Alone

by Marissa Farrar

  Then he saw her.

  Serenity stood, balanced on the end of the pier. One of the huge metal cylinders being used to reinforce the pier had been sunk deep into the ocean beside her.

  Beyond the pier, beyond the black sea, an ominous grouping of clouds grew on the horizon. The bank rolled toward them, threatening to blanket the moon and steal what little light they had. A cold wind picked up, lifting Serenity’s hair from her neck and making James unconsciously tighten his muscles.

  The sudden chill wasn’t the only thing causing James to tense; Serenity wasn’t alone.

  A woman stood in front of her, her back to James. Red hair fell in spirals down her back.

  A memory tugged at him.

  The two women appeared to be in a stand-off. The other woman stood tall, with her hands on her hips, not looking the slightest bit intimidated.

  Could this be the person chasing Serenity? The same person who had smashed the window in the hotel? A woman? He found it hard to believe a female would have the strength and speed to create such damage, but it wasn’t impossible. However, the manager at the hotel said a man and a woman were staying in the hotel room, not two women.

  That wasn’t his concern right now; he needed to focus on the scene in front of him.

  At first he thought neither of the women had noticed him but then Serenity’s eyes flickered to his and he saw them dark with abject fear.

  Something was very wrong here.

  Instinct switched on and he snatched his gun from his holster. James opened his mouth to shout ‘freeze’, but never got the chance.

  The woman spun around snarling, her lips drawn back from teeth which looked as though they’d been filed down to razor points. Her eyes glowed in the dark; bright yellow with slit pupils like those of a snake. Her skin was whiter than the moon, and had the appearance of a corpse; waxy and shiny. Despite all of this, James recognized her immediately. Although he hadn’t been present when the woman came in to the station to report Jackson Hathaway had raped her, he’d seen the photographs taken as evidence.

  Except, she wasn’t just a woman.

  She focused on him and leaped. Her movements were unnatural, more animal than human. She flew through the air, face contorted in a terrible snarl, fingers outstretched and curled as though she intended to tear him apart with her fingertips when she landed.

  James reacted. He raised the gun and fired three times in quick succession. Her body jerked in the air, once, twice, three times, and then dropped to the ground a few feet from him.

  Though in shock, his mind was already forming reasons—maybe a bad dose of ice, a horrific drug that had become popular in the city—anything to rationalize what he’d seen. In his eight years as a cop, he’d never been forced to kill a woman and the act shook him to his core.

  But even as he came up with excuses, she started to get to her feet.

  “What the fuck?” he breathed.

  In the rapidly deteriorating light, he searched for Serenity. She no longer stood on the edge of the pier. She must be hiding and he didn’t blame her.

  The woman stood up straight, her eyes wide, never blinking. She tilted her head to one side and looked him up and down.

  “You fucking shot me!” she said, as though outraged by his actions.

  James opened him mouth and closed it again. He’d been about to apologize and then realized how insane that was. How was she standing there? How the fuck was she speaking to him? She should be dead.

  He searched her chest, trying to find the bullet holes and accompanying blood. Had he missed? No, he’d seen her body jerk as the bullets hit.

  “What the hell are you?” he said, his voice barely a whisper. Her face was an unearthly white and he struggled to believe those terrifying yellow eyes belonged in this world.

  She raised an eyebrow. “You shot me three times and you get to ask the questions? I don’t think so.”

  The woman spoke as though all he had done was rear-end her car.

  This was insane. She would have looked like an attractive, smartly dressed woman if it wasn’t for her face.

  She flew at him.

  Her body blocked out the moon. A moment later, she smashed James to the ground, knocking the air from his lungs. The hand holding the gun cracked against the ground and instinctively he tightened his grip.

  A blast exploded next to his head, the gunshot ringing out in the still night. His ear rang from the concussion of the shot.

  The woman-thing perched on his chest, crushing him. She looked down into his face as he desperately tried to gasp for breath.

