Run

by B. L. Brunnemer

  The corner of his lips twitched. “Higher.”

  “Really?” I smiled. Was he serious?

  He nodded.

  “Two thousand?” There was no way…

  “Lower.” His face softened.

  “Seventeen hundred?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “Eighteen hundred and some change.”

  My smile faded a little. That’s…how could he ever come to like me? He’s mature and serious. And I…I still spun in my computer chair when programming got boring. “Wow.” Feeling like a toddler, I tried to look out the frost-covered window.

  “What’s wrong?” His fingers squeezed, getting my attention.

  “What do you mean?” I looked up at him.

  “I can feel you through the link. You’re embarrassed for some reason. Why?”

  I looked down at his scarred hand on my knee. “Because I just realized how immature I am. I still do silly things. Spinning in my chair when I’m bored. When I get upset, I eat waffles for dinner.”

  Amusement came down the link. “You find joy in the little things.”

  I looked up and met his warm gaze.

  “That’s one of the things that’s special about you.” His thoughts rumbled in my mind just as if he was speaking out loud. “I’ve watched millions of sunrises, and the first time I think I truly saw one was on the plane with you. You see beauty everywhere, when I don’t think I ever have.”

  Stunned, I opened my mouth to say something when a hard blow shoved the bus off the road. Fear burst through me as Falk grabbed me. Metal crunched, glass shattered. Screams erupted as we hit the side. Grass covered my window before the world went upside down. My heart pounded in my ears as the bus was flipped. Falk wrapped his body around mine as we slammed into the ceiling. I clung to him as the world kept flipping. Then we were flying. We hit the ground. Falk grunted as we rolled to a stop. I took deep, shaking breaths as I slowly opened my eyes. I somehow ended up on top of Falk with his arms around me.

  “Are you okay?” I lifted my head to look up at him. There was a cut on his forehead that was bleeding.

  “Yeah, you?”

  I nodded as I carefully climbed off him and lay on the snow beside him. “What happened?” I took stock; a few aches and cuts, but it looked like Falk had kept me from hitting most things.

  He grew still, then slowly moved to a crouched position beside me. I went still, shivering in the cold. He searched the area; his shoulders grew rigid. He pressed his finger to his lips and pointed. I followed, only to finally see what had hit us. Shadow and fire, long horns, walking upright and glowing, red eyes. A minotaur.

  Falk’s hand went to my shoulder. “Run.”

  I looked through the trees toward bus and I shook my head. “My bag has everything for Evie.”

  He clenched his jaw. “Fine. I’ll get it away from the bus and the humans. But after you get your bag, you run. Understand?”

  I nodded. “Where?”

  He turned to me. “Head north, along the freeway. I’ll find you.”

  “Be careful.”

  Falk winked down at me before he charged the creature. Heart pounding, I got to my feet and ran back to the bus. Everyone was climbing out and milling around in the gusting wind. I ran past all of them.

  Adrenaline pumping, I climbed into the bus through the one of the roof’s emergency hatches. The side of the bus was covered in bags that had fallen from over the seats. I started going through bags to find ours. I found my jacket and slipped it on before digging again. When I did, I opened mine and pulled out my baton and taser. After tucking those in my pockets, I zipped up the bag and picked both of them up.

  I stumbled back through the bus and tossed the bags out onto the ice. I climbed out of the hatch and caught myself on the ground. The ground shook. Everyone gasped. I went still. That was close. People started talking about a sound. I couldn’t hear it, but how close were they? I searched the area as I picked up the bags. There was nothing… Then there was a loud crack. The ground shook again.

  “The wind is probably blowing down some trees,” one of brunette men suggested as he spotted me as I shouldered the bags. “We really shouldn’t separate.”

  Ignoring him, I took a guess at what direction was north. I had told Falk I would run. Hating myself, I hurried into the trees. My pulse raced in my ears as I made my way through them and the underbrush. I slowed to a walk when I couldn’t jog anymore. Damn, the packs made running harder. I took deep breaths as I moved along the woods while keeping the freeway in sight. Cars in the right lane showed me I was headed in the right direction.

