by Sophia Sharp
“We need to get rid of your belongings.”
“Why?”
“The men tracking us. They’re like me, and once they have your scent, they can track you forever. Getting rid of your belongings might make it harder for them to do it.”
“Is that how they knew we left the school?”
“Yes, I think. The man you saw – he knew your scent from the dream. Thankfully, amidst all the other students, you were hard to pick out. Otherwise he would have come for you right in the classroom.”
“Even with all of the other students and teachers around?”
A sad, knowing smile briefly crossed his face. “It wouldn’t have mattered.”
Nora shivered. She didn’t want to imagine what would have happened then.
“We have to change you out of those clothes as soon as possible. It might help us get a lead on them. But you have to understand, Nora, they’re like hounds. No matter where we go, they’ll only be a single step behind. If we ever stop, if we ever rest for longer than is absolutely necessary, they’ll catch us.”
“Let’s go to the police,” she said suddenly. “They can help us.”
Hunter laughed bitterly. “The police? They can’t do anything.”
“Why not?”
“The men after us are Vassiz,” Hunter emphasized. “Nothing will stop them. If we go to the police, they’ll just tear right through them before getting to us. The only thing to do is run and never look back.”
“And then what?” Nora turned away and watched the shadows waver across the wall. “Do you expect to just run forever?”
“You haven’t seen what they can do,” he said quietly. “You have no idea what they’re capable of. If we run, we have a chance to get away. If we’re smart, we might be able to lose them before they reach us. But it won’t be easy.”
“You can fight them!” she blurted out, turning back to him quickly. “I saw you fight four guys at once like it was nothing!”
He laughed again, cruelly this time. “Nora, you have no idea what they’re capable of. I fought when there was little at stake, against four children. The two men behind us – they’re bounty hunters. They’re my kind. And when they fight, they fight to kill.”
Nora had to get her head straight. She had to think. They were both in danger, and the least she could do was try to understand what she was facing.
“You mentioned weaknesses earlier. Of your race. Maybe we can use that to our advantage. What are you bad at, compared to humans?”
Hunter sighed. “Not much that would be helpful in this case. Our vision in the sun is the main thing. Things become hazy in direct sunlight. Glare, when the light reflects off glass, nearly blinds us. And these woods might give us a slight advantage, as well. The air is dense here, and your scent is harder to pick out. It might make it—” Hunter cut off with a strangled sound, and in an instant, he was at the door. “They’re coming,” he hissed back over his shoulder.
“What? Already? You said we’d have until nightfall!”
“I was wrong.” He shut the door quickly and rushed to the opposite wall. “You need to hide.” He pulled back a board to reveal a small cubby in the wall. “Quickly!”
Nora ran over without arguing.
“Get in,” he told her, “and don’t make a sound.” Nora nodded. Her pulse raced, and a jolt of adrenaline kicked through her. A mixture of fear and dread came over her as she pushed herself into the wall. There wasn’t much space, and splinters and rough pieces of wood pierced her skin and got caught on her clothing. She wedged herself farther in, and Hunter replaced the board.
Light scattered in from cracks along the wall. Nora pressed an eye to one of them to peer out. She could see the entire space between her and the entrance door. Hunter stood with his back to her, facing the door. His feet were wide in a predatory stance.
Anxious minutes passed. Only Nora’s ragged breaths broke the silence, and they sounded loud as hammers to her ears.
Slowly, the door started to move. Hunter tensed. It creaked all the way open, and a tall figure stepped into the entrance. Nora’s breath caught. It was the same man from the dream, the same one she saw at the school.
“Where’s your friend?” the man asked Hunter crudely. He spoke with a harsh accent.
If it were possible, Hunter tensed even more. The man took a step forward. He wore the same long coat from before, the same dark hat. He and Hunter were approximately the same height. Leisurely, he started to take off his coat. Hunter still hadn’t moved.
The man dropped his coat in a pile at his side, and Nora saw that he was much thicker than Hunter. Bigger, more developed.
Stronger?
“Don’t try to hide her. I can smell her stench from here. I know she is with you.”
“You will not have her.” Hunter’s voice held a steely edge.
The man laughed in reply. “Oh? Is that so? Or what, you’re going to stop me?” He laughed again. “You are a youngling, only a child, and you have broken the ancient creed by bringing her into our world. You will answer for your crime, as will she.”
“You will not have her,” Hunter repeated, his voice filled with the same deathly calm as when he’d confronted Brady.
Only this time, it seemed there was so much more at stake.
The man waved dismissively and took a step toward Hunter. “You cannot stop me,” he said. “And I don’t intend to take only her. You’ll be coming along, as well.”
“No,” Hunter growled.
“Oh, yes, I will take you both.” The man stood only a pace away from Hunter, now. “You cannot imagine what they will do to you. You will be bound in chains, locked away to never again see the dark of night, feel the cool rays of the moon. You will grow weak and feeble, forever barred from taking blood. You will not be fed, and you will never feed again.
“Your body will go first. Your muscles will wither away to nothingness, and your bones will crumble. You will become a mere shadow of what you once were. A shadow of what you could have been.
