by P. A Ross
The airbags had protected me, but my arms were trapped inside. I reached down and unclipped the seatbelt and slumped onto the ceiling of the car. I punched and clawed my way through the airbags until they deflated. I wiped the mud off my eyes and crawled through the broken window, its glass sticking into my hands and knees. I crawled out onto the muddy field with the headlights of the pickup truck casting beams of light. Out of the truck, two figures climbed out and clambered down the embankment into the field.
It was the same truck from the cemetery in Leeds, and I guessed it was Norris and Giles. I took a big sniff of the air, but the smell of the countryside and the petrol pouring from the car was overpowering anything else. I wasn't going to wait around. Even if it wasn't Giles and Norris, they certainly didn't want to be friends.
I stood up, but my knees buckled, and I fell face first back into the mud. My legs were bruised, and my body screamed in pain. I felt inside my jacket for the case containing the vampire formula needles. It was still intact.
If I took it, then it would heal my wounds and allow me to escape. However, I should only use it if necessary because once I had injected it, I would have to wait another week before retaking it. That meant I would have to rely on my natural skills and strengths to survive.
I gritted my teeth and pushed myself back upright, screaming through the pain. I wiped the mud from my face and viewed the woods across the far side of the field. I hobbled away, hoping I could walk off my bruises and run towards the trees. I squelched a step at a time. The wet mud sucked at my feet, pulling on my bruised and aching muscles.
As I walked, the blood pumped through and the adrenaline kicked in. I could hear the feet of men behind squelching through the wet mud, and I forced my feet onwards. I searched ahead for a dry spot and picked my way through the worst of the field to hit solid ground. The movement and fear dulled the pain, and I managed to get into a half decent run as I picked my way through the muddy field.
I stumbled into the thick woods as Giles and Norris ran across the field. The last glimpse of the Sun gave enough light to confirm my suspicions before it dipped below the horizon and darkness took over.
"No point in running, Jon. I can smell your disgusting vampire stink. There's nowhere to run to, no one to protect you. You have to face me, once and for all, you betrayer."
I grabbed my phone from my pocket. The screen had shattered upon the car crash. The touch screen just about worked but cut my finger ends. I pressed the button on Mary's contact.
The phone rang. "Hello Jon, so soon?"
"Mary, I need your help. Giles and Norris are hunting me. They ran my car off the road."
"I will send a squad to rescue you. If you press the GPS button on your phone and leave the call running, it will help us pinpoint your location."
"I will but you just need to distract them, I'm not coming with you. I just need you to buy me some time to escape."
"Jon, the team is coming, they will help. No one is taking you captive, not even us. Get running." I opened up the settings, hit the GPS location button and stuffed the phone into my jacket pocket.
I scrambled into the woods, weaving through the trees, when a howling sound pierced through the air. I skidded to a halt and looked around. The moon shone from the other side of the woods, providing a faint light. Through the light, the shape of a giant creature bounded through the tree trunks, with steam evaporating off its fur. I would have to face him. I couldn't outrun a werewolf.
I pulled out the needle case and opened it up. I grabbed the vampire formula and stabbed it into my neck. I slammed the plunger down and the formula hit my bloodstream. The vampire fuel mixed with my blood and set it ablaze.
My knees buckled and stomach twisted in knots. I keeled over into a ball on the floor, and my heartbeat pounded in my ears. The gap between each pump elongated out until it ground to a fatal halt. I clutched my chest as my heart stopped, and my blood ceased its circulation. The world went black and cold as my consciousness drifted away to a distance bright light, and the voice and shapes of my parents reached out.
My heart exploded and blood surged through its veins. My spirit crashed back into my body. I opened my eyes to multi-coloured lights of energy in the woods. A burst of yellow light exploded out of my body and absorbed into the surroundings. I had seen it on other transformations but not taken any notice as it was fleeting. Maybe this was the new magic I had brought back through the gateway.
Ahead, the werewolves emitted red energy as they stalked through the trees. Their musky smell flooded my nostrils, and their red rage assaulted my psychic senses. As they approached, birds scattered from the treetops, leaving a trail of heat and fear.
My muscles strengthened, forcing me onto my knees. I stood back up and let forth my own growl as I released an overload of supernatural energy. The wolf bounded through the last of the trees and smashed into me. We tumbled through the undergrowth of branches and leaves and into the trunk of an oak tree.
I laid on the ground and the wolf crouched over with its huge canine teeth snarling back, steam evaporating off its wet fur. Its eyes were black, ears flattened, and jaws snapped at my face. I managed to get a hand up to slam its jaws away, avoiding its snapping canines. The wolf pushed itself back up onto its hind legs and then swiped down with a huge front claw. I shielded behind my arms. The wolf's claws slammed into my flesh and raked across my forearms, ripping open my jacket.
I screamed as its claws lacerated my skin and tore into my muscles. It dropped and snapped its enormous jaws at my face again. I rolled out of the way as it bit into the dirt. I twisted back and lashed a fist across its jaw. He staggered for a moment. I smacked a knee up into its belly and then rolled my legs up to my chest. I kicked upwards and outwards, sending the wolf hurtling backwards. He twisted round in the air and landed on his paws. He turned and snarled, flattening his tail down, fur rising across its back.
