by ID Johnson
“You need to go,” she heard him say as she turned back to Drew. Panic was starting to set in. She noticed that there was no longer a torso next to Drew but didn’t allow herself to contemplate where it might have gone, or, for that matter, how she had just managed to pull the head off of a vampire. She decided to start CPR and began clearing Drew’s airway.
“You really don’t have much time,” he said, taking a step forward.
Cadence began blowing into Drew’s mouth, trying to remember how many counts of each she was supposed to perform when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She began to pump Drew’s chest, his hand still there and clearly in her way. “I have to safe her,” she said as calmly as she could muster.
“If you don’t go now, we might not be able to help you.”
Cadence continued to pound, oblivious to the urgency in his tranquil voice.
The hand on her shoulder suddenly became much more firm and she was being pulled to her feet. He spun her around to face him. “Cadence, Drew is gone. You must go now!”
Just then, the sound of branches breaking and heavy breathing drew her attention away from those intense blue eyes and back to reality. She braced herself, afraid that it might be more vampires, but it was not. Jack and Kash came tearing through the trees, clearly out of breath and exhausted from attempting to keep up with Cadence.
“Cadence!” Jack exclaimed. He looked relieved at first until he saw Drew lying on the ground. Then, his expression changed from joy to overwhelming grief. Kash was standing nearby, his eyes locked on Drew, stunned.
Suddenly, the instinct from Cadence’s dream kicked in and she had an overpowering understanding that they all needed to get away from there immediately. She did not know the relationship between the dark man and the redheaded woman but she was quite certain that, once the redheaded woman realized what she had done, there would be hell to pay.
“We have no time,” she said calmly to her friends. “We have to get out of here. Now.”
“What about Drew?” Jack asked. Kash was still not moving but Cadence could clearly see the tears streaming down his face.
Cadence glanced back at the man in black. He nodded.
“Bring her.”
***
There had been plenty of chatter on the Intelligence Assistance Communicator, or IAC, recently so it was no surprise to Aaron to see Cadence and her friend arrive at the Eidolon Festival. He believed he had brought enough of his team with him to sufficiently cover anything that might arise, although he was hopeful that Holland and her clan would be particularly careful considering who Cadence was and how obligated he was to provide her with unconditional protection. He was however, extremely surprised to see Carter pull such a bold move and whisk one of Cadence’s friends away like that. He should have known she would not be permitted. Nevertheless, he took her and that livened things up beyond a typical peacekeeping operation.
As soon as Drew had danced her way in to the parade, he began organizing his team, calling in back up immediately. He knew from his vast experience that this would most likely activate Cadence enough that she would track Carter down. He was thankful she had sent most of her friends back to the car because it made it easier to protect them and gave him less subjects to worry about inside the perimeter.
Rather than attempting to trail Cadence through the woods, he used the IAC infrared to track her and reach the destination simultaneously. If necessary, he was ready to step in on her behalf, but clearly she needed no help defeating Carter, which was a shocking testimony to her strength and power. Now, as she began to realize what was happening around her and attempt to escape, his role became even more difficult. On the other side of those trees, a legion of vampires was just realizing what had happened here and they would all be willing to do whatever it took to bring her down.
Using the IAC, he was able to communicate to his team without speaking aloud. Therefore, Cadence and her friends had no idea the magnitude of the operation unfolding around her. His primary objective was to get Cadence, Jack and Kash home with no harm befalling any of them. However, she was his main concern and if that meant losing someone else along the way, so be it.
“Eliza, Jamie, Elliott, pick up on the other side of these trees. As soon as they’re clear, I need to hear some engines.” The orders were clear and he knew his team would respond appropriately.
Jack scooped Drew’s limp body up and Cadence began to lead them out of the woods. Her instincts started to kick in, and she knew exactly where she was going. However, she was also well aware of the fact that her friends were not keeping up with her. She did her best to keep pace with them, wondering why they were running so slowly. The man in black did not follow them. Conversely, as they wound their way through the woods, they were suddenly surrounded by a group of similarly dressed persons and Cadence realized they were being escorted.
Approaching the edge of the woods, she could plainly hear the music from the band. She could see that the dancers continued. If any of those individuals happened to be vampires, and somehow she seemed to know which ones were, they were presently unaware that she had just destroyed one of their own. While it seemed more reasonable to slowly walk out of the woods and nonchalantly exit the festival, hoping no one noticed the body Jack was carrying, every fiber of her being was telling her to run, sprint, fly out of that place as quickly as possible. It was all she could do to slow down enough for her friends to keep up.
Suddenly, there was a loud rumble drowning out the music and causing the entire back section of dancers to pause mid-step. As if materializing out of nowhere, three jet-black motorcycles came screeching out of the night, flying towards them. Jack and Kash jumped back into the woods, clearly a bit alarmed, but Cadence could plainly see they were there to help. The drivers were dressed in black.