  “Well that was stupid,” she said, her lips curled in a horrific snarl-smile. “You almost did my job for me.”

  She lowered her head toward his, yellow eyes searching his face. Her full lips hovered inches from his. Her tongue snuck out and she slowly traced his upper lip in a cold embrace. James shrank in revulsion.

  “Shame you have to die,” she said, her mouth almost touching his. “You’re a handsome one.”

  She lowered her mouth to his throat, her sharp teeth ready to tear the flesh. James resigned himself to a quick death, but a name, distant and muffled, was shouted;

  “Madeline!”

  Serenity?

  The thing sitting on his chest sat up, suddenly alert, distracted.

  Then, with a swipe of her fist, she knocked him out cold.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Serenity knew she would feel terrible later about what she had put James Bently through, but right now she didn’t have the luxury of time to care. She had known James would try to protect her and he had bought her enough time to do what was needed.

  The moment Serenity saw him standing on the pier she knew Madeline must have also been aware of his presence. As soon as Madeline’s attention turned, Serenity ran for the cylinder. A ladder ran down the side, but Serenity needed to climb over the edge to get herself into the pipe and the climb was awkward. There was a moment where she thought she might slip and fall and the fear of plunging to her death clutched at her heart, but then she got a solid hold of the ladder and started her descent.

  Near the top, the ocean’s waves pounded against the metal. As she climbed deeper, the sound became hollow, but still loud and resonating.

  She didn’t need to climb too deep, but she needed to be far enough from the top. Her fingers traced the metal of the ladder, searching for the one thing she prayed would bring everything together—something sharp enough to do the job. Serenity ascended; hand over hand, deeper into the pipe and into the dark. She used her feet to search for the next rung, certain at any moment the vampire would fall upon her before she could carry out her plan.

  Above her, three muffled shots went off in succession. She prayed for James’s safety, hoping his shots had been enough to slow her down. She couldn’t bear the thought of another death on her conscience.

  Serenity desperately traced the metal struts and joins of the ladder. She only needed a little imperfection; just enough to reopen what Madeline had started.

  She ran her fingers over the steel like a blind man, panic threatening to take hold. Nothing was ever this perfect on a construction site. She didn’t need much but if she didn’t find anything, she would resort to tearing the wound apart with her teeth.

  At last her ring finger found what she searched for; the smallest piece of sharp metal, a joining on the ladder that someone hadn’t filed off. Her heart jumped, a fresh spurt of adrenaline making her head spin.

  The prong was small, but enough.

  Time slipped away like sand; the vampire would be there at any moment. Serenity placed her bitten wrist against the sharp piece of metal. She took a deep breath and slashed the wound, sucking air between her teeth as pain ripped through her arm. She tore down; opening the wound even deeper than before.

  Blood poured from her wrist in a dangerous torrent. Dizzy with pain, Serenity concentrated on holding onto the ladder and doing what was needed.

  With the blood run
ning freely, Serenity held her arm away from the ladder, allowing the fluid to spill through the air, down to the base of the cylinder and the bedrock it stood upon. She had no idea how much blood she was losing, but from the dizziness and nausea, Serenity assumed the loss was substantial.

  Have I gone too far? I might bleed out here in this metal pipe.

  Terrified, Serenity pulled her arm back against her body. She wrapped her other arm around the back of the ladder, hugging herself against the cold metal, and then used both hands to rip her thin t-shirt. She managed to tear a strip and wrapped the material around her injured wrist, holding it as tight as possible to try and stop the flow of blood. She couldn’t just wait here, bleeding out. Madeline would smell it.

  Satisfied she had done all she could, she lifted her face to the open air and screamed:

  “Madeline!”

  For a moment, there was nothing and the world seemed to pause, then she saw the vampire above her, silhouetted against the moon.

  Serenity’s breath froze in her chest and her heart stopped. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed as close to the ladder as possible, hugging the metal, willing herself to be smaller, to disappear. She linked her arms around the back of the ladder, using her uninjured hand to stem the blood flow on her injured wrist, wrapping it tight, praying that would be enough.

