The Inferno's Claim

The Encounter

Genova only got an hour of sleep before she began to twist and turn on the bed. Something was urging her to take a walk in the forest and the pull was incredibly strong. She had tried to fight it during the past thirty minutes but each preceding second made it impossible to ignore.

Unable to endure the compulsion any longer, her blue eyes finally snapped open while blowing a puff of frustrated breath.

'Now, why on earth is going for a walk so important? Where did this sudden energy materialize from?' Genova pouted because she could barely keep her eyes open not more than two hours ago.

Genova continued to huff and puff while venting her displeasure on the pillows for a few more minutes until she couldn't fight the call anymore.

'Fine. Perhaps that walk isn't a bad idea after all. Anything that will douse this unwanted energy so I can get a good sleep is more than welcome.'

She sat up on the bed and stared at her reflection in the vast wardrobe mirror facing her bed with a frown. The dark circles under her eyes were more visible now, making her look like a panda. She had not gotten proper sleep since that day two months ago her mom broke the news of shipping her to Wooddale.

Sighing, Genova rose from the bed and peered outside her window. The sun was still high on the horizon with clear clouds. The weather was perfect! All she needed was to change into something more comfortable, and she was good to go.

The mansion was eerily quiet when she made her way downstairs. There was no sign of Monica or any other soul inside the house other than herself. Also... she wondered why she had not seen her cousin since her arrival. Perhaps her cousin will be home for dinner.

Genova began a slow jog toward the forest by throwing the hoodie of her joggers over her head and plugging in her earphone to hear music.

The forest was so calm that the birds chirping were the only sound she could hear. And the air was refreshing.

She walked deeper into the forest in a relaxed mood, occasionally swaying her body and singing along with the music she heard. Being around nature was something she enjoyed. However, something was off with today's atmosphere. It was too serene and... she couldn't wrap her head around this sudden urge to be in the woods when she should be resting.

Genova walked without keeping track of the distance she had created between her current spot and the mansion as she continued to live in the moment - failing to take note of her surroundings.

Her steps faltered when she heard a twitch.

She quickly took off her earphone and swept her gaze in the direction the sound had come from sharply. A silent sigh of relief left her throat when she noticed it had come from a broken branch.

'Phew... I thought I had sensed someone.'

Genova glanced at the broken branch one last time before putting her earplug back on. She turned around to head back when something suddenly clicked in her head.

"Wait. How did the branch break? Was someone else in the forest?" She muttered with narrowed eyes.

Her feet moved closer to the particular direction, and her eyes went wide in terror when she saw countless other broken branches with red liquid stains.

Genova touched the liquid with her index finger and rubbed it against her thumb before bringing it to her nose. Fear crept into her spine as the metallic smell wafted her nostrils.

"Blood! Oh my God, it's blood!" She screamed in frantic and jumped back in fear.

A gust of wind that had her shut her eyes for a second blew past her. The forest became eerily silent... too silent that even the birds earlier could not be heard anymore.

Genova whipped her head to the side when she heard a twitch from another direction.

"Who-who's there?" Her voice was shaking as she stood trembling in her spot.

"Plop. Drip."

Genova felt something warm and sticky on her forehead, rolling down the space between her eyebrows. She lifted her quivering hand to dap her forehead and see what it was. Her heart almost stopped to see her fingers stained with blood.

She stiffly tilted her upward head to see the source of this sickly feeling, and her pupils dilated with eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.

Above her was a gigantic bird with black spiky scales perched on the trees she was under. Its long, narrow canines with dark veins were bared as its red eyes peered down at her.

All color drained from Genova's face and her blood ran cold. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound left her throat.

Genova forced her legs to move, yet they wouldn't budge no matter how hard she tried as she remained rooted to her spot. The shock of staring death in the face made her vision blurry, and her back ultimately met the ground with a loud thud.

'This is it. This is how my life ends,' she cried internally as she slowly drifted into darkness. However, just before her eyelids shot closed, she saw a massive dog with white fur like snow dash toward her before shifting into a familiar figure that would have brought her every sense of comfort in normal circumstances. But that was not the case this time!

Genova thought the dog was there to eat her remains the gigantic bird might leave. Thus, she readied herself to bid goodbye peacefully to the world she once knew. But her heart received the last blow when the white dog transformed into a particular silhouette.

This must be a hallucination resulting from her desperation to be saved. Thus her mind was making an image of the one person she hoped to count on at this critical moment, she surmised.

"Genn." She heard the woman's soothing voice. Though it sounded frantic, it was still soft with concern lacing it.

No, this must be a dream. Her aunt couldn't possibly be a dog that transforms into a human figure.

"Don't be afraid, dear. Go to sleep, for I am here now." She heard the voice again. However, it sounded far away this time, barely making its way to her ears.

"A-aunt?" Genova managed to say with incredible difficulty. She felt warm and soft hands caressing her cheeks followed by, "Sleep now, sweetie. You are safe."

With that, her pupils disappeared behind her heavy eyelids as she finally welcomed the darkness that desperately called to her.