“But they will keep your mind sharp. Make no mistake, you will know you are suffering. An antidote will be administered, and it will stave off the madness that accompanies your feeding deprivation. You will languish in misery, forever conscious of your mistake. That will be your sentence. That, until the end of time.”
The man took one last step, until he was nose-to-nose with Hunter. And he spoke just loudly enough for Nora to hear. “But that pales in comparison to what they will do to her.”
Hunter snarled.
“Yes, her. Your precious human.” He spat the word. Then he raised his voice. “I know you are here, my darling. Listen well to what I have to say.” Then he returned his attention to Hunter. “She will suffer for your sin. A human mind and body is much weaker than that of the Vassiz, and for that reason…she will be converted. And sentenced to suffer eternally alongside you.
“You know of the savage bloodlust that overtakes a new member of the Vassiz, do you not? Oh, but I think you do. You were once one of them, were you not? You were born a human.” Again, he spat the word. “A despicable thing. A despicable creature to risk so much for, wouldn’t you say?”
Hunter didn’t say a word, and the man continued. “I will give you one chance. One chance now, to repent. Give her up freely, and the punishment for your treason will be less severe. You will be bound for one century, before your freedom is returned.” He put a hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “You know you cannot win. Is she worth an eternity in hell?”
Nora caught a furtive movement at the door. The other hunter. “No!” she screamed. It was a trap.
On Nora’s cry, both newcomers looked in her direction. Hunter curled back from the man’s hand and smashed an elbow into his face. The thick man stumbled back.
Then he laughed cruelly and flung himself at Hunter. They both went down hard.
The other bounty hunter walked toward her from the door. He ignored Hunter and his friend completely. He stared right at he
r as he walked ever so slowly, taking his sweet time.
She was trapped, and she knew it. She had to get out. She edged toward the exit, and she could see through the cracks as the creature watching her stopped. He had a crude smile on his face, and his eyes followed her movement. He just stood there, waiting. He knew where she was and where she would go.
She heard a shout. Hunter’s shout. It was a cry of pain. She couldn’t see him, couldn’t see what happened. She flung herself at the board, crashed through to the other side, and found Hunter lying lifelessly on the floor.
“No!” She screamed and scrambled to get to him, to help him up, to do anything. But the monster who had been watching her moved impossibly fast. He grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her close.
“I don’t think so, girlie.” His hot, fetid breath poured over her face. “You’re not going anywhere but with us.”
“Let go of me!” Nora struggled against his grip. But his fingers around her arm didn’t budge. “Hunter! Hunter!”
He struggled to get up, and managed to reach his knees, before collapsing back down as a boot landed hard on his spine.
“Stop!” She tried desperately to get away, struggling against the grip on her arm. She squirmed and screamed, but the creature’s hand was an iron chain. He lifted her and easily slung her over his shoulder. He carried her effortlessly out into the forest.
“Hunter!” Tears streamed down Nora’s face. She frantically wanted to help, to run back in and pull him to his feet. But she couldn’t do anything. She was absolutely helpless. She hit her captor’s back as hard as she could with her fists, but it was like hitting a rock. It didn’t even faze him.
Abruptly, she flew through the air. She hit the ground with a grunt and looked around wildly. She had been thrown off! The monster who carried her stood over her, smiling sweetly.
“Don’t fall behind,” he told her. “I don’t intend to carry you the entire way, but if you run, I will catch you. And next time, I will hurt you. So don’t tempt me.” He turned away, as if that were all the instructions she needed, and started to make his way deeper into the woods.
Nora looked back at the mill. She contemplated running back, trying to help Hunter. The Vassiz bounty hunter continued to walk away, farther from her. She could make a run for it…but then she remembered how fast he’d been after she crashed out of the cubby. She remembered how strong his grip was. He would be on her in seconds.
And this time, he would not be gentle.
A strangled cry surged from her throat, and she tore her eyes away from the mill. She followed her captor.
Chapter Fifteen
~An Unknown Strength~
Nora followed the man for what seemed like hours. She rubbed her arm where her captor had grabbed her. A bruise had already started to develop, and the spot was tender to the touch. Her feet hurt from traversing the uneven forest ground. She had been forced to climb over logs, over fallen trees, push through thick bushes – all while following the bounty hunter. He had no trouble with any of it, obviously, but slowed his pace just enough so she could keep up.
“Where are you taking me?” she tried, for what must have been the thousandth time. But, as usual, there was no reply. It was an uneasy feeling, being so helpless and so trapped. She was a prisoner with no chains.
Then, a blur of motion caught her eye. And the next thing she knew, the man in front of her was down on the ground. Somebody stood over him, looking away. Hunter?
She rushed over. It was him! With a cry of joy, she jumped up to embrace him, but he didn’t reciprocate. He just stood there, arms at his sides, breathing heavily.
“Hunter?” She looked at his face. He was unnaturally calm. “Hunter, what happened? How did you get here?”
“I took his blood,” he said distantly.
“Took who’s blood?” Nora was too overjoyed to think straight. “What are you talking about?”
“The bounty hunter I fought in the mill. He looked away, and I jumped him. I sank my teeth deep into his flesh. He cried out, Nora. A cry I would never have thought a Vassiz could make. It was a sound of pure agony, of anguish and torture. It was my only chance, and I…I took it.
