She snorted and rolled her eyes, “It was towed and with being hospitalized and attacked by a crazy naked guy, I haven’t had time to pick it up.” She shook her head in disgust while she pulled the wool collar of her jacket up around her neck.
He pointed at a large mountain of snow that had been plowed into the corner of her driveway, “Then we will have to take that.” She looked at the snow, then back at him. Was he serious? Was there a car behind the mountain of snow in her driveway?
A hysterical bubble of laughter burst from her. “You’re joking, right?” Covering her mouth, she looked at him in disbelief, her laugh abrupt. The absurdity of it all was overwhelming as tears began to fall down her cheeks. He was certifiably insane and she was screwed. How was she going to get out of this? Who knows where he would take her if she got into a car with him. She knew she was screwed.
“We’re going to drive a pile of snow somewhere. Snow. That’s what you are pointing at, right? I don’t see anything else but snow. “The pitch of her voice heightened to an almost panicked state.
“Are you sure you only see snow?” His question was mocking as he cocked his head to the side, and stepped towards her. Glaring at him as he grabbed her upper arm, Evie shook her head in irritation as she looked at the snow pile again.
She was stunned.
A blacked out SUV with its engine humming sat idling where the snow was previously located. Evie gaped at the spot, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and disbelief causing her to shake her head in denial, her snow dampened curls sprinkling icy specks onto her face.
“That’s not possible,” the whispered refusal to believe what she was seeing escaped her.
“It isn‘t possible because you didn‘t see it?” He cocked his head with shrewd regard. “How very narrow-minded of you. Let‘s go,” he commanded, pulling her none too gently by her arm as he dragged her to the vehicle.
She stumbled along, weak attempts at pulling away from him failing, like a child being led away from the toy aisle in a store. “I don’t understand what’s happening,” she said in confusion. Could she be sleeping? Was she in the throes of a bad dream? Maybe she was still in the hospital.
‘You’re not still in the hospital and you’re not sleeping,” he said, confirming her silent questions as he pulled open the door and pushed her into the passenger seat. Leaning one hand on the roof, he leaned into her, his eyes glaring for a moment. She leaned away, her hands instinctively rising to defend herself if needed.
“You need to understand that what I tell you is the truth.” searching her eyes he added, “you have to trust me right now,” a command, not a question. Evie gave a noncommittal shrug as he pulled his hand away and attempted to close the door, pausing as a light brightened the sky, followed by a distant boom.
“Fuck!” he blurted out, his eyes wide as he looked in the direction of the sound as he slammed the door closed. With abnormal speed, he was in the driver’s seat and throwing the shifter into reverse.
Evie jumped at his outburst and unnatural speed to the driver’s side, “What was that? How did you just get into the car so fast?” Her alarm spiked as she attempted to pull the seatbelt on, her tremulous hands fumbling, unable to hold onto it.
“It looks like I am not the only one who was sent to retrieve you.” His calm explanation contradicted by his clenched teeth. Alarming fury emanated from him as he pulled onto her street with too much speed and not enough caution.
“What do you mean ‘retrieve’ me? What am I wanted for and by whom? What the fuck is going on?” Her chest tight, she pressed her palm against her heart, its erratic beat pounding in her head. This can’t be happening. She leaned forward and pressed her hands to the dashboard, her stomach beginning to pitch and turn as the seatbelt bit into her neck.
As he sped onto the highway, almost flipping the SUV, he merged with oncoming traffic, “You are not who or what you think you are.” He Slowed down to about eighty miles per hour and looked into the rearview mirror. A look of unease crossed his features as he glanced at her before he schooled his face into impassivity.
“I’m pretty sure I know who I am, so you can elaborate on that statement.” Speaking through clenched teeth she focused on breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth as she tried to calm her rising panic and to keep from vomiting all over the car. She closed her eyes to collect her thoughts. I have to get away from him. If I jump from the car, I would be killed at the speed he is driving. Biting her lip in frustration, she opened her eyes, dumbfounded to find the highway empty as the streetlights gradually dimmed as they passed each one. This can’t be real. It’s a nightmare. That’s it, she was stuck in a dream state, or maybe, she was having a nervous breakdown.
