Amaretto Flame

by Sammie Spencer

  The trees had been almost a blur a few minutes ago, but now the jeep was slowing, the blown tires making horrible noises as rubber clunked against the metal. Shit! I'd wanted to make it part of the way down Claire's driveway, but I wasn't going to be able to. I didn't think they could get to the front tires from where they were at. I had at least a few moments before they forced me off the side of the road or used some other method to capture me, but they were dangerously close behind me. I glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw that the first SUV was swerving to the other lane. They were going to pull up beside me.

  I bit my lip, keeping a whimper inside, and I knew I was out of time. The jeep was slowing down even more now. I watched for the driveway and when I saw it, I counted slowly to three. Then I let go of the steering wheel and leaped across to the passenger's side. There was a second before the jeep started to veer off the highway, and I opened the passenger door and jumped. I landed on my feet at first, but my knees buckled and I slid, my left forearm, side, and thigh taking most of the damage.

  Looking at the road, I watched the SUVs and saw that I'd fooled them for a second. The first one had passed up the driveway, but the second was already turning in, the headlights flashing over the gravel and rocks. There was too much adrenaline running through my body for me to feel much pain, so I desperately hoped that nothing was broken as I stood to run. The hours running through the woods in Eagleton served me well, now. I flew as fast as I could down the driveway, the toes of my shoes digging into the gravel.

  I'd nearly made it to the steps when I couldn't resist the urge to look behind me; to see how close they were. One of the Venator had already exited the first SUV, which was still moving, and he was gaining on me quickly. The distraction caused me to miss the first step, my shin banging painfully into the edge. I sucked in a breath and screamed, “Jackson!” That's what Perry had said to do, right? My brain was muddled as I tried to remember.

  I made it up the stairs, the Venator right behind me, and I flung the front door open. I held onto the knob, though, and shut and locked it quickly behind me. It would only buy a few seconds until the hunters broke the glass and unlocked the door, but a few seconds right now might mean life or death. I hadn't even made it to the back door when I heard the glass shatter. “Jackson!” I screamed again. My voice was more than terrified, and I prayed everyone would hold their positions. I took huge gulps of air and my muscles burned with the effort I was putting forth.

  A warm oozing brought my eye down to my leg for just a moment. The jeans there were dark red, and I realized I'd broken the skin. Flecks of blood covered my shirt and the tops of the jeans as well. It must have been damage from the gravel when I'd landed, but I didn't have time to consider where it was coming from just then. I could hear the boots of a hunter on the floor in the house and knew he was terribly close to me. I flew through the kitchen and out the back door, into the yard where my family could see me.

  Jackson sat on the edge of the old well, his eyes meeting mine wildly. Shadows from the huge trees behind the house stretched out toward him, as if they were just waiting to gobble him up. I could see that he was fighting to stay on the well rather than run toward me. His eyes were taking in the dark stains of blood, the funny way I was now running. It didn't matter. I was almost there. We were almost done. Just as I opened my mouth to yell his name again, the hunter caught me from behind.

  Chapter 19

  He grabbed my hair, stopping me in my tracks, and immediately his arm came from behind and snaked around my throat. I could see the branches of the trees, and some part of me wondered where they were hiding; Ivanna, Perry, Charlotte and the rest. I wondered if...if Jackson and I died, if my family would make it out alive.

  “That's it,” he panted. “Don't you fucking move, bitch.” I could feel the muscles bulging in his arm as he began to squeeze my throat, cutting off my air supply. I thrashed about, but in physical strength, I was no match for this guy. Jackson had already started toward us, a wild and dangerous look on his face. No, I thought. Stay beside the well.

  I truly wasn't able to breathe now, spots swimming before my eyes. After the run, my body was demanding oxygen and I needed it fast. Suddenly, the man's arm loosened and I gulped in air, stumbling forward a step. I spun around to face him, to find that he was staring at me with a horrified expression on his face. His hands were slowly moving up to his head, and his eyes were glazed over...like Sylvia's had been when she'd been concentrating on her vision.