  The vampire did exactly as Serenity had predicted and leaped down the pipe. Madeline followed the overwhelming scent of blood; the small pool collected at the base of the cylinder. Serenity’s blood.

  Serenity held her breath, praying Madeline wouldn’t pick up her scent as she clung to the wall. Had her wrist bled enough to distract Madeline? Was it still bleeding?

  The vampire leapt down the pipe.

  Certain she had been noticed, Serenity clung to the ladder utterly still, her breath trapped in her lungs. She waited for Madeline to land directly on her; braced herself for the impact, expecting razor claws to tear through her clothing and into the flesh of her back, for Madeline’s teeth to sink into the exposed part of her throat.

  The vampire flew straight past, so close the air swept around Serenity. Then she was gone, disappeared into the depths of the pipe.

  Serenity exhaled as quietly as possible; scared she would sob or cry with the next breath. Giddy with relief, unable to understand how she hadn’t been heard when her heart pounded like tribal drums in her chest.

  She had forgotten the movement of the ocean around her, how it pounded against the walls of the cylinder, camouflaging the sound of her beating heart.

  Serenity pressed her head against the cold bars of the ladder and squeezed her eyes shut. She resisted the impulse to start scrambling back up the ladder as fast as possible, to get the hell out of there.

  All she could do was press her forehead against the ladder and pray Sebastian would do as she had asked.

  A scream of frustration echoed up the pipe. Madeline had reached the bottom and discovered Serenity’s trick. The vampire knew she’d been out-smarted. With another scream that vibrated the walls, drowning out even the pounding of the ocean on the exterior of the cylinder, she leaped back up the ladder toward Serenity; ten feet, twenty, closer and closer.

  She needed to call to Sebastian but terror trapped her voice.

  Madeline’s cold fingers wrapped around Serenity’s ankle and Serenity screamed. The vampire used Serenity’s leg to pull herself up, one cold hand after the other. She was certain Madeline would pull her down with her. The vampire’s grip on her ankle was too strong, and Serenity thought if she didn’t let go of the ladder, Madeline would tear her leg off, ripping tendons and nerves and skin.

  “You think you can trick me!” Madeline screeched at her; her anger terrifying.

  Serenity lifted her head to the sky. “Now!” she screamed up to Sebastian.

  Above her came the sound of metal tearing and the ladder jolted beneath her, but there was no longer time. Simply removing the ladder would not be enough to trap Madeline at the bottom of the pipe.

  In a flash of inspiration, Serenity remembered something. She didn’t know how she found the strength, but she let go of the ladder with one hand and reached into the back pocket of her jeans, her fingers wrapping around the thin silver chain still nestled there.

  Like a giant spider, Madeline clambered over Serenity until her face was level with Serenity’s throat. The vampire opened her mouth, a wide, gaping hole filled with deadly sharp teeth.

  In a last moment of strength, Serenity tore the chain from her pocket, wrapping the silver around her fingers, terrified she would drop it. Blood pounded in her ears and she was blind with terror. The vampire’s cold lips pressed against her throat and Serenity took that moment to act.

  “Take that, Bitch!” Serenity screamed and shoved the necklace deep into Madeline’s gaping mouth, forcing her hand into Madeline’s throat. The vampire’s teeth locked around her wrist, but then the pipe filled with the sound of sizzling flesh and Madeline screamed.

  The vampire’s teeth sunk deeper into Serenity’s already injured wrist and Serenity screamed in synchronicity with Madeline, fresh pain spearing up her arm. Like a fire-breathing dragon, Madeline exhaled a long, slow stream of smoke as her teeth unlocked. The vampire fell backward with a horrific gurgling screech, plummeting down to the seabed.

  From the bottom of the pipe, Serenity heard a strange, distant mewling and the smell of burned flesh assaulted her nostrils. She froze in terror, certain she would hear Madeline scurrying back up the pipe; that the vampire would quickly recover and come after her to rip her to shreds. But only silence met her straining ears and after a few moments even the mewling stopped.

