by Rae, Alexa
The figure by the girl's hip slowly rose to his feet. The light of the moon caught his face. My mouth fell open to release a silent gasp. My stomach clenched when I tried to swallow. I could feel the spit slowly slide down my dry throat, as I stood momentarily frozen.
His eyes were jet black, like his hair, in contrast to his ghostly pale skin. Pieces of his face were ripped open, exposing pink flesh. One gash was cut so deep it revealed part of his cheekbone. Just above his eyebrow, his skin split, like a cracked sidewalk. There were dark circles under his eyes, deadening his expression. Blood smeared below the bottom of his right eyelid.
I tried to scream, but the shock prevented any sound to split the intimidating silence. I took a step back, moving away from the danger in front of me. I could see a smirk on the man's face. It was innocence, regarding that of a child's, like what he'd done was something to marvel over.
The second guy stood up, his face resembling the first man's. Their raven hair colors matched their eyes, making them one with the darkness. The man, if he was even a man, was shorter than the first, but just as chilling. His chin was cracked like mud drying after a rainstorm; his forehead ripped open, exposing chunky pink flesh.
Suddenly, the girl on the ground began to shriek. Her eyes were wide open, the pain shocking her back into reality. A small sense of hope remained in the back of my mind. If she could feel pain, she was closer to life than she was to death's touch.
"Run!" I screamed at her, hoping she still had enough feeling in her body to get away from the clearing. I didn't think so, but it was the only thing I thought to suggest at such a time. Her captors' attentions were no longer on her. She had a chance.
I moved backward in strides. They smiled. The taller one, stepped over the girl's body, and together the two men walked forward, their eyes vicious like a horrid monster stalking its prey. My eyes widened when it dawned on me that I was going to run for my life, making that the second time in one week. I should have caught the irony sooner.
"I think she wants to play," the taller one smirked, his head tilting to the side.
The shorter man grinned, exposing blood stained teeth. "Isn't there a rule about playing with your food?" Their laughter was sickening. I backed away faster, my eyes refusing to move anywhere but their faces. They can't be human. What human looks like that?
"We have no rules," the tall man spat. An animal-like growl sprang from the depths of his throat and shot a chill that pranced up my spine. I felt as though my own body was mocking my fear.
"This is where you run," the other said to me with a sly smile. "You don't stand a chance, but make it a little fun for us."
Tall laughed, "Put your back into it." His eyes suddenly narrowed and for a minute all was silent. Not even the girl made a sound. When he spoke again, his voice was deadly. "Run."
I didn't want to give them what they wanted, but I saw no other option so I turned and bolted. I was in the woods within seconds, stumbling over large broken tree branches, as I moved. I didn't dare look over my shoulder, but I knew they were behind me. I could hear their bone chilling laughter ringing in my ears. They were close, maybe even right behind me. The sound echoed throughout the woods, distorting my perception of their location.
I was gasping for air. Beads of sweat trickled down my forehead. The outer layer of my body was freezing while the inside overheated. Flames brushed to the surface of my cheeks, trying to break the thin surface of ice. I was panting heavily, swinging my hands out to grab trees for support as I ran.
Their laughter bounced off the trees around me, sounding like hundreds of monsters laughing rather than two. I skidded to a stop, gripping a few branches to prevent a hard fall. My head snapped in all directions, searching for a distinct location, but the sound echoed everywhere.
The air was heavy in my lungs. My eyes shot to different shadows, decorations of the darkness. I couldn't see them. My eyes found tall naked trees and the black abyss in between. I could hear the crunch of leaves, swallowing their footsteps as they moved.
"Giving up," I heard one of their condescending snarls.
My body responded with a two-foot leap in the air. I darted from the tree I held on to and continued to run, but the energy I had before was quickly deteriorating. The reality that I was going to die began to sink into the pit of my stomach. I wasn't fast enough. They were going to catch me.
