Shadowed Souls: A Tale of Supernatural Beings on Earth

Chapter 2: The Human Girl

The next morning, Ava woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. She groggily reached over to her nightstand and saw that it was Jackson calling.

"Hey," she said, her voice thick with sleep.

"Ava, we've got a case," Jackson said. "There's been another murder."

Ava sat up, instantly awake. "What happened?"

"A body was found in the park," Jackson said. "It looks like a werewolf attack."

"Is it one of yours?" Ava asked, referring to Marcus and his pack.

"No," Jackson said. "But we're not ruling out the possibility that it was a rogue werewolf."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes," Ava said, already getting out of bed.

She quickly got dressed and made her way to the park, where she found Jackson and a group of police officers gathered around a body that lay on the ground.

"Morning, Ava," Jackson said, greeting her with a nod.

"Morning, Jackson," Ava said. She walked over to the body and knelt down beside it. The victim was a young man in his early twenties, with short, dark hair and a muscular build. His throat had been ripped out, and there were deep claw marks on his chest.

Ava closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing her senses on the surrounding area. She could sense the presence of magic, but it was faint, as if someone had tried to hide it.

"This was definitely a werewolf attack," she said, opening her eyes.

Jackson nodded. "We need to find out who did this and bring them to justice."

Ava stood up and looked around the area. "There's something else here," she said, her brow furrowed. "Something strange."

"What do you mean?" Jackson asked, following her gaze.

"I'm not sure," Ava said. "But there's definitely something off about this."

As they continued to investigate the scene, Ava felt a strange sense of unease settling over her. This was more than just a simple werewolf attack. There was something deeper, something more sinister at work.

She couldn't shake the feeling that they were dealing with something dark and dangerous, something that could threaten the entire city if left unchecked.

As they wrapped up their investigation and the body was taken away, Ava and Jackson walked back to their cars.

"I need to do some research," Ava said. "There's something about this that doesn't add up."

"Be careful, Ava," Jackson warned. "I don't want you getting in over your head."

"I'll be fine," Ava said, smiling reassuringly at him. "I've been doing this for a long time, remember?"

Jackson nodded, but Ava could see the worry in his eyes.

As she drove back to her house, Ava couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over her. She needed to get to the bottom of this, to find out what was really going on and put a stop to it before anyone else got hurt.

But she knew that this would be a difficult task, one that would require all of her skills and abilities as a wiccan. She was up for the challenge, but she couldn't help but wonder what else was lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.

The day went so fast that Ava didn't realize she hadn't had anything other than a munch of doughnut and a sip of coca-cola that Jackson offered her. She decided to go back into the woods one more time if she'll get any lead. She dressed in all black and left her house.

As she entered deeper into the woods the rustling in the bushes grew louder, and Ava braced herself for an attack. But instead of a snarling werewolf or a hissing vampire, a young girl stumbled out of the underbrush.

She was about fourteen years old, with long, curly brown hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a pink dress that was torn and stained with dirt, and her arms and legs were covered in scratches.

"Please help me," she cried, running towards Ava. "They're after me."

Ava instinctively reached out to the girl, but something made her hesitate. There was something off about her, something that didn't feel right.

"Who's after you?" Ava asked, her eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of danger.

"The monsters," the girl said, her voice trembling. "The ones that come out at night. They're trying to take me away."

Ava took a step back, still keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding area. "What kind of monsters?"

"I don't know," the girl said, tears streaming down her face. "They're tall and scary, and they have sharp teeth and claws."

Ava felt a shiver run down her spine. This sounded like more than just a routine supernatural disturbance. If there were monsters in the area, it could mean that something big was happening, something that threatened the safety of the entire community.

"Come on," Ava said, holding out her hand to the girl. "We need to get you somewhere safe."

As they made their way through the woods, Ava kept her senses on high alert, listening for any sign of danger. But aside from the occasional snap of a twig or rustle of leaves, everything was eerily quiet.

They emerged from the woods and onto a deserted street. The girl pointed to a house at the end of the block. "That's where I live," she said. "But I don't want to go back there. The monsters might find me."

Ava knew that they needed to get the girl to safety, but she also knew that they couldn't just abandon her at a random house. They needed to find out who she was and where she came from, and figure out what was going on in the woods.

"Let's go talk to your parents," Ava said, taking the girl's hand. "We'll figure out what's going on, and make sure you're safe."

But as they started walking towards the house, Ava heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. She turned around, her hand going instinctively to the dagger at her waist.

Two figures emerged from the shadows, one male and one female. They were both tall and muscular, with piercing green eyes and sharp features that hinted at their supernatural origins.

Ava recognized them immediately: they were vampires, and judging by their hostile stance, they weren't here to offer help.

"Enough of the hide and seek, girl." He fixed his eyes on Ava. "Give us the girl," the male vampire growled, taking a step towards Ava.

Ava tightened her grip on the girl's hand. "Who are you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "And why do you want her?"

"That's none of your concern," the female vampire said, baring her teeth. "Hand her over, and we'll let you go."

Ava knew that she couldn't just give up the girl. She had a responsibility to protect her, to find out what was going on, and to stop whoever or whatever was behind it.

But as the vampires closed in, Ava realized that she might be in over her head. These were seasoned fighters, with years of experience and strength on their side. Ava was a powerful witch, but even she knew that she couldn't take them both on at once.

She starts to calculate how to make sure the girl is safe and how they'd leave without any harm. She sighed. "I mean no harm. I just need to make sure she is safe," Ava's voice was audible, but not convincing to the two vampires standing a few meters away from her.

"Wrong move, my lady. We need the girl," the male vampire replied. He charged toward her, but a buzz from his pocket stopped him in his tracks.

His fangs slowly disappeared and he picked up the call while keeping an eye on Ava. The call seemed to last a long time and it ended in "Alright boss," his reply was accompanied by a disappointing look on his face as he signalled to the female werewolf.

"We will be back soon," the male vampire informed Ava, turned around, and disappeared into the woods alongside the female vampire.

Ava heaved a sigh and in a moment of reasoning, she stared at the girl and wondered. "How did she outrun the vampires? Even a human would have caught her without worries." Ava bent down, putting one of her knees on the floor. She stared deep into her eyes if she could get a clue on who she is. "She is human too?"