Predator l 9 (unedited)

The ride back was a strange mixture of awkward and silent, to say the least. Though she was alone during the whole drive back to Eric's apartment, it was almost as she still could sense Nikolaj's presence next to her. She still could feel him.

The feeling was prickling her skin with feather-light touches.

For a moment she wasn't sure if it was just the cold chill that found it's way into her car when she rolled her windows down, or if she was just imagining things.

Whatever it was- it made her body shiver.

It was as if his rigid posture was still sitting stock-stiff next to her, looking straight ahead and avoiding to even let one syllable slip over his russian tongue.

There was no way to deny it- a strange vibe was radiating off him non-stop. Maybe, it was his from his emotion whipped face that made her stomach knot in the most horrid way.

She wondered how someone could keep his face so blankly and well-hidden from any signs of emotions like Nikolaj did.

Or, maybe it was his silent nature that made a feeling of unease crawl it's way deep inside the pit of stomach.

Whatever it may have been, April couldn't quite figure out if she should be wary or intrigued by it. Not wanting to think further into this topic, she quickly erased all these ridiculous thoughts from her mind.

Her stay would be over by tomorrow, when she would leave for her home-town.

Worrisome was the thought of announcing her leave to her brother Eric. The thought to disappoint him left her with nothing more than a nervous feeling rising within her too quick for her licking.

She already knew he would do all he could to convince her otherwise, but April could be pretty stubborn, if she wanted to be.

It wouldn't happen on the easy way, not when it came to convince her of something.

A heavy sigh of frustration fell from her lips when she leaned her elbow against the windows rill, her head softly resting against her arm.

For the first time she actually wasn't looking forward to see her brother after his shift.

Eyes filled with disappointment with the edges softly brushed with anger. A gaze she was almost used to.

* * * * *

It was almost noon when she entered the rooms of Eric's apartment. April shrugged her jacket over off her shoulders and tossed it somewhere on the couch in the living room.

Two hours and her brother would end his shift at the police station and returning back home. Then, she'd to explain him about her leaving early the next morning.

She had to leave early, if she wanted to avoid reaching her home-town late at night.

April trailed into her room. The curtains were pushed aside and she watched the sun slowly fading.

Only dim light was streaming into her room, making the walls of her bedroom almost look like black instead of a very bright shade of purple.

The light was barely enough for her to stumble through her room without stepping over her own feet.

She crouched down in front of her bed, pulling her her bag from under it. She crunched her nose when dust swept through the air.

She coughed painfully and tried not to breath in the dusty air when she zipped her bag open.

It wasn't much she had to collect, since she took the only most important stuff with her for the brief trip. So, packing her stuff wasn't worrisome.

It was her brother that worried her to no end.

She didn't want to leave him alone. They only had each other and it was also hard for her to leave him behind for a town she tried to escape, even if it was only for a brief time.

But April told herself that her brother was already old enough to live on his own. He knew what would await him when leaving home a few years back.

Despite telling herself that over and over again, feelings of heavy guilt rushed through her when she drifted her gaze through the room her brother prepared for her arrival.

It was easy to tell that he spent much time and moreover effort into this single room, trying to make her stay at the new, unfamiliar town as comfortable as possible.

And now, she planned to crush the rest of his hopes in the most violent way. But April knew she couldn't stay here.

Her life wasn't meant to be here, it was bound to her home-town she grew up in.

April hadn't brought much with her- the closet her brother had bought for for her arrival consisted of clothing that would barely be enough for a maximum of two weeks. Not one single day more.

Accurately, she begun to fold her clothes and packed it into her bag.

No doubt that her brother would be more than surprised when he sees her clothes already packed and ready for the leave the following morning.

The trail of her thoughts came to an abrupt break when the shutting sound of the front door being closed reached her ears.

She quickly packed the rest of her clothes into her bag before zipping it up before getting up from of her knees.

Waltzing towards the kitchen, she saw her brother sitting at the table, his body sprawled over the small chair.

Eric was leaning his back further into the chair beneath him. His arm was lazily tossed on the table in front of him as he drank from the mug.

He arched his eyebrows in a greeting manner when he noticed his sister waltzing into the kitchen. Eric quickly gulped the hot tea down and placed the mug on the table before speaking, "Hey." he greeted her. "You were out?" He asked when he noticed the change of clothing on her.

She nodded before speaking, "I was just at the petrol station," she spoke, leaving the part when she picked Nikolaj from the street and dropping him of in front of the pub.

