Everlasting Bond

by Christine M. Besze

  She didn’t get a response, but that didn’t stop her from feeling like she was being watched. Her eyes looked again and she still found nothing. “No. No one is there Katrina. You're just going crazy,” she scolded herself. She shook off her feelings and continued on her way to Stacy's.

  Humming helped to keep Katrina from drowning in the eerie silence. She must have walked about another mile when her ears picked up the sound of tires crushing onto pavement. Turning around she saw a dark car was heading her way. She maneuvered to the side, out of harms way. She kept a steady pace as she saw the car slow down the closer it got to her.

  Katrina looked forward and walked faster. She could hear the tires pull onto the grassy field right behind her. The creaking of a heavy metal door as it was shut echoed from over her shoulder. Her heart beat picked when the sound of footsteps crunched against the ground. Fear took over and she was too afraid to turn around. She kept her steady pace and began patting her pockets for her phone. Her heart stopped, as she realized where it was. Ah crap! It’s at home!

  “Well, look what we have here!” Katrina squeezed her eyes shut the moment she heard his voice. The arrogance in it only added to the annoyance she felt towards him. “Come on Kat. Aren’t you going to turn around?”

  Katrina stopped dead in her tracks. Knowing she had nowhere to run and that no one could hear her if she tried to scream, she turned, positioning her keys between her knuckles. She was prepared to do what little she could to get away.

  “Hello, Brody,” she said, through gritted teeth.

  “Hey, Kat.” He gave her one of his cocky grins, as his eyes stared her up and down. When he started closing the distance between them, her nerves went into overdrive.

  “What do you want? I’m late and Stacy’s expecting me any minute.” Katrina attempted to stall him in hopes that another car would pass by.

  “To finish where we left off earlier.”

  “Did you think after what you did to Jake that I’d have any reason to talk to you?” She couldn't keep the anger out of her voice, as she shouted at him. At the same time she began to inch herself backwards in hopes he wouldn’t follow.

  “I already told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never touched your brother.”

  “And you didn’t slash our tires either, right?” Her eyes wandered through her surroundings for a rock or a stick she could use to help her get away, but found nothing.

  “Have you been getting high? I was nowhere near your rusty pile of shit. Like I’d waste my time with that.” His muscles twitched in his jaw the more his annoyance grew.

  “Then what are you doing here?” Katrina forced her voice to sound calm and stern, but underneath she was trembling in fear.

  “I told you. To finish where we left off before. Only this time there’s no one to interrupt us.” His eyes went cold and dark when he spoke.

  Panic set in. Her pulse began to race, as the adrenaline took over her body. She turned to run, but her legs refused to move. They felt like blocks of cement weighing her down, holding her in place.

  Brody was standing much closer than he first appeared. Before she knew what happened, he knocked her to the ground and flipped her onto her back. Her petite 5’2” frame was no match for his 6’1” muscular tower. Determined not to go down without a fight, Katrina tried to stab at him with her keys. Brody just laughed at her feeble attempt, and knocked them out of her hand. Katrina's could hear them land in the field off in the distance.

  “Get off me, Brody!” Katrina screamed for help, but Brody screamed louder, mocking her.

  “Scream all you want! No one’s going to hear you. It’s just you and me, Kitty Kat!” He put his full body weight against her, practically crushing her ribs into her lungs.

  Angry and helpless, Katrina gave it one last-ditch effort to save her dignity. She waited for the right moment. When she found it, she kneed Brody right in his manhood. Cringing in pain, Brody fell backwards against the hard ground.

  “You bitch!” he groaned.

  Katrina didn't waste time jumping to her feet. She ran into the overgrown sea of grass and trees, but the sun had set and the darkness made it hard to see anything. Her panic-ridden eyes glanced around, but everything was becoming a blur. She was lost and couldn’t find her way out.

