BloodLines

perately , another sudden and piercing shriek shatte

eyes scanned the darkness. "I don't know." Sarah'

they stood there, frozen after the shriek, the wind die

t's freezing.Vera's gaze swept the s

st in the chilly air. Suddenly, Sar

Sarah's eyes were wide. "Everything... it's different."

The once vibrant colors of New Orleans had

s. The hotel's facade, once welcoming, now

voice was low and cautious. We're still

ppening guys, whatever is happeni

n, the wind began to pick up again.Uh-o

s happening Vera's eyes scanned

rds. Suddenly, the shriek pierced the air once

ain Make it stop Sarah stumbled back

e shriek seemed to reverberate through their very souls.

rdrums throb, her

ears as she covered her ears

lights brightened, and the colors returned, the girls exchanged nervo

he sidewalk. But as they approached, the streetlights began to

es locked onto the hotel entrance. V

the sky, and their blood ran cold. A twisted, skeletal creature dove toward them. It

rned with an unnatural intensity. Long, curved claws extended from bony fi

creamed. Leila's voice tremb

he creature zipped towards them and slammed i

ne. Leila screamed, frozen in horror. Vera wanted to rus

cting. Her body began to seize, limbs convul

ila cried, tear

shouts. " What, I'm not leaving her" Leila shouts back. " We won't

specifically, Leila. Vera immediately grabbed Leila's hand, her grip tight."

ing off their heels, desperate to escape. The

ive chase. Its glowing eyes fixed on them

a narrow alleyway."Ke

e's shriek grew louder. Leila and Vera soon dashed in

g stone. She fell hard, scraping her knee, causin

rough her knee. Hearing the creature getting closer Vera i

n to buy you some time But Leila shook her head. " But Vera, it'll kill you. Y

s widened. "What? No!" . But soon the creature came crashing into the

. " It's just me and you ugly let's see what your made off " she hea

it closed in, Vera began tracing intricate symb

ed, shimmering chains materialized from seemingly ou

ture to the ground. Vera's

azed with c

she whispered as the creature thrashed,

eila, run! I won't hold it for long

Behind her, the creature seeing its prey escaping began thrashing harder. It's loud

ed a beat. She glanced back, horrified only to see the creature slamming

gaze met hers, weak but urgent. "Run..."

opped. Leila's heart sank. "Vera!" Leila

xed on Leila. It took a step closer, its claws extend

hriek echoed through the narrow passageway, growing louder. She darted betwee

on her neck. She burst onto the main street, weaving through crowds of pedestrians. But in

unseen presence. Leila dodged a bicycle and jumped over a pothole, her eyes fixe

la's spine. She spotted the iron gates of the old cemetery ahea

. The creature followed, its shriek echoing off the headstones. Leila's breath

anded on a weathered tomb, its entrance slightly ajar. She darted inside,

eature's shriek pierced the air. Graves cracked and shattered.

's shadows. The creature's search grew more frantic. Crypts crea

rough the cracks. Leila's eyes adjusted to the darkness. She saw the

y intensified. Leila could sense its malevolent gaz

pped as she heard it give one last enra

the creature had given up. The silence was deceiving. Suddenly, a hand burst through the tomb's door,

la was dragged out of the tomb, her back scraping against the brok

cemetery. Gravestones blurred together, their epitaphs a meaningle

dly hunger. Leila's terror reached a fever pitch. She was

la's vision began to fade. She was trapped in

in its grasp. Leila's horror deepened. Its mouth opened wide, revealing jagged teeth. As it locked its eyes

e creature's smile grew, its eyes gleaming with malevol

ature. It knocked Leila out of its grasp, sending her stumbling backwa

nally began coming around, she noticed she was layi

been watching her earlier in the day battled the creature, wielding a golden sword with strange symbols and in his next h

precision, slicing through the creature's gaunt body. Leila's gaz

f steel and flames. Leila's vision faltered, her strength exha

effortlessly, his strides long and purposeful. Leila looked up, her eyes meeting his

lved, her exhaustion reclaiming her. She passed out