Until Dawn: Last Light

by Simas, Jennifer Nicole

  Chapter Seven

  Someone stepped beside me, their feet balanced perfectly on the uneven sand. Only one person I knew could be that graceful. William dropped a hotel keycard onto my lap. “The address is on the back,” he said. “I will see you shortly.”

  Something heavy plopped down an inch away from my hand. I ran my fingers over it, tracing the ancient engravings that traveled up the sword’s sheath. I looked over my shoulder, but William was already gone.

  An annoying buzzing sound filled my ears, tiny vibrations pulsing against my thigh. Josh’s cell. I waved it at him, but he was too preoccupied with his and Tony’s conversation to notice. They both looked pretty heated.

  I flipped the phone over and pressed talk. Before I could get a word in, a woman’s voice exploded through the receiver.

  “Josh, where the heck are you? I still can’t believe you dropped me off at some grimy motel and just left. What were you thinking? And now you’re ignoring my calls! I can’t believe you! You need to get back here, now. I better not find out that you’re with that Zoë woman. You know how much I hate the thought of you alone with her. She’s too needy and you give her way too much of your attention. It’s totally inappropriate. I’m your girlfriend! I’m the one that loves you – not her. You promised me that you were done with her. You promised you wouldn’t see her any more, Josh. You promised!”

  I tore the phone from my ear, hanging up before she had a chance to find her second wind. I check the caller ID. Samantha. Josh wouldn’t keep something so important from me, would he? Had we grown that far apart over the years?

  She had no reason to be threatened by me. There was nothing going on between Josh and me. It had always been nothing. Besides, I wasn’t even human anymore. We lived two very different lives and had two very different futures. One day, he’d succumb to death, while I’d create it. Still, I couldn’t help but think about that almost whatever-it-was back in the water.

  My face grew hot as the men returned. I clutched Josh’s cell in my right hand, the protective case cracking under my fingers.

  “Zoë, what’s wrong?”

  I chucked the phone at him, careful not to actually hit him. I didn’t want to put a hole through the man, no matter how angry I might have been. “Your girlfriend called,” I snapped. “She wanted me to relay a message to you. Something about how you suck at keeping promises. I’ll make life really easy for you – I’m gone.”

  Tony’s face turned pale. He stepped back. Smart move.

  Never in my life, neither before nor after my transformation, had I looked at anyone with such disgust as I did Josh that night. I felt my heart breaking and wasn’t sure why. Heart, what heart? I was a monster. I was forced to give up the right to say I had one. I straightened up, pursing my lips to keep from saying something I’d regret. Whoops, looked like it was too late for that.

  I took a deep breath. “Look, William found a new place for me to stay. I’m sure you’ll be more than comfortable in your girlfriend’s motel room.” I snatched up my sword and stormed off of the beach.

  For the first time in six years, I didn’t want to feel so human.

  –

  Black clouds formed across the night sky. The world had become as dark as the inside of my mind. It was getting colder as the minute hand rounded the clock, sending goose bumps across the surface of my skin. I crossed my arms to keep warm, cursing myself for leaving Tony’s jacket at the beach. To top it all off, I was completely exposed – markings, eyes, sword hanging from my shoulder. If there were a definition of a “walking target” in the dictionary, my picture would be next to it. I was thoroughly shocked that no one had tried to chop my head off yet. Not that they’d ever be able to get close enough.

  I felt the first drops of rain as they hit my shoulders. I exhaled. “How appropriate,” I mumbled to myself. A crash of thunder rattled the sky, showering my head with buckets of water. I made futile attempts to pry strands of hair from my jaw line. They clung to my skin like leaches, sucking the life right out of me.

  As I reached the hotel, I searched the door numbers until I found room 108. I slipped the keycard into the slot. It blinked green and I stepped into the dark room.

  “Zoë, wait,” Josh called after me. “I can explain.”