  Katrina could hear Brody’s footsteps echoing through her ears. Each time they sounded closer. Glancing back to see how much space she still had, Katrina made a fatal mistake. Her foot tripped over a small opening in the ground, sending her face first onto the grass. She broke her fall with her hands, but by then it was too late.

  Brody wasted no time pouncing on her. She could feel his hands digging into her wrists and squeezing hard. Flipping her onto her back, Katrina was face to face with him once again. Katrina watched in horror, as he took a moment to relish in his victory. He had her and he knew it.

  “You know, Kat, seeing this side of you is really turning me on,” he taunted, slightly out of breath.

  “I hate you!”

  “No, you don’t. You want this just as much as I do. Any girl would love to be you right now.”

  Katrina took what little strength she had left and spat right in his face. Brody threw his head back and took a moment to wipe his face while still pinning both her wrists with one hand. A shiver of fear ran through Katrina as she saw the rage starting to burn behind his blue eyes. It was a wrath she had never seen before. Brody balled up his fist and before she could blink, he swung it into her jaw. A brief crunching sound rattled through her as the two made contact.

  For a moment, Katrina was too stunned to feel any pain. Then it hit her like a sledgehammer. She squeezed her eyes shut, as the throbbing pain spread from her cheek, up through her ear, and then finally to her temple. She tried to focus on getting away from Brody, but the pain was too much. Her head slowly started to spin. She tried to focus, but everything blurred and blended into a narrow mass of nothingness. Her eyes began to close, but Katrina pushed herself to the limit and forced herself to fight back. The pain pressed harder, forcing her into a deep sleep. Even the sound of Brody ripping at her clothes sounded far away.

  A loud angry snarl echoed through her fight with unconsciousness. Then she felt the heavy anchor that had been holding her down disappear. To her throbbing ears, it sounded like a wild animal. She was too weak and unwilling to open her eyes. Katrina laid still hoping whatever it was would make her death a quick and painless one.

  “What the hell are you?” Katrina heard Brody shout.

  “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay the hell away from her and her brother!”

  Listening to the conversation taking place around her, Katrina thought she recognized the angry voice. Still recovering from Brody’s fist, she gradually slid onto her side and tried to focus on what was happening. It took a short while for the blackness to stop swirling around her. Cracking an eye open, relief washed over her; she was right. Standing in between her and a now frightened Brody, was Cole. Part of her was glad to see him, but another wondered what he was doing to have Brody so terrified. Brody’s face looked as pale as her brother Jake’s had that unsettling afternoon.

  Then Brody’s body language changed, from tense and angry to relaxed and complacent. His facial expression morphed into a blank empty gaze. Each stiff action was robotic like he wasn’t thinking, he was just doing. Without saying a word, he walked towards his mustang and climbed in. Katrina managed to sit upright to see Brody start the car and drive away into the evening sky. Cole turned to her.

  Katrina gasped in fright, as his face came into view. Two large, pointy, ivory daggers protruded out from his top lip. His normally sky eyes were a burning a deep cobalt color. He resembled the very monster Jake described.

  “Don’t be afraid.” He touched his teeth as though he forgot they were still exposed.

  “Stay away from me!” she shouted, trying to inch away from him while still holding her head.

  “I won’t hurt you. I cou
ld never hurt you,” he pleaded, slowly making his way towards her.

  Katrina didn’t move. She was too terrified. Instead, she watched as his teeth slowly disappeared from view and his eyes morphed back from dark storms into a lighter shade of blue. Fighting to catch her breath, she knew she didn’t have the strength to get up and run. She wished more than ever that her father was there; he’d know what to do. Thoughts of him soon flooded her mind.

  Many nights he would stay up late telling them old stories that had been passed down through the generations. Always energetic and full of life, he would dance around the room like a wild gypsy, telling Katrina and Jake every vivid detail. Most of his stories were about witches, but there were a few that involved vampires. And up until this moment she thought they were just that—stories. Tears trickled down her cheeks, as the memory of her fathers charismatic face became too much for her to bear.

