Lost Soul
Page 21
Samuel snapped the other’s neck. He smiled at me in appreciation and then looked around. His eyes suddenly widened in alarm. “Valerie!” he screamed and started making his way in her direction.
I looked in the direction I had seen him disappear in, but my vision was already obscured by the fighting going on. Samuel was nowhere in sight anymore. I swore and continued fighting.
Very slowly, we made some progress as several of us used the ka-tet’s powers against our attackers. Several of Beth’s group fell, but we were able to kill some more of our assailants. Sharon was struggling against two female vampires. I saw she was in trouble and darted around another attacker in an attempt to reach her. One of the other enemy vampires saw me move and immediately tackled me. I was thrown to the hard floor, dazed. I heard her scream as I struggled to get back to my feet. The second I was up, I lunged at one of her attackers. They threw me aside as another grabbed her. There was a sickening crack as the vampire twisted her neck all the way around. Sharon slid to the floor, lifeless. I felt her death through the telepathy, it felt like a gaping hole in the ka-tet.
Her opponents slowly backed me down the hallway between the two bedrooms. I killed three more vampires there. We had obviously attracted Valentino’s attention the last few weeks and he evidently didn’t like what he saw.
I whirled to hit another vampire when I saw a female vampire knock over one of the only candles we had lit. The candle smoldered for a second and then flames licked up from the wall. She smiled wickedly at me. “London’s our territory now,” she said and then bolted down the hall in the opposite direction.
I started backtracking through the house toward the door. “Fire! We need to get out of here!” I screamed to Mary Anne, who was closest.
“Damn!” she swore and began struggling towards one of the doors.
I started to follow her when three other vampires attacked. I threw the one towards the fire growing behind me and snapped another’s neck. Samuel’s voice suddenly pierced through my mind.
< The fire’s too large! I do not have enough power!>
I jumped off his knee and fought towards the front door. Pushing and shoving my way towards the front of the house, I struggled to see the door or windows through the black smoke as my eyes and throat began to sting. I could no longer see anything because of it, but could still hear voices. I used them to guide me to the door where I could suddenly feel cool air. I still couldn’t see a thing, not even my own hand. I flung myself towards where the cool air was coming from and fell onto the grass.
Within seconds, I crumbled in a heap, coughing uncontrollably. I heard the sounds of some fighting behind me, closer to the street. I heard Matthew yelling something and scuffling. Someone ran to my side and dragged me a ways from the house. “Julia, are you all right?!” Jeffrey asked worriedly.
I coughed harshly. “I think so,” I managed to say before another coughing fit overtook me. It was another minute before I could raise my head to look around.
I looked to see who was out. I saw Beth, with Carrie and Tim from her group. Jeffrey was kneeling beside me, and I saw Robert and Adam fighting a few vampires a little ways away from us. Matthew and Christy were fighting on the street and Mary Anne was looking towards the burning house. I struggled to my feet and used what I learned about the ka-tet’s power to hurl it at the remaining enemies. The power exploded outwards against our opponents, driven by my own desperation. I didn’t care whether it hurt them, I just wanted them gone. Out of the twenty attackers, the remaining eight turned and fled.
I glanced around again. The others of my group were taking care of each other. I silently counted to myself, knowing that Sharon had died. The count wasn’t right; there seemed to be two people missing.
Where was Samuel? Panic gripped me as I realized he wasn’t out on the lawn. Neither was Valerie. I swung my gaze back to the burning building in horror.
“Samuel!” I screamed as my eyes watered. The house continued to go up in flames. It was almost completely engulfed in fire. And Samuel and Valerie were still inside.
I suddenly started towards the burning building. Jeffrey grabbed my arm. “You can’t go in there!” he yelled. I broke away from him and ran towards the house. When I was within five steps or so, Samuel stumbled out carrying Valerie. He collapsed beside me. Jeffrey ran up and helped me slowly drag them farther from the house.
Mary Anne and the others slowly grouped around us. “Samuel? Are you all right?” I asked worriedly.
