by Nicole Rae
“You okay,” asked Tyler. He was breathing hard and his eyes kept darting to the panicked Andre, who was trying to make his way out of the alley in retreat.
“Yeah, I think so,” Emily replied breathlessly. Sebastian knelt down next to Tyler. “We can do status checks later. We’ve got to finish this before Andre comes back with the others. They can’t follow us out.”
Tyler just looked at him confused. “Why don’t we just go kill Andre?”
It was a logical question. Emily wondered that herself but didn’t want to ask. She was in no mood for Sebastian to turn all high and mighty and switch into lecturing teacher mode.
“No time.” Sebastian shook his head. “He might be hurt but he’s old. He will heal quickly and he will have run away even quicker.” Sebastian glanced back toward the mouth of the alley where Andre had been. “That one will take more planning.” He spoke regretfully and with no wiggle room for opposition.
“Okay,” Tyler said hesitantly but clearly relenting. He brought his attention back to the monster at his feet. “Is there anything I should know before doing this?” As he spoke he lowered the blade back down to the passed out vamps throat.
“No. Just give it everything you’ve got with one clean swipe, the quicker the better and there are no other instructions. It’s not like you need to be careful of injuring it or anything. That’s the whole point.” Sebastian stood now probably trying to give Tyler some room. He grabbed a hold of Emily and pulled her back a few steps. “Just get it done man. If you can’t then move aside and I’ll show you how it’s done.”
Tyler’s gaze moved from Sebastian, to Emily and finally to the pale white figure lying before him. It was obvious to see Sebastian’s implication that Tyler wasn’t man enough to handle it. Tyler bristled slightly at that but still looked unsure. He shook his head fast. “I can do it just give me a second.”
Sebastian looked over his shoulder as if his name was called. “We don’t have a second damn it! Just do it,” Sebastian demanded.
Emily could hear the girl in the alley whimpering again. Something was coming. Emily wanted to go and help her. However, she knew she wouldn’t do much good against a vampire army with no real fighting skills whatsoever. She looked back to Tyler hoping his job was done and they could leave. His arm was frozen, poised in position to slash the undead throat, which was still pressed firmly against the knife. Sebastian was right. There was no time to lose soon it would be snack time featuring them as the main course.
Without knowing exactly what she was doing, she rushed to Tyler’s side. Swiftly removing the knife from his grip, Emily held it in the ready position. Wielding razor sharp daggers was never something she was taught but somehow she knew what to do. Holding the shaft of the blade felt like second nature as if she had been doing it her entire life instead of just the last few seconds. With a gulp she raised the blade. A voice inside her spoke firm telling her to lift the blade, hold it steady and bring it back down with everything she had. Oddly the voice didn’t surprise her. It wasn’t Sebastian’s this time. It was her own, confident and true. Closing her eyes she brought it down and slashed across the vamps throat effortlessly.
When her eyes reopened, she was instantly shocked at what she had done. She had killed him. Not just killed him, she had decapitated him. She, Emily Jameson who had never even punched someone, let alone cut their head off had given an undead creature their final death. All she could do was stare down mutely at the two separate parts. There was a body and there was a head. There wasn’t even a lot of blood. The officially dead, thanks to Emily, vampire was wearing the same expression as before she cut him. He just looked as though he was sleeping. Well, sleeping with his eyes open and zero color in his face, but still. Even though it was the right thing to do,she couldn’t get over the fact that she, not Tyler or Sebastian, had been the one to do it.
Right before her eyes the vampire vanished. He just fell away into dust on the ground. She scrubbed at her eyes trying to clear them. That had to be a trick of her mind. Maybe she had just blocked out the traumatic scene that had played out in front of her. Only she hadn’t. She remembered everything perfectly. The only trace that the vampire had even been there was a gold chain that fell with a clank onto the rocks. Emily picked up the chain and looked around. She knew it wasn’t possible, but she thought maybe he somehow came back to life and was just gone. Instead, of the reality that he had vanished into thin air, without a trace left behind except a piece of jewelry.
