Untamed



 

 

  All of the characters in this book should not be used without the author’s consent.

  INTRODUCTION: FEAR

  There are no words to describe the sadness I feel about all of this. A totally innocent person, admired dearly by many people in town, was brutally murdered on campus about a week ago. Word of his death had spread quickly around town, creating a stir of rumors, but no one has a legit explanation for why he was killed.

  I'm hit twice as hard by this tragedy because I unfortunately discovered his lifeless body, stiff and pale, hanging from the top of the science building. My mind will forever be embedded with images of his butchered corpse. This is the first time I’ve lost someone close to me. Now, for the first time in my nineteen years of living, I’m starting to feel the harsh reality of death and the effects that comes along with it.

  The people of this small town, known as Glenworth, now fear for their lives because of this horrific slaying. Everyone has begun locking their doors on a regular basis; afraid that the killer may strike again at any moment.

  I don’t blame them for doing so. This is the third unsolved murder in the past two months. This number doesn’t include people who recently went missing without a trace. Many are beginning to speculate a serial killer is to blame. My uncle has warned the townspeople of that possibility.

  He has been on Glenworth’s police force for almost fifteen years and has risen to the rank of detective.

  Fifteen years of police work wasn't enough to prepare him for what he saw on that dreadful day. Only a person of pure evil can commit a crime so cruel. There’s no justification for such violence. I would never wish such a death on my worst enemy.

  The staff and local artist came together and created a beautiful memorial for him at the nearby park. A wooden podium is decorated with beautiful flowers, cards, and photographs. My guilt swells as I stare at all of the decorative pictures and handcrafted paintings of him.

  His smile is so genuine and his eyes are so blameless. Who would kill such an innocent soul? But most importantly, why do I feel so goddamn guilty for what happened?

  The sadness is too much to endure, so I force myself to turn and walk away. I refuse to stare at his blameless eyes any longer.

  Out of nowhere, I hear another pair of walking feet. I immediately stop walking when I hear the sound. I remain completely still and alert.

  A gust of wind hits me. It delivers a chill over my body, causing me to fold my arms automatically. Although I’m wearing a wool-coat, it’s still no match for the bitterness of this autumn day. The air is brisk, the ground is cold and wet, and the clouds are dense across the evening sky.

  Seconds passes by as I remain on edge. I stand absolutely motionless and attentive, hoping I'm just being paranoid. Crows burst from the tree tops and scatter across the murky sky. My heart jumps slightly as they abruptly scatter into the air and disappear from my sight.

  I shake the jitters from my head, relieving my mind from the tension, and continue walking again.

  “It’s all in my mind,” I think to myself.

  Just to be on the safe side, I quicken my pace.

  “Iva,” a voice calls out to me somewhere within the woods.

  I stop walking instantly. The uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, that I tried to ignore, lashes back at me with a vengeance. The voice sounds like the voice of a woman. This causes fear to blanket me.

  I begin to walk again. This time my legs are moving twice as fast. I look over my shoulder to make sure no one is following me.

  “Please help,” the voice shouts from the woods. “Iva, help me please!”

  Suddenly, a disturbing realization hits me like a ton of bricks. I stop walking again. A dose of terror turns my body colder than ever. My heart is beating like a drum against my chest.

  “Mom!” I shout into the woods.

  How could this be? My mother should be at work right now.

  “Help me!” my mother calls out in anguish.

  Immediately, I’m ravaged by fear for my mother’s life. With wrecked nerves, I hurry inside the woods.

  “Mom, where are you?”

  “Help me.” she cries out.

  I begin looking around for her with desperate eyes, but a thin mist makes it difficult for me to see. I squint as hard as I can, trying to see beyond the fog. She could be anywhere.

  “Where are you?” I speak at a high volume; my voice echoing through the endless forest.

  “Over here,” she says with a burdened voice.

  I follow her continuous cry for help; ducking under low branches, parting hanging vines, and leaping over large roots protruding from the muddy soil. It doesn’t take me long to find her resting against a tree, panting.

  “I’m over here,” she cries out in agony.

  She’s wearing a long brown cloak, which is concealing her entire body. That is very strange because she has never owned a cloak or robe. I know my mom like the back of my hand. Long clothing has never been her style.

  “Mom, I’m here. Are you okay…?” I stop speaking when I notice something creepy.

  My mom isn’t six-feet tall.

