Without warning, bullets ripped into the trees around them. Lohet looked over near the wreckage as an armed and armored SUV pulled up, firing at them with a turret mounted machine gun. Sirel flew up into the night sky as Penipe and Migalo ducked behind the trees. Lohet frowned. As the vehicle pulled to a stop taking a bead on his chest and releasing a barrage of bullets at him, Lohet rushed the vehicle with the energy he had stored up to terminate Steven. He launched so fast that a puff of condensation formed in the vacuum of where he had been standing. In spite of the heavy armor, the vehicle still wrapped around him and nearly split in half when he hit it and it was knocked out of the park onto the street below. Both of the occupants died instantaneously from the force of the impact. Lohet brushed glass off his shoulder and chest and realized the last shreds of Terran clothing were now completely gone. It was time to depart.
It took an enormous level of will power to bring his speed back down to the legal limits. Steven had barreled down the highway with the pedal completely on the floor and the speedometer maxed out, passing cars rapidly as he sought to put distance between the park and himself. But that in itself could cause problems too, if law enforcement noticed, so he started letting off the gas, a nearly constant eye on the rear view mirror looking for any sign of pursuit. He saw an off ramp he recognized and crossed several lanes to take it and suddenly he was in a mixed residential and commercial part of town.
Navigating through town at night proved difficult with a shattered windshield. Oncoming headlights illuminated all the pieces of glass like little prisms, making it almost impossible to see the street. A police car was one of those headlights and Steven checked his speed and slowed even more below the limit. The car passed by and was a couple of blocks behind Steven when he finally started to relax. But quite suddenly its police lights turned on and it made a quick u-turn. Steven's legs went numb and he started looking for a place to run. He was in the business district with few hiding places. The police car accelerated up to right behind him and Steven hesitated then pulled over to the side, ready to hit the gas the instant the officer exited the vehicle. He was exhausted and just the thought of running now was wearing heavily on him. But he had no choice. Brandon was still in danger.
As he pulled the car over, the police car swerved around him and sped off down the street, turning a few blocks up. He could hear the sirens recede into the distance. Steven put his head on the steering wheel, trying to catch his breath and slow his racing heart. "Oh, this is getting so old," Steven whispered to himself. He had to get off the streets and find some place to rest.
Pulling back onto the street, he noticed that he was near the college he had graduated from. Thinking hard, he vaguely remembered an apartment complex not too far from there that had a park and pond nearby. He used to like walking the trails and climbing the trees there between classes or when he was waiting for his ride. Looking around for more police cars, he made it there safely, driving as timidly as he could. Steven found a parking lot nearby and parked the car in the darkest part of the lot. He sat there for several minutes to see if anyone was going to jump out of the shadows. All seemed quiet, however.
Taking a deep breath, he got out of the car, wincing when the door creaked and popped loudly as he opened it. The man who jumped on the hood must have dented it when he hit the windshield. He didn't bother closing the door, fearful that it would make that sound again. He noticed the front quarter panel was dented in pretty good and figured that was where the man originally hit the car when he jumped on the hood. Curious rips in the metal caught his attention. They appeared to be claw marks. Steven tried to think what could have caused that but his brain was getting fuzzy from exhaustion and he decided it wasn't important enough to riddle out.
Sticking to the shadows, Steven snuck behind a row of cars in the apartment parking lot, trying to make his way to the park without being seen. He slipped on a piece of slick trash and bumped into a car. The car alarm went off and Steven jumped, yelping as he fell into the bushes of the flowerbed that bordered the parking lot. He scrambled over them into the tight area between the bushes and a metal fence, peering over the top of the shrubs to see if anyone had noticed him. Thankfully, the car alarm was completely ignored and it eventually went silent on its own. Steven caught his breath and climbed out from behind the bushes and resumed his trek to the park.