  Was it over? Serenity sobbed against her arm. She was faint from blood loss and her leg felt as though someone had literally tried to tear it from her body. She wouldn’t be able to put any weight on the limb.

  “Serenity?”

  Sebastian’s voice echoed down to her and she cried out in relief.

  “Pull up the ladder, Sebastian,” she managed to call up, though her voice sounded weak and shaky. “Quickly!”

  Again, the ladder shifted and she held on tight as Sebastian pulled the ladder up the pipe, removing Madeline’s only way of escaping. Even a vampire wouldn’t be able to scale the sheer walls of the pipe without some kind of footing and there wasn’t enough space at the bottom for her to get a run up to jump, especially not injured.

  Within moments, Serenity found herself at the top of the pipe. Sebastian used one hand to hold the ladder and the other to pull her up and over the side. Her leg was a mass of pain, but Serenity’s relief at being out of the dark pipe and back in Sebastian’s presence meant she barely noticed.

  “Are you okay?” he asked her gently, his eyes seeking hers as he carefully helped her to the ground.

  She nodded. “My leg and wrist are hurt, but otherwise I’m fine. Please, get rid of the ladder.”

  He let go of her hand and pulled the rest of the ladder up out of the pipe. As though holding a javelin as opposed to tens of feet of metal, he lifted the ladder above his head and plunged it off the side of the pier. Quickly, the metal disappeared beneath the black water.

  Serenity’s thoughts turned to James. Aware of the possibility that Madeline had killed him, she hoped he was okay.

  She could tell herself Sebastian would never have allowed Madeline to kill the police officer, but she didn’t know how much Sebastian was aware of what had happened. After all, the point of the plan was for the consequences of Sebastian’s actions to be hidden from him, so whatever ancient law he abided by would not be broken.

  Serenity might think she’d been protecting Sebastian, but in truth she had manipulated him. Except, she remembered what he’d told her in the hospital. ‘I can’t save you,’ he’d said. ‘You’re the only one who can do that.’

  In an instant, Sebastian stood at her side. “What happened down there, Serenity?”

  She looked at the ground, somehow ashamed. “You don’t want to k
now.”

  “But do you think she’s gone? Did you kill her?”

  Serenity shook her head. “I doubt it, but she might be contained for a while. There’s nowhere to hide at the bottom of the pipe and once the sun comes up, she’ll never be able to harm anyone again.”

  With her words, they both glanced at the sky. The storm clouds continued to gather and many hours would pass before daylight came again. From behind them, James groaned and stirred to a semi-conscious state.

  Serenity swallowed, a sudden lump in her throat. She knew what they had agreed; once she was safe Sebastian would leave.

  “It’s time for you to go, isn’t it?”

  He nodded and reached over, pulling her into his arms. She clung to him as though her life depended on it, her face buried against his neck, trying to hold back the tears. Serenity couldn’t say goodbye to him, she just couldn’t. Her heart would surely break.

  “Please...” she managed. Her tears were wet against his skin and she tasted salt, but Serenity couldn’t finish her sentence.

  Please don’t leave me.

  Carefully, Sebastian untangled himself from her arms, pulling her in front of him. He stared at her for what felt like a lifetime and then lowered his face to hers, kissing her with intensity like she’d never experienced before. Tears poured down her cheeks and he kissed them away.

  “You’re safe now,” he said, kissing her face. “No one can hurt you.”

  “You can,” she said. “You can still hurt me.”

  He shook his head. “Only if I stay.”

  “No! You’re hurting me by leaving!”

  “I have no choice, Serenity. Remember what we agreed? I will be out there, loving you, and that will never change. You can go through your life knowing you have what most people never find—love for the rest of time.”

  “That’s not enough,” she sobbed.

  James moved again, quickly regaining consciousness.

  “It’ll be easier for you if you don’t have to explain me to him,” said Sebastian. “I think you’ve got enough to explain already.”