  The wind continued to howl, tilting mainly to the east. Teeth chattering, I pulled my jacket closed against the bite and started moving. I just tried to keep an eye out for any trees that looked like they were going to fall.

  A hand grabbed my shoulder. I yelped and turned, scrambling back.

  The brunette man was out of breath. “Run, there’s two monsters back there!”

  I tried to stay calm. “What?”

  He started past me, looking at me over his shoulder as he went. “Two monsters. They came out of the woods and are tearing each other apart. Everyone took off. Come on!”

  I swallowed hard. Falk wasn’t able to keep the minotaur away from the bus. The wind began to ease up as I started jogging again.

  The man ran beside me. “My name is Andy.”

  I nodded that I heard as my feet found a path through the snow and trees.

  Eventually, we slowed down for rest. I watched as cars shot by at the bottom of the hill on the freeway. How much further to town?

  When he got his breath back, he turned to me. “We can hitch a ride to the closest town.”

  I shook my head. No way. Falk didn’t say anything about hitching a ride.

  “Let’s get going,” he said as he gestured toward the freeway.

  I shook my head. “You go; I’m heading north.”

  “Come on, it’ll be safer for us to hitchhike together,” Andy said. “Safety in numbers and all.”

  I adjusted the bags on my shoulders. “I know where I’m going. You’d better head down the hill.” I started to head north again, wanting to get the freeway in sight.

  He grabbed my arm over my jacket and pulled me to a stop. “We should really go to the freeway, Rina.”

  My heart pounded in my chest as dread filled me. I turned toward him and pulled my arm from him. “How do you know my name?”

  He looked at me confused. “You said it back when we met.”

  I shook my head. I know I didn’t… I backed up a step, my hand sliding into my pocket.

  “Look, we should get down there before the weather gets worse,” he reminded me.

  I backed up again and tightened my grip on the stun gun. “Walk away, Andy.”

  His pleasant face disappeared as if it never was. “Damn, you’re annoying.”

  My heart dropped as I took another step back. “Walk away.” It would be my last warning.

  He stepped closer and reached for me. I hit his gut with the stun gun; he grunted. I pulled back, turned, and ran. Adrenaline giving me a second wind, I pumped my arms and ran through the underbrush.

  A noise I couldn’t make out came from behind me. Shouting? That stun didn’t last long! I needed to get some distance. I was hit from behind, knocked to the snow. I grunted as the air was knocked from my lungs. Something latched onto me; stabbing pain radiated up my leg. I dug my numb fingers into the ice and tried to pull but only got dragged back several feet. Heart in my throat, I looked over my shoulder to see what had me. Holy… A giant, demonic black dog, with spines jutting from its back had my calf locked in its jaws. I kicked out with my other foot and continued to slam my heel into its snout. All while it continued to drag me. My shirt rode up; my stomach was dragged over ice. I reached into my pocket and grabbed the baton, flicked my wrist and swung. I cracked it across the eye; it yelped and dropped my leg. Not wasting time, I pushed to my feet and ran. Fire burned up my leg, a
lmost dropping me. “Shit!”

  I couldn’t afford to baby the leg. I hobbled as I rushed through the trees holding tight to the baton. A howl went up; it was more a pressure against my skin than a sound. Shit! Shit!

  Legs burning, I kept moving, kept pumping my arms. Something hit me, knocking me to the snow. I grunted as I tried to get to my feet again. A black mass streaked out of the woods and knocked me to the grass again. Cursing, I rushed to my feet and froze. Six of them. On all sides. Oh fuck. I let the bags drop and pulled out my stun gun again. They stayed put, growling and snarling at me as I tried to stay standing on my torn-up leg.

  Andy stepped out of the trees, smirking; his eyes now glowing red.

  Possessed human! Possessed human! Oh, shit. My skin crawled as I tightened my grip. “I’m not going with you.”

  “So bothersome for a meat sack,” he growled as he walked around me.

  I turned, keeping him in my sight.

  “What? Not going to cry?” he taunted. “Not going to beg for mercy?”

  I snorted. “You’re a demon. Why would I give you the satisfaction?”

