11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The Escape

Lila

I reach through the bars, carefully maneuvering the hook towards the key. It takes several tries, my hands slick with sweat, but finally, I feel the hook catch. Slowly, painstakingly, I lift the key from its perch and guide it towards the cage. Every second feels like an eternity, and I swear I can hear my own heartbeat echoing through the room.

The key slides into the lock, and I hold my breath as I turn it. Please work, please work. A click, and the door swings open. I nearly sob with relief as I step out of the cage, my legs wobbly from days of confinement. Freedom has never tasted so sweet.

But I don't have time to celebrate. I need to move fast, before the guards return. I think back to my observations over the past days, mentally mapping out the layout of the house. The back door, that's my target. If I can make it there undetected... Well, let's just say I'll worry about what comes next when I get there.

I creep through the house, my senses on high alert. Every creak of the floorboards, every distant voice, sends a jolt of fear through me. I press myself against the wall, edging along as silently as possible. I feel as if I'm trapped in a spine-chilling game of hide and seek with the entire world.

As I round a corner, I hear footsteps approaching.

Shit.

I dart into a nearby room, quietly closing the door behind me. Through the crack, I watch as a werewolf passes by, his footsteps heavy on the worn floorboards. My heart is in my throat, my pulse roaring in my ears. That was too close. I can't afford any more close calls. I need to be more careful, more alert.

Suddenly, a woman's voice behind me shatters the stillness.

"Wait! Please, don't leave me here!"

I spin around, my heart leaping into my throat. In the shadows of the dimly lit room, I see a figure huddled in the corner, her wrists bound with silver ropes. As I step closer, recognition dawns on me. It's Elena, the woman I saw at the café with Axel. What the hell is she doing here?

"Elena?" I whisper, confusion and surprise warring within me. "What are you doing here?"

Her eyes widen as she takes in my appearance. "Lila? They got you too?" Her voice is hoarse, tinged with fear and exhaustion.

I nod, glancing nervously at the door. "We need to get out of here. Can you walk?"

Elena struggles to her feet, wincing as the ropes dig into her skin. "I think so. But how? This place is crawling with those... those things."

I hesitate, my mind racing. Being in this situation is reminiscent of those intense movie moments, where the hero must make a quick, decisive action. Do I stick to the plan, or do I risk everything to save someone else? Initially, my plan was to escape by myself, to locate Axel and enlist assistance. But now, faced with Elena's pleading eyes, I know I can't leave her behind.

"We'll find a way," I say, my voice filled with more confidence than I feel. "Together."

I kneel beside her, examining the ropes that bind her wrists. They're tight, the knots complex, but I refuse to let that deter me. With fumbling fingers, I begin to work at the knots, my brow furrowed in concentration. Who knew those macramé classes I took would come in handy in a life-or-death situation?

As I work, Elena fills me in on what she knows. "I overheard them talking," she whispers, her voice barely audible. "They're planning something big, Lila. Something to do with Axel."

My heart clenches at the mention of Axel. "Do you know what they want with us?" I ask, my fingers still working at the ropes.

Elena shakes her head. "I'm not sure. But I think... I think we're bait. They want to lure Axel here."

A chill runs down my spine at her words. Bait. The thought of Axel walking into a trap, of being used against him, fills me with a sickening dread.

With Elena's bonds undone, we carefully make our way through the house, our hearts pounding in our chests. Every creak of the floorboards sends a jolt of fear through me, and I find myself holding my breath as we navigate the dimly lit corridors.

This is insane, I think to myself, my mind still reeling from the revelation of werewolves. How is this even possible? How did I end up in the middle of some supernatural nightmare?

But there's no time to dwell on the impossibility of it all. We need to focus on getting out of here alive.

"The back door," I whisper to Elena, my voice barely audible. "If we can make it there, we might have a chance."

She nods, her eyes wide with fear and determination. "Lead the way."

We creep through the house, pressing ourselves against the walls and ducking into rooms whenever we hear footsteps approaching.

As we near the back of the house, Elena grabs my arm. "Wait," she hisses, pulling me into a side room. "There's something you need to know about werewolves."

I stare at her, my heart hammering in my chest. "What do you mean? How do you know about them?"

She hesitates, as if weighing her words carefully. "I... I've had dealings with them before. But that's not important right now. What you need to understand is that they're dangerous, Lila. More dangerous than you can imagine."

I shake my head, still struggling to wrap my mind around the concept. "This is insane. Werewolves aren't real. They can't be."

"I know it's hard to believe," Elena says, her voice tinged with sympathy. "But you've seen them with your own eyes. You know it's true."

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. She's right. As much as I want to deny it, I can't ignore what I've witnessed. "Okay," I say, my voice shaking slightly. "So what do we do?"

"We get out of here," Elena replies, her jaw set with determination. "And then we figure out our next move."

We make our way to the back door, our hearts in our throats. As I reach for the handle, I pause, looking back at Elena. "Thank you," she whispers, her voice thick with emotion. "For helping me."

I give her a tight smile. "We're in this together now."

With that, we slip out the door and into the night. The cool air hits my face, and I take a gulping breath, savoring the taste of freedom. But we're not out of the woods yet. We need to put as much distance between us and this hellhole as possible.