After a long minute he stopped coughing. He raised his head and we could see how dirty and burned he was. He dragged himself to his knees and knelt beside Valerie. “Valerie?” he asked in a cracked voice.
Valerie stirred feebly but her eyes remained closed. There was no verbal answer.
“Robert, Jeffrey. Watch our backs,” Mary Anne ordered as she knelt beside Valerie, Samuel, and I. She studied Valerie for a long moment, then sighed. I followed her gaze and saw what she was looking at. A large bloodstain covered Valerie’s shirt. I looked up at Mary Anne. She shook her head. “Samuel?” she asked delicately.
Samuel pulled Valerie to him and cradled her against him, ignoring the pain he was obviously in. “Val ….” he whispered. Mary Anne put her hand on his shoulder lightly.
“Samuel, was she staked?” Mary Anne asked in a gentle voice.
I glanced from Mary Anne to Samuel and Valerie. I studied Valerie carefully. She was still alive ... barely. Samuel nodded. “Aye,” he said hoarsely. “I pulled it out seconds after she was impaled.”
Mary Anne sighed. “Samuel, you know she’s not going to survive the night,” she said in compassion. Samuel didn’t acknowledge her words.
“Mary Anne, we need to get out of here. Sunrise is in about two hours,” Jeffrey called.
“Where can we go this close to sunrise?” Adam asked concerned.
“Damien’s . . .” I started doubtfully.
Christy shook her head. “Nay, Julia. We’ll just put your sister and him in danger. Valentino obviously wants us out of London. We need another place ….”
“We have a carriage. If we move now we may get to a shelter before sunrise,” Mary Anne answered.
Matthew ran towards the woods beside our burning house. He vanished into the trees seconds later.
“We have a carriage?” I asked in surprise.
Mary Anne nodded. “There’s a stable hidden in the woods for emergencies. We have kept it up, although we never thought we would have needed it.”
I nodded but said nothing. A few minutes later Matthew returned at the reins of the team hooked to a carriage. As quickly as possible we lifted Valerie in and helped Samuel inside. We then climbed in ourselves. Matthew jerked the reins and we headed away from London, leaving our house burning in the distance. I watched it burn in something like despair until we were well out of sight.
***
Chapter 15
It was almost the entire two hours later when we came across an abandoned farm. Without delay, we carried our injured and dragged ourselves inside. Beth and the other two surviving members of her group pulled the drapes shut.
Mary Anne gently laid Valerie down on a bed in one of the bedrooms. Amazingly, she was still alive. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she mouthed to me upon passing. “Most vampires die within minutes of being staked.”
I shrugged helplessly. “Like I would know anything about it,” I answered. “Maybe she just has a strong will to live.” That I could understand, I know I have a strong will to live myself. I respected Valerie for that.
Mary Anne nodded. “Must be,” she replied. A
fter a second, Samuel slowly limped into the room Valerie was in with Jeffrey’s help. He didn’t say a word. A second later, Jeffrey re–emerged and looked at us.
Matthew suddenly vanished into another room, carrying Christy, who was obviously exhausted. Robert looked Adam over and then beckoned him into the last bedroom that Beth and the other two were retreating into. Adam looked at me. I nodded at him and then he reluctantly followed Robert.
I glanced at the furniture in the house. It was all covered with dust but it would do, considering we had nowhere else to go. Jeffrey spoke. “Someone should stay in with Samuel and Valerie.”
Mary Anne and I looked at each other. “We both will. Get some sleep, Jeffrey,” I said after a long moment of silence. Jeffrey nodded, relieved. Mary Anne glanced outside.
“We still have a few minutes of darkness,” she said, grabbing an old pail. “I’m going to go out and get some fresh water from the well.”
I nodded and she hurried out. Hearing several yelps of pain from the rooms besides the one Samuel and Valerie were in, I felt my hand begin to throb again slightly. I glanced down in surprise. In the ambush I had forgotten about my strange episode earlier. I shook my head. Although disturbing, it seemed so long ago and now unimportant that I didn’t have time to think about it. I turned towards the room Samuel was in. A second later Mary Anne re–entered and shut the door firmly. The pail was full of water.
