I locked onto my target. I could see Baldric in the distance, his hair tangled around his neck and an eerie grin on his pale face. I glowered at him, my head held low. My nose wrinkled into my face with disgust as a growl sounded from deep within me.
I made my move.
Someone stepped in my way, his one eye staring me down. Saliva splattered from his mouth as he yelled. Roland. Before I could react he was on me, his arm striking my side.
My eyes bulged as he twisted the knife in the already gaping wound on my stomach, widening it. I screamed out and he laughed, feeding off of my pain. Blood poured from the hole in my side, oozing over my leg and pooling around my feet. It dripped from the tips of my pale fingers. I stumbled back, teetering on the edge of consciousness.
“How does it feel, pet?” Roland sneered. “Hurts like a bitch, doesn’t it?”
I slowly found my way back to the Earth’s surface, slipping into a pool of my own blood. I held firm to my side, trying to salvage what was left of my blood. The sword dropped from my clenched fist and I exhaled every ounce of air from my tired lungs. It was becoming harder to see the faint light of burning torches, the movement of bloodthirsty soldiers, the swooping of mighty beasts. A haze crept along the outer edge of my eyes as I neared the end.
I counted the seconds until I’d be reunited with Josh and then I remembered, I’d never see his face again. I was going to Hell. I’d accepted that inevitable fate long ago. But, I couldn’t help but wonder, if only I hadn’t been one of the Chosen, if only things had been different, would my fate have still been the same?
A heavy boot plowed into my ribcage, snapping me back to reality, if only for a second. I howled, rolling onto my back. One of the broken ribs punctured a lung and I struggled to get air. Roland hovered over me, dragging the edge of his blade along my throat, laughing. “I’ve dreamt of this day for years. You don’t know how bad I want this.” He raised the sword above his head.
“Roland,” Baldric’s voice bellowed. “You know I want the girl alive!”
My patchy foe growled, standing over me. “This ain’t over, warrior,” he hissed, storming off into the distance.
The ghastly sounds of battle faded with the wind. Baldric laughed as he stepped over my mangled mess of a body. “Well, well, well. I guess the warriors are better fighters than I gave them credit.” His voice was so clear in my head. He couldn’t have been too far away. I tried to focus my eyes without success. I rolled onto my stomach, mud seeping through my wounds. I muffled my screams with my shoulder, thrusting my fists into the ground.
The General’s army was surrounding us. I could hear their knees hitting the ground as they bowed before their master, the self-proclaimed King of the world. The Earth shook beneath me as his large beasts touched down, the beating of their wings pounding loudly in my head.
“Is that not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?” Baldric boasted.
“You’re a monster,” Jade spat.
“No,” Baldric sneered, “I am King.”
A steam of tears cascaded from my eyes and over my cheeks as I tried to find my feet. It was useless. I’d lost all ability to function. That’s how it would end. Listening to the sound of my people dying all around me as I lay, drowning, in a pool of my own blood. There was no light, no hope, no second chance. The story was over.
“One last chance! Bow before me! Bow down before your King and I shall spare you your lives. You have shown great bravery here today, join me and you shall be rewarded in abundance. Ask any of my men, I am quite a fair and merciful King.” Baldric took a few steps away from me, chuckling. He wasn’t giving them a choice, not really. It was either death or selling their soul for one more day on this earthly Hell.
“But, not you, warriors,” he continued. “No, your chance has come and gone. I am going to kill each of you, ripping out your hearts as slowly as I can and feeding them to my dogs. You will suffer. Oh, I promise you, I will have you begging for death before it is through. You shall regret the day you turned your back on the true King. Make peace with your God, warriors. It is time to pay for your many sins!”
We must learn to control our weakness so that it cannot control us. We need to become accustomed to the pain, become one with it.
I pushed the pain to the back of my mind, inching my way toward his voice. Baldric would pay for what he did to Josh. He would pay.
“What about me?”