From the corners of her eyes she saw Eric nodding his head before drawing his attention back to the hot mug of tea in front of him on the table.

Not wanting to shift from feet to feet any longer, April marched to one of the counters and grabbed a mug, making a tea for herself.

She slowly dipped the tea bag into the cup of hot water before giving a teaspoon of sugar into it.

With a quick grab of her tea, she slowly stepped to the dinning table, almost reluctantly taking a seat in front of her brother, who was still sipping at his hot drink.

For long moments they kept silent. April kept her gaze on her mug that was resting between her entwined fingers. The warmth of it was caressing her skin and spreading it to every of her fingers.

It was hard to find the right words to say. The nervousness was laying very heavy in her stomach and it became noticeable when thin sheets of sweat formed on her forehead. With the back of her hand she quickly whipped the sweat away.

"I'm going back home tomorrow," she spluttered out, straightforward.

That was not how she imagined to tell him. April planned to tip-toe around the topic for a bit before telling him her plans of returning back to her hometown.

Making him comfortable with the thought of leaving him alone, instead of catching him off guard with the little piece of information.

Too late now.

April dared to peek a look from under her eyelashes.

Eric's mug was already on the table, his gaze focused on her. There was absolutely no trace of emotions to detect on his face.

It was free from everything.

His eyebrows slowly furrowed together, drawing in. He watched her with a expression of irritation, before speaking, "Are you sure?" From the tone of his voice April knew that he doubted her decision.

But her decision was final.

"Yes," she stated firmly.

Eric was too silent. April didn't like the silence around them, not in the slightest. It only intensified the guilt inside her.

"Okay," he responded after moments of silence and rolled his shoulders back into a nonchalant shrug.

April blinked a few times. Eric seemed to take it very well, surprisingly.

"Okay?" She asked with a croaky voice. April quickly cleared her throat before listening to her brother again.

He shrugged again. "Sure," he answered her and went on, "I told you the decision rests entirely in your hand. I have no say in this, although you know what I think about this."

"Yeah," she murmured. "I've made up my mind. The decision is final. This stay was supposed to be brief from the beginning anyway. I still have a life there."

"When will you be leaving?" He asked.

She twirled the mug between her hands around. The mug was getting lukewarm and she hadn't even taken a single sip from it.

"Tomorrow morning. I'll be home before night when I leave early."

Eric nodded briefly and gulped down the rest of his tea that was in his mug.

"Alright," he said and rose from the chair. "You should go sleep then."

* * * * *

April jolted up from her sleep in the early hours next morning. Despite the thick curtains covering the window in her bedroom, she could tell that it was still dark outside.

The apartment was deadly silent and April could hear the wind howling through the cold morning.

Tiredly, she stretched her arms above her head and yawned briefly before forcing herself off the bed.

From the bedroom across the floor she could hear Eric's heavy footsteps and knew he was already awake, getting ready for work.

The morning already stared with a bad mood- April was still tired and could barely keep her eyes open. She was more than sure that the lack of sleep was noticeable on her face.

Long trails of disjointed thoughts kept her awake the whole night. April was constantly tossing and turning around in the bed, seeking for the sleep to come.

She stepped out of her room and was surprised when she was being thrown into utter darkness. Eric didn't even bother turning on the light- if he left his bedroom, that is.

Silently and carefully, she tiptoed through the darkness into the kitchen. April slid her hand up and down the wall, until she found the switch and turned the light on.

The light peered off the bulbs and April quickly shielded her eyes from the bright light. After several times of rapidly blinking her eyes, they finally adjusted to the light.

Eric still seemed to get ready in his room and April took the time to make some coffee for both of them. She just hoped a mug would help her to feel more lively and less tired.

The last thing she needed was to take another nap in her car during the drive, like she did when she drove to her brother.

She already looked forward to the nap she would take when she finally would reach her home-town. What she didn't look forward, though, was seeing her parents again.

That was something she wished to push delay further. She planned to avoid all their calls - when did she not? - and take some time for herself.

April snapped from her thoughts when she heard Eric's door being closed, followed by his heavy footsteps heading towards the kitchen.

She quickly grabbed both of the cups of coffee's, pushing one into Eric's hand when he entered the kitchen.

"Morning?" It rather sounded like a question. He quickly grabbed the mug she made him and tiredly waltzed to the table, sinking into the chair. "Why are you up?" He asked, a bit irritated.

"I told you that I'm planning to leave early," April explained and took a seat in front of her brother. "Besides, I haven't had the time to say goodbye yesterday," she told him and offered him a smile, which looked rather forced than natural.