  Jackson reached me, noticing the man's face as well. “What in the hell?” he muttered as he grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward the well.

  “Everett!” I said, remembering the feeling of being paralyzed earlier. The rest of the Venator were coming through the back door of Claire's house, now. This fueled me and made my legs move again. Jackson and I reached the well just as the last of the men were out of the house. They were coming at us now, some of them staring at the hunter who'd grabbed me and who was now motionless. Jackson stood with his back to them, his face looking down into mine. What great control it must have taken him to ignore the hunters...but there was nothing we could do until they all got close enough.

  For the first time, I looked down at the well. Before, there had been a cover on top of it, but now, the gaping hole was uncovered. It was about four feet across through the middle, and the stone walls stood up from the ground about a foot. A steel bar ran through the very center of the well, just a few inches below the rim. As I stared at the hole - wondering how deep it might be - I realized what the plan was, and vaguely wondered how I'd missed being informed about this.

  My face must have paled, because Jackson leaned down to get a better look at me...or so that I'd focus on his face. “Hey. It's going to be fine,” he said. “We've already won this, remember?” He was referring to Sylvia's vision, and wiping any fear from my face, I simply nodded. It was better for him to be at peace, even if that peace was a lie. I gripped his hand and together, we turned to face the hunters. They were so close, a few stragglers pulling up the rear.

  Suddenly, Jackson breathed an, “Oh no,” and turned his head toward me. He blinked furiously, not making eye contact.

  “What? What is it?” I asked, my voice high-pitched with worry.

  “I can't see,” he whispered, still blinking and trying to regain his vision. I glanced at the men and felt my heart drop. My brilliant plan had worked up to this point. I knew that I'd be safe from the Venator's magick, but I hadn't thought about Jackson. I tried to find the spell caster, wondering if I could take him out so that Jackson would be able to follow through with the plan. They were too close. They were waiting, I guessed. Waiting to see what kind of magick we had and whether it was safe to fall in on us and take us prisoner.

  “Sit,” I said to Jackson, guiding him to the side of the well. “Sit down.”

  I helped him into a sitting position, and then I sat next to him, holding his hand. Hoping the hunters would think I was preparing for the worst, I embraced Jackson and put my mouth close to his ear. “You can run,” I breathed.

  He started shaking his head immediately. “I'm not leaving you.” He grabbed both of my wrists, and although his eyes couldn't see me, his face was full of emotion. “You'll have to put my hands on the bar.”

  “What?” I glanced down again, seeing nothing but the darkness in the well and the certain death that awaited Jackson there if we tried to go forward with the plan now.

  “Well, if it isn't the prodigal son,” said one of the hunters with a rumbling voice. “It's time to claim your inheritance.” A rope slithered out of his pocket and he held it, his body tense, ready to spring at us. “Don't worry about your little girlfriend. Come with us calmly and we'll take good care of her.”

  “Do it, Olivia. Put my hands on the bar,” Jackson hissed. The hunters began circling the well, and I resisted the urge with every cell in my body to get up and start fighting, especially when they moved in behind me. The air shifted; the sign of
magick being worked. Any minute, the flames would slice through the air. With a last desperate look at the bar, I took hold of Jackson's hands. From the corner of my eye, I could see the glinting, vicious silver hook, but I had no choice but to ignore it as the man moved further behind me. The red haze descended down over my vision, the pressure building inside of me.

  “One,” I said, using every wish I'd never wished and every hope within me that this would work. “Two.” Jackson shifted his feet on the dark grass and his face was overtaken with a look of concentration. “Three,” I said, and moved his hands to the metal bar within the well. The next sequence of events seemed to be going in slow motion, although they couldn't have taken more than a few seconds. Jackson's hands gripped the bar, and a moment later, he sprung up and over the outside edge of the well.