“You dream of airlessness in mountains you think you have never seen and of colors of ever changing hues. You know there is purpose, you see and feel infinite threads making up the water color landscape in your mind.” His profile difficult to make out in the darkness, his voice was a resonant, staccato that chilled her. She quaked as goose bumps erupted on her skin. She gripped the door handle, the urge to flee strong.
His hand shot out and he gripped her wrist, his eyes never wavering from the blackened stretch of highway, he continued his eerie tirade, “darkness comes, causing the colors to dim and run together. You know something is about to happen but you awaken to the always present question: why does the dream never progress? What am I waiting for?” Her stomach heaved as she fumbled for the button to put the window down. Poking her head out of the window, she breathed the frigid air in, relieving the nausea.
She leaned back and gasped. “Let me go,” her feeble plea falling on deaf ears.
“You know what I say is true. You cannot deny it, and you know that you will not.” The last he said almost to himself as the highway’s lights continued to dim as they passed them. She pushed the button, closing the window. Gingerly turning her head, she looked out of the rearview window to find that the freeway was engulfed in darkness. How can this be? Where were the other cars?
“I’m not going to deny what you are saying to me,” she studied his features, “but you have to tell me who or what you think I am. Who are you, really? Don’t you think after everything I have been through in the past couple of days I deserve an answer?” Hesitantly placing her hand on his arm hoping for a bonding moment, something deep down warned her not to trust him. He is not what he seems echoed in her mind, a voice not quite her own intruded into her thoughts. Where had that thought come from? He glared down at her hand on his arm, prompting her quick removal of it. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she shuddered with a sudden inner chill that skated down her spine, watching the darkened highway ahead of them. All of this was too surreal. Through her jacket, she felt the subtle vibration of her phone. He glanced over at her and nodded his head, his focus on her jacket.
He asked in irritation, “Are you going to answer that?” She stared at him, confusion turning to realization that the vibration was coming from her cell phone.
She fumbled through her pockets, finally pulling out her phone. “It’s probably my mother checking on me.” He laughed at her as if he knew something she did not. The picture of her and her mother wearing matching sweaters at Christmas lit up and vibrated on the phone’s screen. Swiping the screen with the pad of her thumb, she answered.
Her eyes narrowed on him as she answered her phone, “Hi mom. What’s up?” She winced at the sound of her voice. She never answered her mother’s phone call like that. A few seconds of silence filled the call until her mother finally spoke.
“Is everything all right Evie? I was hoping you were resting but you sound out of breath. I hope you are not out and about right now. You need to sleep. Especially since, you just got out of the hospital. Marco was strict with his orders. You’re not even supposed to drive yet.” Thelma sounded worried and annoyed.
“I’m fine mom. Besides, I really don’t believe I’m having seizures. Marco is wrong.” Evie was annoyed with th
e ludicrous diagnosis she received in the hospital, especially in light of her current situation.
“Evie, are you with someone?” Thelma’s quiet voice sounding just a little…off.
Evie hesitated. “No, why?” Her curiosity was genuine, wondering why her mother would think it. She hadn’t had a boyfriend in over a year and worked too much to maintain any close friendships. Something she had to admit, she missed but did with intention.
“Evangeline, did you know the eyes reveal the light and darkness in a person’s soul? What color are his eyes, child?” Her voice was familiar, but yet different and resonated deeply into her head. Why would his eye color matter and why would she ask such a strange question?
She had to ask. “What?” Was all that she could get out as she pinched the bridge of her nose as a banging headache began to set in. How did she know she was with someone and that the ‘someone’ was a man? Circumstances were becoming more complicated and more mysterious by the minute.
He suddenly looked at her, his eyes a glitter of unholy, silvery light in the darkness of the SUV and dangerously off the road. Her body jerked against the door, she was unable to look away from him.