My aim was perfect. Baldric gasped, stumbling forward a step. His eyes traveled down to the sword sticking out of his chest and he roared. His right hand gripped the tip of my sharp blade and a growl erupted from his lips. He turned toward me.
A long arm reached over his shoulder and ripped the blade from his body, howling as the blood splattered across the ground. It brought me great joy to see him bleed. I laughed weakly, staggering back.
“You are no god,” I sneered, spitting at his feet.
He threw my blade to the side and charged at me, grabbing me by the throat and lifting me a foot off of the ground. His free hand pressed hard against my open wound and I screamed until my throat went hoarse. The pain was so great. Hell or not, death would have been a blessing.
He pulled me to his face, his fowl breath hot against my skin. “You shall pay for that.”
There was no point trying to escape. And, to be honest, I never planned to. I knew I didn’t have the strength to survive. I went limp in his hands, tears spilling from the corners of my eyes. He laughed at my misery.
“Behold, the mighty warrior!” he mocked, holding me up for all to see. “She cries! She still remembers what it is to feel!”
“Kill me,” I pleaded with him. “Please, just kill me.”
“Zoë, no!”
The General pulled me in close, my toes scrapping the muddy ground. “No. No I could never waste so much power. You will be mine. You will love me, as she never did.”
“I could never love someone so heartless,” I spat, choking on blood. It trickled from the corners of my mouth, dripping from my chin. “I’d rather die.”
“Then you will learn!” he raged.
Baldric eyeballed the blood on my lips. His tongue darted out, tracing along the crevasse of my breasts and over the edge of my jaw, following the trailed of blood back to my mouth. He savored every drop, moaning and licking it from his lips when he’d finished. “God, you taste so good, so alive. So powerful.”
William’s blade moved swiftly, slicing the air and falling hard upon Baldric’s wrist. I fell away from him, doubling over on the ground below. His cold hand was still wrapped tightly around my throat, his blood covering my flesh. I tried to pry the fingers loose without success. I was too weak.
Baldric screamed, stumbling over his own two feet. “Fall back!” he howled to his legion. “Fall back!”
Hundreds of soldiers stumbled to their feet and marched away, crawling back to the darkness from which they came. They hissed and grunted, leaving their dead behind. The Sythen vanished from the sky, leading the troops far away from our land. Their retreat was swift. The rain faltered before stopping all together.
The night stood still.
A pathetic cheer sounded throughout the valley, survivors celebrating their breathing lungs and beating hearts. A small number would survive; at least, for the time being. It was far from over. We’d won the battle, but the war was anything but over. It didn’t really matter to me, I doubted I’d see much more of it.
“Zoë, hang on,” Alec pleaded with me, lifting me into his sturdy arms. He kissed my forehead over and over again, as if it would jump-start the life that had faded within me. “Don’t you die on me. I can’t lose you.”
That was one order I didn’t think I could obey. In fact, I didn’t want to it.
My fleeting senses tried to figure out what was going on around me. I could feel Alec’s legs struggling as he wove through the piles of dead bodies, Annie and Jade’s voices trailed close behind him. Someone was holding my side with a cloth, but I was
unsure to whom those gentle hands belonged. Before I knew it, I was on dry ground, lying beside a still body. There’d be plenty more where that came from.
“Why isn’t she healing?” Annie’s panicked voice asked.
“Heal, damn it!” Alec raged, his fists slamming into the ground beside me. “Heal!”
Jade pried the black shirt from my flesh. It felt like she was peeling away my skin. Maybe she was. Either way, I couldn’t muster up the energy to scream. Shock was setting in. Someone poured a hot liquid over my body. It stung like a thousand bee stings. I convulsed, thrashing about on the floor until a pair of rough hands restrained me. They were trying to kill the bacteria in my open wounds so that I’d be able to keep my limbs and, if I was unlucky, my life. Another body moved into the crowded room. Before I could tell whose it was, someone stabbed a needle into my flesh. I didn’t know what hurt more, my body or my heart.