  “Honey, come closer,” she cries out to me with her back turned.

  I stop dead in my tracks about thirty-feet away from her. I'm now close enough to see her clearly through the fog.

  “Come closer,” she groans in pain again.

  An ugly feeling grows inside of me. My neck gets hit with a cool sensation that makes its way down my spine and lingers there. This is a sensation you can’t get from brisk weather; instead, you get this feeling when you realize something very bizarre. There’s something about this whole situation that doesn’t add up correctly.

  My mom has no reason being out here. The wind comes through the forest fiercely. The strong gust of air disturbs everything in sight. The top of the cloak is blown back and now her head is finally uncovered.

  That eerie feeling on my spine invades my entire body, consuming me like a raging fire. I see a pale, wrinkly, head covered in thin strands of dark hair. I also see long ears dangling on each side of its head. I’m now gripped by unfathomable horror. I gasp deeply and try to conceal my fear by covering my mouth.

  I can barely cover my mouth because my hand is quivering badly. I’ve never felt so terrified in my entire life. The fear is so powerful it makes my legs weaken. I stumble back a little and nearly fall but I grab the side of a tree to balance myself.

  “Iva, I need your help baby. Come closer to me,” this thing, who is obviously not my mother, cries out to me.

  Another dose of fear hits my bloodstream, causing me to become paralyzed temporarily. In other words, I’m literally scared-stiff right now. What the hell am I looking at, and why does it sound like my mother? My mind is too confused and scared to come up with any reasonable answers.

  “You're not my mother,” I reply with fear attached to every syllable. “Who are you?”

  Suddenly, this thing stops groaning; as if it has been acting the entire time.

  “You’re a brave girl, Iva Hill,” it says to me in a man’s voice. “You're brave but very, very, gullible.”

  His voice sounds very odd. The tone in his voice is weak and low; similar to an elderly man’s voice. As he speaks, my muscles tenses up and my breathing increases.

  “Why would someone so defenseless like you go running into the woods, all alone? Don’t you know a killer is on the loose?”

  The thing looks over at me. Its eyes stare deeply into mine. I flinch hard at the first sight of its hideous face.

  Its skin is similar to human skin, but its eyes are spaced apart with large bags underneath them. Its nose is large with a mole on its tip. In short, this creature resembles a
Bloodhound with human-like features. All of its teeth are pointy and its wide mouth is dripping saliva. I begin to hyperventilate as it starts to smile menacingly.

  By its physique one can assume it’s a male.

  “I can’t help but wonder who his next victim could be. Perhaps it’s you.” he says while maintaining that creepy smile.

  Without warning, he swiftly charges toward me with a long dagger in the air. He's coming towards me at an alarming speed, eager to thrust that sharp dagger into my face. He’s fast approaching and I’m too scared to move. My breathing ceases and my body tenses up like never before.

  He’s closing in for the kill and I don’t know how to defend myself. Luckily, instinct blinks on like a bulb before he’s able to slice me open. I swiftly dodge right and stumble onto the forest floor. Now my hands are covered in cold mud and leaves. The tall creature is now standing where I was with the dagger stuck inside of a tree.

  He yanks the blade from the tree and suddenly breaks out laughing.

  “I really thought I had you there,” the creature tells me while laughing.

  He slowly begins to walk toward me with the dagger gripped tightly in his hand.

  “Someone help me!” I scream defensively on the cold forest floor.

  I lift my hand into the air, gesturing for the creature to keep his distance. I can see murder in his abnormally large eyes.

  “Postponing the enviable, aren’t we?” he asks me while tossing the dagger from hand to hand.

  “Oh my God, oh my God…” I say repeatedly as he gets closer.

  My mind is completely distorted. I don’t have the slightest clue what to do now. I can try to get up and run but he’s way too fast for that. I’ll be dead before I’m able to stand to my feet.

  A thought hits me. I remember my uncle giving me a special gift. As I recall, I put it in this exact jacket. With any luck, it may still be in my pocket. I swiftly reach into my pocket while he lifts the dagger over his head.

  Before he forces the weapon toward me, I pull out a can of mace and squeeze down on the nozzle as hard as I can. The mace glazes his large eyeballs. The creature then leaps back and screeches in pain.

  “My eyes…!” the creature shouts in extreme agony.

  Using his forearm he attempts to ease the agonizing, burning, pain in his eyes. He rubs his face with the back of his hand and forearm.