  I closed my eyes and exhaled. He stood in the doorframe trying to catch his breath, his heartbeat pounding in my eardrums. He was no more than two feet away, but it could have been miles. I felt feverish as my eyes danced over his strong body, noting how his wet clothes clung to him in all the right places. What the hell was wrong with me? I clenched my hands into fists at my side.

  “Explain what?” I spat. “That you’ve had a girlfriend for who knows how long and didn’t tell me, or maybe you’d like to explain why she hates me and doesn’t want you to have anything to do with me? Better yet, let’s start with how you promised her that you’d never see me again. Damn it! I knew you were avoiding me.”

  “Me avoiding you? That’s rich coming from the one that left out of nowhere, without so much as a goodbye. I spent an entire year in Hell. I didn’t know if you were alive or dead. Do you have any idea how that felt, any idea at all?”

  His words sounded so familiar. I was no different than Alec. I’d left Josh just as Alec had left me those many years ago. I opened my mouth to speak but he stopped me.

  “I’ve spent the past five years fighting just to get near you, Zoë. Sure, everything was fine and dandy on the phone, but every time I came to visit you were so damn distant. It was like you wanted nothing to do with me. And Sam doesn’t hate you, she’s just uncomfortable with the idea of me being here alone with a woman that she doesn’t know.”

  “That isn’t what it sounded like on the phone. She seemed pretty damn sure that you didn’t plan on having anything to do with me anymore.” I glowered at him.

  “She knew how much time we’d spent together, the things we’d gone through. I was always on the phone with you. I talked about you constantly. She’s just jealous – that’s all. What was I supposed to do? I had to tell her something. How can you be so mad at me? I came when you called. I left her at that stupid motel to come see you.”

  “Why, because I was in the hospital? Would you’ve been in such a hurry to get to me if you hadn’t gotten that call?”

  “That’s not fair, Zoë. That’s not it at all, and you know it. Besides, I don’t have to tell you every mundane detail of my life. You’ve obviously been keeping a few things from me yourself. Where the hell do you think you get off?”

  It wasn’t a mundane detail to me. Maybe I was just being selfish, but he’d never kept anything from me. He was right, though. I’d kept everything about my new life from him. But, I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I had to.

  “That was different,” I raged. “I didn’t tell you to protect you.”

  Josh turned to face the door, his hand lingering on the knob. He took a step back, shaking his head. He slammed it, throwing his fist into the splintered wood. “What did you expect, Zoë? After all these years, what did you really expect? Sam is a beautiful, loving, decent woman and she’s here, right now, waiting for me.” Josh rested his head against the dented door and sighed. “I can’t keep waiting around for–”

  “Is there a problem here?”

  Josh spun around, alarmed by someone else’s presence in the room. Alec emerged from the dark bedroom wearing nothing but a towel. He came up behind me, coiling his arms around my waist and pulling me into his half naked body.

  Josh scowled at Alec, or maybe it was at me. He took a step back, disgust written all over his face. “After all that,” he paused, tightening his jaw like he did when he’d past the point of just being angry. “Damn it, Zoë! You’re such a hypocrite.”

  I’d always been told that the truth hurt, but I didn’t realize how much. His words stung like venom. “Josh, I–”

  “Oh, save it,” he snapped. “I need to go check on Samantha. I’m sure you’ll be more than comfortable he
re.” With that, he stormed out of the hotel room and I wondered if I’d ever see him again.

  I pried Alec’s hands off of me, but before I could run out the door, he grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me back into his hard chest. “What are you doing?” He demanded.

  “He’s my best friend, I’m going after him.”

  “We don’t have friends,” he said sternly. “Not anymore.” Alec put a hand under my chin, forcing me to look at him. His bright golden eyes pierced my soul. “Everyone we know, everyone we’ll ever know – they’re all going to die. Whether it’s in a few days or thirty years, it doesn’t matter. They’ll all die while we remain, forever unchanging. We don’t have friends,” he repeated, “we have each other. The sooner you accept that, Zoë, the better.”

  “He is right,” William said, walking in from the patio with Jade at his side. “You need to let him go. You have done all you can. His fate is no longer in your hands. This is your life now.”