Once he got to the end of the parking lot he looked at the entrance to the park. It was rather well lit. Steven looked back at the apartments and wondered if there was anyone looking out. He didn't think it was likely, but as he was about to step from behind the bushes, a car pulled into the empty parking space right in front of him. Steven ducked behind the bushes and watched as a man stumbled out of the car. He reeked of alcohol and tobacco and Steven made a face as the odor wafted over to him. The man dropped his keys and grumbled as he leaned against the car and reached down to pick them up, wobbling on his feet. Finally he had them in his hand and he started stumbling toward the apartment. Steven couldn't understand how the man was able to drive.
It very quickly got quiet again. Steven figured the best way to walk into the park would be as if he belonged there. So he stood up and stepped out of the bushes and straightened his clothes. Looking around, he walked as amicably as he could into the light and whistled a little while he walked down the park trail, relieved that there were no alarms or people yelling at him. As he got deeper into the park, he looked around. Most of the trees were pretty young and well manicured, so he walked down the trail looking for the bigger trees. There was one that he liked to climb deeper in the park so he headed toward that one. The trail skirted around the pond at one point and he noticed a corrugated steel culvert where the pond would overflow in heavy rains. The culvert was dry now and Steven stopped, tempted to crawl in. After all he had gone through, it did represent more cover than the trees. But up ahead were taller trees and that appealed to him even more. He still felt safer with the trees and instinctively headed toward them.
Steven found his favorite tree and scaled it easily, climbing up as high as he could so that no one from the ground could see him. He looked out at the neighboring trees, making sure he had a way to escape if he needed. There were a couple of ways he could go through the trees that would take him to the edge of the park and potential freedom. The attack at the last park left him shaken. Now he kept his guard up, feeling everything in the park. Not a bird moved in its nest without Steven detecting it. But it was exhausting maintaining that level of attentiveness and Steven rubbed his eyes, wondering how this was going to end. After he got to Brandon, what then? He found it hard to think beyond that, however. Steven was sure once he got back to his apartment he could once again disappear under the cloak of anonymity, though.
After he got himself situated and started coming down from his adrenaline rush, he scanned the area around him again, looking for any hint of movement. This late at night, or rather early in the morning, there wasn't anyone out at all, in the parking lot or the park. He was essentially alone. It was intensely relieving to be alone at the moment. After that day, it meant no one hunting him, chasing him or shooting at him. Steven groaned inside as he leaned back against the trunk of the tree.
Starting to relax finally, he thought back to the other park. Steven saw his vampire, or someone who looked very much like him, and also the wolfman, though he also looked very different. The vampire's arm was like stone. He remembered that clearly. And the energy he commanded, it was overwhelming. Steven felt it through the ground. And the woman. She was up in the tree with him. But she looked like a regular woman. No fur. He shook his head, confused. No one climbed trees like he did that he knew of. She looked different, but then very similar to what he remembered before. And she touched him. He recalled the shock of her touch that coursed through him before he let go of the branches. It was like he could hear her thoughts. They were of Asherah and were very angry. But was it real?
Steven rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was having an epi
sode. Normally he dreams about them but they've not been a problem since he's learned to dominate his dreams. Now he's seeing them while he's awake. He felt like he was going crazy. But then, in the past day he's been chased almost the entire time, watched people die, was shot up in a car, arrested and assaulted. Perhaps the stress and lack of sleep was getting to him. He lay back on the branch, trying to get comfortable. As his thoughts meandered, he remembered the busted windshield. Did he really see a wolfman punch it? Or perhaps he hit someone and his brain interpreted that way? Steven's heart raced a little, thinking he may have left someone mortally wounded in the parking lot and not even know it.
But he didn't have the energy to obsess about it. Sleep was calling loudly to him and the slight breeze was causing the tree to gently rock him as his eyelids got heavy. It wasn't long before he drifted off to a fitful slumber, waking periodically to scan the forest below.
They found the car at the back of the parking lot, with its door still open. Laurence pulled in behind another SUV and put the vehicle in park. He looked at his scanners. The chip was definitely in this area. But the isotope was getting too weak to get a reading. He scratched his temple, frustrated. He had unloaded his scent sniffer back when he thought he had Steven and suddenly missed it now. Without the isotope, finding him was going to be difficult, even with the chip. The margin of error for the chip was pretty wide. The aircraft could have narrowed it a little but it was now a heap of scrap in the back of a dump truck on its way out of town. Hand held scanners were too easily thwarted by structures to be of much use.