“His eyes, what color are they?” Her mother asked again, sounding more urgent than she did the first time.
Evie responded in a hoarse voice, “silver.”
Chapter 5
He hit the brakes of the vehicle, causing her body to jerk forward violently. The seatbelt prevented her from hitting the windshield, but she bit her lip, the tang of blood hitting her tongue, as she felt the bite of the belt on her neck. She knew she was going to have a serious abrasion. Wincing as she touched her mouth, confirming the tongue wound, she noticed her phone, the screen shattered, lying on the floor between her legs.
She glared at him, fuming at his abrupt and violent stop. “Are you fucking crazy? We‘re on the friggin highway, are you trying to kill us?” Her voice was shrill as fear emanated from deep within her. It wasn’t like it mattered that they were on the highway. It was deserted. She shuddered as she stared at him, trying to make a little bit of sense out of what was happening. He was looking out of the windshield, his eyes narrowing on something ahead of them in the darkness. Just as Evie was about to turn her head to look at what he was looking at, a bright and blinding light silently illuminated the sky followed by a deep vibration of the earth. Was this an earthquake? She tried to focus on what he was focusing on, unable to see, temporarily blinded by the light. Through black spots in her vision, she saw a figure glide to a stop in front of the SUV. A figure with wings. She shook her head to clear her vision, blinking her eyes in an attempt to see with sharper clarity.
Shielding her eyes with her hands, Evie stared through the searing headache she now had as the blinding light compounded the pain. She couldn’t look away; the pressure in her head was inescapable. The figure was large, like the man sitting next to her in the driver’s seat, but did not have wings. She shook her head thinking she must be hallucinating. The light began to dissipate slowly, engulfing the highway in darkness once again. No street lights, no headlights from other vehicles. In fact, there were still no other vehicles on the highway. It was deserted. Empty.
She blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the stranger outside. “Sid, do you know him? What is happening right now?” she whispered as if the person or being outside of the car could hear her through the vehicle.
She was not surprised that he did not answer her. Instead, he commanded, “Stay inside the car.” As he opened the door, he crumpled the window frame with his hand. The door came off its hinges with a crack as he stepped out of the SUV and tossed it haphazardly over the highway median. He looked over at her, lifted his hand, and waved it, palm out, in her direction. The unique lines that made up the intricate web of his palm print subtly illuminated his hand. The eerie silver light intensified until she felt a sudden pull in her chest, as if an invisible thread tugged on her heart. She tried to form words, plea to be set free, but some unseen force immobilized her.
Evie’s mouth dropped open in shock, unable to move, think, or speak. She watched the unbelievable display happening before her, as if she was in an audience at a theatre. She was frozen in place, thinking at first that the shock was holding her there until she realized she couldn’t move if she tried. Her blood began to rush a chaotic tempo through her ears.
“I found her first, so you can just flitter back to your master. You are not going to get your righteous hands on her. You’re too late.” Sid faced off against the stranger like a gunslinger would in an old western movie. They stood, roughly one hundred paces away from each other. The stranger stood shrouded in darkness in the middle lane of the empty highway. Evie tried to move her limbs, horrified that they were immobilized against her sides. Hanging open, her mouth became dry, her tongue retracting back into her throat. She tried to close her mouth, to swallow, nothing happened. She tried to blink only to find her eyes plastered open by some unseen force, her eyes drying and burning like hot coals were pressed into the sockets.
The stranger spoke, his voice deep and low, deceptively calm. “You’re going to end up killing her, Deimos.”
His name was Deimos? As if she should be surprised, that he lied about his name.
“Release her. She will not be of any use to anyone if she is catatonic or dead. I have to give you some credit; I do not know how you remained undetected for as long as you did. You know you cannot have her. She is protected, sacred.” The stranger said the last as if speaking to a child.
