After only a few months in their new home, Noah did what Nora thought he would never do. He allowed her out of the house. They drove an hour from their new house. The horror was indescribable. In the streets, broken dishes and furniture were thrown out of windows and homes. Like in a horror story the city was destroyed, deserted, and bodies covered the ground. Nora couldn’t believe what she was seeing. How could they leave these people’s bodies to rot like this? Nora thought. Only a few stray animals remained. They roamed the streets nibbling on the rotting corpses.
“What happened? Is everyone dead, dad?”
“No, not everyone. This is what happens when the earth changes. There are things in this world not even I understand now. The ones that survived went to find a place where life still exists,” he said.
“Will they find it?” Nora asked.
“Yes. Things are getting better. They will learn how to live again, but things in this world will never be the same. Nora, being sixteen and confused is hard, I know, but this is the reason I am so protective. We have to stay strong. If we don’t, this world will not survive,” Noah said.
It was then Nora realized her father’s every action was to protect her.
Once in her room, Nora is so shaken by her father’s worried looks, she is no longer tired. She sits on her balcony, staring at the phosphorus created by the waves hitting the shore until she can no longer bear the suspense.
She goes to her father's room and finds he is not there. Worse than that, it is absolutely silent. It takes her a minute to realize that the silence comes from the generator no longer humming.
Moonlight enters through the blinds, allowing her to see that his bed is neatly made, and his nightclothes still hang from the closet door hook.
Heading for the back door, to see if Noah was working on the generator, she hears a noise that seems to come from the kitchen. In her terrified state, she convinces herself that it is her father stumbling around blindly in the dark.
After going to her room and slipping into her shoes, she makes her way to the kitchen. Her palms are sweating, and her heart pounds loudly in her ears. She slowly roams each room, relying on the moonlight, hoping to find her father.
“Dad? Is that you?” she whispers, just before tripping and falling to the floor next to the front door.
Although she’s not hurt, she stays on the floor a minute longer than she needs to, as an uneasy feeling overwhelms her. She gets to her feet, takes one step, and her legs stop working. She can’t move and can barely breathe. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a shadow moving closer toward her. The only thing she can think about is getting out, so she bolts for the door.
“Nora, wait!”
“Dad? The generator is off and …” she says, running into his arms.
“Shh—we have to leave! The car is out back. I don’t have time to explain now,” he says, wiping her face with the back of his hand.
Nora follows close behind, clutching the back of his jacket. Swiftly, a shadow passes the window. They stop.
“Nora, hide! No matter what you hear do not come out until I come for you. Do you understand?” Noah says.
Nora nods and races to her room. She climbs under her bed, pushes in the hidden door, and then quietly climbs in the small compartment. Loud crashes and screams cause her to flinch. Concern for her father makes her anxious, she jumps out of the hole and climbs from beneath her bed. She grabs her sword.
With her sword raised, her heart races as she slowly walks around the silent, dark house. The stillness is numbing, yet makes her more determined to find her father.
As she enters the living room, she stops. Her eyes roam the room, then she is hit with pain. Her head feels as if it is going to explode.
“Nora, run!” Noah yells.
Confusingly, Nora looks for him. The call so far away, yet so close.
“Where are you?” She whispers.
As brave as she tries to be, she knows her father is in trouble. The thought of him being hurt pained her. She stands perfectly still and sobs.
“No more tears, Nora. It’s time for you to be brave. Run! Fight!” Noah says.
“Okay, Dad.”
Nora wipes her face and starts to head for the door. Three knocks paralyze her. More terrifying than she thought a knock at the door could be. She walks slowly, inching her way closer. Two more knocks rattle the door. Nora takes a deep breath and readies herself. She places her hand on the door. Thump! She jumps. She leans in close. Again, banging startles her. She rests her head on the door and listens for voices. Nothing. Another thump almost causes her to scream. She covers her mouth with her hand. She starts to pull back from the door. The final thump slings her across the room. She slams into the wall and crashes to the floor. The door smashed into bits and lands on her.
“Nora, get up! Run!” Noah yells.
“I’m coming, Daddy. I will find you,” she says climbing to her feet.
She races for the doorway and runs.
Nora stands in the middle of an empty street. She turns slowly. Angry growls surround her, but she sees nothing. The small island is completely deserted.
“Daddy, Please! Where do I go?” she begs.
The horrifying snarling closes in. Terrified, Nora searches for the animals that are to attack her. A harsh storm brightens the night with lightning and drenches the earth with biting droplets of ice-cold rain that pounds at her flesh. Stinging with every drop.
She doesn’t run or tremble with fear any longer. She only waits. She closes her eyes and listens. Heavy breathing, footsteps, and racing hearts swiftly close in around her. It’s not the animals she expected. No. It’s something she’s only read about. Now would be the best time for her to run, but Nora stands strong. She has no weapons and is more afraid than she’s ever been, but still she waits.
The first man reaches her, but she doesn’t move and her eyes do not open. She hears a blade slide from his leather belt. As it swings at her, she hears it cut through the wind. Just as her father taught her, she relies on only her instincts. ‘If you let your heart and ears guide you, you don’t need your eyes.’ She remembers him saying.