“It is prohibited by the most ancient laws. Cannibalism. It goes against all the rules of our race. It goes against our very being. None have done it for thousands of years, if ever. But I did…and it gave me strength. Strength like I have never imagined. My senses increased tenfold, my agility even more. A rage overtook me, and I felt an animal, more so than ever before. Taking Vassiz blood…” He shuddered. “It is nothing like taking human blood. Human blood is but a pale impression of it.”
Nora gaped. “Is it…safe?” she asked. “Safe for you, I mean?”
“I don’t know. I’ve heard legends, but those are rooted in myth as much as truth. I have never heard of anyone doing it once our race became civilized. I don’t think any of my kind has even thought of doing it. It is a heinous crime.”
Nora abruptly realized Hunter had not moved once since she hugged him. Instead, he stared at the body at his feet. Nora looked up to find his eyes ablaze with intensity.
She moved back, and it seemed to break him out of his trance. For the first time, he met her gaze, and a small smile spread across his face. “A heinous crime, but it keeps you safe. That’s all that matters.”
“Did you…kill him?” She lifted her chin toward her captor.
“No. The Vassiz are surprisingly hard to kill. Back there, in the mill, might be the first casualty of our race in generations. I could kill this one, though, if I fed. But if I did that, I don’t know if I could contain myself around you.”
Nora gulped nervously, and Hunter laughed. “Don’t worry.” He brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen into her face. “I wouldn’t do anything to risk you.”
She gulped nervously again. But this time, it was a different type of nervousness. She felt a little lightheaded, and cleared her throat. “So what happens now?”
“We run. We get as far away as we can. We can’t make contact with anybody. Hopefully, we can escape the others.”
“Others?”
“More are coming. I think these two were only scouts. Once they realize what I’ve done, they’ll put the entire militia after us.”
“The militia? How many are there?”
“Vassiz live in separate packs all over the world. We don’t communicate with one another much, outside the pack. But… I know there are five packs near us, on the west coast. Some are hidden, out in the wilderness, and others live amid humans in the city. I fear we’ll soon have all five packs after us.”
“How many…members…is that?”
“Maybe twenty-five, thirty total. Once the elders hear of the scouts’ failure, they’ll recruit them all.”
Thirty Vassiz. All coming after her. For the first time, true terror ripped through her. She had seen what only two could do. “But you said Vassiz don’t communicate outside their pack. How are they going to be recruited?”
“We communicate through the dream realm,” he said, “in times of great need.”
“You said they can track us by my scent. How are we ever going to get away?”
“Our only chance is to run as far as we can, as fast as we can. That’s our only escape. We can’t face them.” Then he looked down at the body and nudged it with his foot. “Anyway, this guy is going to be out for a while, so we’ll be able to get a bit of a lead. But we can’t take my car.”
“Why not?”
“It has your scent. We have to go by foot.” He paused, thinking. “Do you have your cell phone still?”
“Yes, it’s right here in my pocket.” Nora pulled it out.
“Give it to me. I don’t know how well these packs are integrated within human society, but I don’t doubt one of them will have the connections to track our location by that.”
Nora dropped the phone into his hand. Giving it away felt symbolic of starting her new life. Hunter reached back as if
he were about to throw the phone far into the distance, but then he stopped himself.
“Actually, I have a better idea.” He put the phone into his own pocket, and knelt down to hoist the unconscious bounty hunter onto his back. “Wait here. I’ll be back.” Before Nora could blink, he was gone, an indistinctive blur racing away through the woods.
Nora sat down on a stump to wait. Fear tore through her. What if he didn’t come back? Were more of those things close by? She pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest. She allowed her gaze to search the forest in an effort to see if anyone was coming for her.
It was no use. She couldn’t watch everywhere at once.
Hunter finally emerged from the woods cradling a small bundle carefully in his hands.
“Where did you go?” she asked, when he came close enough.
“Back to the mill. I remembered something hidden there, long ago.” He nodded to the bundle. “I also brought our friend there and tied him up. He’ll be able to get out, eventually, but it gives us even more of a head start.”
“That’s good,” she said. “What’s in the parcel?”
“It’s for you.” He lowered it into her arms. It wasn’t heavy, and it felt soft in her hands. Like fabric, or cloth.
“What is it?” She looked up at him.
“Open it and you’ll see.”
Slowly, she unwrapped the string that held it together and pulled aside the brown paper flaps. Inside, she found a carefully folded piece of dark fabric. She held it up and let it fall to reveal its shape. It was a beautiful black dress, delicately decorated with silk lace at the neck and hem-lines. The bodice had an elaborate pattern of flowers and shapes sewn into it that curved around the back.
“It’s beautiful,” Nora breathed. “But why did you give it to me?”
“It’s your size, I think. You should put it on. It’ll help us significantly with the tracking if we leave your old clothes behind. It might be uncomfortable to run in, sure, but…” he shrugged uncertainly, “…but I think it’ll help us get away.”
“You really want me to wear this?” Nora had never even seen a dress as exquisite as this one, much less worn one.