  He lifted an eyebrow and smiled. “Good, that’ll just make this go faster.” He strode towards me. Body tired and aching, I brought up the stun gun.

  He snapped his fingers. The stun gun grew hot, burning my fingers. I dropped it without thinking. Then he reached for my baton. I knocked his hand away with it and moved backwards, trying to get some room to think. He didn’t let me; he moved with me. I swung at his face. He grabbed the baton with both hands and pushed hard. The air left my lungs as I hit the grass, his heavy body dropping on me. Lights danced across my vision as I struggled for air. He jerked the baton away, twisting my wrist in the process.

  “You’ll be coming with me whether you like it or not,” he growled as he pulled a knife and held it to my neck. The cold metal sent an icy chill of reality through me. This was really happening… I wasn’t going with him. That was it. It’d be over my dead body. This was going to hurt. I dropped half my barrier.

  Thousands of voices swarmed into my head; anger, hate, envy, love, lust. It all jumbled into one brain-shattering mess. Instinctively, I threw up a shield of hope and light around the me in my head. It helped. But it wouldn’t last long. I stood in that storm and linked with his mind. His eyes grew wide as I channeled all those voices, all those emotions, into his human mind. Yeah, he was a demon. But the body he possessed wasn’t. It had a limit. My head pounded; something warm ran down my face.

  He dropped the blade and clamped his hands over his ears, screaming. I grabbed the knife, cut the connection, and drove it into his chest.

  His mouth gaped as he dropped on me. Scorching blood poured over me as the red left his eyes. Black smoke rose off his face and disappeared into the wind. Something brushed against my mind. No words. Just gratitude.

  My chest aching, I watched the light fade from his eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I whispered as I shoved him off me, then scrambled away across the snow until my back hit a tree. My stomach rolled; he was dead. Whoever Andy had been before the demon…he was gone. I turned and was sick over and over. The blood rushing through my ears was the only sound in the world.

  With a trembling hand, I wiped my mouth. My gaze went right back to the body. I killed someone…it was in self-defense…but I killed someone. The dogs… Shaking, I raised my head to find them gone.

  My mind was raw. Sore. As if it had stayed too long outside in the sun. I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes. But I needed to keep moving. Shoving everything back behind a door. I got unsteadily to my feet. I picked up the bags, slung them over my shoulder, and started moving north. My leg throbbed and ached, making me limp through the woods. It didn’t matter. No one was chasing me now. He was dead in that clearing. More bile rose in the back of my throat. I swallowed it down.

  That moment kept running through my mind; the feel of the blade sinking in. The widening of his eyes… The blood… I swallowed hard and tried to focus. Move. You’ve got to move. Rina…move! I forced one foot in front of the other. Picked a tree for a goal. Reached it. Then picked another. I don’t know how long I walked running that hell through my head, or how far. But eventually, something large dropped into my path.

  My teeth chattered as I leaned against a tree, my legs shaking. My eyes stayed on the underbrush. His hand lifted my face so I was forced to meet his dark eyes. Bringing me back to the present.

  “I killed a possessed man.” My voice cracked. “He attacked me…I didn’t have a choice.”

  His face grew hard a heartbeat before he began running his hands over me, checking for injuries.

  “I’m ok—” My throat tightened down on the lie. Everything seemed far away and that was good for now.

  He straightened and held me against him, even with the blood covering me. I buried my face in his chest as he moved his arms around me. I slipped my tired arms around his neck and held tight. His scars were thick under my fingers. I took a deep breath of that charged scent as his hand ran down the back of my braid. I closed my eyes and wished the world would go away.

  Falk swept me off my feet; he cradled me against his chest before he jumped. I kept my face buried in his chest as he flew us somewhere. Too tired to care about the heights or where we went, as long as it was away from the woods. The cold, biting wind battered at me for some time, but it didn’t matter.

  I was numb. My mind mercifully blank. Everything seemed to fade into a blur in the background. The only thing real and solid was Falk, and his touch.

  It only came back when Falk carefully set me down in a room. I blinked. Dated carpet, faded art, a queen-sized bed. Motel.

  Falk put down the bags, then gently guided me into the bathroom. “We need to get you cleaned up, Corrina.”