As I’d done so many times before, I forced myself to become numb to the pain, tucking it away in the dark corners of my mind. There it would stay for the next ten seconds, until I took my final breath.
I forfeited my ability to live, to heal. I hoped the others would forgive me when I was gone. Would there be anyone left to take my place? Would there be anyone left worth saving?
I felt so cold as the darkness consumed me. And, like six years before in a poorly lit parking garage, I begged Death to take me. I welcomed it.
Chapter Twenty-Five
My heart hitched in my chest as I watched Josh stumble through the trees, limping and bloody. He gripped his side with both hands, drops of blood staining the snow-white ground. I ran for him.
His breath scalded the nape of my neck as he pulled me into his arms, the tip of his nose grazing the surface of my skin. He took another breath and I shuddered. “I told you I’d come back to you, Zoë,” he whispered into my hair. “I promised. I’ll never break a promise to you.”
His smooth voice brought goose bumps to the surface of my skin; they trailed up my spine and circled round my neck. He tightened his grip on me. We weren’t close enough, he wanted more. He wasn’t the only one. I could spend the rest of eternity just like that, curled up in his warm embrace.
I opened my mouth to speak but no sound came out. He ran his hands over my bare shoulders. God, I missed his touch. My skin tingled wherever our flesh touched, an ever-present reminder of his presence.
Josh pulled my face to his, threading his fingers through my long hair. He traced the line of my jaw with his index finger. “Tell me, Zoë. What was it you wanted to tell me?” he asked, placing a light kiss on the side of my forehead, on the apple of my cheek, on the corner of my mouth.
“I-I just,” I muttered, finding it difficult to breath.
His lips lingered over mine. “Go on.”
“I wanted to tell you,” I continued. What was it I wanted to tell him? It was on the tip of my tongue. “I wanted–”
Josh pressed his lips to mine ever so softly, teasing – no – tormenting me. I needed him like I needed air. I couldn’t take the distance any longer. I molded my body to his, kissing him as if something in me knew it would be the last time.
“Josh,” I murmured into the corner of his mouth, gripping onto his strong shoulders so he couldn’t disappear. A tear raced down my cheek, and then another. “It feels like you’re leaving already. You can’t go. I’ve only just got you back.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he assured me, tightening his arms around my waist as he placed another soft kiss on my lips.
“Then, why does this feel like goodbye?”
“Because,” he said, releasing me, “it is.”
I gasped and stumbled back, gripping my bleeding stomach with both hands. I tore the dagger from my flesh and stared at it in disbelief.
“W-why?” I choked on blood, collapsing to my knees. Hot liquid oozed between my fingers and formed a puddle around me. I was so cold.
Josh looked down on me with hollow eyes. “One day you’ll understand,” he said, backing into the shelter of the trees. “One day.”
–
The crackling sound of a fire burning tickled my ears. I stirred on the hard bed until I finally found the strength to open my eyes. The large fire blazed only a few feet away; I felt its warmth on my cheeks. I lifted a poorly bandaged hand to my head, the rough fabric scratching at my forehead. For a moment I thought I was in a hospital. In a way, I was. The medical chamber must have seen quite a bit of action during battle. It smelt like blood and death. Mostly death.
I threw back the sheets and looked over my body. A trail of stitches ran down my side and across my stomach, the skin puckering beneath them. It itched as it began healing. I pulled the sheets back up. It was strange feeling, being wounded.
“I thought you were a goner, Fido.”
I cringed as I tried to sit up, the pain in my side too much to bear. I fell back against the stiff pillow and turned my head in the direction of the voice. Tony was sitting in the bed beside me, leaning against the wooden headrest. He tried to smile but failed miserably.
“What happened?”
“You were lucky, dude,” he said, turning away from me. “Really lucky.”
My fingers traced each stitch, counting them. There were eighty-three on my stomach alone. I knew there were more hidden under the bloodstained sheets. There was so much blood. It couldn’t have all been mine, could it? I winced as my flesh fused back together. I could feel my muscles reforming beneath my skin.
