9. Blood and Pieces
1128 Words
Greta Lovelace
I melted into the embrace of Vladimir's strong arms, feeling completely and utterly safe and secure. His warmth enveloped me in a cocoon of peace, and I could feel my eyes beginning to droop with weariness. I let out a deep, contented sigh and snuggled closer to him.
As I drifted off to sleep, I felt the darkness wrapping around me like a comforting blanket until there was nothing else left but blackness. There were no worries or anxieties here - only calmness and serenity.
The start of a dream began to take shape in my mind as I slipped deeper into slumber. I found myself standing in a void of unending darkness with no one else around me. It felt eerie yet strangely familiar all at once - as if this place had been calling out to me for some time now without my even knowing it.
My heart began to race as I looked around, unsure of what would come next. The cool night air swept across my skin and I could feel goosebumps rising on my arms despite the lack of light. In the distance, something or someone was calling out to me - an unmistakable voice that sent shivers down my spine...
I stepped forward, searching for the familiar voice that had brought me here. I couldn't quite make out the words it was saying, but I knew in my heart who it belonged to.
My heart raced as I moved further into the darkness, my eyes scanning the void for any sign of him. Just when I began to despair, a faint light flickered in front of me. Taking a deep breath, I stepped closer and saw a figure illuminated by soft candlelight.
It was Vladimir. His dark eyes pierced through me with an intensity that made me gasp and take a step back.
"Greta," he said softly, his voice like velvet against my skin. He held out his hand and motioned for me to come closer. Hesitantly, I took a few steps toward him until we were face-to-face.
He smiled then and reached up to cup my cheek with his hand, gently brushing away some stray strands of hair from my face.
"What are you doing here?" he asked gently before pressing his lips against mine in a passionate kiss that sent electric currents through my body. The kiss was filled with longing and desire, but also something more - something deeper than anything else I had ever experienced before. It was as if our souls were becoming one in that moment and nothing could tear us apart again...
Vladimir and I pulled away from each other, panting as if we'd just run a marathon. He captured my gaze with his own and smiled knowingly, almost as if he knew what I was feeling.
"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, holding my hands in his own.
I took a deep breath and shook my head slowly. "I don't know," I replied softly. "It just feels... odd."
He chuckled and brushed some hair out of my face before pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead. "Maybe it's because this is all quite unexpected," he suggested.
I frowned, feeling as if something wasn't quite right but not being able to put my finger on it. Then suddenly it hit me - this dream felt too real. No dream had ever felt this vivid, this intense before and it scared me more than anything else in the world.
"What is happening here?" I asked, searching Vladimir's eyes for the answers that he seemed to possess but wouldn't reveal to me yet. He simply smiled mysteriously and kissed me again, as if that was all he could offer up at the moment.
We stood there for a few moments longer until finally I shifted away from him, still unsure of what was going on or why it felt so strange to be here with him...
With a blinding flash of lightning, the night sky filled with a deafening rumble of thunder. The darkness around us became more profound, and I felt my heart start to race as an unearthly power pulsed through the air.
As I watched in horror, Vladimir suddenly began to writhe in pain, his body contorting and shifting into something else - something bigger and far more menacing. His clothes ripped away from his body as he grew larger and larger, until finally, he stood in front of me as a massive werewolf. He was covered in thick fur, flecked with blood from wounds that had already healed on his skin.
I was paralyzed by fear as I watched him take slow steps towards me, snarling and baring all of his sharp teeth at me. I wanted to run but my feet wouldn't move - it was like time had suddenly stopped and all I could do was stare in terror at this creature before me.
But then strange visions appeared in the sky above us - images of battles being fought between creatures that looked almost human and otherworldly beasts. In one vision I saw Vladimir's claws plunge into my chest with such force that it felt like my heart was being crushed beneath them.
I cried out in fear and anguish, unable to believe what I was seeing. Was this real? Was this really happening? No matter how much I wanted to deny it, the evidence before me was undeniable: Vladimir had transformed into some kind of monster and these visions were showing me things that were yet to come...
Before I could comprehend what was happening, a huge shadow suddenly flashed before me, blocking Vladimir from my view. It laughed a loud and terrible laugh that made my skin crawl. All of a sudden, the shadow began to take form and I saw that it had limbs ending with huge claws. From the claws grew vine-like things that seemed almost alive, writhing and reaching out towards Vladimir.
My confusion quickly dissolved when I realized the vines were actually strings of some kind - they were attaching themselves to Vladimir's body and wrapping tightly around him. He thrashed in pain and struggled desperately against them, but it was no use; he was completely trapped by whatever this mysterious creature was.
Then as the shadow creature laughed louder, it yanked the strings harshly, cutting Vladimir into tiny little pieces that were scattered across the ground like confetti. I screamed in horror at the sight of his mangled body lying there motionless.
The creature then turned its attention towards me, its eyes glowing with malicious intent as it slowly advanced on me. Without thinking I ran for my life, leaving behind any thoughts of Vladimir or what had just happened to him...
- Writer