She ducks, grabs hold of his sword, turns and kicks the man in the chest. His grip is strong on the sword, so she pulls him close, breaks his wrist, snatches his weapon and removes his head.
With her eyes still closed, she hears her next attacker behind her. She turns swinging the sword and misses. She drops to the ground in pain. A stab wound to her back temporarily shocks her. As the blade is ripped out of her, she lets out a low grunt. Quickly she jumps up, swings, kicks, and punches as blood slowly seeps out of her. She opens her eyes.
“Two down.”
She looks up at the hostile beast with red eyes and sharp teeth coming at her and shakes her head.
“About ten more to go,” a man says, standing at her side.
With ease, he slaughters the attackers before they reach Nora, but more are racing down the street. Nora sways dizzily.
“Are you alright?” the man asks.
Nora nods, never taking her eyes from the herd that tramples down the dark street toward her.
“Where did you come from?” She asks.
She staggers.
“Nora, run!”
“My dad. He needs me.”
“Nora, run! Now!” he yells.
“Where? I have nowhere to go,” she says.
Her voice is weak and her body is even weaker.
He looks at her. Worry fills his stare.
“Are you hurt?” he asks.
“I’m fine,” she lies.
“Can you feel your father?”
She nods.
They see lights from the approaching car and hear the roar of the engine.
Nora looks at the man, but all she sees is a blur. Her legs shake.
“I feel …”
She falls. He didn’t let her hit the ground. He lifts her in his arms and kisses her cheek.
“I’m sorry I was
late,” he says softly.
The car engine hums and a door slams.
“Is she …” Noah asks.
“No, but she is hurt badly.”
“Get in,” Noah says, taking Nora out of the man’s arms.
“No. I will meet you there. They will attack the car. I will stall them for as long as I can.”
Noah nods, puts Nora in the car, and drives off.
Noah places his hand on Nora’s back. A fluorescent light fills the car and Nora’s wound heals. She awakes in a panic.
“You’re okay. You did good, baby.”
“Dad?”
She grips his neck tightly and kisses his cheek.
“What happen? Why were those men, those … things, trying to kill us? Where did you go?”
“Those things were demons in human form. I was leading their boss far from you,” Noah answers.
“Demons? They want to kill me?”
Noah nods.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No, baby. Everything will be explained soon. I need you to rest now.”
“Dad, your head!” She says ripping a piece of her shirt and dabbing the bleeding wound on her father’s head.
Noah pulls away.
“It will heal,” he says.
Nora looks at him. Then again at his wound. She touches his head.
“Dad, I … I felt that,” she says softly.
“I know. That will change soon,” Noah says.
Nora holds tightly to her father’s hand and rests her head on the seat.
“I’m scared, Daddy.”
Noah squeezes her hand.
“I am too, honey.”
They drive in silence for hours. Close to ten o’clock they arrive at a small blue house. Nora looks at her father, hoping he will tell her something that would put her busy mind to rest, but he just smiles and pats her hand before stepping out if the car.
The house sits in the middle of the woods. Nora has no idea where they are, and she is dying to know why they again left their home so fast. It is as if she is sixteen all over again.
She keeps her head down and follows close behind Noah, clinging tightly to his hand as they approach the house. There are no other cars in sight, but mumbling voices with unclear words from inside the house echoed through the trees. The door swings open, just as they reach the top step of the porch.
“Noah! Nora! I am so glad you both made it out!”
“Let me look at you, boy,” Noah says.
A small cut on his lip and a lot of blood covers his shirt, but he is not wounded.
“I’m okay.”
Noah nods, hugs the man, and enters the house.
The words and the look of this young stranger should have worried Nora, but she is more focused on his face. Not even her novel’s studs compare to this man’s intense hotness. His creamy, flawless skin shines with perfection under the moonlight. His hair is dark brown with just a touch of gold, and his torn, bloody, white t-shirt enhances his muscular body perfectly. It takes all she has not to drool as she stares into his beautiful blue eyes. Within those few seconds, she creates a perfect fantasy, starring her and him. She imagines herself rubbing her hands through his soft hair and over his strong chest. She pictures them laughing as they hold one another on the beach. She could almost taste his lips as she pictures him kissing her.
“Nora!”
She jumped at the sound of her father’s voice. With her head down, she walks in, trying to hide her embarrassment. She considers turning around and waiting in the car. She probably would have been more comfortable out in the woods with the wild animals, for now she is terrified that her uncontrollable looks of lust for the young man is standing out like a big red pimple on the tip of her nose.
Upon entering the house, Nora’s eyes immediately rest on Mr. Crew, who stands tall in the center of the room. He is just as she remembers him. His shoulder-length black hair is pulled back tight with a rubber band, He is wearing a long leather trench coat which always made him look so mysterious, almost frightening. As scary as his appearance is, his heart is pure.