  At the same moment he disappeared, the hunter behind me swung out his arm - the one holding the hook - and the sharp point embedded itself within my back, flesh tearing as he retrieved it. I cried out in pain, but feeling the power starting to leave me, I bit down on the scream. Hands gripped me now, and I knew that the Venator were finished playing around. Turning my head to the right, I spit in the face of the man who was holding my arm. This stunned him enough to make him let go of me, his hands going to his face.

  I stretched out over the well, facing up at the night sky. With the red haze throbbing behind my eyes, the moon was a fiery orange, and I could only pray that the flames came quickly. A terrifying thought hit me, and I yelled Jackson's name.

  “I'm here,” came his echoing voice from below. My back felt as though it were on fire, but my entire waking mind was focused on the moment when the flames would hit us. Where were they? Had something happened? Did something go wrong? Maybe Claire had been unable to switch Perry and Joshua's powers. Had they even rehearsed this? A stabbing pain shot through my arm and I turned my head to see one of the hunters brandishing a hunting knife, similar to the one I'd been cut with before. A gash was opened in my forearm, and blood was dripping forth from it.

  Come on! I thought. My head rested on the stony edge of the well opposite my feet, and my arms and legs were stretched to reach. I was balanced precariously, but Jackson would be out of the way of the destruction when the time came. Thousands of stars twinkled down at me, as if nothing were wrong in the world. Suddenly, the face of the moon turned an even deeper orange. The fire burned above me, blinding in its fury and rage. I could feel the heat from it as the flames licked over my body, but there was no pain.

  Deafening screams of agony filled my ears a moment later, making the hair on the back of my neck stand. I knew it was time. I filled my lungs with as much air as I could hold and then I opened my mouth, screaming.

  I was deaf to the sound of all else but the high-pitched shriek coming from my own mouth. I let my anger and rage flow into it. I drew on all of the terrible feelings I had ever experienced…the anger at my real mother for trying to kill me…anger at the Venator who had tricked my father. The fear when we had learned about the Venator and the terrible things they did, the way I had felt when Ivanna ‘punished’ me, the panicked fear when I thought the Venator were after Everett. I let these emotions drain out of me and into the scream.

  As I screamed, I reminded myself that this was for my family, protecting me now even if I couldn’t see them. Sylvia, so quick to trust and provide a shoulder for those she loved. She was so much more knowledgeable than I had been at her age, but it was wrapped in a silly, lovable packaging that made her unique. Perry, who had been my very own father for as many years as I cared to think about, quiet and brilliant and gentle. Charlotte, kind and calm, who had always provided me with more wisdom than should ever come from one individual.

  Max who was loving and devoted and always ready with another joke or prank. Ivanna, who loved me severely and who had given me most of the people I loved, who had given me life. Everett, who knew me better than anyone else in the world, and who I loved so much that I wouldn’t think twice about cutting off my own legs and arms for if it came right down to it.

  I watched their faces flash inside my head, each one special and each one occupying a space in my heart. I felt each life force of the hunters, draining as I screamed, each soul losing power. The powers contained within those souls would only serve to make my own power stronger the next time I found myself forced to use it. I felt the bodies shattering, splitting, burning and disintegrating. At the same time, though, the fuel that kept my own body going was depleting very quickly. As I poured my power into the scream, my life was draining.

  Even as my mouth stayed open, the nerve-shattering sound still issuing forth, my brain desperately tried to find another source to draw on. There had to be something else…something that could push me on until I had completed the job. Scenes and images flashed through my mind so quickly I wasn’t able to focus on them. Briefly, I saw Paula’s face and tried to draw on the other hurt I had felt…the hurt that she had caused. I kept seeing her face as it was tonight, though, livid and fuming. I had gotten my revenge. There was nothing there for me to use.

  Then I saw the boy, screaming, wondering why his own father was hurting him. I felt the gnawing, digging pain at the base of my neck. Over and over, the needle dug into my skin, scaring and hurting me. I realized that it wasn’t really my own skin but his that I was feeling. It wasn’t me wanting my mother, but him. I saw the evil face of the man who had been his father and within this image, I found the source I needed.

