I just wish now that I had taken the time to get know more about the people I was leaving behind.
The one that I knew the best, was the one I had spent the past almost month trying to avoid. But Cody's very persistent.
Just thinking about him now was enough to make me smile. I was going to miss him so much.
I was going to miss them all.
Drake with his playful personality.
Kaeden with his overwhelming understanding.
Ryker with his kindness.
Remy with her ability to befriend any0ne that crossed her path.
Charlie with her willingness to help and make sure that no one stayed behind.
Cody.
Oh Cody.
I looked up at the sky and sighed.
I hope you'll be able to see a little piece of me wherever I go.
The sun would be coming up soon and I still hadn't found a place to hide yet. Not because the sun would burn because it wasn't going to hurt me anymore, but I didn't want to change into my clothes in the view of the public.
I stopped walking and looked around. I saw a small cavern like opening.
Wow. I'm here already.
I climbed up some jagged rocks and looked inside. Even though it was completely dark, these new eyes could see anything.
When I was satisfied that the cave was clear, I got a firm grip on my backpack and walked deep into the cave.
In the evening, I would change my clothes.
In the evening, I would meet Skiles.
In the evening, I would finally die.
I stretched out across the cave floor and rested my head on my backpack. I closed my eyes and smiled. This would all be over and done with tomorrow.
Something in my hiding place made a loud noise. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
The sun had gone down so I knew I slept the day away even though there were still streaks of sunlight in the evening sky.
I could hear the crickets chirping near the front of the cave. That was a first for me. Animals never really cared to showed themselves when I was around. Apparently this was a fight that even Mother Nature didn't want to miss.
Leaning over, I grabbed my backpack and spilled out its contents. I pulled off my t-shirt and pulled on my black tank. I shimmied off my shorts and grabbed some socks out of the bag. As I slid them on I felt the excitement coursing through my veins.
Standing up I pulled on my dark blue jeans and then stepped into my boots. I stretched my arms up over my head then snatched my black hoodie off the dirty ground and dusted it off. I shrugged it on and headed for the mouth of the cave.
Skiles would be waiting for me and I wanted to get this over and done with already.
The closer I got to the front of the cave, the more I heard the sounds of laughter and random chatter.
Who the hell would possibly hang out in a cave, I wondered as I picked up speed.
When I got to the opening my jaw dropped. Sitting around a small, rugged campfire were my friends.
All of them.
Drake was the first to notice me.
I blinked back tears when he smiled and waved at me.
“About time you woke up!” he yelled with a grin.
I stood there completely stunned.
How they found me, I wouldn't bother to ask, but the fact that they all came and seemed so determined to see this through to the end with me, meant more than they would ever know.
Remy was the first of them to approach me.
She had her red hair clipped back and tonight she was wearing dark brown gypsy pants instead of her usual skirt as well as a fitted black top.
I smiled when she reached me.
Leaning down she gave me a quick hug.
“You look different,” I said.
“Well. I very well won't be able to fight in a skirt and flowing shirt will I?” Her face was serious but her tone was very kind. I glanced down and saw her whip was firmly in place as was a leather pouch.
“In case anyone gets hurt,” she said with a grin.
I shook my head and laughed. I guess there would be no talking Remy out of the fight.
Ryker glanced over at me and smiled. I grinned at him thinking about the first night I had met him. How smart he had been to check for my mark and how kind he was, even though he knew I was a corpse.
Charlie was sitting next to Kaeden. Kaeden; the vampire who had been smart enough to infiltrate my first home and sweet enough to talk me out of killing him. My smartest and possibly most favorite of the bunch.
Charlie had her head leaned against his shoulder as he spoke to Drake. She looked at me and gave me a small wave. I grinned and waved back.
I noticed Cody standing by the mouth of the cave. He had his back to everyone and he was leaning with one hand against the wall.
“He's been like that all night,” Drake said quietly as I walked past him. “Don't expect him to say anything.”
I looked at him curiously for a second then continued over to Cody. I had no clue what Drake was talking about until I slid my arm around Cody's waist and looked up at him.
Now it makes sense.
Cody's eyes were serpent like. He was possessed. Something inside of me told me that he wouldn't be coming out of this state anytime soon so I didn't bother trying to talk to him. I just stood there and leaned my body against him, holding on to him for what I was sure would be the last time.
29. A Beautiful Death
(The Last Day)
Dusk had finally turned into night. Today was the day. It was all going to be over soon.
“Let's go, let's go!” Drake shouted clapping his hands together.
I turned around and looked at him. He seemed so ready to fight, so eager to kill. It was crazy to see what impending death did to someone; it seemed to make them more enthusiastic with the situation.
I walked back to the campfire and looked at each of them. I wanted to talk to them all, to tell them to stay here, or to go back to Devils Lake. But as I turned to each of their faces in turn, I could see the determination written on their faces.
“I'll be back in a sec,” I said to Drake.
I walked to the back of the cave and gathered the clothes I had changed out of. I stuffed them into the backpack and sat there for a moment.