Shaking his head, Laurence got out and went to the car. Its hood had massive claw marks on it that peeled the steel back and it just tenuously remained attached to the car. Something had hit the windshield, too. It was too small an imprint to be a head. Laurence wondered if someone had hit it with a large hammer, but a hammer would have punched a hole or left a much smaller imprint. And that didn't explain the claw marks. He put his fist against the impact mark and while his was smaller, it fit. The windshield had been punched. No human could do that. The presence of the aliens, however, made for a plausible explanation. He put his hand on the hood, feeling its warmth. Steven had just recently pulled in here.
Tapping his bluetooth, he signaled to his commanders. "Okay, we're going old fashioned now. Door to door. Break down any that don't answer. The margin of error places him on this side of the complex so hit those apartments first." He called his technical support. "I need 911 proxied for this complex and all cell towers in the area. Monitor police bands and inform me if we have incoming." Looking around, he clapped his hands, "Okay folks, lets do this and make it quick."
Laurence's team fanned out, some busting into cars of the parking lot, using their jammers to disable car alarms as they searched the cars. Others spread out and barged into apartments, startling the occupants but encouraging their cooperation aggressively. Still others focused on the bushes and trees in the complex and the private porches. Anyone that objected was dispatched without a second look as the agents created a Roman Line and swept through the complex, leaving no gaps for escape. Another line hung back, covering them just in case they were breached. Laurence looked out at the park. "Get some men out there and clear that park." He commanded. A dozen agents rushed into it. "You, hit up those dumpsters."
He looked at his scanner again. The chip's location blinked out a couple of times and he refreshed the connection. He figured the satellite must be getting low on the horizon. As he called in to get another satellite tasked he noticed that the signal appeared to be moving. He looked around. They were not far from the highway and there was some traffic on the roads in spite of the early morning hours. Could have have stolen another car? But the scanner didn't lie. The chip was on the move. "Folks, he's on the move. Heading southwest!"
The agents had just about made it to Steven's tree, using infrared goggles to look in the bushes but not looking up in the tree yet. It was right above them and the men were scanning meticulously, not missing a thing. All they had to do was look up and Steven would be running again. However, they heard Laurence and backtracked quickly. SUVs were already on the road as the rest of the team started filtering out of the parking lot.
Steven had been holding his breath as the men started scanning the underbrush below him with their flashlights. With the pruning these trees seemed to get regularly, all they had to do was look up and he'd be easily seen. He was terrified, but the run was very nearly gone from him and he was almost ready to surrender and be done with it. But they stopped and ran the way they came and Steven watched as their vehicles started leaving the parking lot.
As soon as most of them had gone, Steven decided that these trees were way too open to provide decent hiding. He couldn't understand how parks could be so pruned and people would could still consider them as natural. He had never felt so vulnerable in a tree before. He remembered the culvert and climbed down, dropping silently to the ground below. He hid behind a tree, waiting to see if anyone noticed him. But there were no yells, and no bullets being fired at him. He ran onto the trail and crouched low to present as low a profile as he could until he made it to the culvert. Peeking in, he saw that it was clear and dry. Though it had recently rained there, the weather had been unusually dry for this time of the year so the pond hadn't overflowed in a while. Looking around to make sure no one saw him, Steven crawled in then waited just inside the pipe to see if there was any sign of pursuit. There were people starting to congregate in the apartment parking lot but they seemed to be disgruntled residents. Satisfied, Steven scooted further back into the culvert.
Being underground was hard for him. He wasn't overtly claustrophobic, but he was most comfortable up high in the trees. Not down in a pipe barely big enough for him to crawl into. He pulled himself until he was about half way between openings and stopped, listening for any activity above. The pipe muted most hubbub coming from topside, though he could feel when large trucks passed by on the highway. The rumble was a little disconcerting at first, but after a bit it became lulling and he found himself drifting off to sleep finally. Several times he woke with a start, banging his head against the pipe as he tried to sit up. But after a few minutes his body unwound and relaxed and deep sleep finally caught up to him.
