Fear again.

He wanted to live. Lucian did not want to die. Not like this.

What am I scared of, he's just a man like me. He's not even a nosferatu, he told himself, while holding the man's hands tightly.

In it, he gripped a dagger, which was aimed at Lucian's throat. Lucian grunted, holding the hands while trying to scoot his butt up to push the man off of him. Despite all the strength in the world, he could not. The weight was melting him down against the ground more and more. Death was the likely outcome, and Lucian knew this. There was only one way he could think of that might get him out of this, though it might fail and he dies in a more gruesome manner. Letting the thrusting hands exert their full force downwards, the knife flew down. Lucian had loosened his grip because he knew that would be the outcome, or had hoped. Narrowly avoiding it by moving to the right, he saw the dagger stuck into the ground and took his chance. Hands-free now, he took his left arm and extended it, fingers up into the man's eyes. His other hands pushed the man back as he rolled away, and stood. Blood was pouring from his eyes now like rain.

Still, the man did not cry out or stand down. He stood right back up.

"You play dirty, eh?" he said, hands wiping away the nonstop flow of blood.

"Not as dirty as you. Killing innocent people." Lucian retorted.

The man laughed. Not a menacing one, but a plain one, perhaps even a tone of tiredness in there.

"I don't want to kill you, or anyone, but I don't have a choice," he replied.

"Yeah, I heard that before. Saving yourself! You're just a coward," Lucian yelled, with rage.

"Yes! And I will be a coward a thousand times more, but not to save me. I would die if I could, and save everyone," the man looked to the east of the pastures, and though bloody, opened his eyes, or what was left of it. "When you become a father, you have a duty. The duty to not live for yourself, but for your family. If you live, my family dies."

Family? He fights for his family?

It must have been only a few seconds between the man's words and Lucian spacing out, but it was enough time for him to find the man within an inch of him again, attacking.

Shit! Was all that a distraction?

This time, the man's strike landed and dug right into Lucian's shoulders. A searing pain streaked across his body, and he let out a thunderous cry. The man pulled it out and went in for the kill, and Lucian saw red only. His body went numb to everything. To the sensation, to the fears he felt. All he saw was the same red all over the man's face. Without any tell or sign, Lucian squatted quickly and pounced up to the man, his teeth lashing into the thick, girthy neck of his executioner. Like a beast with prey in its mouth, he bit down with monstrous force, and blood squirted everywhere. The man cried like a newborn babe, tears flooding down his bloody eyes.

Lucian did not stop, he kept his teeth sunk and pushed. His mind and body were not one. One was acting without the other's knowledge. The man already died, but that did not prompt any response from Lucian. He was too far gone.

"Lucian!" a voice shouted. "Lucian! Lucian!"

He awoke to the same voice, tossing his shoulders back and forth. He could make out a dark figure and immediately knew that it was Abenor.

"Abenor?" he said. "Where are we"

"You're up! No time for questions, get up." Abenor picked him up and stood the weak Lucian up. "We are still in the pastures, but over there is the valley. We have to get there now, the other guards will come!"

Stumbling, but with the support of Abenor, the duo made it to the accursed village, or what was left of it. His mind was still fuzzy from when he was stabbed by the man with the whip, but he was coming around slowly.

"Where do we go now? Aren't we stuck again?" he asked Abenor.

"At night, the guards might come, but I fear that Nosferatus are also out in force, and maybe others near these areas will come out searching," Abenor answered. "But in the day, we might have a better chance, as only humans would be out, if they are."

"Nosferatus don't like light?" Lucian inquired, just to confirm.

Abenor nodded. "We have to make do with what we have. Go over there, and cut that body up, from the chest to the bones in the legs. Make sure it is completely hollow from where I said."

"Why?"

"It is where we will hide while they search. If they do."

There was no need for any other questions. The dagger that the man tried to kill him with was in Lucian's hands. He would use this to trim the skin and meat of the corpses. Time was of the essence, and he hacked and carved. Abenor had already finished his, and walked up to Lucian, offering a hand. He graciously accepted, and the body was opened like a diamond. The insides had been gutted and stuffed beneath the ground. Abenor told him to keep quiet, and not move. Not until he heard Abenor's words that it was safe to come out. Lucian stepped inside the body. Could the branch that held the body for ages, now hold his weight? Only one way to find out.