I jumped back onto my feet, the pain in my arms still coursing through me, blood dripping onto the floor. From behind, I heard footsteps running through the leaves. I spun around as Norris approached. He stopped and held out his hands. "This fight is between you and Giles, I'm just here to make sure you don't escape again," he said and then began the transformation into a werewolf.
I had no choice but to fight Giles head-on, and then if I won, I would have to tackle Norris.
Giles prowled around me in a circle, snarling and growling all the time. Once Norris had changed into a werewolf, both of them howled up into the air, and then Giles went back to stalking me. The pain in my arms remained as the blood poured out at a rapid rate. I thought I could just take the attack and the wounds would heal as they had done before. But I guessed there was something special about werewolves' claws because my body showed no sign of recovery.
Giles coiled back and then sprang forward, flying through the air, claws out and jaws wide. I jumped to the side and pirouetted out the way. He landed, skidded and bounded back, smashing into my stomach, catapulting me into a tree. My head and body jolted on impact. The wolf thumped its giant claws into my body and cut them across my stomach. I lashed out another fist, but the wolf had already moved.
I rolled over and crawled away. He landed on my back, knocking me face first into the dirt. I twisted around. He jumped onto my chest, pinning me to the muddy ground, his jaws snarling and snapping at the air above my face, taunting me with his supremacy.
I had fought monsters before, but something about the sight of the werewolf had invoked a primitive fear. I guessed it was my human side. All I wanted to do was run and hide. I couldn't think of what to do and how to fight. The other wolf, Norris, walked around the side, sat down and howled at the moon. Giles sat on my chest and howled up into the air, a cry of victory.
I had to summon my dragon self as I had done in the warehouse when I won the battle against the Turned. I had to let the rage fill me. I remembered the electric shocks and smashing of my feet from Patrick's tortures. I remembered the gun shot killin
g my father in the car park ambush. I allowed the pain of Scarlett's death also to weave into my emotions. I tried to let it build up, ready to release it and spark the dragon within.
Giles's face transformed back so his features were recognisable and he could talk.
"This is the end for you, Jon. I will have my revenge on you, and then I will finish the O'Keefe family."
Seeing Giles's face, killed off my rage. I had abandoned him and his family in their time of need. However, I realised his transformation back meant he had to reduce his powers. I pulled my hands together over my head into a double fist and hammered them into his face. His nose burst open and blood streamed down. His weight released off my chest, and I tipped my body over, pushing him off to the side. I scrambled away and hauled myself up against a tree.
I hobbled away when Norris barrelled me into the dirt. His jaws snapped at my face, and then he stood back and barked over at Giles.
Giles had transformed back into a full werewolf again, blood running from his snout. He replied to Norris with a series of barks and padded across to me. He wouldn't make the same mistake again. He walked over and stood over me. Giles pushed himself back up onto his hind legs, claws high up in the air, ready to swipe down to finish me off for good.
Gunshots fired out in the dark and wood from the trees splintered off. More gunshots fired and more of the trees splintered and broke under the hail of bullets. A couple of the shots hit Giles, and he fell to the ground, twisted around and whimpered. Norris barked at Giles and then turned and growled at the approaching footsteps. He turned and barked at me, then dashed off through the trees and Giles sprinted after him.
I didn't want to be taken in by MI5. I didn't fully trust Mary and their proposed alliance. I had to escape. I scrambled to my feet and ran through the trees, jumping rocks and logs, trying to shake them off my trail. They chased after me, and I realised they were still tracking the GPS on my phone. I took it out of my pocket, threw it away and headed off in the other direction.
As a Dragan, I would be faster, but I would also leave a strong heat signature. I had to find a way to put some distance between us and cool myself off.
As I ran through the woods, I heard the sounds of a river and headed towards it. I reached the edge of the riverbank and looked back as dark shapes weaved through the trees, kicking up leaves and breaking twigs under foot. I scanned the dark flowing river, which had swollen in the rainstorm, as it curved around and swirled off. I stumbled down the slope and waded in. The freezing water forced my retreat, but the shapes grew closer. I gritted my teeth and pushed onwards.
The current tugged at my legs, but I managed to stagger out into the middle until my feet were whipped from under me. The river gathered me up and washed me downstream, swirling and curving off into the darkness. I also hoped the cold would stop the swelling to my wounds and slow up the bleeding.
The river swept me away from the soldiers. I could just make out their shapes looking out from the riverbank. In the distance, a buzzing of a helicopter approached, converging to their position. They were searching for my heat signal, and I hoped they would not spot me in the freezing cold water under the trees.
I focused ahead to keep myself away from jutting rocks or large debris. A big log was jammed against a couple of rocks downstream. I swam to the side to position myself directly upstream. I let the river guide me in, and I grabbed hold of the log, pulled it off the rocks and used it to give myself some buoyancy.
I washed along the river, gripping onto my log. The water twisted around in a bend to the left and then swept back again across a reed bank, brushing over my legs. I jammed to a stop, the river pushing me forwards but my legs stuck, entangled in the reeds. The flow of the river forced my head underwater, and I had to let go of the log to push myself above the waterline. With my legs tangled in the reeds, I had to fight against the water to take a breath.