"Don't give up now, love," one of them said to me. His voice came from somewhere in front of me. I slowed my pace. I was going to run right into him if I continued on the path I was headed.
I turned around and took off in the opposite direction. I didn't make it far. When I was beginning to gain more speed the front of my foot caught under a large tree branch that was hidden under the brush. My body flung forward, my hands hit the ground first, scraping against the twigs and rocks that the leaves covering them could not shield.
There was a brief instance where I felt absolutely nothing. Then the pain shot into the palms of my hands. I winced, pressing my lips together to hold back a cry. I lifted the side of my face slowly off the gravel, feeling the small rocks and clumps of dirt trickle off my check. My knees were the next to shriek in pain when I applied pressure to stand. I felt as though fire was running underneath my skin. I managed pull myself off the ground, moaning uncomfortably as I stood.
A chuckle broke the silence behind me. I turned, limping as I moved my feet. The taller, inhuman being stood in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest. He wore an amusing smile, driven by my fear, on his face. His nostrils flared. He stuck his chin up while he inhaled.
"Now that's a meal."
I realized he was referring to me and I stepped back. "You're sick." I said in short, uneven breaths.
"Bingo," a voice said behind me.
I whirled around and smacked right into his the other man. He gripped my shoulders and spun me back to face the taller man. I shook under his touch, already anticipating the worst. He pulled me against his chest and tightened his arms around my waist. The pressure nearly knocked the breath out of me. They were faster and stronger in comparison to normal humanlike qualities.
I kicked my legs and squirmed in his grasp. It was easy for him to restrain me but I wasn't going to give in and make it a cakewalk. I thrashed my arms and legs out hoping to buy myself some time or if anything just to piss him off. I was not going to give them a pleasant experience if I could help it.
"She's still got some fight in her," the one holding me sneered.
"I love a challenge," the taller man laughed with his dark eyebrows raised.
I felt the man holding me shrug. "I like the ones who beg for mercy like I'm a fuckin' god or something."
Somehow, I managed to feel anger rising over my fear. "Yeah right," I spat between struggles against him.
The man holding me captive paused despite my movements against him. "Do you smell that?"
The taller man cocked his head to the side. "I thought she just smelled good..." I couldn't see the other man's face, but I watched the tall man exchange a long stare with him. His eyes suddenly lit like he'd come to a brilliant realization.
"It's her."
"No it's not!" I shot at him, not liking the way the tall one was looking at me like I was the answer to all of his problems.
He laughed, but the shorter man ignored me. "We have to bring her back."
"Bring me where?" I questioned. I was surprised by the harshness in my voice that I didn't feel on the inside. I glared at the man in front of me.
"You don't get the pleasure of our company, sorry sweetheart." He said, his eyes glowing but his expression had fallen in disappointment.
"Fuck you," I snapped.
He laughed and stepped forward, his ravenous eyes moving over my body. "She's pretty." His knuckles ran over my cheekbone. I narrowed my eyes and spit on him. My saliva hit just below his mouth and rolled slowly off his chin. I expected him to get angry, maybe even hit me, but he laughed instead. "I like her."
&
nbsp; "We can't keep her," the other reminded him bitterly.
We started to move. The smaller man began to drag me back. I moved with him unwillingly, my feet sliding against the dirt, trying to make it difficult for him. He didn't seem the slightest bit phased. His fingers dug into the skin exposed on my waist where my shirt was raised. I winced and shot profanities at them, but their laughter in response wasn't satisfying.
"Do you think we could have a taste?"
I felt the one dragging me shake his head. "Don't even think about it. We don't want to piss them off if all we give those bastards is leftovers."
"So what? We found her first." The tall one threw a glance at me. "She smells so good."
"Stop it," the shorter one snapped.
"No, you stop it." I grunted and pushed myself back into his chest, hoping to make it the slightest bit more arduous for him to drag me. It seemed every attempt I made failed and resulted in their laughter at my stupidity.