Surprisingly, it was a snug fit. It was firm and did not move. The insides of the body was the most foul-smelling thing Lucian had ever encountered. Even worse than the inside of the cage when they passed by the village.

While inside the hollowed-out corpse, Lucian's mind raced with a whirlwind of emotions. Fear, anger, and confusion swirled together, threatening to overwhelm him as he replayed the violent encounter with the man in his mind.

He could still feel the searing pain in his shoulder where the man's blade had struck, the memory of his desperate struggle for survival haunting him like a recurring nightmare. The taste of blood lingered on his tongue, a bitter reminder of the savage act he had committed in the heat of the moment. The worst of it was the words of the man, who said he had a family. Guilt.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The world outside seemed distant and unfathomable. Like the orphanage but more cruel.

Hours passed in agonizing silence, the only sound the steady rhythm of his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Time seemed to stretch on endlessly, each minute dragging by with excruciating slowness as Lucian waited for some sign that it was safe to emerge.

And then, at long last, he heard it - Abenor's voice, faint but unmistakable, drifting through the darkness like a whisper on the wind. "It's safe, Lucian. You can come out now."

With a sense of relief flooding through him, Lucian pushed aside the stifling confines of the corpse and emerged into the warm morning air. He blinked against the harsh glare of the sunlight, his eyes adjusting slowly to the world outside as he joined Abenor. They walked in the heat of the valley, for what felt like hours. But it was worth it.

Laid out in front of their eyes was a great forest. The trees grew as tall as the castle, and the ground was filled with damp leaves. Making their way through, Abenor spotted water. A natural spring, on the left edge of the forest, hidden by bushes. It seemed pristine. Like paradise. The water was clearer than glass, and humongous rocks stamped themselves all around it, like guardians.

"Let us clean ourselves. You more than me! You smell like wet dog," Abenor laughed.

Lucian sat upon the rocks and stared at his reflection. Blood had dried on his face. His green eyes seemed to be worn down, with veins overtaking them. The wound on his shoulders was completely shut. It was as if it never existed. After he dove into the water and cleaned his bare body, he put the old clothes had back on and made his way to Abenor, who, once again, had finished before him, and sat, relaxed on the rocks. He complimented Lucian, telling him that he was surprised to see that he had killed the man by himself. There it was again. The feeling of guilt.

"What's wrong? Are you still wounded?" Abenor asked, with worry dripping down his face.

Lucian paused and thought if he should bring it up at all. "That man, he said he had family." He needed to share before it consumed him whole. "Do you think he was telling the truth?"

Abenor studied Lucian's face, and put his hands on his. "That does not matter. The truth is he would have killed you, and you did what you had to."

"But do you think he had a family? If he did, did I kill them too?" Lucian said, seeing blood on his hands.

"Only the gods know for sure. We just do our best to live on, and that's what you did. He could have, or he may have lied. Who knows," Abenor replied. "If he did, does that mean you should die, and he should be spared? How many has he led to their deaths, or killed? Did his victims not have families too?"

Lucian nodded slowly, his mind still troubled by the weight of his actions. Abenor's words offered some measure of comfort, but the guilt still gnawed at him.

"I suppose you're right," Lucian murmured.

Abenor squeezed his hand reassuringly. "All we can do is focus on surviving and finding a way out of this nightmare."

With a heavy sigh, Lucian let go of the guilt that had gripped him, if only for a moment. He knew that Abenor was right - they couldn't afford to be weighed down by regrets if they were to have any hope of making it out of this alive.

"Thanks, Abenor," Lucian said, offering a weak smile. "I needed to hear that."

Abenor returned the smile, his eyes shining.

Rest was prescribed by him, and Lucian needed no further directives. Though he tried to sleep inside the corpse, it was less than ideal, both physically and mentally. He felt more at peace now. Well, as much as he could.

