hands, I stood rooted to the spot. I was unable to move.
What was happening to me? Was this the start of my changing?
Then I was shoved from behind, and it was Luke as he forced me up the tunnel. I looked at him, and his usual pallor was now crimson, splashed with the remains of the vampires he had just slaughtered.
“Move it!” he hollered at me, snapping me from my trance-like state.
“Potter?” I said, sounding confused and disorientated. “We can’t leave without -”
“Thanks for the concern,” I heard someone say as they rushed past me like a breeze. Spinning round, I saw Potter half-dragging Isidor up the tunnel towards Murphy.
“Run, Kiera! Run!” Luke roared.
Then turning, I clambered down the tunnel with Luke at my heels. We veered to the left and dashed around the bend. I could see Murphy standing at the foot of a wooden ladder that led up out of the tunnel.
“Run! Run!” Murphy ordered as the vampires that chased us were now frantically scurrying all over the tunnel walls and dropping through the air like giant spiders.
“Up the ladder!” Murphy yelled.
Without needing to be told twice, I took hold of the rungs and began to race up the ladder with the others close behind me. As I made my ascent, I could hear Murphy’s fangs snapping and slicing as he fought off the approaching vampires.
I reached the top of the well and clambered out, falling into a muddy, sodden field. Isidor was next to climb out over the edge of the well and clatter to the ground. Then Potter appeared, followed by Luke and Murphy.
The head of one of those vampire-cops loomed over the edge of the well and Murphy took it off with one quick swipe with his claws. In the light of the moon, I could see the creamy-white skin of the vampire’s head, knotted and twisted with blue-green veins, wither and crumble away into a pile of ash.
There was a strong looking bolt attached to a wooden lid that covered the mouth of the well. Swinging it closed, Murphy forced the bolt into place, sealing the well closed.
Without pausing to take a breath, Murphy was charging across the remote field we now found ourselves in. He headed towards a line of trees that stood in the distance. We raced behind him as he shouted over his shoulder, “This way! This way!”
Reaching the knot of trees, we found ourselves in a deeply wooded area. The trees stretched up tall around us, and the moon cast silver streams of light through the branches. Leaning against a tree, Murphy caught his breath.
“Take two minutes,” he said, “but that’s all. It won’t take long for them to smash through that well.”
Dropping to my knees, I sucked in mouthfuls of cold night air. Then I noticed those streaks of black blood on my hand. Almost gagging at the sight of it, I snatched up handfuls of fallen leaves and begin to wipe my hand clean.
Luke crouched beside me and said, “Are you okay?’”
“No, not really,” I told him, wiping the last of the blood from my fingers.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, gently knocking the fringe from my brow.
Standing, I folded my arms around him. Then kissing him softly on the cheek that still showed the scars from The Ragged Cove, I whispered, “Later.”
As he stood and held me, I noticed Isidor tear a piece of cloth from the inside of his coat and tie it around his hand which was bleeding. He had a large scratch across his forehead, which bled into his eye. Wiping the blood away with his sleeve, he went to Potter who was slouching against a tree and smoking.
Holding out his good hand towards Potter, Isidor said, “I just wanted to say thanks for what you did back there.”
Looking down at the hand of friendship that had been offered to him, Potter said, “What did I do?”
“Saving me like that,” Isidor said, his hand still held out before him. “I was hoping, you know…perhaps we could just get along with each other from now on?”
Drawing deeply on the cigarette that dangled from
What was happening to me? Was this the start of my changing?
Then I was shoved from behind, and it was Luke as he forced me up the tunnel. I looked at him, and his usual pallor was now crimson, splashed with the remains of the vampires he had just slaughtered.
“Move it!” he hollered at me, snapping me from my trance-like state.
“Potter?” I said, sounding confused and disorientated. “We can’t leave without -”
“Thanks for the concern,” I heard someone say as they rushed past me like a breeze. Spinning round, I saw Potter half-dragging Isidor up the tunnel towards Murphy.
“Run, Kiera! Run!” Luke roared.
Then turning, I clambered down the tunnel with Luke at my heels. We veered to the left and dashed around the bend. I could see Murphy standing at the foot of a wooden ladder that led up out of the tunnel.
“Run! Run!” Murphy ordered as the vampires that chased us were now frantically scurrying all over the tunnel walls and dropping through the air like giant spiders.
“Up the ladder!” Murphy yelled.
Without needing to be told twice, I took hold of the rungs and began to race up the ladder with the others close behind me. As I made my ascent, I could hear Murphy’s fangs snapping and slicing as he fought off the approaching vampires.
I reached the top of the well and clambered out, falling into a muddy, sodden field. Isidor was next to climb out over the edge of the well and clatter to the ground. Then Potter appeared, followed by Luke and Murphy.
The head of one of those vampire-cops loomed over the edge of the well and Murphy took it off with one quick swipe with his claws. In the light of the moon, I could see the creamy-white skin of the vampire’s head, knotted and twisted with blue-green veins, wither and crumble away into a pile of ash.
There was a strong looking bolt attached to a wooden lid that covered the mouth of the well. Swinging it closed, Murphy forced the bolt into place, sealing the well closed.
Without pausing to take a breath, Murphy was charging across the remote field we now found ourselves in. He headed towards a line of trees that stood in the distance. We raced behind him as he shouted over his shoulder, “This way! This way!”
Reaching the knot of trees, we found ourselves in a deeply wooded area. The trees stretched up tall around us, and the moon cast silver streams of light through the branches. Leaning against a tree, Murphy caught his breath.
“Take two minutes,” he said, “but that’s all. It won’t take long for them to smash through that well.”
Dropping to my knees, I sucked in mouthfuls of cold night air. Then I noticed those streaks of black blood on my hand. Almost gagging at the sight of it, I snatched up handfuls of fallen leaves and begin to wipe my hand clean.
Luke crouched beside me and said, “Are you okay?’”
“No, not really,” I told him, wiping the last of the blood from my fingers.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, gently knocking the fringe from my brow.
Standing, I folded my arms around him. Then kissing him softly on the cheek that still showed the scars from The Ragged Cove, I whispered, “Later.”
As he stood and held me, I noticed Isidor tear a piece of cloth from the inside of his coat and tie it around his hand which was bleeding. He had a large scratch across his forehead, which bled into his eye. Wiping the blood away with his sleeve, he went to Potter who was slouching against a tree and smoking.
Holding out his good hand towards Potter, Isidor said, “I just wanted to say thanks for what you did back there.”
Looking down at the hand of friendship that had been offered to him, Potter said, “What did I do?”
“Saving me like that,” Isidor said, his hand still held out before him. “I was hoping, you know…perhaps we could just get along with each other from now on?”
Drawing deeply on the cigarette that dangled from
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