime with your incompetence!" I taunted, feigning confidence to conceal my fear.
I was running for my dear life but I had the nerve to provoke my pursuers.
"NOW YOU'VE DONE IT!"
My intuition was telling me not to look back. Despite my numbing, aching legs and my erratic breathing, all I could do was to run and never falter.
I should never give in to this endless cat-and-mouse chase!
My footsteps reverberated against the cracked pavement, while the noise district fell silent beneath the thundering of my racing heart.
I knew I was in grave danger.
Yet, this was a normal occurrence around here.
Onlookers stared out of curiosity and in the next split second, they looked away.
No one batted an eye on my desperation, doing their business as usual.
Just to survive in this shithole.
I was used to it; a cold prickling feeling of isolation around here.
Yet, I continued running as fast as I could, ignoring my consciousness slowly slipping away. I couldn't care less about my condition if it meant I could avoid getting caught by these men chasing me for years.
Who knew if they would sell me off to the wolves? Or a feast for the undead? Or worse, a blood bank for the vampires.
These pessimistic thoughts only motivated me to stay focused.
But the gap hadn't decreased since the start of this run.
I just needed a diversion, like a sea of crowd or anything to be free from this. But as my eyes darted from every direction, every nook and cranny, none fit the bill of any form of escape.
Just then, a familiar road caught my attention and as if everything was in slow motion, I read the whole sign in a second.
A sign of a reminder to all humans of this vicinity.
WARNING: HUMANS SHALL NOT TRESPASSED FROM THIS POINT OR ELSE BE EXECUTED ON SIGHT
That sign was molded to each and everyone of us in the deeper parts of Slumber Hound City.
Because across that sign led to the high-rise luxurious parts of the city filled with the supernatural.
And it so happens the large gate was conveniently tilted open—the right space for my body to get in.
I gulped.
Without a second thought, my feet swiftly turned and ran in that direction.
"Th-that bitch!" I felt their feet stop in place as they were most likely startled with my desperate attempt.
"S-Stop!" Panting sounds echoed from the distance. "Y-You can't die yet, Lyra Ellison!"
His attempted threats were the last words before I slid myself inside the gap between the heavy gated doors.
They stopped following me after that.
Once the coast was clear, my knees gave in and I dropped to the ground. Coughing violently, my hand clenched on my shirt. My lungs fucking burned while gasping for air and it made me want to puke. As I shook out the dizzy haze clouding my vision, I stood up, slow and shaky at first, until I regained my footing.
H-how long had I been running? Not too long ago, I just received my salary from my boss at the bar I worked at and as soon as I stepped out of the door, three of those thugs saw me and demanded to take me somewhere.
I wasn't stupid enough to get dragged by them.
Now that they were out of my tail, I had one more problem to deal with.
To go back without getting caught.
There was no exit except that gated border. If they were waiting, I had to find a way to divert their attention. For now, I needed to go back.
Only to find out that the large gated door was closed by a huge padlock chained at the keyhole.
"No w-way…"
"The humans said a woman got here. She might be back here now." It was faint yet I could hear voices not far from here.
"Shit," I muttered.
Should I run? No, they could easily catch me. Hide? I looked around and saw a barrel along with crates of different berries and wine.
This would definitely hide my scent. I grinned at the idea.
Perfect!
Their shadows reflecting the light against the buildings loomed closer and I immediately removed its lid before slowly—but steadily—entering inside before putting the lid back above me. I was now engulfed with darkness minus the dim light on the hole, which was conveniently placed in front of my view.
A perfect peephole, I would say.
"I couldn't find the woman or her scent lurking around here, boss. Maybe the humans distracted us so they could get in on their own."
The other man—no, a werewolf based on his hairy hinds, scoffed. "Good thing we locked the gates. We wouldn't want mere humans to ruin the Lord of the Crimson's Court's Red Moon Party."
The first man turned to my direction. "Are these requested by him?"
"Yes, we are going to bring them to the party, it seems."
My eyes grew wider as the barrel I was inside lifted and carried by the two wolves. My heart beats faster as they continue with their talk.
"This one is heavy," the "boss" groaned as both lifted the barrel from both sides. I tumbled a bit from the sudden shift of movement. "I bet these are alcohol!"
"Can we have a taste, boss? No one will find out as long as we keep mum!"
"No way, kid. The Count is a conscientious man, I wouldn't want to get on his bad side. Come on, quit stalling."
"Why do we need to bring 'em to the humans, boss? They are expensive."
"It's that time of the year, kid. We just need to bring 'em to Diamond Hotel, so shut the fuck up."
While the two wolves carried the barrel, I checked at the hole once more. They moved me to the back of the truck, surrounded with other crates and containers.
Diamond Hotel, wait a second—it was the only building between the borders.
I had a higher chance of leaving scot-free!
'I can just get out once they put this barrel in the storage room,' I thought.
With that in mind, relief easened my already tense body and my thoughts reflecting the events of my life for these past few years.
=======================
Slumber Hound City—my home or the only home of whatever was left for humanity.
You could say that it was a place for desire—drugs, gambling, prostitution, you named it.
But it was a place deep underground where locals had forgotten what the sky was like and the air reeked of oil and rust. The large factory at the center of it all was a stark reminder of how we, the humans, had fallen grace.
This was the place I was born in. The place where humans whose ancestors fought their place amongst the supernatural and failed epically, thus we were thrown below the depths of the surface, far from seeing the sunlight again.
I would rather call this the "District of the Disposable Humans".
So, a decade had passed. We adapted to this life without freedom.
But as long as I lived, breathed, existed…
I swore that I would one day, I would go out and see the sky once more.
Little did I know that I would get there soon…and my ticket to achieving that was in the hands of the notorious Blood Prince, Julian Czarnel, the one who killed half of the human population.