~The Past (continued)~
It was dark and she was cold. Cold, tired and incredibly hungry.
Sitting down heavily, she pulled her long red head firmly into the clasp holding it above her head.
< I really didn’t think this out properly… > she thought, silently chastising herself , < I shouldn’t have left so hastily. Lord knows I should have at least thought to bring some food or money with me…>
But there was no turning back now. She had already been gone for a good two days. Her father would be looking for her by now, hence, trying to sneak back was simply out of the question. If she was caught, she’d be forced to explain why she’d left in the first place and doing so could very well mean Alex’s death.
< Not only am I cursed, but I’m also incredibly stupid > she shook her head in exasperation. Her feet were sore, and she hadn’t bathed since the day she left. To top it all off, she’d even dressed badly for the journey; the thin cotton dress she was wearing was completely inadequate protection against the cold autumn weather.
< If only mother was alive..she’d know what to do…she’d be able to fix things… > Resting her chin in her hands, Willow felt the tears spring to her eyes, < I miss her so much… >
A sudden gust of wind tore a shiver through her body. Pulling her legs up to her chest, she tightened her arms around them and rocked silently back and forth, trying to warm herself. < Gods, it’s cold > she thought irritably < I should find somewhere to stay..maybe an inn or a farm house. > Unfortunately, she had been wandering around for over five hours and hadn’t seen any sign of humans anywhere. No lights, no noise, just dead silence. The forest was devoid even of animal sounds. It was quiet. Too quiet.
She opened her eyes suddenly, an odd prickling sensation causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She had a sudden sense that she wasn’t alone. It wasn’t a definite feeling, more like a vague premonition, but one which she knew was correct. And it was getting stronger.
< There’s something out there. > She had barely managed to get to her feet before she noticed the dark shadow emerge from behind a tree. Tracking it’s movements out of the corner of her eye, she fumbled for the small knife hidden in the pocket of her skirt. Unfortunately, her movements weren’t fast enough and in a flash she felt an icy hand on her shoulder.
"What’s this? A pretty little morsel out for a walk on ‘er own? Not smart, lovely, not smart at all…"
< Morsel??? > Willow started panicking. She felt his grip tighten as he slowly moved in front of her.
"You won’t be needin this, luv." With a causal smile he reached into her pocket and extracted her knife. "Quite a pretty little thing, ain’t ya? Too bad I’m so ‘ungry, otherwise we’d have time for…other kinds of fun."
She felt her heart stop beating as she stared into his dark blue eyes which gradually shifted to a glowing yellow. His face contorted into an ugly, bony grimace and she suppressed the urge to scream.
"Quite the brave little miss, ain’t ya?" he let out an easy laugh. He turned his attention back to her, an odd calmness settling into his eyes. The kind of calmness only possessed by a practiced killer who knew his power. In a cold moment of reality, Willow realized that she wasn’t getting out of this alive.
"W-who are you?" she whispered, amazed that she managed to speak at all.
"Oh, now that’s not really your concern, doll. You’re gonna die anyway, so there’s not much of a point in making my acquaintance. Trust me, it won’t change a thing. Now you just calm down sweets, this won’t hurt a bit. After I rip your throat out, the rest’ll just feel like a pinch."
< Oh no…oh no… > She felt his hand slide slowly from her shoulder to rest around her neck. Gazing up at the stars with tears in her eyes, her heart constricted painfully.
Grabbing her chin with his other hand, he forced her gaze back to his face. "No fair, love. You’ll look at me until I tell you otherwise. Or until your dead, whatever comes first," he added, laughing again. He tightened his grip on her neck, digging his claws into it painfully.
She struggled desperately. < If only I can loosen his hold, I can run. >Beating against his chest, she tried to break free.
He frowned slightly, easily deflecting her blows and side stepping her kicks. "Not smart, sweets, not smart at all."
Unable to speak, swallow or even breathe, Willow felt herself being lifted up from the ground, causing the claws to sink in further. The pain was unbearable as his sharp nails penetrated another inch of skin. Her vision grew foggy.
"Now hold still, and don’t be a bad girl…you’ll only make this harder on yourself, luv…"
"I suggest, ‘luv’, that you let her go."
In that moment of distraction, the vampire loosened his grip. A sudden blast of white light pulsed in her vision and with a sudden surge of energy, Willow managed to get in a well placed kick to his groin. He released her with a grunt.
"Now, now, now, you know better than that, Gralin. What have I told you about your behavior towards ladies? Quite unacceptable." The young man strode confidently over to the vampire, clucking his disapproval all the way.
Baring his fangs at the figure standing above him, Gralin growled. "Adam," he sneered.
"Quite right. That *would* be my name." Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a stake, "And you would be…dead." With that, he plunged the stake into the vampire’s heart causing him to explode into a cloud of dust and sending Willow into a fit of coughing. Looking up at the sound of her tortured hacking, Adam suddenly remembered the young woman whose death he had interrupted. In a moment, her was at her side.
"Are you alright?" he knelt cautiously beside her, "Those wounds look bad. We should get you back to the house." Gone was the confidence and arrogance he had exhibited a few short moments ago. His brows furrowed in concentration as he examined the gashes in her neck, concern shining in his dark eyes. "My name is Adam, and you have no need to worry, you’ll be safe with me."
She managed to nod weakly, still clutching at her injured throat.