Sebastian snatched up her arm and hauled her up to her feet. “Good,it’s done. Let’s get out of here.” Without another word, he scooped her up into his arms cradling her like a fragile baby.
The world around her became a blur after that. Sebastian’s face was still clear and so was Tyler’s next to him. Everything else seemed to wiz by as if she were looking out a car window, but much faster. They were running? The sensation made her dizzy and more than a little nauseous. She felt as though she would throw up at any minute. All she could think was please God give her enough notice to at least turn her head. This wasn’t exactly the most optimal position for getting sick.
Wait a minute, what about that girl? They couldn’t just leave her there. Emily fought against the gravity pulling her head back down to her chest to speakto Sebastian. “That girl! We can’t leave her there. The other vamps will get her if they come back looking for us.”
“They’ll find her either way. She has a blood tie with one of their brothers. It will weaken since you killed him but they can still track her for a time after.” Sebastian’s expression never changed. It looked as though he were talking about going shopping, instead of a girl being left for dead.
“Sebastian,” Emily demanded. “Isn’t it our job to protect humans from the vamps? Or do you get to pick and choose which ones are worthy of saving? Let me down!” Emily was struggling against his hold,trying to break free. “I’ll help her myself. I don’t need you.”
“I’m going to go back, but we have to circle around. So calm down.” He shot her a sardonic look. “I’m assuming you heard our plasma craving friends back there headed right for us? What were we supposed to do? Excuse me crazy undead mob. Could you please pause in your quest to seek vengeance for hurting one of your brothers and killing the other? It will only take a second and we’ll be on our way. Just let us get this girl who is wounded and dripping delicious blood. And I’m sure you won’t mind if she comes with us. You can just make other arrangements for your dinner thanks.” Even at a dead run Sebastian’s sarcastic tone came through loud and clear. “Somehow I think my way is the better alternative, if you don’t mind that is.”
Emily felt guilty for her tirade, he did have a point. “Yeah, your way is fine,” she allowed meekly. “I guess I didn’t think you cared about her,that’s all. And besides, it’s not like I have a very good view point from my position. How was I supposed to know where we were going? No wonder babies cry all the time.”
Tyler laughed, “Never really thought about it like that.”
“Just remember, I’m not the monster,” Sebastian said dryly not looking at her.
The guys started to slow their pace. Emily attempted to crane her head up so she could see something, anything. As she did this she envisioned a baby bird poking its puny little bald head out of the nest for the first time. Her eyes widened at the sights around her. It was weird how well her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. It still looked dark out but more like twilight. It should have been pitch black. It was like the night’s events kicked her senses into hyper overdrive.
Off in the distance there was the scent of a burn barrel permeating in the air. Someone had their house speakers blasting at full volume. Emily wondered absently if maybe there was a party going on or something. It was kind of hard to imagine regular life carrying on around them. Life goes on she supposed. Whycouldn’t she have been part of the lucky oblivious bunch Lakeview still had left?
Sebastian slowed, walking like a prowling cat on the hunt. Without any
warning he put her back on her feet. The speed of the gesture gave her a head rush and made her a little dizzy. Emily put her hands out to her sides trying to maintain her balance. Soon the spinning sensation was over and she was able to see where they had stopped.
They were only about two houses away from the alley. Tyler and Sebastian looked like they were on red alert with their hands poised and ready near their weapons. Emily strained to hear anything that might resemble even a hint of danger.
Unconsciously she moved her hand to where her knife was kept on her newly acquired belt. It wasn’t there. She had almost forgotten that Andre had thrown it in the alley earlier. Hopefully there were still remnants of silver powder in her pocket. If nothing else she could rub it in one of their eyes or something. A blind vampire probably wouldn’t be very productive. All she would have had to do was run out of their reach after that. The thought of playing Marco Polo with a blind vampire almost made her laugh out loud despite the situation.