He holds out his arms, waiting for Nora to wrap herself in them, just as she had as a child. Without hesitation, she does. Mr. Crew helped Noah raise Nora. His son Robbie and Nora had been best friends until a few years ago when Robbie stopped writing. Although Nora was restricted from having a normal childhood and kept from being a normal teen, she knew love and heartbreak all too well.
Losing Robbie was like losing a piece of herself. Her world shattered into a million pieces. Robbie was not only her best friend, but she thought he was the love of her life. It was not until recently she made herself realize what they shared was nothing more than a childhood crush. A crush that only she thought could be something more.
When Nora and her father moved from Panama, she and Robbie kept in touch. They promised to never let distance separate them. At first they wrote every week, then before long the letters stopped coming.
Her whole life was wrapped around getting those letters. Every week, she stood at the mailbox awaiting her letter. She read each one more times than she can remember, and each one made her fall deeper and deeper in love with him. Nora never questioned Robbie’s love for her. She knew deep in her soul he loved her. What she didn’t realize, is that his love may not have been as strong as hers for him.
Even after Robbie stopped writing, she held on to hope that he would realize how much she meant to him. She prayed he would miss her and write, but he didn’t. Though she and Robbie were not talking, Nora kept in contact with Mr. Crew, with the same weekly letters. She would ask about Robbie, hoping that Mr. Crew would say Robbie wanted to see her, but he never did and she was crushed repeatedly after each letter. Eventually, she stopped waiting and gave up on any hope of the two of them being together.
“Oh, sweet Nora, are you okay?” Mr. Crew asks, grabbing her chin and looking her over.
She gently pulls away.
“I’m fine,” she says kissing his cheek.
“You are just as beautiful as I remember,” he says, kissing her cheek.
She shies away sheepishly as she leans in for another warm hug from Mr. Crew. She did her best not to think of Robbie, but she couldn’t help but wonder where he is and how he is doing.
“There’s my girl!”
Nora turns and sees her uncle Rod, who like her father, is a striking man with golden hair and a tan complexion. Her uncle Rod always made her feel like she was the most important person in the world. They all did. Rod, Mr. Crew, and Noah are the best men in this world to Nora. They loved her more than anything. Seeing them all together in the same room is heart-warming. It reminds her of so many good memories of childhood fun. The good old days with picnics in the park and sand castles on the beach.
“Uncle Rod!”
She quickly darts across the room to embrace him.
“I’m sorry I was not there for you,” Rod says squeezing her tightly.
“I’m fine, Uncle. There was a man that helped me. You and Dad didn’t send him?”
Rod shakes his head. After another good squeeze. Rod points to the young man that answered the door.
“We couldn’t have stopped him if we wanted to,” he says.
Nora glances up at him for only a moment, then quickly looks to the floor.
“Thank you,” she says.
She makes her way to the dingy brown sofa next to the fireplace to sit next to her father. In the far left corner of the room, three unfamiliar men dressed in all black, stand almost completely still in the shadows. The tallest of the three, she notices first, only due to the odd smile he holds on his face. It is as if he passed gas and is waiting for everyone else to notice. The man is awkwardly tall and his cat-like eyes seem to glow, but it’s his smile that keeps her from looking away. Nora sniffs the air but smells nothing. She would pay to hear what he is thinking about.
It wasn’t only him that tugged at her curiosity. The shorter man next to him, for som
e reason, intrigued her. His creamy pale complexion and pure white hair made her very curious. He stands with his arms behind his back and his head down. She desperately wants to look into his eyes. Though he and the tall man made her wonder, it was the third man that brings a smile to her face. He is a tough-looking man with a mysterious look about him, yet he is stunningly attractive. His eyes are black and hold a cold gaze that sends chills up her spine. He stands with his hands folded into each other in front of him as if awaiting an order from someone. He looks at Nora, she smiles seductively and he looks away. Nora frowns.
“So, I guess I’m the only one that gets treated like a stranger. Okay, I deserve it,” the man that answered the door says.
Nora gives him a confused look.
She watches him as he walks into the kitchen and sits at the small table. Everyone in the room laughs.
“Dad, you wanna fill me in?” Nora asks.
As usual, Noah smiles and pats her on the knee as he stands.
“Nora, your time has come,” he says, as he and the rest of the men walk into the bedroom and close the door.
“What the hell does that mean?” Nora mumbles, folding her arms.
All but one of the men followed Noah into the room. The young man that saved Nora’s life now stands leaning against the kitchen wall staring at her. She is seconds away from fidgeting from nervousness. She refuses to allow him to see how nervous he makes her, nor does she want to be unsociable. So, she stands and walks into the kitchen.
“Do you think anyone would mind if I grabbed a drink?” Nora asks, raiding the icebox, trying desperately not to look his way.
To her surprised the icebox is full. Not only full, it has all of her favorite things in it.
“No one will mind. This is your house,” the man says.
“What?”
As Nora chokes, she tries not to spit fruit punch all over him.
“You have to be kidding! There is no way my father would buy this raggedy house for me,” she says. “You mean the house we are staying in for a while, right?”
Vilmo's Wrath: Deglon Blood Page 3