Hunted in Darkness

Friends and foes

Once I hit ground floor the uneasy feeling slipped back into my gut, I tried looking everywhere at once to figure out what was off, but I didn’t register anything strange. I was halfway to the apartment when I felt someone shove me into the brick wall, dragging me into the alleyway between two buildings. Their hand was clamped tightly around my throat and their eyes filled with fear and desperation. “b***h, I hear you know something about what’s happening to us, about the dreams. If you know anything, you better talk.” the hand loosened a bit “I don’t know anything, I’ve had them too, I only know it’s coming for us.” The pain flared in my face before I realized that he’d struck me, my nose trickled blood. “You need to tell us the truth, what did you see in there? Everybody knows it’s only killing our kind.” he hit me again before I could answer. “Hearts, it’s taking hearts, to live again…” I choked against the hand holding my throat. I tried to remain calm. Inside my head I could feel myself screaming. I pushed back against him and raked my nails across his cheek. “ It’s coming for all of us.” I panted. Something crashed behind me and my assailants took off running. Dread filled me as I struggled to turn, but a familiar scent met my nostrils. Sandalwood, Em. His eyes were full of rage as he looked me over, ready to rip out their hearts himself, but they were gone. I smiled weakly “We have to stop meeting like this, first a bus and now frightened vampires, I’m always running into something.” He pressed me against his chest tightly “Why can’t I seem to protect you? Oh, Kat, your nose looks awful.” He scooped me up in his arms, the second time in as many nights, and I let him, yielding to his embrace. Maybe now he wouldn’t fight me on getting help, we definitely needed it.

We sat on my bed, him trying to render first aid to cuts that were already healing and me trying to explain why we needed the help from O&I and Dorthea. His agreement was begrudging, but as we laid down to rest, I was grateful we had help to turn to. Those desperate faces tonight told me what it looked like to not have help, and it scared me. He laid next to me and rubbed my back, pausing only to caress my hair or gently kiss my cheek. Poor Em, even he feels helpless against the coming storm. I closed my eyes and drifted into uneasy dreams. The monster was there again, looking healthier, and more dangerous, his movements were lithe and catlike. At his feet were the bodies of those he’d destroyed, twisted in pain, he stepped upon them in an ever growing pile. I recognized some of their faces, the bodies from work, the thugs from the alleyway. His eyes studying me, intelligent and cold. I felt it then, he didn’t only want to destroy us, he wanted to own us, to use our blood, our spirit, and to use everything we were to rule the night. Nothing would be safe from him. There would be no balance, only rivers of blood, mountains of bodies, like when he ruled before. First the night creatures, and then the creatures of the day would feed him their children, and he would sit on a throne of their bones. It smirked at me, sharp, glinting teeth covered in blood. We taste better when we are full of dread, I felt it tell me, as it reached out talons as sharp as any bird. I felt myself shove hard against the hand, screaming and fighting as hard as I could. A talon raked my skin and felt like burning fire. I shot up in bed screaming, a red cut was across my chest, welted and bleeding. Emile held me tightly and sobbed, curling his body around me, and I laid there angry and full of pain. I was tired of running. 

We arrived at Dorthea’s shop