  My scream got louder, and now I was screaming for Jackson. Jackson, who had likely wondered what it was all for. Who had spent his life being unable to truly get close to anyone. All his life he had been singing a song, but it had always been a song of loneliness. I thought of his face, his smile, and I allowed the life force to continue draining out of my own body.

  They were snapping now, the snap that told me it was done. The snap that took their souls out of this world, into the other. There were five down. I only had to go on a little longer. Almost halfway there. My scream continued, starting to fade now. I was so weak. I felt my grip on the stone edges of the well faltering. I had to hang on. If I had to die, so be it. If that were what it took to finish this so that my family and Jackson would be safe, I would make that trade in a heartbeat.

  As the last snap issued forth, my scream faded into silence, which was deafening in itself now. I had done it. I felt the need to relax my rigid muscles, to let go and drift. I was so tired that I just wanted to sleep. Briefly, I wondered how deep the well was. It couldn’t possibly hurt that bad when I hit. Not as bad as it hurt now to keep holding onto the sides when my strength was gone. Then I remembered that Jackson was below me. If I fell, I might make him lose his grip on the bar. No, I couldn’t take that chance.

  I had to keep holding on. Somehow, I had to try and find enough strength to pull myself back up. My eyes were closed and I didn’t realize how long they had been closed. I remembered seeing the deepening red of the fire…but how long ago had that been? I heard voices. I wasn’t sure if they were voices from a dream somewhere or voices from reality. A slight panic flickered in me and I wondered if I had gotten all of the Venator. Surely they hadn’t sent more.

  I couldn’t handle more. There was no way I would be able to open my mouth to scream. Inside, I did start screaming. My grip was failing. I felt it slipping. I was going to hit Jackson. We were going to die right here…after all of this, we were going to die because I couldn’t hang on any longer. I opened my mouth to speak, to say something. I wasn’t sure what. Maybe I was going to apologize for killing him now.

  No sound came out of it. My voice wouldn’t work. My hands slipped again and I didn’t have enough strength left to pull myself back up. The middle part of my body was sinking. Then I felt arms sweeping under me, holding me up. There were voices now, louder, but I couldn’t hear them. I struggled to hear, willing myself to know whether my family had made it out alive or whether a stray Venator had gotten me. The tone of the voice was fami
liar.

  It wouldn’t have been familiar if it was a Venator, and then I knew that my family had lived. Yes, it was Everett’s voice. My baby brother. He was safe. They were all safe. With that knowledge, I was able to let go and the darkness surrounded me.

  Chapter 20

  After the darkness had taken my consciousness, I existed in another place. For what seemed like a very long time, I was only aware that I was somewhere and that there was nothing else. There was the flicker of life that was mine, but around me there was darkness. I started to think that I was perhaps in the place where bad souls go when they leave the world I had lived in. Of course, my beliefs on Earth had never been that terrible souls go to a particularly bad place. I had always believed that you come back; you get another chance.

  I doubted myself now. After a very long time, the darkness started to recede and I was aware of light. The light was a beautiful light, and somehow seemed familiar and loving to me. I stared at it and realized that there was a depth to it that never stopped. The more I stared, the more I saw. There were colors in all shades of the rainbow, and feelings…sensations within those colors. I wondered if this was the notorious ‘white light’ that everyone claimed to see when they nearly died. But this light was so much more than that.

  I looked at the light for another long period of time. I wasn’t ready for it to leave when it did, because I found it so interesting and beautiful. But then I was aware of something else…singing. There was something oddly familiar about the singing and I listened very hard. I felt frustrated because I should know, but I couldn’t grasp any memory or association. When I strained very hard to remember why I should know, the singing would fade. I stopped trying when I realized that, because the sound was beautiful and I didn’t want it to leave.