With Katherine still on their trail and likely using blood magic to track her descendants, their only hope was to stay one step ahead of her. That sadly meant that they didn't have a chance to rest or relax, they had to keep moving. The near eternity on the road was taking its toll on all three members of the group and was gradually wearing all of them down. Each and every night was the same as the last, their journey quickly becoming the same old routine that was played out over and over in an endless loop. They drove for hundreds of miles, they stopped for gas and a quick bite, they slept through the day and then they drove some more.
Unfortunately, with no solid plan and no allies to join the fight, respite was unlikely to arrive any time soon. For Alice, Sam and Matty there was no true freedom, at least not for the foreseeable future. For them there was no end in sight.
Chapter Three: Alone in the Woods
It was nice to spend some time alone after months of travelling in a cramped campervan, but Sam had to practically beg to be left behind. There was no reason for him to go along on the supply run this time, after all he didn't shower as often as the others, didn't feed as much either and he didn't mind wearing the same clothes night after night. Vampires didn't sweat and had no actual body odour, so he didn't understand the need to keep changing his appearance when his scars already made him stand out in a crowd.
Both Alice and Matty had protested, but Sam needed some time alone with his thoughts. He was still his own man after all and could take the time if he needed it, no matter how the other two felt. He disliked being a third wheel, despite Alice's countless attempts to reassure him that he wasn't one. He knew that he was though. He knew that they would be better off without him and all the happier for it, they just didn't know it yet.
Sitting with his back up against the roots of a large tree, Sam basked under the light of the full moon, its bright silver shape reflecting back off the mirrored surface of the lake. The cloudless sky meant that the stars were out in full force tonight, much brighter than he could ever remember. They seemed to shimmer in time with the calming sounds of chirping crickets and croaking frogs, the wilderness around him so full of life. Sam would have waded out past the reeds and into the cool waters, submerging himself within them, but he didn't want to spoil such a perfect moment by disturbing it. Quite honestly, he had already done more than enough damage to last a lifetime.
In complete contrast to his calm surroundings, Sam's inner turmoil was that of chaos and disorder. He sadly couldn't enjoy the night as much as he wanted to, the regret over his past actions weighing heavily upon him as they filled him with doubt and self loathing. It didn't help that the physical pain that wracked his body never went away, unlike the injuries experienced by Alice and Matty who could recover from almost anything in very little time at all. But that was okay, as it meant that Sam would remember everything he had been through. It meant that he would never forget all that he had done, all the mistakes that he had made and all those who had died because of his foolish actions.
Matty had described Sam's feelings as those of self pity and told him to work through it, but what would he know? The dumb brute couldn't possibly understand the guilt that Sam felt over all those who had suffered along his selfish path to vengeance.
Sam could still hear TJ's cry for help and the wet hacking sounds that came after. He had achieved everything that he had set out to do, but he didn't feel any better for it. In fact he felt worse with each passing night. That wasn't the only voice that haunted him either, with Christie's screams echoing through his mind as if she was still burning, always burning. That smell; the god awful smell that had permanently singed his nostrils and lingered there still. Sam wished that he could remember her in any other way, but all other memories had faded over time. The only image that had ingrained itself into his brain was her face, twisted in pain as it slowly turned to ash and crumbled away to nothing.
Closing his eyes, Sam tried to shut all the voices out of his head. They belonged to the innocents who had died in the crossfire and all of his friends who he had never had the chance to say goodbye to, all gone forever, never to return. Unfortunately, any attempt to chase the voices away only made them return much stronger and louder than ever before. Sam couldn't hear anything else, just the cacophony of voices as they yelled and screamed at him, clawing away at his mind. There was nothing else in existence but the increasing crescendo of spirits that cried out for retribution, drowning out the world in an ongoing storm.
An eerie silence swept across the lake, bringing with it a sense of unease. Sam's eyes snapped open and the voices ceased, if only for a moment. Looking around he noticed that there was no sound other than the water lapping against the shore, with the tranquil song of life having ceased altogether. In fact, there seemed to be no wildlife at all. No birds or insects, nor anything else for that matter. The gentle breeze had fallen deathly silent, with Sam's own lack of breathing somehow making things worse. It was as if the world had been purged of the living, leaving behind a realm fit for the dead.
Sam's mind flashed back to the things that both he and Alice had seen as children, the silent place in the woods and the hole beneath the rotten tree stump that disappeared down into darkness. The same silence had come for them then, walking hand in hand with the impossibly tall man. He still had vivid memories of the terrifyingly long and slender fingers that grasped at them as they ran for their lives, but it couldn't be him, could it? Not after all these years. The impossibly tall man had never actually been real, or at least that's what Sam had tried to convince himself of as time went by. It was his own desperate attempt to maintain what precious little sanity he had remaining. Whatever was going on now, it had to be something else other than that long limbed nightmare. It had to!
Standing up slowly, Sam's eyes scanned the lake and the surrounding forest, but even with his heightened senses he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Just shrubs, moss covered logs and everything else that you would expect to see in the woods. There was nothing out there in the dark but the thick underbrush and interwoven branches, except for one thing that Sam glimpsed in the corner of his eye. Something else was hiding there in the shadows. Something there was watching him.