  “Don’t come any closer,” Katrina whimpered.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked, ignoring her comment and taking a hesitant step forward.

  Katrina stared at him, too afraid to move. Her body started to tremble. Everything Jake had warned her about was true. And yet, she could see the familiar warmth behind his eyes come through now.

  “Just stay away from me,” she pleaded, confusion replacing her fear. She wasn’t sure what was happening. The only thing she knew was so far he had kept his word and just saved her from Brody’s attack.

  “I promise you’re safe now.”

  As her body began to calm down and her breathing returned to normal, Katrina started to feel her tension ease up. She looked into his eyes and that’s when she knew he meant it. There was warmth radiating behind his eyes. She really would be safe with him.

  “Please?” Cole said, pain filing his voice. When she didn’t answer, he slowly knelt down beside her and asked, “Can you stand?”

  “I-I think so,” she finally managed to utter, closing her arms around her exposed skin.

  “Here.” He shrugged out of his khaki green shirt and handed it to her.

  She stared past his arm to the white t-shirt he was wearing underneath and she felt a sudden warmth coil deep inside her belly. It fit snugly like a second skin against his god-like attributes. Katrina’s curious eyes could see every muscle bulging to the surface in protest.

  “It’s all right. Take it.” He pushed it towards her and she felt the tip of the material brush against her arm. Looking at him, she slowly took the shirt.

  “Thanks.” She let out a slight shiver, as she wrapped it over her torn blouse.

  “We need to take care of that.” His finger lightly traced over her cheek and Katrina closed her eyes in relief. The icy touch was like heaven, as it cooled the blistering inferno Brody’s fist had left on her face.

  “Okay,” she nodded.

  “Let me help you up.” His hands gripped her softly and helped her to her feet.

  Once she stood, Katrina could feel her head start to spin as vertigo set in. The swaying back and forth was nauseating. She failed miserably to keep her balance. The trees started to move backwards and the stars in the darkening sky came into view, but she never felt the hard impact of the ground. Instead cold hands gripped onto her, bracing against her fatigued body and keeping her from harm.

  “I got you Caroline. Always and forever!”

  Chapter 3

  “Caroline, wake up!”

  Katrina opened her eyes and saw Cole crouching on the ground next to her, but there was something odd about him. His auburn, shoulder length hair was falling messily into his eyes. A dirty hand brushed away one of the stray pieces, revealing a face still full of youthful innocence.

  The crème colored shirt he wore looked very old-fashioned. Massive amounts of material were layered around the collar of the neck. Dirt stains were pressed into the unusual fabric. This peculiar and dated look continued itself down to his full wrist-length sleeves. Even his dirt-stained navy pants seemed outdated.

  “Can you get up?” he asked, reaching his arms around her.

  Katrina could feel the strength behind his pull, as he attempted to lift her, but she was too confused to let him. “Who’s Caroline?”

  “Come on, Caroline stop playing around. We have to go.”

  “I’m Katrina.”

  “You must have hit your head harder than I thought if you can’t remember your name.”

  “I know my name.” She put one hand to her head, and frowned. Who she was seemed to escape her at the moment.

  “Right.” He flashed her a crooked smile, as he gave her one last pull and she was on her feet in seconds.

  “Stop patronizing me.” She went to step forward when the heel of her shoe got caught around her dress. “I know exactly who I—what the hell am I wearing?”

  Looking down at herself, Katrina stared in awe. Her favorite pair of worn blue jeans were gone, replaced with a dingy emerald green dress. Instead of her sandals, she was wearing shiny silver heels.

  “Shh. Quiet down before they hear you.”

  “No, not until you tell me where I am and how I got here.”

  A light tapping sound cut off any answer he would have given her. Katrina tilted her head as she realized it was coming from one of the small windows near the far wall. Something about the opening stuck out to Katrina. It was too high to be a normal window in an everyday home. As that dawned on her, she did a quick glance around and took in for the first time the rest of her surroundings.