Eric returned her smile, just as unnatural looking than hers, before nodding in understanding. He silently took a sip from the coffee she made while staring into nothing-- something he always did while thinking.

Warming her hands on the mug, April wondered what Eric was thinking about. From his eyebrows being furrowed slightly, she knew the thoughts he had weren't pleasant.

Despite being greatly curious, she figured it would be wiser not to ask.

April was sure he didn't want to speak about it and was afraid that if she would push him to speak, they would be both leaving each other in a very sour mood,

That was something she rather wanted to avoid.

Silently, she pushed the rim of the mug into her mouth and drank from the hot liquid before asking, "When do you leave?"

Eric shoved the sleeve of his shirt up, just above his wrist to uncover his leather watch. "In a few minutes," he answered and pulled the sleeve of his shirt down again.

April just nodded and took her mug once again to her lips. "I'll leave in an hour or so," she spoke and stood up, taking her now empty mug into the sink, washing it before turning around to face her brother.

They bot walked towards the door and Eric took her into his, patting her back like he always used to do when she was in a bad mood.

"I'll miss you," he whispered after moments of silence.

April nodded her head. "Me too," she admitted. "I'll visit you soon." She freed herself from her brothers arms, a smile hovering above her lips.

He nodded and returned her smile with a grin- even if not exactly happy looking.

"I hope you do," he said.

"Don't worry, I will," she insured him. "I'll need a break from time to time," she attempted to joke, but there was laying a certain amount of honesty in the tone of her voice.

April watched him leaving, jumping into his car. The lights were breaking through the dark morning, the lights of the car fading the further he drove away.

She quickly hurried inside the building, escaping the cold chill that was piercing through the skin of her neck.

Inside her bedroom, she gathered the last few of her belongings and forcefully packed them in her already stuffed bag.

With much effort, she managed to zip her bag close and threw it over her shoulder. From the counter in the kitchen she grabbed a bottle of water and quickly pulled her jacket on before leaving Eric's apartment, leaving the building.

With quick paced steps, she hurried to her car and was quick to jump inside it. Seconds after, she drove off.

The inside of her car was freezing cold. She should've brought some warm gloves with her. She hated to wait for her car getting warm. April was always very impatient from nature.

April noticed the sky lightening a bit. Soft beams of sun were already finding their ways through the dark clouds in the sky.

The narrowed road she drove on, however, became dark when the trees almost suffocated her from each of her sides.

She remembered the road being a nearly thirty minutes drive and groaned, throwing her head back for brief seconds.

At least traffic was non-existent in this town.

After driving a couple of long minutes, the first sunbeam streamed through the trees right into her car. A warm feeling fell with the stream right under her chin on her throat.

A heavy twist lay deep in the pit of her stomach. For the briefest of moments, there was a thought nagging in the back of her mind.

Asking herself, if she was doing the right thing to return to the place she used to call home.

April was quick to ban these thoughts away from her mind. There was no need to over think her doings, in her opinion.

All of sudden, she noticed a color of black flashing through the forest. She blinked her eyes to catch a single glimpse-- but ended up seeing nothing more than trees on each side of the road.

Further ahead, though, she noticed a two men standing at the side of the road. April began to slow down the car.

She noticed one of the man having red hair- no doubt Shawn.

From the unnatural and very striking looking color she knew it could be no other than him.

The other man- a blonde - she didn't recognized and she was sure that she never crossed path with him. What made her frown, however was the cage next to them.

The metallic door was open, as if they just let a wolf running free into the forest.

Shawn and the man turned around when April finally pulled over, parking her car in the middle of the road just a few meters behind the unfamiliar man and Shawn.

She quickly pushed the door open and shut it close behind her. Hurrying towards them, she eyed the cage before speaking, "What are you two doing here early in the morning?"

She noticed that the cage was slightly bigger and larger than she remembered it to be when she first saw it on the parking space behind the police station a few nights ago.

When she averted her gaze from the cage, she noticed a dark expression crossing Shawn's face. For the briefest of moments, a feeling of wary crawled inside her.

She almost backed away from him, but she was quick to suppress the feeling and stepped further towards him instead.

"April," he began slowly through almost gritted teeth. April frowned at the tone of his voice. "The question is, what are you doing here?"

"Driving back home," she answered and stepped towards the cage. She silently traced her fingers on the cold metal of the cage.

"Home is in the opposite direction," he told her.

April withdrew her hand from the cold cage to face Shawn again. "No, not Eric's home," she spoke. "My home. I'm returning to my home-town," April explained.