Sid’s body went rigid with barely leashed rage. “How dare you speak to me in such a way? As if your hierarchy allows as such. You are not above me you self-righteous ass. “ Sid’s body quaked with rage, as the air became thick and charged with malevolent energy as the sky began to churn anxious and tempestuous flurries of ice mixed with occasional bursts of lightening. “Hiding her away is wrong and you know it.” A sardonic laugh twisted Sid’s mouth. “The mighty one is worried, isn’t he? Isn’t that a joke?” He continued to laugh, bending over at the waist.
The stranger took a step forward and Sid abruptly straightened, holding his other palm up in front of him, his face suddenly impassive. He waved the stranger off, as if he was a bug. “There is no way you will get to her.” The absent-minded wave of his hand resulted in the violent thrust of the stranger’s body to the left, throwing him over the median and onto the opposite side of the highway, but his body disappeared before hitting the ground.
Evie couldn’t breath but managed a weak-coughed wheeze, a last ditch effort to pull air into her burning lungs. Her tongue began to block her airway as it fell to the back of her throat like wet sand. This can’t be happening. She was frozen in place like a marble statue. Her mind refused to comprehend what her scorched eyes witnessed. Eyes burned and singed as if hot pokers were pressed into her skull; she managed an open-mouthed wale of pain as her joints cracked as if suddenly fused together. Her rhythmic wheezes as she struggled to pull in air indicated that it wouldn‘t be long before her body gave out. Droplets of sweat slid between her breasts and down the small of her back. Sid turned and attempted to get back into the vehicle, his eyes glittering and swirling shards of gray malice, the pupils now gone as he made eye contact with her. Malevolence and pure terror shone bright and true in them and in that horrifying moment, deep down in her soul a vaguely familiar voice softly whispered that he was very, very, bad. She remembered her mother’s words from a moment ago, the eyes reveal the light and darkness in a person’s soul, and his soul was dark, chaotic, and cold.
Why hadn’t she seen it before?
A slow smile lifted his sensuous lips revealing teeth that gleamed white in the darkness when abruptly, his body jerked and his face slackened at first with disbelief, then contorted in rage.
“No!” He yelled as he reached towards her to grab her by her jacket. Her limbs suddenly loose, she began blinking and tearing involuntarily as she pulled her body close to the passenger side door. Sucki
ng in large drafts of air, she was unable to look away from him as a dark shadow loomed behind him. . He looked down in denial as a small light formed in his chest and illuminated his jacket. Hands moving towards his chest as if to grip the light, he locked his eyes with hers as the minuscule light consumed him like cracks to fine china, causing him to shatter, sending silent fireworks into the chilly sky. She shielded her eyes from the onslaught of brilliant light, its dissipation followed by inky darkness and eerie silence, leaving her alone to fend for herself against the stranger.
Evie sat in stunned silence, her thoughts racing through her mind in an unorganized pattern. Should she get out of the car? Should she run? What would be the point of running? The stranger was out there, and he obviously had powers or strength that could easily overtake her if she tried to run. She sat still, her rapid breaths creating miniature clouds in front of her face. Waiting for him to reveal himself, her shoulders were rigid and aching from dreaded anticipation. She did not have to wait for very long. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the looming shadow emerge on the passenger side door.
Panic set in as the reality of the situation warred with her good sense, so she turned and looked at the door lock and fumbled with trembling hands to try to lock the door.
She mumbled, “Shit,” as her teeth chattered in response to the cold and fear that had taken up residence in her mind over the past twenty-four hours. As if the stranger would not be able to tear the door off or just get into the drivers side since it no longer had a door at all. She stopped wide-eyed, her body startled like a wild rabbit spotted by a predator, as the door opened. Dark jeans and a black bomber jacket crowded her vision seconds before the stranger crouched down before her. Her feeble attempts to move back stalled for a moment as a gentle and warm hand reached out to her and pushed a damp black curl behind her ear. She sucked in her breath, her terror making exhalation difficult.
The Allotter:The Threads of Destiny Page 4