The meadow was very quiet tonight. There was a warm breeze and a faint rustling of leaves could be heard in the tree, but other than that things seemed subdued. Steven walked over to the tree and looked down to see Asherah curled up, snoring lightly. He sat down next to her and kissed her cheek, smiling at her. She was so beautiful, even in her sleep and he loved to watch her snore away. Normally she wiggles a little when he kisses her like that, but she just kept snoring. Steven sat back against the tree, watching her sleep as he ran his fingers through her hair. It seemed like she was in a very deep slumber.
Steven looked around, starting to get bored. She was obviously very tired, but he had not seen her in a long while and really wanted her to wake up. He leaned over, looking at Asherah again, hoping she'd sense him and wake up. Usually his presence was all it took. It was like they could sense each other's proximity. But she didn't stir. Unable to restrain himself, he poked her in the ribs. That always got a response, however she just lay there, snoring away.
Steven furrowed his eyebrows, starting to get a little concerned. She was always a very light sleeper. "Asherah?" Steven leaned over, kissing her cheek again. "Hey, girl, wake up." He shook her shoulder but she just lay there. "Asherah?" He said louder, shaking her harder. But still he got no response. What was wrong with her? He felt her wrist and her heart still seemed strong. She was breathing normally, albeit while snoring. Steven lifted her up and took her in his arms, cradling her in his lap. "Sweetie, you need to wake up now." He felt her face and forehead and it felt normal. She was just out cold. "Come on. Don't do this." Steven held her close.
Steven looked around, starting to get really afraid now. She wasn't waking up and he didn't know why. Worse, he didn't know what
to do and felt completely helpless. He hugged her while she snored away, rocking back and forth as he tried to think of what he could do and pulled up a complete blank other than to sit there with her. "Oh, honey, please wake up," he whispered to her, caressing her face and kissing her forehead. How could she be in such a peaceful sleep and yet not wake up? Steven nuzzled her neck, hoping against hope that she would wake up at any moment. He reached deep within himself and found her presence, but it was strongly muted. Even asleep he should be able to detect more than that from her.
As he embraced her, Steven noticed a shadow out in the meadow. The vampire. Could he have done something to her? Steven looked down but she wasn't injured. Still, it seemed too coincidental to him for her to be in a slumber that she wouldn't wake up from and that vampire being there. Steven put her down, gently cradling her head as he laid her back on the grass, starting to get furious.
A buzzing sound seemed to fill the air as Steven focused on the vampire who had become a threat to Asherah. The vampire was nothing to Steven anymore. Not remotely a threat. But Asherah was strictly off limits. Now she was in trouble and someone had to pay. Ignoring the buzzing, Steven started walking toward the vampire. His fury growing, his walk became a run and then suddenly he was in front of the monster grabbing his neck. It felt like grabbing stone, but the neck still sizzled under his grip and in a single move he threw the creature to the ground while he yelled in anger.
The ground shuddered where the vampire hit, and fissures opened up as Steven stood over the vampire. "What have you done with Asherah!" He screamed. The creature put his arms up as Steven bent over him and he grabbed the arm. It smoked and sizzled under his fingers and Steven yanked it to the side. "Let her go!" He yelled at the creature. He squeezed the stony arm until it crumbled to dust and put his other hand on its chest and, bellowing in unfettered rage, he focused his fury on the creature. He watched as it exploded into an inferno and was completely consumed, leaving nothing but floating embers. Steven stood up, looking around. The ground continued to shudder and the plants in the area he was in had started to wilt. Some of the plants even caught fire as the intensity of the storm around him increased. But Asherah still lay there on the grass, not waking. What was he going to do? "Asherah!" Steven cried out, his heart bursting with fear for her and anger over his helplessness. He felt himself coming unhinged and she wasn't there to help him.
Crow - The Awakening Page 42