"I really do like this girl," the tall one said.
"Get over it. She's not ours."
I snapped my head up to see where we were going. Through my tangled strands of hair, my eyes noticed we were nearing a house, appearing larger as we moved towards it. The woods divided around the house and then continued behind it. The windows were dark on the second story but every window was illuminated on the first floor.
As we neared closer I realized the building was larger than I thought. It was more of a mansion than a house. Its cement walls were grey and faded with lack of care. The windows were dirty and the lawn wasn't manicured. There was something so haunting and uninviting about the plantation that I immediately began to thrash against the man holding me.
"Let me go!" I shouted at him.
And I was dropped. My body tumbled to the ground unexpectedly. I looked up and found the two monsters staring down at me in amusement. They wanted me to run again. It was all about the chase. I didn't want to give in to them, but I saw no other options.
I scrambled to my feet and tried to run off to the side, avoiding the house at all costs even if it meant backtracking into the woods. I didn't make it very far before I felt someone grab me from behind. I screamed at the surprise attack and heard the humor in the taller man's voice.
"Gotcha," he whispered in my ear. I shivered and stretched away from his mouth. His grip on my waist tightened. He held me in the same way the other man had, only this time my legs were dangling off the ground. "One taste wouldn't hurt," I heard him say and then felt his mouth on my throat.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The small man shouted behind us.
"The fuck does it look like I'm doing. One bite isn't going to kill her."
"No!" The other man said, suddenly standing in front of us. His black eyes glared at the man holding me. In response he removed his open mouth from my neck, leaving a trail of salvia. "She has to be in one piece."
"I thought I heard screaming," a new voice said.
I lifted my head up to see another man, his face painted clean of any wounds. The darkness made his features difficult to make out, but he looked like a human. There was even a sense of vague familiarity about him. However his eyes moved over my shaking form with hunger in them that sent chills down my spine. Whatever hope I felt for a split second had vanished. His appearance was deceiving. He was one of them.
"Guess who we found wandering alone in the woods."
The new man stared at me a moment before his nostrils flared. His eyes fluttered like he was experiencing a moment of pure heaven, before they snapped open. He grinned, exposing a set of perfectly white teeth.
"It's her."
They were wrong. I didn't know them. I don't know who they thought I was, but I was desperate to prove to them I wasn't her. Whoever her was, I was ready to beat the shit out of.
"No, I'm not!" I said quickly. "Please, let me go. You're mistaken."
"Should we taste test?" The tall man snickered behind me.
I noticed the short one roll his eyes. "We know it's her."
It was around the same time the new man shrugged. "Why not?"
"What?" The short man snapped.
"You heard him," the one holding me shot back. His mouth was on the skin just above my collarbone now. I shook underneath him, feeling his hands tighten their hold on me.
New voices aroused in the distance and they were moving closer. I tried to focus on them, but I felt a sharp pain jab into my shoulder where the man's mouth was. Teeth, I knew that's what it was. They punctured my skin acting as sharp knives that dug into my flesh. A scream erupted from my mouth that split into the night sky. I could feel the blood trickle over my shoulder and the rough sandpaper feel of his tongue run over the drops.
More pain shot from the bite, up my neck, and electrocuting the line of my jaw. I cried tasting something foul in my mouth. My jaw ached like I was chewing on aluminum foil. The wound in my shoulder raged with fire and I screamed again writhing against the tall man's firm grip on my shaking body. Tears brimmed my eyes and my head fell forward, feeling my muscles constrict in response.
"What is this, take out?" I heard a dry voice say.
"Look here comes the asshole!" Someone said. "Ben we found her."
There was a moment where I was the only person making noise. I whimpered feeling my captor's tongue run over my wound, licking the exposed flesh. Every lick stung worse than the first. My jaw clenched shut, hoping to defer some of the pain and the raw taste in my mouth.
