Thud! I tripped. Branches jabbed and poked me as I fell down. My head smashed into the base of the tree trunk. I cried out in pain as the throbbing began. I touched my hairline and felt the warmth of the blood. Oh no, this wasn’t good. I tried getting up, but the dizziness won and forced me to stay on the ground. I lay bleeding in the shrubs, hoping and wishing someone would find me soon. Someone that was on my side.
I tried connecting to Jayce. Maybe if he sensed me, he’d know where I was and could lead the others out of the house to help. I concentrated as hard as I could despite my oozing and throbbing pain. It was no use. I couldn’t feel him connecting back.
Every passing minute caused the pain to grow more and more unbearable. I found it difficult to keep my eyes open. “Help me… anyone? Help!” I shouted feebly. The sound of my voice pounded like nails through my throbbing skull.
I heard no response, nothing but the unwelcoming silence. A moment later I drifted into unconsciousness.
**********************
I awoke safe and sound, tucked into Jayce’s bed. Had this been nothing more than just another one of my dreams? I balanced myself on my elbows before attempting to sit up. The shocking pain in my head was all too real. I dropped back down, reached up and found bandages wrapped tightly around my head.
“Jayce? Anyone?” I called out.
A moment later he opened the door. I stared in disbelief; he looked more beat up than I felt.
“Oh… Jayce… what happened?” I asked, placing my hands over my mouth so I could stop gasping or at least hide it a little bit better.
He moved slowly towards me and sat down on the bed. From the look on his face, I already knew I wasn’t about to hear any good news. “I guess you could say, we ran into some trouble.”
“What happened?” I repeated.
“We met some nightwalkers down at the beach that were opposed to what we’re doing and they tried to stop us because they foolishly believe Donovan created the proper way of life. They feel those gifted from the night, belong in the night, and daywalkers should stay in the light, where they — let us survive.” He paused. “They’re unbelievably ignorant because he’s brainwashed them. There were major casualties on both sides.”
“Who?” I sobbed, tears flowing. This wasn’t how it was meant to happen. Donovan was supposed to be the casualty, the only one. My imagination ran wild. From the sight of Jayce, I knew there’d been awful fighting going on.
“Many more nightwalkers and daywalkers joined us while you slept. Unfortunately, the fighting has grown so intense, most of the newcomers have backed out and those that didn’t, well there’s no way to soften it, so here it goes, they didn’t survive.”
“No!” I didn’t want to hear news like this.
“The group sent to the vampire house never made it back. Allayna, Fadan, Keita were all killed. Donavon showed up alone and didn't take to their company too lightly. The unicorn travelling with them managed to get away from the house. She made it back to warn us, but sadly, she passed a few hours ago from her injuries.”
I sat upright; sadness turned to pure anger. I clenched my fists and pounded them against the bed, despite the pain I was in.
Jayce continued, “My group lost the vampire. Taina, the werewolf is injured, but I think she’ll be okay in the long run. Layla was also injured, but has very minor injuries compared to everyone else.”
I reached my breaking point. A rage boiled inside me that I’d never known or felt before. I would’ve fought until death, ripping Donovan into pieces had he been close enough. Donovan was going to die and I was set on doing it myself. After all the lives stolen and the loved ones he’d taken from me, it was enough to ensure that I’d feel no remorse. He made me and now he was about to regret everything about me.
“I need to find Gabriella.” I tried to stand, but my head injury had other plans. I spun out and lost my balance.
“You must rest,” Jayce said as he tried placing me back into bed.
I fought him off and managed to stumble a few steps towards the door.
“You’re so stubborn. Do you remember how it happened, Shanntal? Do you know where they found you?”
I stopped. It took a minute before the events came back into my mind. “Yes, I know where I was, Jayce. I walked there myself,” I snapped.
“And?”
“Well, I remember having an uneasy feeling because I couldn’t find the four nightwalkers that were keeping watch. I followed Daray down the driveway when he left, trying to spot the others. Something didn’t feel right to me, so I got off the driveway and took cover in the bushes. There was no sign of them so I was coming back to the house and tripped.”
“Oh you found them alright, you tripped over their corpses!”
“What?”
“Donovan was near, but when Daray arrived he retreated. I never thought the day would come when I’d be thankful to know Daray was around. But I am. If he hadn’t come when he did, who knows what would have happened. Kaleb told me you wandered off by yourself. What were you thinking?”
“Really? Donovan was here?” I was quite surprised.
“Yeah, and from where you and the nightwalkers’ remains were found, he was really close.”
“Jayce, we have a huge problem.” I began to panic.
“What?”
“I couldn’t tell he was here. With all these nightwalkers around, my body’s adapting and I can’t sense him.” Donavon was too strong and we needed a way to know when he was close. The extra edge we had just disappeared.
