"Put this on, Hanna. Hurry."
Victoria dropped a T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a thick jacket onto her daughter's bed. Her hands were trembling.
Hanna stood frozen in the middle of the room.
"Mom… where are we going?"
"Just get dressed first." Victoria's voice was no longer calm. Her breathing came uneven, almost ragged. "Please, Hanna."
That kind of urgency almost never came from her mother.
Hanna nodded quickly. "Okay…"
She pulled off her clothes in a rush, her fingers stiff despite trying to move fast. From outside the room, she heard her mother's footsteps heading into the next room—drawers yanked open, something clattering to the floor.
The small house suddenly felt too tight.
Hanna pulled the T-shirt over her head and shoved her legs into the jeans, her heart pounding for no clear reason.
Or maybe she did know the reason.
The smell was still there.
Still clinging to the air.
Stronger now.
She had never seen her mother look like this before. It wasn't just worry.
It was fear.
"Hanna…"
Victoria's voice was barely a breath outside the door.
Hanna opened it immediately. Her mother's face was pale, her eyes sharp—focused toward the living room, not at her.
Before Hanna could speak, Victoria raised a finger to her lips.
Silent.
Hanna nodded slowly.
Without another word, Victoria slipped a sling bag over Hanna's shoulders, tightening the straps across her chest and waist with quick, practiced movements. Outside, the scent lingered.
Hanna could smell it clearly now.
Closer than before.
"Listen to me," Victoria whispered, almost soundless. "Just follow me. Don't look back."
Hanna's heart hammered so hard it hurt her throat. She simply obeyed when her mother grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the kitchen, then straight to the back door.
Why are we going out the back?
Her thoughts tangled together, but she didn't dare ask.
Every breath she took, the smell thickened.
Like something was moving toward the house.
"Put your shoes on," Victoria whispered.
Hanna slipped them on quickly, her hands shaking. The laces were barely tied. Her mother was already ready, eyes fixed on the small window beside the door.
The backyard light clicked off.
The yard fell into darkness instantly, leaving only the glow from inside the house deliberately shining behind them.
Victoria turned the doorknob slowly. The hinge gave a faint creak that sounded unbearably loud in the night.
She opened it just enough to peek outside.
Hanna stood silently behind her, tears already falling, her body trembling. She didn't know what was happening.
After a moment, Victoria pushed the door wider.
"Now."
She pulled Hanna out into the night.
The cold air touched Hanna's skin—
and the smell hit her full force.
In the thick darkness, Victoria ran through the trees, gripping her daughter's hand tightly. Her steps were fast, yet she never stumbled over roots or scattered branches. It was as if the path lived inside her memory—every turn, every rise in the ground already known.
Hanna followed without protest, her breathing uneven. Once or twice, she dared to glance back, though she didn't even know what she expected to see.
Only darkness followed.
Then the silence of the night shattered.
A wolf's howl echoed through the forest.
Then another.
The long, guttural cries bounced between the trees, and Victoria stopped instantly.
She yanked Hanna down into a crouch.
The forest fell silent again.
Too silent.
There was no moon. No light breaking through the canopy. Everything was swallowed by suffocating blackness.
Victoria lifted her head, scanning the surroundings with slow, cautious movements. Beside her, Hanna covered her own mouth, holding back a sob. Tears streamed down her face, wiped away again and again.
"Awooooo…"
"Awooooo…"
Closer now.
Victoria lowered her body further, then looked at Hanna's pale face. Without wasting another second, she pulled her daughter up again.
"Hold on to me. Tight. Don't let go."
Hanna obeyed immediately, wrapping her arms around her mother as hard as she could, afraid she might lose her even for a second. Behind them, the howls grew louder, closer, tearing through the suffocating night.
Then Victoria moved.
Suddenly—impossibly fast.
Hanna felt as if she were being carried through the air, her own feet barely touching the ground.
"Mom… what's happening?" Hanna's voice was swallowed by the rushing wind and the thunder of her heartbeat.
Victoria didn't answer. She just kept running, her arms tightening around her daughter with a strength that felt unnatural.
And in that moment, Hanna's thoughts spiraled.
Why are we running?
From who?
She had lived here her entire life and had never once seen a wolf—let alone heard howls like that. So where were they coming from?
And how could her mother move this fast?
The more she thought, the more her head throbbed. The night felt wrong. Strange. Her mother's behavior—this wasn't the woman she had always known.
Everything felt different.
Then suddenly, Hanna saw something behind them.
A massive shape leapt between the trees, moving from branch to branch with impossible speed. Each landing cracked wood loudly, splintering branches.
It was coming straight for them.
"Mom!"
Victoria turned instantly.
Instinct moved before thought.
She twisted her body sharply, dodging just as the creature lunged.
Dust and dry leaves exploded into the air.
"Damn it…" Victoria hissed when she saw clearly what had landed before them.
A werewolf.
Huge.
The creature spun, claws tearing into the ground.
"RRAAAWW!"
Its roar was filled with fury at the missed strike. Its breath fogged in the cold air, fangs fully bared as it prepared to attack again.
Hanna clutched the back of her mother's jacket with shaking hands.
"What… what is that, Mom…?"
Victoria had no time to explain. Her breathing was heavy, but she forced her legs to move, pulling Hanna with her as she tried to escape the pursuing creature.
No matter how fast she ran—
it kept up.
Then two more appeared from the left and right, cutting them off like shadows of death. Victoria stopped abruptly when another dropped directly in front of her.
"Grrrr…"
"Grrrr…"
The growls vibrated through her chest.
Four of them now.
They surrounded her and Hanna.
Their eyes glowed in the darkness, savage faces pulled back to reveal rows of teeth, powerful bodies coiled to strike.
Hanna clung to her mother, trembling uncontrollably.
"Let go of me, Hanna…" Victoria said softly.
Hanna looked up at her, tears pooling in her eyes. But through the suffocating fear, she obeyed. Slowly, with shaking hands, she released her grip.
"Hanna…" Victoria looked at her daughter with raw guilt in her eyes. "You have to run… without me."
The words struck Hanna like lightning through her chest.
"Mom…?" Her voice broke.