“Find a few rags, Julia,” she said, carrying the pail towards the room. I turned away and went to the kitchen. I searched through a drawer and found a pile of cloths. I then followed Mary Anne into the bedroom.
I stared in silence at the scene that greeted me. Samuel sat in a chair, his light blonde hair now black and singed, his face red and blistered. His eyes were closed but he held Valerie’s hand tightly. I glanced sideways at Mary Anne, my eyes pleading for help. I wasn’t sure what to do.
Mary Anne nodded towards me, sensing my unease, and walked to the bed. She set down the bucket. “Samuel?” she asked. There was no answer.
I hesitantly moved to Mary Anne’s side. Looking from her, to Valerie and Samuel, I shifted uneasily, then timidly asked, “Samuel? Samuel pray answer me.”
I was just about to repeat his name again when he moved. “Sunshine?” he asked in a barely audible voice. His eyes still didn’t open.
“Aye,” I answered, my voice shaking slightly. Mary Anne took one of the cloths from me, wetted it, and crawled onto the bed. She began cleaning Valerie’s wounds. Her movement sparked me to action.
“I’m going to clean off your wounds, Samuel,” I told him quietly. Knowing there wouldn’t be an answer, I wetted another cloth and carefully started to clean his face. Although my movements were gentle, a small cry of pain still left his lips. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, ignoring the drowsiness I suddenly felt. I gently touched his singed hair. “It’ll be all right, Samuel,” I continued. Even though it was dawn, I knew it was no time to sleep, at least not at the moment.
A moan from Valerie temporarily made me look up. Finally, Samuel spoke again. “How is she?”
I glanced towards Mary Anne and Valerie again. Mary Anne shook her head. She was holding a third cloth. The other two were lying in a bloody heap on the floor. After a moment, she addressed Samuel’s question. “She’s still alive. She has a chance, Samuel, though I can’t understand how.”
Samuel winced and then nodded slightly. I threw down my dirty rag and grabbed a fresh one. I knelt down and cleaned the area more thoroughly by his left eye. “Mary Anne, if Valerie is to survive she’ll need blood, won’t she?” I asked softly.
Mary Anne looked at me. “Aye. Definitely.”
I paused, pondering. Finally I said, “Drag Adam out of bed. He’s the only one who was not trapped in the house when it caught fire. He’s probably the strongest one of us right now.”
Mary Anne nodded and crawled off the bed. She turned and left the room.
I turned my attention back to Samuel. His shirt was burned and was clinging to his skin. “I need to attend to the rest of your burns, Samuel,” I told him tenderly. I saw him reluctantly let go of Valerie’s hand. Laying aside the cloth, I helped him take off his shirt, carefully taking off the cloth strips at a time. Some of the cloth clung to the skin as I pulled. I could feel his muscles tighten in pain, but he barely made another noise, even though he had to be in pain. Samuel reclosed his eyes instantly after it was removed.
I picked up the cloth and began cleaning off the burns on his arms and chest. Luckily, he didn’t seem to have any other wounds. I heard voices outside the door.
“Where did Richard go?” That was Mary Anne.
“He took off when he was the house was under siege,” Adam answered.
“That scoundrel!” Mary Anne snarled angrily as they entered the room. “What a puny idle–headed coward!” she continued, glowering.
“What?” I asked looking up.
Adam was the one who answered. “Richard ran the second we got back. How fare thee, Julia?” He asked the question hesitantly.
I looked at him for a long moment. “Fine, I think.” I gestured towards Valerie. “Feed her, will you?”
“All right,” he replied and followed Mary Anne to the bedside. I glanced over a second later. Adam was dripping blood into her mouth from a cut on his forearm. I found I was actually relived to see Valerie really swallowing the blood. She didn’t deserve to die. That coward Richard did. Mary Anne was studying the scene as intently as I was.
“The reflex to drink offered blood is still there. That has to be a good sign,” Mary Anne muttered. I nodded.
Adam glanced at us. “Are you two all right?”
Mary Anne shrugged. “A hurt leg, nothing serious.”