As midday came, casting a golden glow over the forest, Abenor woke him up. He informed Lucian that they would need to venture into the city the next morning. The ports were the only way out of this place, infested by Nosferatus and their human helpers. The island was split into two parts; Juyvjek, which was the land of multiple castles, and estates belonging to Nosferatu loyalty, and nobles. This is where they were taken captive to. The other part was Hetsvjek. This was across the great chasm, which consisted of the common Nosferatus, who dealt in everyday businesses like ship-making, accounting, and such. Humans frequented in and out of there because only humans were allowed to pilot ships due to no other country accepting the Nosferatus. These humans and the human helpers were the only people allowed inside of both lands. To cross the great chasm, they needed a disguise to make them less suspicious to the guards of the bridge and also to the people of the town. The only way to do that was one that Lucian had hoped he would not have to do again.

"Looks like we'll be getting our hands dirty again," Abenor remarked, a wry grin playing on his lips.

The plan was to wait until they spotted the human helpers or anyone that seemed non-prisoners and attack them. After finishing them, they would take their clothes and cross the great chasm into Hetsvjek near the ports. The plan had one key that would make it or break it. Lucian's acting skills.

Just as Abenor had predicted, a carriage was passing through the main roads of the forest. The roads were marked by special mini torches that contained glow bugs, who just fluttered around now, lightless.

Lucian ran to the middle of the road, in front of it, limping, and out of breath. His face was agonizing to look at, eyes sunk, mouth droopy, and flailing arms swaying about.

"Who are you?!" A hooded man in the front asked, on top of his horse. His horse was attached to the carriage. Next to him, a similarly dressed figure rode.

"I- I- I am from beyond the hills, help me …" Lucian said, gasping for air. "Those bloodsuckers are out to get me!"

"He's a runaway! If we bring him to Lord Kjaer, he would appreciate it!" the man next to the driver said.

Lucian started to stumble back, feigning fear, though it was not altogether an act. He could see Abenor already crawling up the carriage. The men noticed him looking behind and turned quickly.

Shit!

He had given away Abenor before he had time to make his move. Taking his dagger out, Lucian charged at the men distracted by Abenor and struck it in one of their ribs. By the time they realized what was going on, Abenor had taken out whoever was inside the carriage and held him at knifepoint. The man was a chubby, fair individual, with a great mustache. Wrinkles around his face indicated great age. He was in complete fear, sweat running down his head, falling on the dagger pointed at his throat.

"Stay back! I'll kill him! Step down from the horses and face the ground!" Abenor screamed. His dagger softly grazed the neck of the man, revealing a very thin line of blood.

"Do it already! Listen to him you dimwits!" the man hollered, holding back tears.

Though bleeding, the driver whom Lucian had stabbed, obeyed, and as did his comrade. Both of them lay face down, straightened out.

Abenor walked closer to the men, still holding the elderly man hostage, and nodded. In a flash, Lucian penetrated the neck of the driver, and Abenor, the man that lay next to him.

"What … what are you doing? You savages! You said … Do you know who I am!" the old man shouted.

Abenor put his hands on the man's mouth, who sat on his back, shocked. Slowly, he twisted the dagger into his chest, and whispered, "The Gods will not save your soul."

Pillaging the remains of their bodies, Lucian and Abenor took everything that they could and headed to the springs again, to clean themselves once more before they made their way. The kill felt quick and easy. He felt no remorse like he did with the man.

"Did you know that man?" Lucian wondered why Abenor had told the man that.

"The metal crest of the stag on his shoulder plate. That's the symbol of the Jare family. They were the ones who turned their backs on humans and joined the hands of the Nosferatu. Without them, maybe the humans on this island could have won."

He seems to know a lot about everything here, yet he is a prisoner. Who is he?

"How do you know so much about everything, Abenor?" Lucian asked. "Are you from here?"

"No." He said. "But my ancestors were. They left before the Nosferatus came, but I remember stories they told about the forests, and the lakes, and the birds." Abenor was smiling now. "I kept up with what goes on here through hearsay."

It made sense. Lucian had other questions for him, but he decided it would be best asked later. For now, he tilted his head up as he walked, and looked at the same box that had appeared in the cage. It reappeared, and now read:

Lucian Auric Race: Human Quest: Survival Kill Counter: 2