Hellbound Heart

The moon was shining bright when they started the hunting game.

Lilith left Elle alone somewhere in the middle of the forest while the others scattered themselves around the area designated to them for the hunting game. They are allowed to move around the allocated zone until Elle comes along, then they should try their best in avoiding getting shot at.

Now left alone in the darkness, Elle took a long deep breath. She needed to do this! If she could not at least pass this, there would be no way she could even stand a chance against Elijah or any of his men!

She tried to calm her wildly beating heart, remembering all the things Caelian and Lilith had told her earlier. They had reminded her of a few things to avoid and also some other hints for keeping herself from giving her position away.

Immediately, Elle hid herself upon seeing an ideal place where she could hide. There was a large growth of bushes she had come across. However, Elle didn't choose to go there, remembering what Caelian had taught her that she must not choose the first potential spot she found because according to Caelian, if the hiding spot stood out for her, then it would also stand out to her pursuer.

'Look closer and choose the place that isn't expected.' Caelian's voice echoed in her head.

When Elle finally chose her hiding spot which was a not so large growth of bushes but enough to cover her, she crouched low and laid down low in the underbrush, careful to keep her head down.

Double checking on her current crouched over position on the ground, Elle slightly repositioned herself to be more comfortable and able to maintain an alert stance. And then she took calming quiet breaths again. She needed to lower her breathing as much as possible and avoid being excessively stressed from the expectations of this exercise.

Lilith had advised her to stay in hiding and remain quiet, which honestly made Elle think twice because this was supposed to be a hunting game. She needed to hunt her prey so she should be moving, right? But Lilith wanted her to just stay put and hide herself and wait for her prey to come to her instead.

Elle does get the point that this method was indeed less dangerous. But would this really be the best option for her to pass this test? She honestly doubted a little but nonetheless, she would listen to advice given to her. Lilith sounded so confident when she told her that with this, she could utilize her uncanny ability of not being easily detected.

The curiosity about the ability Lilith was talking about also made Elle decide to listen to all her advice. She wanted to know if she really had such a skill or whatever that might be called.

Time ticked by but no one appeared yet. Elle had somehow really calmed down. The quietness of the night did not bother her or scared her even a bit. Maybe because she was busy trying to identify every sound like she was looking for a phantom. And this was slowly making her feel the thrill and adrenaline of stepping into an uncharted territory like she had felt when she was exploring secret passages back home when she was younger. Just that, this was definitely an upgrade from her previously kiddy play and make-believe.

Just as she was thinking about that, a sound made her hold her breath. It was the faint sound of leaves being crushed under a person's feet.

Elle did not move. She slowed her breathing even more and breathed as shallow as she could. She focused her senses to her ears, trying to listen and identify from which direction the sound was coming from.

From the left. But then it suddenly stopped. Elle felt nervous at the thought that the witch must have sensed her and that was why they were now taking precaution.

She was tempted to move, to run away. She knew that was her innate instincts that were prompting her. But she forced herself to repeat the advice Caelian and Lilith had plied her with. Running away was a bad idea because she was going up against supernatural beings. She could never outrun a witch or a vampire! As a human, it was impossible!

So, she stayed still. Not moving. She could not tell how long time had passed before she caught sight of a dark silhouette appearing behind a tree trunk across her hiding spot.

She watched the witch look around first and then come out from her hiding spot behind the tree. This was a good sign that she had not picked up on Elle's presence yet.

Lilith had told her not to rush, but not to take too long to take action either once she had set her eyes on a target. She told her, the limit for her to wait for the perfect time from the appearance of her prey to her attack would be about two minutes.

Elle's fingers slowly wrapped around the gun as her fingers ready themselves over the trigger. She was itching to fire, but her body hesitated. Despite all her willful spirits a while ago, she found herself unable to pull the trigger.

Her fingers trembled slightly, causing her to berate herself inwardly. How come she was feeling this right now? Did she not manage to shoot at Alexander without trembling a few hours ago? What is going on with her now?

As she fought for calmness and courage to aim and pull the trigger, the witch moved closer to where she was hiding. She seemed completely oblivious that someone was watching her, and aiming at her.

Then she turned around, exposing her unprotected back to Elle's view, literally making herself completely vulnerable.

Elle swallowed. This was the right time. This was her chance! Might be her only chance! Her time limit was approaching and she needed to fire now!