Then I heard his voice, like an angel breaking into the depths of hell.
"Ella!" he shouted.
"Ben," I managed to say, forcing myself to lift my head up.
"Get the fuck off her!"
I was suddenly released and falling quickly. Before I hit the ground strong arms, a protective strength that I recognized, caught me. I was inches from the grass as Ben held me against his chest, my head tucked under his chin.
"What the hell is your problem?" The tall man shouted.
I recoiled at the sound of his voice. Ben tightened his arms around me, providing the sense of security I desperately needed. I needed him to touch me. The pain was present but nonetheless forgotten. Ben was here. I was okay.
"Ella, baby, can you hear me?" Ben's soft voice said, ignoring the monster.
"It hurts so bad," I whimpered, keeping my eyes closed.
I felt Ben's head turn and a low growl left his throat. "You fucking bit her."
"Hold the fuck up," one of them said. "You know her."
"Of course he knows her, you imbecile." Someone else snarled. There were four voices, maybe more, but they started to blend together. The only person I wanted to focus on was the one holding me in his arms.
Ben ignored them. He pressed his lips to the top of my head. "I'm so sorry baby," he murmured into my hair.
"Baby?" One of them repeated incredulously.
"We've been searching nonstop for this girl and the whole time you've known where she was." One of them shouted, furiously. "Unbelievable."
"He's been fucking hiding her."
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't set Captain Obvious on fire."
"Down, bitch."
The man from before, who let the tall monster bite me, spoke. "Guys, shut up before Ben loses it."
I had questions. I wanted to know what was going on but I could only focus on Ben's soft touch. He murmured soothing words to me that I couldn't remember.
"Ben," I whispered. My voice was small and it shook along with the rest of my body. I was losing the feeling of his touch. I could feel myself drifting. I needed to know he was still there, holding me, protecting me from the monsters.
"I'm right here, baby. You're going to be okay." I heard him murmur, but his voice was distant.
"Stay with me."
"I won't leave you. I'm right here. I'm always right here." I was aware of his lips touching the side of my face before I fell to complete darkness. The pain was left floating above the surface while I was sucked u
nder to oblivion. Ben's words lingered with me as I slept.
Twenty-One
Their voices pulled me out of the darkness. My eyelids fluttered open and I found myself staring up at a ceiling for what seemed like hours rather than seconds. I was in a room, but I already knew it wasn't mine by the absence of the pink silly putty stain. The room was dark, yet I could still make out the features due to the bright light coming from underneath the door. My eyes fell to the closed door where the voices seemed to be coming from.
When I turned my head, a sharp pain flooded from the spot above my collarbone, near my shoulder. I winced when my hand shot up to the source of the pain and found a thick cotton bandage neatly placed over the skin. My fingers gently probed the cover, feeling it stuck to my skin with straps of surgical tape. I applied a slight pressure to the wound, testing my pain tolerance and was instantly overwhelmed with a burning sensation that throbbed under my touch. I sucked in a deep breath and pressed my lips together until the pain eventually subsided to a light pulsating sting near my neck.
"You could have any girl in the world and you pick that one."
The sound of their angry voices caught my attention. The memories of the graveyard and the monsters chasing me resurfaced. I remembered the girl. I'd almost forgotten about her. Had she died? What happened to her? I remembered the way the two monsters leaned over her body, eating her and my hand froze on the wound. One of them bit me. And then there was Ben who came to my rescue. But he knew them. They were angry with him. I was the girl they claimed they were looking for.
I sat up in the bed and quietly pulled the covers off my body revealing the clothes I had worn to the graveyard. My bare feet gently touched the cold, hardwood floor. I winced at the small creek my steps made but when I paused to listen the loud voices continued to top the other.
"When did you find her? How long have you let us to run around searching for this girl like morons?"
I was halfway to the door when I heard Ben's voice and I stilled. "Last Thursday, the night before the concert."