  “He’s part of my life,” I argued.

  “No,” Alec snapped, “not anymore.”

  I felt dizzy with emotion. Alec steadied me as I started to sway. He smoothed my hair over my back and tucked me safely in his arms. His lips found mine, clearing my head of any and all thought. I could feel every nook and cranny of his bare chest through my thin camisole. I would’ve blushed if I could remember how.

  William motioned me to sit down and, while I wanted to, I didn’t dare argue. Alec led me to a small kitchenette table, pulling out a chair for me. My eyes were glued to the door, willing Josh to walk back into the room. It didn’t happen.

  “Zoë, focus,” William snapped. Apparently he’d been talking to me.

  “What?”

  “I have been told that Alec has already introduced you to Jade,” William said again, his jaw tight. He really didn’t like repeating himself.

  “Something like that,” I mumbled. I didn’t bother looking at her; I could feel her death stare a mile away.

  William must have sensed my irritation. “You could learn from her, Zoë. She has been one of the Chosen for over three hundred years.”

  “Like what? How to be a cold-hearted bit–”

  The hotel lock beeped and the door swung open. Alec grabbed my hand as it reached for my blade, shaking his head at me. A man entered the room, the door closing itself behind him. He wasn’t too tall, maybe five-eight, with jet-black hair and dark skin. He had the most amazing hazel eyes I’d ever seen. He wore solid black sweat shorts and a hoodie, his feet bare. A katana was strapped to his back.

  “She’s here, William,” he said.

  William rose to his feet. “Where?”

  The man strolled past him, coming to a stop a few feet away from me. “You must be Zoë.” He bowed at the waist. “Alec has told me so much about you in our years of travel together. It’s an honor to finally meet you.” His raspy voice ticked my ears.

  “Ryuu,” William growled.

  Ryuu winked at me before turning back to William. His defiance brought me joy. I could already tell that we’d get along just fine. “She’s right outside,” he said finally. “Her transformation is complete, but she’s nowhere near ready. This will not be easy for her. She isn’t taking the change well.”

  “Bring her in,” William said with a nod.

  “You didn’t change her?” I asked.

  “I was in Europe when she was chosen to take LeDon’s place after the General found and killed her. Ryuu tracked her down for me. He is over two hundred and fifty years old and more than capable of making the change without me.”

  I felt so out of the loop. There was still so much I didn’t know about myself and my kind. I didn’t even know what the “change” entailed. I blacked out when William performed it on me. But, I was sure to wake up for the pain and screaming. Wouldn’t have missed that for the world.

  Ryuu backtracked to the door and it opened on its own. He leaned into the hallway, mumbling something to someone. Stepping back, Ryuu held the door ajar. A petite woman passed through with a tentative step. “This, my friends, is Annie.”

  Fire red hair cascaded over her pale shoulders, loose curls flat from the rain. She looked at me with deep emerald eyes, biting the corner of her lip like a scared child.

  Will they hurt me?

  I furrowed my brow, touching both of my ears. I scanned the room. No one else seemed to hear the voice. I wasn’t sure the words were actually spoken. Before I could say anything, something more important caught my attention. William tripped over the coffee table. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him do anything that wasn’t of utmost grace. His jaw hung and I thought I saw a spark of emotion wash over his face.

  And then it happened. I almost fell out of my chair. A tear slipped over the rim of William’s eye. Jade started choking on her water. Apparently I wasn’t the only one to notice to notice this rare sight.

  “A-Adele?” William stumbled over his words and I thought I might have been dreaming.

  She retreated a step. Ryuu grabbed hold of her shoulders, just in case she tried to make a break for the door. “I-I’m sorry. Do I know you?” she asked timidly.

  That voice – the voice I’d heard in my head.

  After a long minute, William shook his head. “No. No, you do not.” The cold, emotionless William that I’d come to know and tolerate returned after a few weighted breaths. Still, I couldn’t seem to get the image of “human” William out of my head.

  I leaned toward Alec. “Who’s Adele?”

  “His wife.”