"This will help staunch the blood flow," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, "Just press it to where it’s worst."
She gratefully accepted his offering and gingerly pressed the white material against her wounds, wincing slightly.
Gently pushing a few stray strands of red hair out of her eyes, he leaned in closer, "What’s your name?" < And why on earth would you be walking out here all alone at night? > He added silently.
"My name is Wi-," her words were interrupted by a vicious scream from behind them.
Suddenly, Adam was being lifted up and away. Still facing Willow, a look of shock and horror crossed his face.
"How DARE you murder my consort!" shrieked a high pitched voice. Willow’s mouth dropped open as the second vampire, a female, easily hefted Adam into the air like a rag doll. "You’ll die for that, you stupid human."
With an evil sparkle in her eyes, the vampire threw him across the clearing into the nearest tree. Smashing his head against the trunk, he slumped helplessly to the ground. With a self-satisfied smirk, the vampire strode over to his prone form.
"NO!" Willow screamed, scrambling painfully to her feet. Faster than she could start moving towards the vampire, she saw a flash of yellow out of the corner of her eye as a fourth figure streaked past.
Willow watched in shock as a pretty blond girl launched herself at the monster. Colliding, the two fell to the ground.
"Get OFF of me you little whore!" howled the vampire in frustration.
Her only response was a fast kick to the mouth and a punch in the stomach. The blond flipped backwards, landing easily on her feet. "Get up," she snarled.
Trying to control the blood flowing from her broken jaw, the vampire stood and lunged for her adversary. Spinning in the air, the girl kicked again, this time aiming at the chest region. Her efforts were rewarded by a sickening crunch. The vampire screamed in pain and fell to the ground again, clutching her shattered ribs.
"Get up," the blond snarled again.
Unable to comply, the vampire moaned weakly.
"Get UP!" she shouted, viciously kicking the figure lying below her.
Gagging, the vampire rolled onto her other side, coughing up blood but still refusing to comply.
In a hiss of irritation, the blond reached into a pouch sewn into the thigh of her pants. "Fine then. Die," she muttered darkly, an almost bored twinge in her voice. Holding the stake high above her head, she drove it coldly through the vampire’s heart. Dusting herself off, she turned around.
"You really ought not play such games, Julia," Adam said hoarsely, as he carefully stood up.
"Oh please. They’re so stupid," the blond replied rolling her eyes. She paused, "Are you all right?"
He nodded leaning against a tree, "Fine. Check on the girl."
Walking over to Willow, Julia held out a hand, "You alright, dear?"
Pale as a ghost, the red-head managed a weak smile and a nod.
"Must’ve been a terrible scare for you," she rattled on, "Not to worry though, dear, we’ll have you safe and warm, soon enough." She cocked her head to one side, "You’re not from around here, are you? I’d have remembered seeing you before…although you DO look somewhat familiar…"
"Come on Julia, let’s get her inside. We can ask her questions later, *after* I’ve taken a look at her injuries," Adam interrupted gruffly.
Rolling her eyes again, she sighed, "Goodness, Adam, must you always be so *responsible*?"
Without replying, the young man took ahold of Willow’s arm, "Can you walk? I can carry you, if you’d like," he whispered gently.
Shaking her head, Willow’s smile brightened and a warm sensation flowed through her, "No, thank you, I’m fine."
"Well then, let’s go," still holding onto her arm, he started walking.
"I take it that my patrols are over for the night?" the blond asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.
"No, not quite."
Her pretty face fell.
" I just need you to escort us back to the house, " he continued, seemingly oblivious to her disappointment, "You *should* really go back again after we find something for..umm…what did you say your name was again?" Adam paused and turned his attention back on Willow.
"Oh…" she blushed, "Umm..my name is…Bridget. Yes, Bridget McKinly."
Starting off a new life meant a new identity and although she was terrible at lying, Willow consoled herself with the thought that at least this was *partially* true. Her given name WAS Bridget. ‘Willow’, although used more frequently, was only her middle name. And as for McKinly, it was her paternal grandmother’s maiden name so perhaps this really wasn’t a lie at all. She tried desperately to repress the hot flush which persistently crept across her face. < Maybe he just won’t notice.. >
"Well, that’s quite a lovely name. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Bridget." He smiled warmly and gave her a slight nod. < She’s holding something back > he thought in interest < I wonder what it is… >. With the mental equivalence of a shrug, he decided to drop the subject for now.
They continued walking, this time with Willow and Julia trailing slightly behind.
"I can’t *believe* you’re making me go out again," Julia pouted crossly.
"We’ll discuss it at home."
Glaring in irritation, she stuck her tongue out at his back.
"And what have I told you about making faces like that, Julia? Quite unbecoming," he said without turning around.
Willow surpressed a giggle as they blond girl shot her a conspiratory smile.
"You’ll have to excuse him," Julia whispered softly into Willow’s ear, "You see, he has a pole so far up his-,"
"Julia!"
The slender blond abruptly stopped speaking at the dangerous edge in her companion’s voice. A mischievous smile played on her delicate lips. "What, Adam? I was just getting to know our young guest," she said innocently.
"I’ll bet." Came the gruff response.
"You really shouldn’t eavesdrop, Adam. Such a dirty habit."
"Quite."
Know that there’s not much action here, just yet, but I needed to introduce certain characters. Let me know what you think.
Part 3