A log hit the back of my head and the water seeped into my mouth. I snapped my head back and spat it out. I couldn't last forever stuck in the weeds and fighting for breath; I was already weak from the fight. I pushed up for one big breath and dived down, slashing my claws at the reeds and kicking my leg loose.
The river hauled me away with the tether of the reeds gone. I swam to the surface as the river eddied into a bank, and then swung around and down through a series of rapids. The water cascaded over my head and forced me underwater. I held out my arms and legs to ricochet through the rocks as the river flowed through the danger.
I plunged deep underwater as I was swept through the rapids and out into the slower running river. I ran out of breath and the water gushed in. I kicked out to the surface and coughed out the swallowed water.
The water was calmer as the river opened up. On the river banks, a few houses ran down to the water's edge. I cheered to see civilisation again, as it meant I could get out of the freezing water and find a way to safety. I thought about swimming to the riverbank and going through one of the gardens or breaking into the house, but I decided it would be a bad idea. Instead, I waited for an easier access out of the water.
The number of houses along the river bank increased, and the noise of road traffic and people echoed down the river. The lights of a town center blurred in the distance. Small piers and boats tied up to them lined the edge of the river.
My teeth were chattering and hands had gone numb. I couldn't survive in the freezing cold water for much longer, even if it were stemming the flow of blood. If there were boats nearby, there would be people and cars. I could climb out of the river and borrow a vehicle to get to safety.
I would try to get back to the hotel, though I wasn't sure of its location having not yet booked in. I was relying on the car's satnav to guide me back, but that was now wrecked in a muddy field. But I did know where the homeless shelter was on Winchester Street. All I needed to do was acquire a vehicle, work out my location and drive. I had a reasonably good knowledge of the roads around London.
I swam to the side of the river, ready to get out and merge into the population. I caught hold of the edge of a rowing boat tied up to a wooden pier. I hauled myself up, but my hands were numb and legs felt like a dead weight. I slumped into the boat and hugged myself to try and warm up. The air froze above me as I lay on my back, and I stared into the starry night sky.
I gathered my strength as the boat rocked back and forth, but I wasn't going to get better if I stopped. I had to get moving. I pushed myself on to my knees and grabbed the rung of the ladder that led up to the pier. I gritted my teeth and screamed inside as I hauled myself up the ladder until I could get my leaden legs and feet moving onto the bottom rung. I gripped on tight and pushed myself up each rung until I collapsed onto the top of the wooden pier.
A few hundred yards away, there was a car park with vehicles scattered around. In the far corner of the car park, a group of people hung around, admiring and showing off their customised vehicles. A takeaway van sat in the middle of the car park.
Thorn had taught me how to steal cars. However, I didn't have any tools or the clarity of mind. Pain wracked my body, the cuts on my arms and stomach still bleeding despite the coldness of the river. I needed to get some bandages around them to stop the blood escaping. I just hoped in my Dragan form that I could keep going for longer than usual.
I stumbled along the riverbank to the side of the car park and hid behind a wall of a pub on the bank of the river. A few people had gathered around the takeaway van.
I would have to take a car from somebody. I would have to steal their keys and try to scare them off. I couldn't break into one and hotwire it in my present state. My hands were still shaking from the cold and I had no tools. I hoped that my fangs, red eyes and growl would be enough to send most people fleeing.
At that moment, the back gate of the pub opened and a man staggered out into the car park. He pressed the button on a key fob, and the amber lights flicked on and off on a black Mercedes. I decided I could do everybody a favour and take his car
from him.
He weaved across the car park and dropped his keys. He bent down and scooped them up, stumbling forwards. He swayed towards his car and rested his hand on the side of the driver's door.
I stumbled over to the drunken man. He grabbed the car door handle and pulled it open. He staggered backwards to righten his balance. I ran over, shoulder barged him out the way, knocking him to the floor and snatching the keys out of his hand in one movement. I jumped in the car, slammed in the keys and shut the door.
The drunken man found his feet and lurched towards me. His face was red, and he swung his fist back. I glared at him. My red eyes burnt as fiercely as possible and I flashed my fangs. He stopped for a moment and rubbed both his hands across his eyes as if to clear the image away. In the meantime, I twisted the key in the ignition and accelerated out the car park. In the rearview mirror, I saw the customers of the takeaway van run over to him and one of them pulled out a phone.
They had to be calling the police. I had to get going quickly. It wouldn't be long before the cops were hunting me, and with the police came the Hunters and the Turned vampires.
I turned onto the road and just followed it, unsure of my location. I was lucky enough that the car had a built-in satnav. I hit the button, and within a couple of minutes, it showed my current location. I knew there was a main dual lane road not far away, and if I was able to find it, I could program in the rest of the location without slowing down.
I drove through the town and onto the slip road. I floored it to get onto the dual carriageway and put some distance between myself and the carjacking. When the police broadcast my description, I would have both MI5 and the Hunters looking for me, especially if they believed the description from the drunken man, which I hoped they would dismiss.