Sebastian motioned for them to stay put. He moved OO7 style along the sides of the houses and behind shrubbery. No matter how hard she tried, Emily couldn’t hear anything over there. Well, she could vaguely hear the light steps that she hoped belonged to Sebastian and not a freaky nightmare come to life. This was weird considering up until that point she remembered thinking about how silent he and Tyler moved. Now, she could even hear the sound of Tyler’s shallow breathing and his thudding heart. She’d never been able to hear anyone’s heart before. Huh. It must be adrenalin. She had never been attacked by a vampire then turn all warrior and kill one either. Yeah, the night was just stocked full of surprises.
Get over here. I need you guys now!It was Sebastian’s voice but it wasn’t coming from where it should. She was hearing it in her head. The sound of it made her jump slightly. She hadn’t heard it since she had been with him. The command and desperation in his voice came through loud and clear.
Something’s wrong, Emily whispered to Tyler. At least she thought she had.
Tyler faltered slightly.“Did you hear something?” Then, as though something had just occurred to him, he gave her a second look. “Did you just…? How did you do that?” Despite his hushed voice, he sounded utterly bewildered.
Emily had apparently spoken to him in her mind. “I have no idea.” That wasn’t supposed to happen. She got messages from Sebastian,but she didn’t send them.
Flirt later! Help now! Sebastian broke into their confusion like scissors through paper.
The sardonic nature of his words didn’t even register. The emotion behind the words however, came through and processed just fine. “Sebastian needs us now. We gotta go, now.” It was hard to whisper when Sebastian was screaming in her head.
Tyler cleared his throat and began to scramble. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly.
Emily felt like the worst person on earth. She shoved her confusion to the back burner and got her head back in the game. She and Tyler would have to figure everything out later. Safety first, she reminded herself.
The two of them followed the same path Sebastian had taken. They weren’t certain what they were coming up against. Just about anything could be happening. Caution was the best measure, at least until they were sure it was clear. The wind had a chilly bite to it that almost burnt her cheeks. Why did they have to be in a town where it was colder more than warm every year? Emily knew the thought was trivial in comparison to the drama facing them, but it somehow made her feel better to think normal thoughts.
As they eased their way as fast as possible against the wall of a house, Emily heard a TV on in one of the windows. It sounded like a horror movie, equipped with screams and everything. The music coming from inside was dark and building. It was like it was about to reach the climactic ending, where they catch and fry the killer or something. Even though it creeped her out,she found it ironically funny. If it weren’t for the fact that she had her mouth clamped shut, she probably wouldn’t have been able to stop a giggle from coming out betraying her careful silence. Emily couldn’t help but think how oddly fitting the muffled instrumental music was to their current situation.
They were crouching expertly behind the bushes surprisingly, making little to no noise. Emily concentrated on not allowing her shoes to shift the river rock beneath her careful footsteps. The longer they were in the silence, the more uneasy Emily felt. She willed her heart to slow down and relax. Then she noticed that Tyler’s was beating in double-time too and somehow that made her feel better.
They reached Sebastian at the mouth of the alley where they had been before. There was no sign of danger. As far as Emily could tell, there was no sign of vampires at all. She gave a quick scan down the alley. None of the shadows moved or looked out of place. There was nothing further down the street either. When they got closer to Sebastian, they found that he was kneeling down at the corner of the fence. When they saw what he had been so urgent about, Emily and Tyler gasped at the same time.
There was someone lying on the ground motionless. It was the girl from earlier. It was Beth Thomas. She was drenched in even more blood than before. At least, it looked like blood. Her light colored top had a large black stain covering most of the material. Emily thought she could even smell a faint coppery scent.
How weird, she thought somewhat absently to herself. Even though theyweren’t that far from Beth, the distance still should have been too great for Emily to smell the blood. As they stepped closer, Tyler made a quick scan in all directions looking for any sign of the enemy.