“How long have I been in here?” I asked Tony. “Where are the others?”
“It’s been a few days. William worked on the wounds the best he could. We lost the nurse. Actually, we lost a lot of people. The remainder of the group is pulling through quite nicely – all thirty-eight of us. I think Jade and Ryuu are still helping bury the dead. There were so many bodies. They spent an entire day after the battle ended, going through the dead and chopping off every head. They didn’t want to take the chance of any vampires being missed and healing. I don’t think the grass will ever be green again,” he grimaced.
“They had to expand the cemetery into the back woods to fit all of the bodies,” Tony continued. “Our survivors thought it’d only be right to bury the General’s people as well, you know, out of respect and all. Most of them were only there because they were under Baldric’s control – they didn’t really have a choice. We took out a pretty good chunk of his army, but there’ll be plenty more where those came from. Anyway, William’s sending a search party to see if there are any survivors left out there. I think they’re taking the plane.”
“And the General? Is he–”
“Dead? Afraid not. He’s alive and well, less a limb or two. If you ask me, that dude got off easy.”
“Josh?”
“Zoë,” Tony’s voice cracked. He looked at me with sad eyes and shook his head.
Of course, how could I’ve possibly forgotten? Josh was dead.
I tried to stop hyperventilating, biting down on the corner of my lip and gripping the sheets with white knuckled fingers. “I’m glad that you’re alright, Tony,” I finally said. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, too.” A single tear slipped over my cheek as I looked up, meeting Tony’s sad eyes. I had a feeling it would be the last tear I’d ever shed.
“It’s okay, Zo. You don’t have to be strong all the time. I won’t tell anyone,” he said, smiling weakly at me. He lay back in his bed, wincing as he crossed his long arms over his chest. There were deep red stains showing through his bandages. It looked like I wasn’t the only one who was lucky to be alive. He’d risked his life to save mine on that battlefield. I’d never forget that.
“You’re all I’ve got left,” I whispered.
“We’ve got each other. And don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere for a long time, Fido,” he assured me, stretching out his arm to pat my shoulder with his fingertips. It was as far as he could reach. The contact was comforting. “Besides, I need you. Who else would feed suc
h an ugly cat?”
I glared at him. “Mr. Whiskers is not an ugly cat. Josh gave him to–” I stopped short, losing my breath. “Josh gave you to me,” I breathed.
–
“Josh?” I breathed.
Before he could answer, I flung myself into his arms. He was just as warm as I’d remembered and smelt just as good. He wrapped his strong arms around me, holding me tight to his chest. I felt like I was home again.
His breath was unsteady and his hands shaky. “Zoë,” he whispered into my ear, “I thought I’d never see you again.”
If William had anything to do with it, he probably wouldn’t have.
“H-how did you find me?” I asked, reluctantly pulling away from his warm embrace.
“Tony told me that he’d found you. I left as soon as I could,” he said, running his hands up and down my arms.
His presence rendered me utterly speechless. It had to be a dream. But, God, I wished it wasn’t.
“I brought you something to keep you company,” he continued, turning away from me. I almost leapt after him, worried that I’d lose him all over again. When Josh turned around, he held a large cat carrier in his arms. The orange tabby peered up at me with his big brown eyes and giant whiskers and gave a loud meow.
Josh laughed. “He’s a talkative one. I swear we had a full conversation about you all the way here.”
“Mr. Whiskers,” I decided, naming my new pet. I took the crate from Josh’s hands and let the large tabby loose in my apartment.
“Fitting,” Josh said, approving of the name. Before I could say another word, Josh had pulled me back into his arms. A gentle hand brushed stray hairs from my face.
“I can’t believe it’s really you,” I said, my fingers tangled in the back of his shirt. Now that I had him back, I didn’t want to ever let go.
“I missed you, Zoë,” he breathed. “More than you’ll ever know.”
Mr. Whiskers meowed at my feet and, in that moment, I knew everything would be okay.
–
Until Dawn: Last Light Page 25