“I’m fine. Are you all right?” I asked, worried.
Adam stared at me. “A little sore, that’s all.”
I nodded, once more turning back to Samuel. I had cleaned off all the burns the best I could. His head suddenly rolled to one side and his breathing became slightly deeper. I knew he had finally fallen asleep. I rose to my feet and threw the rag down. I looked towards the bed and discovered Adam had also dozed off.
“Can you carry him back to his room, Mary Anne? I’ll be fine here for a few minutes.”
Mary Anne nodded and left, carrying Adam. I spent the few minutes I was alone cleaning up the dirty rags, and then studying both Samuel and Valerie. When Mary Anne came back in, she was carrying an extra pillow and blanket. “Sleep now, Julia. You’ve had a rough night. I’ll stay up now and you can later, when it gets closer to nightfall.”
After a slight hesitation, I agreed. I took the blanket and pillow from her and walked to a corner. I spread the blanket on the dust covered floor and laid on it, putting the pillow behind my head. I curled up and after a while finally fell asleep.
***
I awoke to Mary Anne’s continuous shaking. “Julia. Julia, wake up.”
I slowly opened my eyes. “What time is it?” I asked drowsily.
“Late afternoon.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked, instantly alarmed. I quickly sat up.
“Relax Julia. Nothing’s wrong. I just need some sleep. I figured you’ll want to take watch now.”
“How are they?” I asked, trying not to sound so sleepy. I looked up at her. A faint smile curled her lips.
“Valerie’s still alive. She’s the good quiet patient. She hasn’t made a sound all day.”
“How’s Samuel?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.
Mary Anne’s eyes darkened slightly. “I think he’s in a lot of pain, Julia. He’s been moaning in his sleep all day.”
I got to my feet. “I’ll stay up. Sleep Mary Anne. You look exhausted.”
Mary Anne nodded tiredly. “Damn straight.”
I stepped away and she laid down on the bedroll. I dragged myself towards the chair next to Samuel and the bed Valerie was on. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been up during the day – for any reason.
&nbs
p; After I sat down, I heard Samuel moan softly. I looked between him and the bed, wondering if he would be more comfortable on it. My gaze locked onto the reddened flesh of his torso and arms and realized I would probably cause more pain if I tried to move him.
I leaned forward and pushed some hair away from his face. “Samuel?” I whispered. He turned his head slightly and moaned again. I glanced towards Valerie and saw she was breathing shallowly, but seemed to be fairly strong, all things considered. I looked back at Samuel. I stroked his singed hair in tender concern. “It’s all right, Samuel. I’m here,” I said. “There is no need to worry.”
Strangely enough, my words seemed to have a calming effect on him. Samuel stopped moaning and seemed to drift into a peaceful sleep. From what Mary Anne had said, this would be the first time all day. I smiled faintly and got up to check Valerie’s wounds. I redid the bandages, expecting some kind of noise or indication of pain from her but she remained silent. I was slow to realize it was because she was still deeply unconscious. Once the realization struck I hit my head with my hand. “Ow!” I gasped, realizing the hand I used was my injured one. “Oh, I’m certainly awake today,” I muttered, sitting back down in the chair.
The hours to nightfall were fairly uneventful. Samuel only moaned a couple of times and I was able to calm him down both times. Valerie, although still silent, shifted positions very slightly a little before Mary Anne woke.
“Any problems, Julia?” she asked sleepily, opening her eyes.
“Amazingly no, Mary Anne,” I answered in surprise. “Samuel calmed down a few hours ago and Valerie seems to be holding her own.”
Mary Anne sat up. “Good,” she said quietly. She stood and brushed off her dress. There was a knock on our bedroom door.
I sighed and got up to answer it. “Aye?”
Christy stood in the doorway, her hands filled with some clothes. “How’s Samuel?”
“He’s sleeping Christy,” I answered, stifling a yawn.
“And Valerie? Matthew wants to know.”
“Unconscious. But alive,” I replied quietly. “Sharon didn’t make it out and Richard ran off without helping.”