They motioned impatiently for the three friends to get on. While it was extremely difficult for Jack to keep ahold of Drew and still hold on to the back of the rider, he managed by throwing her small body over his shoulder, despite the unbelievable speed they began to travel. Cadence held on as tightly as she could and she realized she was actually traveling more quickly than the other two bikes.
The motorcycles seemed to be a tip to the vampires that something had happened, and it did not take long for the redheaded woman to show her pale white face. Cadence was concentrating on watching where they were going, unsure exactly how her driver was managing to weave through some of the tight spots they were passing through. However, a blood-curdling scream pierced the night sky, causing her ears to ring, and she knew without even turning her head that this must be the redheaded woman. She squeezed the waist of her driver more tightly and he somehow found a way to make the bike go even faster.
Eliza was struggling to balance the bike and maintain her speed with Jack and Drew’s body behind her. In fact, she almost wrecked twice just navigating the tents. She could see that Elliott had almost made it to the suburban with Kash before she had even exited the grounds and Jamie was long gone with Cadence. “I’m struggling!” she called in to Aaron to let him know she was going to need some assistance. Just as she made the call, Holland and her band of cronies began to ascend on her. She didn’t know how she was going to get Jack out of this alive.
Aaron was aware of the situation, and he was attempting to come up with some way to assist Eliza. He had not planned for Drew’s body being extracted when he had made the plans to use motorcycles. However, he knew it was important to Cadence, and he thought they could do it. Now, with a clan of vampires closing in on Jack’s tail, the idea didn’t seem like such a great one.
Holland’s anger had made her strength grow immeasurably, and now with each leap she took closer to Eliza, it appeared as if she was flying. Aaron knew he needed to find a way to slow her down. He had been coordinating his team from a point so far away from where she had been located that he didn’t know if it was possible to catch up to her now. However, he was also fueled by emotion and was capable of moving even
more quickly than she was.
Jack was terrified. He almost could not fathom what was happening around him, not to mention that he was holding the body of a dear friend. He could see what appeared to be vampires swooping in on them from all directions. He thought that, if he left Drew behind, perhaps they would have a better chance of escaping, but he couldn’t consider leaving her, especially not when he knew how much she meant to Kash and Cadence.
As they were exiting the fair grounds, the bike hesitated just a second. Jack felt an icy cold flick on his shoulder. He glanced down to see that his jacket was torn. He saw no blood so he assumed he had not been injured, but with all of the adrenaline coursing through his veins, it was difficult to tell. However, he knew that, if this driver didn’t find a way to speed this bike up, the next time he would not be so lucky.
Jack glanced back over his shoulder, though his instinct told him it wasn’t a good idea to do so. He realized whatever it was he had felt on his shoulder it originated with none other than the redheaded woman from the parade. But now, she looked different. Her face was contorted, her teeth exposed, sharp white daggers protruding from her jaw. Perhaps what was most unsettling is the fact that she appeared to be flying! She was hovering above him now and he was fairly certain that she would reach out and pluck him from the back of the motorcycle with little effort at all.
Just as Jack was coming to this conclusion, a jarring force knocked her off balance, sending her flying to her right, tumbling on the ground. Jack thought he heard a squeal of delight from his driver as she pushed the gas a bit harder and the suburban began to come into view.
Aaron had flung himself into Holland with as much force as he could muster. It was enough to throw her a good twenty feet into the air and clear Eliza’s bike from Holland’s clutches. The rest of her clan was far enough behind that his team would be able to come in from the parking lot and intercept them with no problem. Holland had been the imminent danger, and now she was picking herself up off of the ground.
He could tell from the glare in her eyes that she wanted to return the blow but she was set on one goal, find the brown haired girl and make her pay. Still, as she gathered herself back up, she looked at Aaron and spat, “You shouldn’t have done that!”
He disagreed. “You broke the rules and you’re in pursuit of a Hunter. I can do whatever it takes.”
She hissed at him as she leaped off, knowing the girl was long gone, but hoping she might at least catch up to her friends.
Holland’s forces sprinted around Aaron as he paused to observe what was happening with his line in the parking lot.
As Elliott, one of the motorcyclists, reached the suburban, he gave Kash clear instructions. “Start the car. As soon as Jack gets here, drive and do not stop until you reach Shenandoah Medical Center.” Kash nodded, his mind numb, his body simply reacting at this point.
Eliza pulled the bike to a stop next to the suburban. Elliott helped Jack get Drew in o the vehicle and loaded. Taylor and Sidney were already whimpering when they realized their friends were being chased back to the suburban, however, upon seeing Drew’s body, they began to cry even more. Just before shutting the door, Elliott reached in, pocketknife in hand, and slashed the side of Drew’s throat, turning the puncture wounds into a stab wound, at least on the surface.
“What are you doing?” Jack yelled. “You’ll kill her!”
Elliott did not reply. He simply, patted Jack on the shoulder before slamming the suburban door shut and signaling for Kash to drive. Though Jack had carried her for what seemed like hours on the back of the motorcycle, he had been hopeful that getting Drew to a hospital would allow her to be saved. Reality began to set in when he realized there was nothing dripping from the fresh stab wound.
