The Beautiful Monster

The group crashed into the nearby woods, darting through the darkness away from the car.

They didn't stop to see if anyone got out or if anyone was following them.

They just ran. It felt like their best shot at survival, and none of them wanted to start a fire in the middle of the highway. No one was ready.

Elias felt his heart threaten to beat right out of his chest as he dodged around trees and through bushes, dragging Alyssa along with him.

He moved faster than her, able to hear her huffing and panting as she tried to keep up. He knew that she was uncomfortable right now, but she had to keep going. They couldn't stop now.

Melina ran at Alyssa's side as Tyler took the lead of the group, leading them deeper and deeper into the woods.

There wasn't a planned location for them to go. They were just running, hoping that they got away from whoever was in the car before they caught them. Running was their way of fighting for now.

Suddenly, Alyssa tripped over a root growing out of the ground. She hit the ground on her side with a painful huff, her hand moving to cup her rib.

Elias stopped in his tracks, but he waved the others on.

"I got her. Just keep going!" he called to them, knowing that he could eventually catch up to them.

He had to make sure that Alyssa was okay first. He knelt beside her, seeing her eyes water slightly. She took a hard fall. "Are you okay?"

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"Yeah. Just knocked the breath out of myself," Alyssa replied, trying to keep her voice steady as she caught her breath. She pushed herself to her feet, stumbling slightly.

Elias grabbed her arm, keeping her upright and giving her a moment to collect herself.

"I can carry you," he offered, not wanting her to push herself too hard. They all had to stay in one piece. Scott was already hurt.

He didn't want to add anyone else to that list, even if that was inevitable at this point. Bad things were happening to them left and right.

Alyssa shook her head as she straightened up. She grabbed his hand and broke into a jog, tugging him along as they started to speed up together. She was determined, not letting the fall slow her down.

Elias stayed by her side for a moment before taking the lead, having her follow his steps so that she didn't trip again. It was hard making their way through the dark forest, but the moonlight helped guide them forward.

They just had to be mindful of the shadows. He ran for another few minutes, wondering where the others were.

He didn't hear noise up ahead, which was strange. He thought that he would've heard them running through the forest.

After another minute, he broke through the trees and jogged into a clearing where there were no trees.

There was a small area of grass under the light of the moon, and he could see the group standing a few feet away from him. He walked up to Melina.

"Why did we stop?" he asked her nearly breathlessly.

Melina didn't say anything. She stared ahead and then nodded.

Elias followed her gaze, seeing darkness at the other side of the clearing. He was about to ask her what she was looking at, but he could see the darkness start to move.

There were shadows mingled within the trees. Then, those shadows finally stepped out under the light of the moon.

Alaric and another woman with a black dress slowly approached them, walking side-by-side.

Elias froze, feeling his heart momentarily stop at the sight of Alaric in person. He had only seen Alaric in his dreams, but this was even more real.

He couldn't just wake up from this. He had to face Alaric in reality, which meant that he could actually die too.

"That's the witch," Scott said under his breath, staring at the woman, who had long, blonde hair and a slender, tall figure. Even Scott seemed tense as he watched them come closer.

Tyler immediately moved to stand halfway in front of Melina, glaring at their enemies.

Alaric smirked a little and stopped about ten feet away, waving his hand to motion for the witch to stop as well. He tilted his head, letting his eyes sweep over the entire group.

"Look at what we have here. The whole circus has arrived," he chuckled, looking amused. He didn't seem the least bit nervous as he stood before them.

He was outnumbered, but he didn't seem threatened at all. He either thought that he was that powerful, or he was great at bluffing.

Elias kept his eyes on Alaric. He was worried about facing off with the witch too, but his prime focus was Alaric.

If he could kill Alaric, his followers would split too. They only joined under him because they thought that he would rule the world and give them whatever they wanted for being loyal to him.

"Nice to see you again, Melina," Alaric commented as he looked at Melina.

Melina narrowed her eyes, balling her fists up. She looked like she was ready to combust, but she kept herself steady as she glared at Alaric from around Tyler's arm.

Alaric switched his gaze to Elias.

"Elias," he greeted him. "We finally meet in person this time."

Elias felt a chill race down his spine at hearing his name come out of Alaric's mouth. He wanted to be anywhere but here right now, but he knew that he couldn't escape this. They were all trapped here.

"I suggest that you back down and drop this rule the world plan of yours. It won't end well for you," he said in a firm voice.

Alaric was intimidating, but someone had to stand up to him. If no one did, the world would fall at Alaric's feet, which was the last thing that all of them wanted.

Alaric clicked his tongue as he shook his head at Elias.

"Well, that's not very nice. We all have dreams. What are yours?" Alaric asked as he took a single step forward.. He looked at Alyssa with a sly smile. "Marry this one and have a bunch of kids?"