Jayce stared with a blank expression.
“Are you able to connect?” I asked.
“No. I’ve tried. I wanted to get a feel for him. See how he thinks and what his plans are, but I can’t reach him.” Frustrated, he ran his hands through his hair, trying to see if it would be enough to stimulate the connection.
Things really weren’t going as planned. We were banged up and bruised, and this wouldn’t lead to a victory in our favor. “Jayce, please help me. I need to get to Gabriella. She’s got the ability to heal our wounds and we’ve got to be ready before nightfall.”
“Fine, alright! Only because I really hurt and if she can take this pain away, I’m all for it.” He placed his arms around me for support and we made our way downstairs.
There wasn’t a body in the house that wasn’t battered. Things were really starting to look bad. What if we were in over our heads? What if Donovan’s strength made him invincible? What if this was a battle with no end? Was I ready to be held responsible for more lives lost?
We found Gabriella just outside the house, feeding under the tree where Jayce and I had argued days before. I was glad that day was behind us now.
“Gabriella, I’d like to ask you for a favor,” I said, approaching her.
She stopped eating to look in my direction. My breath was momentarily caught when the sun shimmered off her silky white hair and her horn sparkled like a thousand diamonds. ‘Yes, Shanntal, my dear friend, what may I do for you?’
Jayce remained in place as I advanced towards the enchanting beauty. As I got closer I saw her sadness. Her blue eyes held a darker tinge of grey in the center of them. I remembered Jayce had explained that the other unicorn died from her injuries. I wrapped my arms around her neck. “I’m so very sorry for your loss. This wasn’t how I thought things were going to go. Please forgive me.”
‘Forgive you?’
“Yes, this is all because of me. It’s my fault things are going wrong.”
‘That is quite a heavy load to carry and it’s one you shouldn’t have to lug around. Fate and destiny decide what happens and the time it will come about. Child, there’s nothing you could’ve done differently that would’ve changed the outcome of all that’s been done. This is what’s meant to be.’ She nuzzled her nose against me.
“But, if I hadn’t fallen down. If I’d only…” Her touch made my negativity disappear and I felt at peace. We stood silent for a few minutes, enjoying e
ach other’s company.
Jayce sat down on the ground and watched as the healing process began. He was absolutely mesmerized by Gabriella and her magical ways.
‘Shanntal, if I remember correctly, you came to ask me for a favor. What can I do to help you?’
I felt better than I had in days. During our visit Gabriella had managed to heal more than my head wounds, she healed my guilty conscience too. I was ready for action and prepared to do whatever was necessary to rid this world of Donovan.
“Could I bother you to use your magic in order to help heal some of the wounded? I don’t want them suffering on my behalf. This was my fight and they’ve risked everything in order to protect me. I’d like to return the honor, with your help of course!”
‘I would be more than happy to help you with this. However, please remember, it’ll be the only time where I’m able to step in like this. Destiny has already mapped everything out for each one of us.’
“Thank you, Gabriella. I promise, I won’t ask again,” I said, hugging my friend tightly.
Everything about her amazed me. The fact that she was in my dreams before I knew her, but mostly because she was the one creature who was in every little girl’s imagination. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the fact that she was here with me now. Without a doubt, she was the single most magnificent creature and to be able to call her my friend was the greatest gift I could’ve ever received.
I walked over and assisted Jayce as he tried getting himself up from the ground. Gabriella remained still as I delicately brought him over. He was in pretty rough shape and seemed to be getting worse. Gabriella shook her long flowing white mane as Jayce leaned his arm on her for balance. Within a few seconds, his healing treatment had begun to take effect and he stood upright. His hand remained on her for healing now and no longer for support. Within another minute, most of his visible wounds disappeared.
“Thank you, Gabriella,” he said, feeling good enough to let go.
‘My pleasure, Jayce.’
“We will be back soon. We’ll just gather the others and bring them out. Thank you again for doing this!” I smiled over at Jayce as we ran into the house.
We rounded up the least injured so they could help us carry out the ones in worse condition. We managed to get the wounded daywalkers to form a line in front of Gabriella. Graciously, she took the time to heal each one.
A steady flow of thanks came from the mended. The healing from a unicorn left you feeling better than imaginable. It left you with a sensation like you could jump up to the stars and dance along the clouds. Our momentum was back and better than before. Everyone was in good spirits, full of life and filled with love.
I looked around and saw that another evening was quickly arriving. I walked over to Gabriella. “Thanks for helping out like this.”
‘It was my pleasure.’
“I… umm… we can’t thank you enough. As soon as the nightwalkers arrive, we’ll gather up their wounded so you can heal them as well.”
‘I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to help them, Shanntal. My magic only helps those who have pure hearts. I’m afraid the nightwalkers aren’t pure anymore. They roam the night, meaning they live another way.’