  “You bitch!”

  In a heated rage, he lifts the dagger high into the air and attempts to stab me. He completely misses me by two-feet. The mace has rendered him blind. Shouts erupt from his mouth as he stabs the ground with all of his might multiple times like a lunatic. I roll sideways, away from his fiery wrath.

  He’s accidentally stabs a root protruding from the ground, breaking the blade. I stand and take off running back to the field. My legs have never moved so fast. My entire body is numb by fear.

  “I’ll kill you! This is not over!” the creature shouts through the fog from a distance. “I will find you!” his voice echoes throughout the grim forest.

  All I can hear is my shoes crunching into the leaves on the forest floor as I continue to run for my life. I know death comes for us all, but I prefer the scenario involving no pain and me being a very old woman sleeping in my bed. I take a quick glance over my shoulder to keep track of the creature’s progression. Luckily for me, it’s not pursuing me.

  I stop running for a moment to look around for a clearing. I can’t see the field in any direction because of the dense fog. I must find a way out of these woods before it’s too late.

  “Help!” I scream at the top of my lungs as I look around for an escape route.

  All I can see are bare trees and fog that stretches as far as my eyes will allow me to see.

  “You will know pain!” the creature’s voice echoes throughout the woods.

  I then hear the sound of feet running toward me. Panicked, I begin to sprint in a random direction, hoping to God it’s the right way out of here.

  My legs are moving as fast as they can, but the large branches on the forest floor makes it difficult to run without stumbling. I try my best to hurdle over them so I can maintain a constant speed. I then notice a glimpse of hope in the distance; the woods are thinning and the field is coming into view.

  “Come on, you're almost there,” I tell myself subconsciously.

  Not long after, I dart out of the woods and onto the field. The road is roughly fifty-yards ahead of me.

  “Someone help me!” I scream at the top of my lungs as I run.

  I glance over my shoulder again and see the creature bursting from the woods. My soul jumps from my body when I notice it charging onto the field. It stops, only momentarily, to search for me. His large bloodthirsty eyes discover me fleeing the scene.

  When he sees me escaping, this makes him angrier than before. It starts to chase after me with its hands chopping the wind like a track-star. My panicky mind is working overtime for a plan B. I look forward again at the road growing in front of me.

  I push myself even harder, trying my best to move my legs faster than before. I ignore my weakening stamina and the urge to catch my breath. I have no other option. If I stop now, I’m going to be ripped to pieces. As I turn to check on the creature’s progression, I witness its speed double.

  This thing is determined to kill me. I shift my eyes forward and see a small ditch in the grass. I trip and hit the grass hard. The fall forces the air from my lungs. I rotate onto my back and see him speeding towards me. The expression on his face is fulfillment; as if he’s been aching to kill me for a long time. It’s too late for me to do anything. I don't even have the time to scream for help.

  He extends his hand back and prepares to drive his claws into my face. In this very moment, when every bit of hope is lost, a black mass comes leaping across the air. This large black figure collides into the creature. Their collision creates a sound similar to erupting thunder. Suddenly, the park bench to my left explodes as the creature’s body goes flying through it.

  Its body bounces off the dirt like a rock skipping on the surface of water. The creature is knocked-out by the collision, resting motionless on its stomach.

  “Oh my God,” my words come out uneasily; mixed together with deep, uncontrollable, breaths.

  At my feet, to my left, I spot this huge heap of black fur. It rises off the grass until it’s standing on all four paws. Slowly, it rotates its body to face me. I feel my joints tighten harder than before as its yellow eyes penetrate through mines and consumes my soul. These yellow eyes belong to an adult lion.

  He takes a couple of steps toward me and lowers his huge face close to mine. Reflex causes me to lean away from his face. He breathes in deeply through his nose. Each breath he takes causes my hair to flow back.

  "Are you alright Iva?" the beast asks me in a deep, bold, voice.

  For the second time in my life, I’m too appalled to speak. It’s just too much madness to take in at one time. I’m staring into the eyes of a talking black lion. He's so close I can feel the warmth from his breath. I open my mouth to speak but my words are trembling as they form on my tongue.

  “I’ve heard of you… You are… You are…,” I try to speak and fail horribly.

  The massive lion leans closer and finishes my sentence with these words,

  “I am Mane.”

  CHAPTER 1: THREE MONTHS AGO

  (The events that led to Iva encountering Mane)