Chapter Three
The trip back to Shenandoah would have typically taken about forty minutes but Jamie was flying and Cadence found herself winding through her own neighborhood in just under twenty minutes. Though she was happy to have the speed of the bike, at this point, she really wished she had been in a car with this person so that she could ask him some questions. The more she thought about all that had just happened, the more surreal it became. By the time she reached her house she was quite certain she had lost her mind entirely.
And yet she knew she had not. As Jamie pulled the bike to a stop on the street in front of her house, Cadence began to realize just how cold she was. She also wondered where her friends had gone. She was extremely concerned that they had not all made it out alive. At the same time, she had the ridiculous concern that she mustn’t wake her parents, lest she get in trouble for being out too late.
Cadence stepped off of the bike as Jamie was putting the kickstand down. She had so many questions to ask him, but she didn’t know where to begin. As he climbed off of the bike and removed his helmet, the only thing she could think to say was, “What the hell?”
Jamie suppressed the urge to laugh at her frustration though it was a bit comical considering the circumstances. “It’s okay,” he said, hanging his helmet on the bike and walking around to the sidewalk. Cadence followed, her palms pressed against her forehead. “We’ll explain everything.”
Cadence stared at him for a moment. He was a bit shorter than her, even though the frosted tips of his sweeping haircut came to a sharp steep above his forehead. He wasn’t particularly attractive, but he had very kind eyes and Cadence felt a bit of comfort just by staring into them for a moment. However, she did not forget all that had just happened and she desperately wanted some answers. “Who are you?” she asked, followed quickly by, “Were those vampires? Am I a vampire? Are my friends alright?”
Jamie motioned with his hands as if he were calming a raging sea. “Slow down, Cadence. There’s plenty of time to explain. You’re perfectly safe now.” As he said those words, he glanced up and Cadence followed his eyes. She could clearly see the forms of the same black clad figures who had protected her at the festival on the roof tops of her own home and her neighbors. Though she still felt uneasy, her fear began to lessen.
“My name is Jamie,” he began to explain. “Yes, your friends are all fine. Well, except for Drew,” he added looking at the ground. Cadence sighed, unable to accept that information right now. “Yes, those were Vampires and no, you’re not a Vampire. Listen, Eliza is on her way here. You need to go inside and pack a bag. She will take you somewhere where you will find out everything you need to know, okay?”
Raising one eyebrow in skepticism, Cadence stared at him, still not able to grasp that any of this was really happening. “Go in and pack a bag and leave in the middle of the night? Without talking to my parents or my sister? Or letting my friends know that I’m okay? I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
The sound of a motorcycle approaching distracted them both momentarily. “Cadence, “ Jamie said, taking her by the arm and leading her toward the house, “there’s no reason for you to explain to your parents. That will be taken care of. Your friends will have an alternate memory of what has transpired. Soon, all of your questions will be answered. Now, I have my orders, and you have yours. Are we clear?” His tone was calm, reassuring, and firm.
Though she was shaking her head “no” Cadence approached her house, took her keys out of her pocket, unlocked the door, and walked inside. Careful not to make any excessive noise, she quietly crept up the stairs. She was fairly certain she heard both a motorcycle in front of the house and movement on the roof.
She tiptoed past her sister Cassidy’s room and gently turned the knob on her bedroom door. Reaching inside, she flipped on the light and stepped in, removing her coat as she did so. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a form across the room. Stifling a scream, she turned, terrified the redheaded woman had beaten her back to her room. Somehow he had managed to cross the room in the same amount of time it took her to put her own hand on her mouth, and his was resting on top of hers. “Shhh,” Aaron said. “There’s no reason to wake your family.”
“No reason?�
� Cadence whispered, shoving his hand off of her mouth. “As if being chased by vampires, losing Drew, and having no idea where my friends are wasn’t enough, now I have some creepy guy showing up in my bedroom!”
Aaron pushed the door closed and crossed back across the room at a normal pace. “Creepy?” he mumbled almost to himself.
“I didn’t . . . .” Cadence started to explain but she didn’t have any words left to do so. “I’m sorry,” she started.
“No, that’s okay, it doesn’t matter,” he said as if he could not care less what she thought. “Listen, there’s some things you need to know right away, and there’s some things that you will find out when you need to know them, alright?”
She was still leaning against the wall near the door, her exhausted body toying with the idea of giving up. She said nothing, only nodded slowly. He did not seem like the type of person one would argue with, assuming he was, in fact, a person.
“Jamie told you Eliza will be removing you, that’s true. You’ll need a bag. You’ll be gone for a few days. While you are away my team will have your home and your friends’ homes under surveillance. The next time you see your friends, they will not remember these events exactly as you do, and you should just accept their understanding as reality.” He was pacing as he was talking and Cadence’s weary eyes were having trouble keeping up with him despite his intentional monitoring of his pace.