I sat down and put my head in my hands.
This is it. All the anger you have, all the hatred you've carried. You finally get to unleash hell on the beast who made you what you are. Give him hell Finn. It'll be the last great thing you can do.
I jumped when I felt a hand on the top of my head. Looking up I saw that Cody was standing there. Still demonic, he lowered himself to the ground next to me. I leaned myself against him and smiled slightly when he stiffened up.
“Cody, what are the chances that I'd be able to talk you into leaving and taking them with you?”
He grunted next to me.
I looked up at him and smiled. He was looking straight ahead with his vacant eyes and he wore a grim smile on his face.
“I'll take that as a no,” I said sighing. “Listen, I don't want you to be a hero when this goes down, okay? Let the chips fall where they may and take care of only what you feel you need to take care of. Skiles is mine. Please try to remember that.”
I stood up and he immediately got to his feet.
He looked down at me and nodded slowly.
Well, I guess if I'm ever going to say it now would be the best time.
“One more thing Cody.”
He grunted again.
“I do care about you more than you know,” I said softly.
He didn't react. No grunt, no noise, no nothing. I guessed it didn't matter to him now so I wasn't going to repeat it.
I reached down for my backpack and walked back to the mouth of the cave. I stopped at the little fire and tossed it in.
“Guys, I just want to say something to all of you.”
They all looked at me attentively.
I looked at each of
them in turn and saw that Cody was now standing behind Ryker and his eyes were normal. And he was smiling.
“I'm not going to give you guys a pep talk and I'm not going to give you guys a speech. I just wanted to say thank you to all of you. You've been the most amazing friends a girl could ask for and even though I wanted to fight this alone, I'll admit that I'm glad that I don't have too. Let's go out there and show them that the humans aren't as weak as they think they are,” I said nodding at Charlie and Remy.
“Let's show them that vampires are a force to be reckoned with,” I said with a glance at Drake and Kaeden, “Let's make the regret the day they decided to pit themselves against an angelic demon,” I continued with a smile at Cody, “And let's show them how the living dead unleash hell,” I said reaching over and pulling Ryker to his feet. “Tonight, none of you will die. The 'good guys' never go down.”
I smiled at them all and gave Ryker's arm a squeeze. They all started whooping and hollering in excitement. Kaeden stood up and walked over to Charlie, Drake, and Remy. Cody came over to me and kissed me softly and then gave Ryker a slap on the back.
“How far is the Quarry from here?” Charlie asked.
“Not very. Just a mile or so,” I responded.
“Then let's go. We've got some trash to take out,” she said adjusting her hat.
“Wait,” Cody said.
Everyone stopped and looked at him.
“I just wanted to say something.” He cleared his throat. “I've been working really hard to get myself under control when I'm ... well, you know. And even though I've had my differences with almost all of you, I want you to know that you don't have to be afraid of me once this starts. If you see me approaching you, it'll only be to help, so just try not to be scared of me.”
“Understandable,” Kaeden said.
With that being said we all walked to the mouth of the cave and looked up at the sky. I looked down the line on either side and felt Cody intertwine his fingers with mine, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.
“The Quarry is that way,” I said pointing off to the left.
Quietly, we slid down the side of the rocky land we had climbed to get to the cave. Everyone followed me quickly, making sure that we were all close together.
When we got to the dirt road at the bottom I realized I was flanked. All of my friends formed a straight line down either side of me as we walked toward the
Quarry.
The Quiet Place.
I knew that had to be it.
There would be nights that me and Kendall would sneak out of our home and go to the Marble Quarry and just watch the night sky. It would be so peaceful and quiet there. One of the few things we enjoyed doing on our own.
I remember sitting there with her at night wondering how I could tell her about Quinn. She hadn't been born when he was sent away, so she didn't know that she had a brother. My parents had made sure that no pictures of him were on display to remind anyone of him.
I wish I asked him why.
Why he was sent away, why he left me when I was so little. But I didn't and now I'd never know.
I brushed it off as I caught sight of the Quarry in the distance. I stopped walking and took a deep breath.
The line stopped moving with me and they all leaned over to look at me.
“Are you okay Finnegan?” Kaeden asked glancing down at me.
“Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that I've been waiting for this moment and it's finally here. I want to break into a run and get this over with but I don't want to do anything irrational either.”
“Dolly, if you want to run, then we'll run with you,” Cody said squeezing my hand.
“I sure will,” Drake said. “This walking is making me antsy and I wanna get up there and do some damage.”
“Alright then guys, let's pick up some speed,” Charlie shouted enthusiastically.
I laughed and nodded.
I took a deep breath and brought up the monster from deep within. I would need it now to get to the Quarry without exerting myself. Next to me I felt
Kaeden's body heaving and heard Drake's snarl down the line. I knew my vampires were ready. Charlie was ready and I stole a glance at Remy who looked like she was ready to take off at the speed of light. Next to me Cody's body stiffened and I knew he was a demon now. I walked over to Ryker who was looking at the Quarry in the distance and put a hand on his arm.