  Against the flickering of candle light everything started coming into view. She leaned against one of the thick mortar walls and tried to make sense of it all. The ounce of moonlight shining through the window was enough to light up the rest of the room.

  “What happened to the lights?” she asked, digging her heels into the dirt covered flooring.

  “Caroline, what is wrong with you?” he asked, pacing around the small enclosure. With every movement, he looked like a cat getting ready to jump at the slightest hint of danger.

  “Stop calling me Caroline!” she snapped, becoming annoyed.

  The tapping sound broke through again, this time louder. Katrina followed Cole's eyes to the window and she felt a strong sense of fear. She wasn't sure if it was coming from her or someone else, but it was strong enough for her to pick up on. Cole ran his fingers through his hair before he turned and looked back at her. “Time to go.”

  “Go? Go where?”

  “Out the window.”

  “That small hole? You’re crazy.”

  “No, staying here and letting them get you is crazy. Now come on, let’s go.”

  Katrina watched, as he climbed through the window and held his hand out to her. She looked at his hand and hesitated. Her pulse sped up and she debated. She had no idea where they were going, but she couldn't move. Her fear of small spaces was too strong.

  “Come on,” he urged.

  “I can’t.” She fought the urge to panic.

  “Please. Don’t make me come back in there and get you,” his voice was soft, but stern.

  “I'm scared!” Tears filled her eyes and her bottom lip trembled.

  “Caroline, look at me. I’m right here. You'll be okay.” Cole motioned for her to take his hand one more time.

  She was still staring at it when the decision was made for her. The sound of splitting wood and loud angry growls filled the room. Snapping her head towards the doorway, Katrina saw dark figures edging towards her with glowing yellow eyes. She knew without a doubt they were not human.

  As the moonlight hit them, Katrina fought the urge to scream. Coming at her were large beasts that resembled hairy, rabid dogs and they were double in size compared to any she’d seen. Their razor sharp claws clicked and scratched against the stone walls, as they edged closer to her. She shut her eyes and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

  When her eyes shot open, it took a second to realize she wasn’t in the basement anymore. She was riding passenger in Cole’s Camaro.

  “Bad dream?” Cole
asked.

  Katrina let out a sigh of relief when she looked at him. It was only a dream. This Cole, the present Cole, had a weathered appearance about him. One she didn’t notice until now. He was still wearing his white undershirt and his hair was cropped short, but the childlike features from earlier were gone. Katrina found herself wondering what happened to make him become so different.

  “Yeah.”

  “At least it’s only a dream.”

  She stretched, leaning against the cool leather seat and flinched. Pain spread across her entire body. Then Katrina remembered what happened to her. She cupped her cheek as the images played in her mind.

  “He hit you pretty hard.” The muscles in his jaw clenched so tight, Katrina heard his teeth grind together.

  “How did I get here?” She scrunched her eyebrows trying to remember.

  His jaw flexed one more time before he answered her. “You tried to stand, but lost your balance and blacked out. I carried you to my car.”

  “Oh.” Embarrassment flushed her cheeks at the thought of Cole putting his arms around her. She quickly shook those thoughts away before they turned into something that would make her turn an even darker shade of red and changed the subject. “Where are we going?”

  “My cousin’s waiting with your brother for us to pick them up. They found a new tire for the truck.” He turned and studied her for a minute. “Are you feeling up to it?”

  “Yeah,” she nodded. “How long have I been out?”

  “Not long. Maybe thirty minutes, give or take. Are you sure you’re up to going?”

  “I’m sure.” Katrina stared back at him in fascination. Only a short while ago he had been something out of horror movie and now he looked so normal. If she hadn’t seen for herself what he was, she never would have guessed what was hidden beneath the surface.

  The rest of the drive was filled with silence. Katrina cradled her hands in her lap and stared out the window. The familiar and dark scenery she had thought of this morning as boring and routine now seemed like a welcomed security blanket. Every so often, she could feel Cole’s eyes turn in her direction.