Hidden between the leaves, almost out of sight, a pair of red eyes followed Sam's every movement. Beneath them, yellow fangs protruded from the wide maw of a snarling mouth, jagged and sharp. Fear rising in his gut, Sam slowly turned his body to face the beast. Whatever it was, the unnatural creature crept forward without a sound, broad shoulders hunched over as it moved in on all fours. Thick, black fur covered its entire body, nose twitching as it sniffed the air. The beast looked like a wolf of sorts, at least it was hairy enough to be one, with tufted ears, an enlarged head and a powerful jaw that could likely crush bone with ease.
A deep, guttural growl formed in the beast's throat, only increasing in intensity as it slowly crept forwards. The predator knew that it had been spotted, but that didn't prevent it from making its approach, fully aware that it had caught him off guard. It was then that Sam realised where he had seen something like it before, stalking him and his friends within the woods outside Calgary, not to mention the massive skull that had been part of TJ's extensive collection. Whatever it was, he knew that it had come for him.
The snap of a twig and rustling of leaves drew Sam's attention away from the immediate threat, his eyes searching for whatever else was out there in the woods. He silently hoped that Alice and Matty had returned from their errands early and were coming to his rescue, but he had never been that lucky. Sure enough, it wasn't his friends that he saw there between the trees, but another monstrous wolf that came bounding over a ridge, its massive form coming to a halt just a few feet away.
The beast hadn't come alone, a third joining the hunt as it flanked Sam from the shoreline. This one was slightly smaller than the others, but was still much bigger than any wolf should be. It had tried to stay low as to not be seen, but its scent carried in on the breeze, a m
usty kind of smell that was easily picked up by the enhanced senses of a vampire.
The wolves closed in on all three sides, leaving the lake's cold waters as the only way out. Unfortunately, Sam had never been that strong a swimmer and he knew that he would be set upon before he even made it to the shallows. He didn't know what the beasts were or why they were after him, but he wasn't about to stay around to find out. It was better to take a chance on trying to escape than to stay put and risk being eaten alive. If he couldn't swim to safety, then he had to try and outmaneuver them. It was about time that he started putting the blood that was stagnating within his dead veins to use, forcing it into action as he quickened his legs and strengthened his muscles.
Just as the largest of the wolves was about to pounce, a rush of vigor caused Sam to react, his legs propelling him over the black furred beast as he narrowly avoided tooth and claw alike. It was times like this that he almost felt alive again, false adrenaline keeping his mind alert. He sailed through the air, turning his head just enough to see the other two animals in pursuit as their leader hit the dirt by the water's edge. Their reactions were much quicker than Sam had hoped, meaning that he would have to act fast to stay ahead of them.
As soon as Sam's feet made contact with the ground, he took flight. Off he went into the woods, picking a direction at random. He began to run as quickly as he could, his legs almost a blur as he forced his stiff body into action. Zigzagging left and right, he did his best to keep his movements unpredictable and erratic, not wanting to give his pursuers the chance to catch him. It would have been a sound plan had it not been for him underestimating how much danger he was actually in, and his escape would soon prove to be more difficult by the second.
Sam caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of his eye and was left feeling surprised by how the wolves had caught up so quickly. Without breaking his stride, he turned his head to try and get a better look, the beast managing to keep up but strangely not moving in for the kill. It seemed to be keeping its distance, not making an attempt to get any closer despite having ample opportunity. The unnerving thing was that it wasn't one of the wolves that he had seen just moments before, its fur a much lighter shade of brown than the others. This was a new beast altogether and the additional snarling behind him signified that there were at least two more hot on his trail.
Additional movement to the right caught Sam's attention as he ducked under a branch before hurdling over another. Yet another wolf had joined the hunt, its copper tones mixed with a dark brown. That made at least five of them in total, maybe more, all of them keeping their distance as if they were running for sport, or perhaps they were trying to herd him somewhere in particular. It was no longer just a few wolves chasing Sam, but an entire pack of them, and he wasn't sure that he could make it out of the woods in one piece.
Sounding from nowhere, a distant howl changed everything, as if it were a command that the others instinctively followed. The beasts behind Sam kept up the pace, making sure that he didn't slow down for even a second. Whereas the two on either side moved in with leaps and bounds, their massive teeth gnashing at his ankles as they tried to catch him off balance.
Sam narrowly avoided the attacks, the uneven ground making things more difficult than they needed to be. These wolves were more than mere savage beasts, their organised tactics implying that there was a calculating intelligence behind their blood red eyes. They knew exactly what they were doing and where they were taking him, the only question was why.
Sam kept pushing through the foliage, his arms raised to protect his face from low hanging branches as they whipped by at painfully high speeds. He didn't like being led along a set path, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice as he narrowly avoided another set of razor sharp fangs.
Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Sam stopped dead in his tracks, the powerful bodies of the beasts behind him barely avoiding a collision. It didn't take the wolves long to surround him, circling their foolish prey as the rest of the pack caught up. There were more of them than he had guessed, close to ten in total, growling and gnashing at the air as they joined the circle.