“Pull it up from deep within you,” I said in a guttural voice. “When you feel it pulsating through you is when we'll go.”
His eyes rolled back into his head and then back to their normal state. When he nodded at me I looked at the others.
“Now!” I shouted.
My line of monsters ran swiftly toward the Quarry with me in the front. I took a glance over my shoulder and saw that it was a formation of sorts. I turned my attention back to the task at hand and as we ran I heard what sounded like giggling all around us.
“Ignore it,” I shouted.
I knew that it was some sort of trap to get us to stop and ambush us. I wasn't about to let that happen.
Drake, however, wasn't going to let it go without a warning.
I turned when I heard the sounds of fighting and saw that Drake's clones were off in the surrounding darkness engaging whatever it was that had been tracking us.
I laughed it off when I saw that Drake hadn't lost his focus and was still running with the rest of the group. The Quarry that had been looming in the distance was now within twenty feet of us.
I came to a screeching halt.
Around me everyone stopped and looked at me with exasperation.
“How many times do you plan on stopping?” Remy asked waving her hands in the air.
“This is different. I go up there alone. It's just me and Skiles. If, and only if, there are others are you guys allowed to come up there. Please don't bother arguing with me. I'm a lot faster than any of you know and I will grab Skiles and run off if any of you so much as peek over the side. Understood?”
They all nodded in agreement but not one of them looked happy about it. I didn't even bother looking at Cody, in his state he wouldn't care or much less understand what I was saying.
“Finnegan, you have to let me go with you,” Kaeden suddenly said.
“What? No, I just said no one,” I replied looking at him.
“Ava is up there. I can feel her,” he said in a serious tone. “Ava is my problem, you have to let me go up there with you.”
I stared at him. With his onyx eyes, I couldn't tell if he was lying to me, but if anything I knew that he wouldn't take now of all times to joke around about something like Ava.
“Fine. Kaeden only. The rest of you wait here.”
Cody glanced at me and that grim smile spread across his face, then he turned away again. I watched him sit on the ground cross-legged and lean back on his hands. The others followed suit and sat down around him.
Kaeden went up the side of the Quarry ahead of me and I ran to catch up to him. His determination was so obvious that when Ava saw him she was definitely going to run. Or at least I would've.
When he reached the top of the Quarry, he looked slightly shocked. I came up behind him and glanced around his arm.
There stood Skiles with Kendall sitting in front of him. I couldn't see her face but her shoulders were shaking so I could only assume that she was crying. Next to Kendall was Ava. She was crouched beside her whispering what I thought were horrible things that were going to be done to her.
“Get away from her,” Kaeden shouted stepping into the Quarry.
Ava whipped her head in our direction and snarled. Her eyes locked with Kaeden's and she became the same heaving beast that was standing next to me.
She stood up and squared her shoulders. I could tell she was ready to attack us but Skiles stopped her.
“Not yet. I still have something to bargain with,” he said gesturing down toward Kendall. “Finnegan, so nice of you to come. I honestly didn't think I'd see you
.”
“Shut your mouth,” I said through clenched teeth.
Skiles laughed. I could feel myself getting angrier by the moment. Kaeden rested a hand on my shoulder while keeping his eyes on Ava.
“Time’s up Finnegan,” he said, his laughter stopping abruptly.
I watched his face turn into a cruel mask of hate. His anger was so apparent and so strong that I could feel it where I was standing.
Kendall whimpered.
“Shut up,” he shouted at her.
Leaning down he yanked her off the ground by one arm making her cry out in pain.
I took a step forward, but Kaeden held me back. I looked up at him and saw him looking around suspiciously.
“It’s not just them,” he said quietly.
“What did you decide? I don’t have all night and I’d really like to know if your sister here is going to die,” he sneered.
I walked to the center of the Quarry. I felt Kaeden tense up when I pulled away from him, but he also didn’t make a move to stop me. He knew it was time and that I had every right to face Skiles on this by myself.
I waited there while Skiles tossed Kennie to Ava and walked to meet him in the middle.
Suddenly the Quarry became populated with monsters.
I saw Quinn, Phoebe, Billie, Kendrick, Maxwell and Brian suddenly standing by Ava.
I knew I should’ve been hurt by Ken and Max, but I didn’t care anymore. If they died, they died.
Skiles stopped short suddenly and looked over my shoulder.
Slowly I circled around him, so I wouldn’t have to turn my back to him.
I grinned.
On either side of Kaeden stood, Cody in full demonic possession, Remy with her whip out, Ryker in complete monster rage, Drake; ready to multiply at a moment’s notice and Charlie who wore such a grin that I knew she had already chosen the person she would morph into.
“What’s the matter, Skiles? Scared?”
He turned his attention back to me. A slow smile spread across his face. “I’m not the one who should be scared right now Finnegan. So tell me, have you made up your mind?”
“Yes. I have.”
“And?”
“And I think I owe this answer to Kendall don’t you?”
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