  I looked down at myself; the blood had dried and was starting to cake. My vision dimmed as I nodded. The world began to spin.

  He closed the toilet lid and had me sit down. “Put your head between your knees.” I did as he said; it didn’t matter anyway. I took deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. I kept my gaze on the vinyl floor. I didn’t have a choice…

  When I was able, I sat up.

  Falk crouched in front of me, his frown back. His brow drawn. “You need to take a shower and check your wounds. Can you do that?”

  I nodded. The doubt was there in his gaze before he reached up and carefully took my hearing aids out. They whistled before he opened the battery compartment. That gaze ran over me one more time before he got to his feet and left the bathroom. Falk hesitated before shutting the door.

  My hands shook as I pulled off the blood-soaked clothes. Even my underwear was covered. Fucking shit… I took deep breaths again as I leaned against the sink.

  When I was naked, I limped to the shower and started the water. Changed the temp and pulled the knob. I got in, closed the curtain, and began to scrub. I scrubbed until my skin turned pink. I found every bump, every scrape with the washcloth. The road rash on my stomach was particularly stinging. Eventually, the water ran clear. The world spun again. My legs shook. I sat down under the spray, holding my knees to my chest. As long as I stayed in here, I didn’t have to face it. It could stay hidden away. Not yet. Please…just not yet. Blood still dripped from my calf. I watched in macabre fascination as it dropped into water, then swirled down the drain in a streak. One. Two. Three.

  The water shut off. I lifted my head only enough to see Falk. As he pulled back the curtain, I vaguely noticed he was shirtless and had several new, large bandages covering his chest and arms. He draped a towel over my knees and arms. He wrapped another around my shoulders, covering me. Falk knelt by the tub and wiped my face with a hand towel, getting my attention again. His face was serious as he grabbed a smaller towel and began to soak up the water from my hair. I watched him in silence as he carefully dried each section and finger-combed some of the knots out.

  I slowly reached up and touched the edge of one of the bandages on his chest. He go
t hurt. I didn’t like it. His face softened along the edges. When he finished, he got to his feet and reached a hand down to me. I met those eyes again. He waited with his hand out. As if he’d wait there forever if that’s what it took.

  If I left the shower…if I left the bathroom, it’d be real. It couldn’t be this ridiculous dream I had. I swallowed hard, took his hand, and held the large towel to my chest. Falk lifted me to my feet. He kept my hand as I stepped out of the tub. I clutched the towel to me. My fingers were clumsy as they brushed his. Warmth tingled along the tips, but nothing else. Both of us were being extremely careful to stay out of the other’s mind. He pointed at the closed lid. I sat down. He left the bathroom and came back with his first aid stuff.

  I watched without really seeing as he held my calf and examined the bite wound. Four deep punctures were in the muscle of my leg. The edges were torn and spread out. It was still dripping crimson to the tile. One. Two. Three. Falk began to clean it. When the burn of antiseptic came, I welcomed it. Falk wrapped it, glancing up at me every now and then before proceeding to examine the rest of me. When he found a cut, he cleaned it. When he found a bruise, he clenched his jaw so hard I could practically hear his teeth crack. When he touched my wrist, I jumped and took in a quick breath of air. He examined my wrist, watching me as he moved it. Soon, he stopped. I simply sat there and felt his touch.

  He slipped a finger under my chin and lifted until I met his gaze. His question clear.

  I blinked several times, then nodded. He squeezed my fingers before he left me in the bathroom. My bloody and ruined clothes were gone. On the counter was a clean set of clothes. Falk… He thought of everything. I dried off and pulled on the black boy short underwear and enormous black shirt that smelled like him. But no pants. It didn’t matter. The damn thing reached my mid-thigh.

  When I was done, I stepped out of the bathroom and into the room. Falk was sitting on the corner of the bed holding a bottle of clear liquor. Without a word I limped up to him and took the mostly full bottle from him. I took a deep drink that left me coughing; it burned all the way down. I sat in one of the chairs near the corner of the bed. He got to his feet and opened a plastic bag. He set a plastic-wrapped sandwich in front of me.