We run across an open field, our feet pounding against the damp grass. In the distance, I spot a barn, its silhouette dark against the starry sky. "There," I gasp, pointing. "We can hide there, catch our breath."

Elena nods, and we make a beeline for the barn. As we slip inside, the musty smell of hay and old wood envelops us. We collapse against a wall, our chests heaving with exertion.

"What now?" I ask, my voice sounding small in the cavernous space.

Elena shakes her head. "I don't know. But we need a plan. We can't just run blindly into the night."

As we sit there, trying to catch our breath and gather our thoughts, we hear a commotion from the direction of the house. Shouts, the sound of breaking glass. And then we see it - smoke, billowing into the night sky.

"The barn," I whisper, my eyes wide. "It's on fire."

The acrid smell of smoke hits me before I see the flames. My heart races as I realize we're trapped. It only takes a few minutes for the barn to fill with smoke.

"Elena!" I call out, coughing as smoke fills my lungs. Somehow she's on the other side of the barn, separated from me by a wall of fire. I hear her voice, muffled by the roaring flames.

"Lila, stay where you are! I'm coming to get you!" Suddenly, I hear a strange sound, like bones cracking. Through the flames, I catch glimpses of Elena's body contorting, changing. I stumble back, my mind reeling.

"Elena?" I gasp, recognizing her eyes in this impossible creature. The wolf nods. Before I can process what's happening, a loud crack echoes above us.

Suddenly, there's a tremendous cracking sound from above. I look up just in time to see a large section of the roof breaking off, sending a shower of burning debris raining down on me. Elena leaps, knocking me to the ground and shielding me with her body. I feel the heat of the flames, hear the sizzle as embers land on Elena's fur.

"Elena!" I cry out, terrified for her. She whimpers in pain but doesn't move, still protecting me.

Through the new hole in the roof, I can see the night sky, stars twinkling indifferently above our desperate situation. It's a cruel reminder of the world beyond this burning building, a world I might never see again.

The flames are closing in now, leaving us with barely any space. The heat is unbearable, the smoke so thick I can barely see Elena right in front of me.

This is it; this is how it ends.

Trapped in a burning building, surrounded by monsters, with my only ally being a werewolf I barely know.

But then, just as I'm about to give up hope, I hear something. A sound that cuts through the roar of the flames and the howls of the werewolves outside. It's a howl, but different from the others. Deeper, more powerful, filled with a rage that makes even the fire seem tame in comparison.

Elena's ears perk up, and she lets out a small whine. She knows that howl, I realize. And suddenly, I do too.

It's Axel. He's here.

A surge of hope rushes through me, giving me a second wind. "Axel!" I scream, my voice hoarse from the smoke. "Axel, we're in here!"

The sounds of fighting erupt outside, vicious snarls and yelps of pain. The werewolves that were surrounding us are now engaged in battle, their attention diverted. This might be our only chance.

"Elena," I cough, patting her singed fur. "We have to move. Now."

She shifts back to human form, her face streaked with soot and determination. "You're right," she says, her voice raw. "Can you walk?"

I nod, forcing myself to my feet despite the dizziness that threatens to overwhelm me. Together, we stumble towards the door, ducking under falling beams and skirting around patches of fire. It feels like navigating an obstacle course designed by a pyromaniac.

We're almost at the door when I hear an ominous crack above us. I look up to see another beam, engulfed in flames, plummeting towards us. Elena, a few steps ahead, doesn't see it coming.

"Elena, watch out!" I cry, shoving her forward with all my strength.

She stumbles through the doorway to safety, but I'm not so lucky. The beam crashes down, catching me across my back and legs. The pain is immediate and overwhelming, a white-hot agony that threatens to consume me. I scream, the sound tearing from my throat as I collapse to the ground, pinned beneath the burning wood.

Through a haze of pain and smoke, I see Elena turn back, her eyes wide with horror. "Lila!" she screams, trying to come back for me.

"No!" I gasp out. "Go... get help... Axel..."

She hesitates for a moment, torn between helping me and finding Axel. But we both know she can't lift the beam alone, and every second counts. With a last, anguished look, she turns and runs towards the sounds of fighting.

I lie there, half in and half out of the burning building, the weight of the beam crushing me. The pain is excruciating, and I can feel the heat of the flames getting closer. Smoke fills my lungs, making each breath a struggle. My vision starts to blur, dark spots dancing at the edges.

In the distance, I hear the sounds of the battle raging. Snarls, yelps of pain, the thud of bodies hitting the ground. And above it all, a howl of pure anguish that can only be Axel. He knows I'm in danger. He's fighting to get to me.

"Axel," I whisper, my voice barely audible even to my own ears. "Please... hurry..."

The world around me starts to fade, the pain and the smoke and the heat all blurring together. I'm slipping away, I realize dimly. My last conscious thought is of Axel, of his fierce determination to get to me.

The last thing I see before I lose consciousness is a massive black wolf breaking through the line of enemies, his eyes locked on me with a desperation that cuts through even my fading awareness. Axel. He's almost here.

My eyes flutter closed.