“Oh,” I said discouraged. Our worlds were still torn. What she said made sense, but I wished there was a way to change it.
‘They have the means to mend themselves, so try not to worry. I just can’t assist them with this process.’
“Thanks for everything you’ve done for us. I do appreciate it, as do the others. I understand that you can’t help the nightwalkers, it’s unfortunate, but I do understand.”
This setback made me wonder if the plan to join our two worlds could even happen. It all boiled back down to good versus evil and there was no way around it.
The nightwalkers had a reputation and for just cause. They killed; it was as simple as that. They killed to survive, but they chose to feed on mortals rather than animals. Once mortal blood was spilled, it signified the end of their pure heart. They had a choice, but it was what they decided to do with their immortality. Some killed for fun, while others did it for survival. Either way, there was no way to forgive them for taking the lives of the innocents. It wasn’t their fault, just part of the curse. They received the gift of beautiful, ageless immortality, but with a hefty price — death. Death surrounded and consumed them; there was no escape because they were in fact dead themselves. The venom killed once it made contact, but blood fed the immortality, allowing them to rise once again.
A puzzling question came into my mind. If I was immortal because of a vampire, why was she able to heal me? I turned to ask but found she no longer stood under the tree.
The sky was getting rather dark, and it was earlier than usual because of thick cloud cover arriving from an incoming storm. The cool breeze picked up and started blowing quite fiercely. I pulled my sweater together tightly around me and hurried towards the house.
Chapter Thirteen
~ Lights ~
I was about thirty feet from the house as lightning lit up the darkened sky. A couple seconds passed before the thunder rumbled. The rhythmic storm had moved in rapidly. The wind blew harder with a chill that wasn’t there moments before. Another sound came from the threatening sky, causing me jump. It seemed louder as it amplified in my ears. I glanced around. Gabriella still wasn’t anywhere to be seen; come to speak of it, no one was. They’d all been healed and headed off into the house.
I watched as three streaks of lightning split off in all directions. This was my cue to head inside. It was going to be nasty once it hit. I looked around one more time for Gabriella, only to end up with the same luck as before, no sign of her.
Something seemed off. My hair stood on end. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I was ready and alert. Then, I remembered this feeling because I’d had it once before. I looked over to my right and watched as the lightning lit up the sky again. Nothing moved. I looked to the left and waited for the next strike. Rain erupted out of nowhere pouring down hard, soaking everything in sheer seconds. I shivered as the cool downpour soaked through my clothes, but I wasn’t giving up and remained in place. I needed to know if someone was there because I couldn’t ignore this feeling. The next lightning strike came and I scanned the tree-line, looking to see if anything moved. On the left, where the trees thinned out, I looked just as a black silhouette stepped back into hiding and the thunder rolled again.
I blinked the rain away. Had I really just seen someone or was I just being paranoid? It was too dark and the rain was so heavy, making it nearly impossible to see. Yet, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed likely. I knew I saw someone; shiver tremors confirmed my doubts as they rolled over my body. Every hair felt like it stood on end and the harsh shivers continued to ripple over me. The rain was cold, but not enough to cause this type of reaction. This was it, time to fight and make some big changes happen.
I wanted to be sure who it was before I warned everyone. I waited rather impatiently for more lightning to strike. I tapped my foot as if it would make things happen faster. I needed light. I needed to see who was in the trees. I felt fired up and ready. Come on, bring on the fireworks!
BOOM! The thunder smashed and I jumped about two feet off the ground. I wanted lightning, not thunder. Sheesh! Yeah, I was ready, for anything except a loud sound. I shook it off. I was as ready as I was ever going to be.
A few seconds later, lightning once again illuminated the darkened sky. I squinted, trying to reduce the rain in my eyes as I looked over to the place where I thought I spotted someone moments before. Sure enough, movement. This time just down from where I looked the first time. I quickly wiped the rain out of my eyes and focused in. The individual no longer hid amongst the trees; he used the opportunity to reveal himself. Our eyes connected and without a doubt, I knew it was Donovan.
My heart pounded louder and harder than ever before. I waited for him to lunge at me just as he did that night in the garden
s. Disappointment. He never made any attempt to come forward as he lurked around the trees, continuing to pace back and forth. His pale sunken face, dark eyes and bloody mouth looked the same as they had in my dream. He squared himself off, locked his icy stare with mine and opened his mouth, revealing his fangs with an eerie smile. The lightning passed and the sky went dark.
I spun around to go back inside so I could warn everyone he was here. I opened my mouth to yell out for help, but something within made me stop. I didn’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me. This fight was between us. We could use this opportunity, right here, right now, to settle this once and for all. The last one standing would have the world the way they wanted it.
Escaped the Night Page 26