  –

  “I hate to agree with her,” Jade started, “but I’m getting sick of sitting around on my ass while the General destroys everything.”

  That wasn’t exactly how I’d put it, but close enough. We’d been arguing for ten minutes straight and hadn’t gotten anywhere. William looked slightly annoyed, sitting in a chair across from Annie. His eyes rarely left hers.

  “Is there some type of plan here?” Alec took another sip from his glass. When William didn’t respond, Alec stepped between him and Annie. “Do you have a plan?” he asked again, snapping his fingers in Williams face. It was a bold move.

  “I’d like to know why we didn’t do anything sooner,” I started. “From what you’ve told me in the past, once Baldric starts his little game, the entire world will be all but completely destroyed. If that’s the case, why are we even here? How many visions do I have to have before you’ll actually let us do something about it? How many more must die?” I may have sounded a little bitter, but I didn’t care. I’d had a long day.

  William was in my face before I had a chance to catch my breath.

  “It may come as a shock to you, Zoë, but I am not as cold and heartless as you think me. I do not enjoy standing by, watching thousands of innocent people lose their lives. But just because you have a vision of what is to come, does not mean you have the ability to stop it from happening. Once you have seen it, it is already too late. It will always come true. Every time. No matter what you do. Which means it would be pointless to try. All it would do is lead the General’s men straight to us. I know it must be hard to see their faces, knowing that no matter what you do, you can never save them, but it is the way it is. We still have a purpose. We may not be able to save everyone, but we can save those that remain.”

  I gulped, the table digging into my lower back as I leaned away from him. I’d never seen William so heated, let alone so vocal. I nodded; it was all I could do.

  William relaxed a little, closing his eyes and rolling his shoulders back. “It has already been foreseen.”

  “But I haven’t–”

  “Not you,” he interrupted, moving back to the sofa. He resumed his stare off with Annie, smiling weakly at her. “It was over a thousand years ago. Lady Jocelyn had the gift of sight. She warned me of something she called the end of days. She spoke of an endless night that would swallow the Earth. I fear that time is upon us. The General is far too powerful to be stopped. It will happen. He is pul
ling the continents together as we speak, creating the world to his liking, wiping it clean of all those he feels are weak and unworthy. When his reign of terror is complete, the world as we once knew it will be unrecognizable. I fear that we will not see another dawn until he is destroyed.”

  “He’s taking us back to the damn middle ages,” Jade said, shaking her head.

  “Hell on Earth,” Ryuu muttered.

  Alec thought for a moment, his hand absently rubbing the back of mine. “Then we’ll save those that are left to be saved. We’ll find a way to kill Baldric and then we’ll rebuild and start over in this new world.”

  William just nodded.

  “And if we fail?” I asked the question I knew was on everyone’s mind.

  William looked at me with hollow eyes. “We cannot fail.”

  “Why’s this General guy so angry?” Annie asked, breaking her reign of silence.

  “Perhaps I should show you.”

  “Shit. I hate when he does this,” Jade griped, hopping down from the countertop. “It makes me nauseous.”

  After six long years, William finally revealed to me his gift.

  Chapter Eight

  Annie leapt from her chair as the first cobblestone block fell into place, followed by another and another. William painted a picture all around us, the dull hotel room fading into the background. One by one the stones fell into place underneath our feet. The room expanded, bright-colored banners hanging where textured walls once stood. The ceiling lifted high above us. From the vaulted wooden roof, chandeliers hung, ablaze with hundreds of melting candles, flickering as a draft fluttered through cracks in the aged stone walls. The scene came together like tiny puzzle pieces. It was a castle fit for a king. I felt like Cinderella.

  A large round table appeared in the middle of the room, the six people encircling it deep in conversation. They were garbed in the finest fabrics; luxurious satins and rich velvets shimmered in the candlelight. It only took a minute for me to find William, standing beside a beautiful redheaded woman. He wore the same red and gold tunic as the other two men, his long hair pulled back neatly. He tapped his index finger atop the wooden table, pointing to something on a map.