The closer they got, the heavier the blood smell became. It was so strong,that it made Emily’s nose wrinkle in response. She didn’t even like the smell of her own blood when she got a paper cut. Sure there was a lot of the pooling liquid, but she had never been able to become grossed out simply by smell alone. The sight wasn’t even an issue for her which really grossed her out. Emily had always hated the sight of any wound no matter how small. This was probably the most horrific wound she had ever seen up close in real life.
“Ah hell,” stammered Tyler. “Is she…” The end of Tyler’s question hung in the air between them like ice beneath their feet, threatening to crack. Tyler’s vision was transfixed on the girl lying in front of him. His eyes looked petrified. His facial features hid it well behind a stoic expression.
“No,” said Sebastian. “She’s hardly breathing and I can barely make out a heartbeat,but she’s not dead. We’ve got to get her to Alexander.” As he spoke he carefully picked up Beth cradling her like he had Emily before. She looked like a limp rag doll in his arms. Her head was flopped back over Sebastian’s arm, looking as though it were about to fall off. “Tyler, carry Emily so we can move quicker.”
“Check,” responded Tyler obediently. He didn’t snatch her up like Sebastian had. Instead, he held out his arms as if silently asking her for permission.
Emily didn’t give him a response out loud. She just moved closer to him, allowing him to sweep her off her feet in a smooth graceful motion. Dang, she finally got swept off her feet and she didn’t even get to wear the Cinderella dress. Also, it wasn’t exactly a honeymoon threshold she was being carried over. Even in the midst extreme crisis moment,she couldn’t help but notice her heart rate increase as he held her close. It was ridiculous she knew, but he was adorable even if she didn’t like him like that. Did she?
Before she had time to ponder the idea, they were off and moving again. Like before, everything became a blur as they sped down the deserted streets. If people in their houses looked out and saw them, they probably wouldn’t even notice. They were moving too fast. If they did see anything,they wouldn’t know what. By the time they came up with a guess, the four of them would be long gone.
As they ran, Emily wondered if the vampires that had found Beth were looking for them now too. Surely Andre had told them about the encounter and that’s why they were coming in the first place. Would they look for their friend, or just assume Tyler had finished the job? Emily cringed at the thought of them disco
vering it was her and not Tyler. They would probably laugh and take pride in the lack of effort required to kill her. She couldn’t think about that. The right thing had been done and in the long run, that was all that mattered. At least that’s what she kept telling herself anyway. Plus, what about the blood tie Sebastian spoke of earlier between Beth and the vamp? Wouldn’t that just lead the bad guy’s right to them?
The changes in Emily that had developed during the struggle, kept creeping to the front of her mind. It felt selfish and wrong to think about herself. Beth was dying not more than a foot from her. Although, if she continued to think about that, she might go into melt down mode, which wouldn’t help anyone.
Her increased night vision was cool, but not really that big of a deal. The instinct to behead that vampire was what plagued her. It came out of nowhere. Maybe living with Sam taught her a few things. Except, it wasn’t like she just punched him, or threw him against a wall. Sam’s temper seemed mild compared with what she did.What Emily had done, she hadn’t even seen in a movie. Something so morbidly grotesque had never been so up close and personal before. Did it mean she was a vampire hunter too? She couldn’t be, could she? Sebastian should have some kind of insider information about her. He could get into her head after all.
She and Tyler seem to have some kind of mind mojo going on with each other too. She spoke to him in her mind, without even realizing she could. He didn’t answer her in the same way. Nevertheless, his verbal answer was clue enough that he heard her. What did that mean?
They kept telling her that she played some role in all of it. If that were true, it would sure be nice for someone to figure out what that meant. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Emily put her hand to her forehead. Man she was getting a killer headache.
CHAPTER 19 Back at the compound, Sebastian laid Beth across a cot in a room that was labeled as the infirmary. The large room hadn’t been part of the mini tour Emily had been on before. The lighting was much more extreme than the rest of the underground hidey hole safe haven thing. She supposed it would have to be, considering what it was used for.