Turning on the spot as he tried to keep count, Sam watched with nervous trepidation as the gaps between the wolves closed and the noose tightened around him. The beasts were gradually moving closer, leaving very little margin for error. If he was going to make a move, he had to make it soon, his list of options dwindling by the second. The different colours of fur seemed to blend together as negative space was filled with the massive bodies of apex predators as they wove in and out of each other, their ravenous eyes like blood red rubies in the night.
Sam barely reacted in time, ducking at the last possible moment as one of the larger wolves pounced at him. He was mere inches away from being mauled, its huge form landing just behind him, roaring in frustration.
There was no chance for Sam to gather himself before a smaller wolf made a similar attempt, but this time he was ready for them. Shifting his weight, he caught the creature in mid air, using its momentum to toss it back into the circle. The swift motion took a couple of the other wolves by surprise, as they were bowled over by their packmate who yelped in pain.
Two more leapt into the fray, but Sam didn't stay put this time. He used the gap that they had made in the perimeter to his advantage, rushing between them and back out through the trees. As the other wolves began their pursuit, he suddenly changed direction, attempting to head back towards the main road, or at least where he believed it to be. He had serious doubts that he would make it that far, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't try.
Sam continued to push himself harder and faster, his blood now flowing freely through his veins. Branches snapped as the beasts bounded after him, but they no longer seemed to be gaining ground. By some miracle it looked as though he was breaking free of the pack and might actually make it to safety. Perhaps escape was within his reach after all.
As if from nowhere, a gargantuan beast burst through the trees, sending splinters showering in all directions as it launched itself towards Sam at blinding speed. It was difficult to follow what had happened at first, as the creature was little more than a blur, but it wasn't long before he was faced by another wolf, much larger than any of the others that he had seen so far, with streaks of grey amongst the thick brown coat that covered every inch of its body. It had caught Sam off guard, barreling in to him as it swept him off his feet and slammed his body into the trunk of the nearest tree with bone shattering force.
Sam winced, his eyes closing for just a moment as he found himself at the mercy of the beast that had overpowered him with ease. The vicious growls just inches from his face were too frightening to confront, but he had little choice other than to open his eyes again to meet the gaze of whatever had him pinned against the rough bark of the tree. However, when the beast's shape came into focus, Sam no longer saw the snarling face of a wolf, but that of a rugged man who glared at him with unmatched savagery.
“We've got you now!” The man growled, his nose twitching in the same manner to the wolves that had been on the hunt. “Make a sound and I'll rip out your throat!”
Sam didn't dare to even whisper, the man's hand wrapped tightly around his neck. What he didn't understand was what had happened and how he had ended up in this situation. Who was this man and where had the wolves gone? He tried to think rationally, but there was nothing about the situation that his rational mind could comprehend. From what he could work out, the wolf had transformed into a human in the blink of an eye, or at least something that appeared to be human. Was he a werewolf like the ones that he and Alice had spoken about as children?
The man's face was so close to Sam's own that he should have felt his breath upon his skin, but that wasn't the case at all. Did that mean that he wasn't a werewolf at all and was in fact a vampire? If that was true, then they had the impressive ability to shapeshift and Sam still had a great deal to learn about what his kind could and couldn't do.
; There was a hint of red in the man's eyes that soon faded to a dark brown, his long hair wild and face unshaven. Dirt covered his face, his teeth almost as sharp as any wolf and just as intimidating. The fingernails that dug into Sam's neck felt more like claws than anything else, a coarse blanket of greyish brown hair covering his captor's muscular arms and bare chest. Whoever he was, his broad shoulders and thick jaw reminded Sam of the beasts that had cornered and chased him through the forest, only confirming the fact that they were indeed creatures who shared the same blood.
Finding himself trapped and completely helpless once more, Sam realised one thing; that even after everything that had happened to him, he still didn't want to die. He had lost Christie, his friends and had committed unforgivable acts of brutality during his brief stint in Miami, but he had also come out of it in one piece. A little on the broken side, but one piece all the same. Even a vampire as physically weak as him could prove to be a survivor, and it was something about himself that he had discovered the hard way. Unlife could be cruel and unfair, but it was a good teacher all the same.
“Where is the girl?!?” The savage man roared, his sharp teeth gnashing together with each word.
Sam found it impossible to answer, his throat tightly gripped by strong fingers that could kill a mortal with ease. It had to be Alice that the man was referring to, but there was no way that Sam would ever give up his best friend's location. He wanted to scream his defiance in the face of his aggressor, but no sound escaped his lips.
“Tell me where she is!” The man demanded again, his ferocious shout hurting Sam's ears. “I can smell her scent on you!”
It was clear from his rage that the beast inside was close to the surface, but he didn't let it take control. Somehow, both man and beast had found a way to coexist, neither of them distinguishable from the other. Sam could sense the predator within him, a brutal ferocity that overpowered his own and caused him to shy away in terror. Whatever the man was, he was far stronger than Sam could ever be and was as ancient as the dirt on which they were standing.
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