Shawn nodded and briefly ripped his gaze from her to the man standing next to him. He was about to say something, but a rustling noise coming from the shadows of the trees cut his attempt short.

It almost happened to sudden for her to realize, but still she saw a large wolf jumping through the air and crossing the road, before running into the other part of the forest.

A shaky breath escaped her lips. The animal took her by great surprise and she still could feel the heavy beat of her heart thumbing against her chest.

"Wow," she finally managed to speak under her heavy breath. "That startled me," she went on.

But her breath of relief was cut short when another wolf jumped from the forest behind her. Just like the beast from before it disappeared into the forest again.

A loud growl echoed through the area. Her body cringed momentarily in response, the loud sound still in her ears.

"You need to leave." Shawn's voice made her draw her attention from the forest back to him. "Now."

"Why?" A smirk formed on her lips. "Afraid of the wolves?" She asked amused.

Shawn's face, however, held no humor. Moreover, he seemed to be rather furious than being amused.

Not even seconds after, a loud noise made the three of them turn back to the forest where the two wolves escaped.

"Where is he?" The blonde guy asked. April almost forgot that he was standing next to her along with Shawn.

Both - him and April - didn't seem to bother acknowledging each other.

Like a flash of lightning, the two wolves rolled onto the road again. April quickly stepped behind her car. The wolves were fighting.

But the fight wasn't what was worrying her. It was the size of the wolves that made her back away. Both times she saw the wolves, it was night and the lack of light made it difficult to notice it.

The wolves were huger than she'd every imagined them to be!

She was a classical city girl. Never seen a wolf in her life, only on the screen. The fight in front of her was horrifying, but at the same time ... strangely intriguing.

One of the wolves grabbed the other one's neck with it's long and deadly looking canines. April audibly gasped at the sight.

The wolf was slowly weakening from the bite as the other wolf was still biting in the wolf's neck. The canines tearing further into the flesh..

Her attention drew away from the wolf fight when she felt a strong hand grabbing for her wrist, roughly pulling her away from the wolves.

With a turn of her head she saw the worrisome expression on Shawn's face.

Before she could even speak, she heard a loud crash echoing through the forest. The loud sound made her cringe reluctantly.

April turned around and watched with wide eyes the wolf quickly falling in her direction, but Shawn quickly pushed her body away from the beast.

The teeth of the wolf scratch again the skin of her arm, before falling onto the ground with Shawn arms tightly wrapped around her body.

Then, it was silent. It was as if the loud crash from before made the whole forest silent.

She slowly craned her neck and saw what she was afraid to see- her car was destroyed.

A very huge dell was on the left side of her car. The windshield was completely broken. April's car was scrap now. Nothing more than shitty scrap.

The wolf near her car looked like dead, but from the rise and fall from it's chest it seemed that the wolf was just .. unconscious.

Blood was freely peering from the wound on it's neck. April could see the raw flesh beneath all the dark fur.

The same spot where the fangs of the other wolf were sinking into.

She was barely aware of the arms that held her up, or the blood on her arm that was soaking through her shirt.

Shawn quickly pushed the sleeve of her shirt up, just below her elbows.

A large scratch was on her skin, bleeding. It didn't hurt, much to her surprise.

April couldn't figure out if it was the adrenaline that was still rushing through her blood, or if it was because it was just a simple wound.

A simple scratch, not even deep enough to be considered as a deadly wound.

Relief flooded through her. April was glad that Shawn pushed her away in time. She could only imagine what would've happened if he didn't. The mere thought of it made her feel uneasy again.

Shawn, however did look anything but relieved. There was a scary hint of horror written all over his face. It was almost startling her.

April averted her gaze to the wolf again. The sight of it was gruesome, but it was when the beast slowly began to turn into something else that made her almost sink to the ground.

Into turned into a human.

Quiet sounds of bones breaking reached hear ears. A deadly shudder forced it's way all over her body.

April was too stunned to say something. It wasn't fear what crawled deep into her. The sight in front of her was just ... unreal. Surreal. Beyond everything she ever witnessed in her life.

She quickly turned to Shawn again with wide eyes, searching for any trace of horror on his face, but ended up finding nothing.

Shawn looked to the blonde man for long moments, before he averted his gaze back to April's arm, examining her wound again and speaking once again.

"She's been bitten."
_
How comfortable are you with sexual content? I don't know if I should write it and if I write it, how far into the details should I go? I personally like to write these scenes very detailed. Or should I upload the restricted part separated from this book? I like to hear some opinions. Thanks for reading!