บท 62: Stalkers (Part 2)
June soars over to the opposite wall. Her dress flaps like a thousand ribbons as she sails, weightless as a paper airplane.
She lands in front of the figure trying to sneak out of the opening, blocking his path.
It appears to be a man in a long coat, he leans and staggers back a few steps then looks around for another escape route.
"Well, well," June crosses her arms, eyeing him up and down, "It seems you're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
I catch him glance at me apprehensively as he takes another step back.
I gasp recognizing him, "Miles?"
It's that shady vampire from Rosie's! Has he been watching me? I feel sick to my stomach. I remember what the psychic twins said about being followed. How long has he been stalking? My skin crawls at the thought.
He doesn't turn to acknowledge me but I know it's him. Even in the dark, I can make out his features completely.
Juniper clicks her tongue at him, "I'll bet you thought yourself clever following my fledgling around. Someone sent you."
She takes a step forward as he inches back, he places a graceful foot between the railway ties. His forehead is strained with frustration and bafflement.
"What's the matter? Does it, perhaps, trouble you that you cannot read my thoughts?" she grins at him as her eyes flash, "Regrettably for you, I'm well practiced in resisting a Seer's gift. You'll have to do better than this if you're hoping to gain anything from me."
Reading her thoughts? Has he been reading mine? I feel disgusted and disturbed, essentially violated! I hate how all these vampires can get into my head. Spying on my future, stealing my will, reading my mind. I'm not secure mentally or physically!
I fume on the side as June continues to back him into the man made cave. She hops onto the iron rail, dancing over it like a gymnast on a balancing beam as he progressively backs away. His expression is growing more hostile at this point.
June tauntingly sneers, "Tragic, you must be a pawn. Whoever sent you would have properly prepared you, otherwise."
"She has informed me on what kind of beast you are, Juniper. I can't expect someone like you to understand honor and loyalty," he snarls at her, keeping his distance but not entirely backing down.
"Oh? *She* is it?" his lips tighten in response to her amused speculations, "My, my, your devotions to this woman are astounding. You'd willingly lay your life on the altar of her ambitions?"
Blinding fog lights pierce into the tunnel's abyss far off at the other end. I wince, shading my eyes from the painfully bright bulbs streaming in like sunlight.
It's a tube of black and white as a train snakes inside. The engines beats and cranks like an army of foot soldiers perfectly synchronized. The stone shakes threatening the rounded ceiling with collapse.
"There's no hiding or running," Miles declares as the shock of deja vu stabs like a sword in the gut. He turns to me and stares straight into my face, his eyes flare like molten rubies, "She'll find you both!"
The harsh white light washes out every object. The shaded halves elongate and stretch to impossible proportions. Miles and Juniper become comparatively small to their rapidly growing shadows.
The train is barreling towards us and the whistle blows, whooping and filling the area. It's cry commands we make way for the unstoppable hunk of machinery.
The sound seems to trigger a hunch. Miles and June are brawling in this very tunnel, dancing in the crude spotlight. Dirt partials scatter like smoke grenades to obscure their fight. June pins him and rips his heart from his chest, sucking slab of meat dry. Sickening. Now, I'll get to witness it twice… Lucky me.
No… it's unstable. Miles is escaping? I don't know. He's fleeing from her, out of my range of sight. No, that's not right, she's shredding him to pieces on the tracks. No! She's biting into his arm? Why does it keep warping without my intentions changing?
My head vibrates and I meet eyes with Miles. He has a haunted expression staring into my face. Is he reading my mind while I'm having a vision?
He has to be! His plans must be changing. He is attempting to manipulate the future through me! I see him die or disappear in my head, repeatedly. He's staring very intensely while keeping Juniper is his peripheral sight.
The whistle howls again and I slam my eyes shut covering my ears with my palms.
"Stop!" I holler with the horn. I want him out of my head, want the noisy train to disappear with its headache inducing bulbs. I don't want to see people dying in my head in a thousand different ways!
"Are you mad?" Miles is gaping at Juniper like she's some kind of boogie man, "The punishment for Reaping is severe! Eating our own is forbidden!"
"Is it now?" the question is more of a statement that conveys she couldn't care less. Though, this news to me. Eating humans, ok. Eating vampires, not ok?
June stalks forward like a leopard. Miles looks like he's going to book it, his eyes zip around despairingly for an out.
I notice him needling at my brain for answers but I refuse to think about that vision. Instead I shout 'Get out!' in my head everytime I feel that unwelcomed prying. If he's going to dig around I'm going to make it unpleasant for him. I'd feel sorry if he wasn't obviously threatening us.
"Pestering her won't improve your situation," June informs, she looks downright intimidating. Her energy is hurricane, a high powered voltage turbine.
I shiver as lightning seems to surge through my skin from the blast of raw power, shooting up my arms. The blue rings in her face lock into Miles as she commands, "Tell me who sent you."
Miles suppresses a shudder, choosing his words carefully as he realizes he is likely on borrowed time, "It won't matter at this point, she will see to you soon enough."
Juniper appears to be getting taller and I have to double take to really grasp what's going on. Is she rising on her tiptoes?
No, she's lifting on the ground! Her bare feet dangle as she begins to hover. I want to rub my eyes. Is this a trick?
This spooks Miles and he takes off plunging head on into the oncoming train.
She glides past, seamless as a phantom, feet floating above the tracks. She cuts him off and kicks him in the stomach. It sends him rolling.
She levitates like some menacing angel as light streams from her silhouette, ice rings shine out of her darkened face. Her black hair whips like a whirling Cthulhu. The train cries out high pitched at her back.
He manages a backwards somersault landing nimbly back on his feet. His features are a wash from the flood lights, his stance crouched for a fight.
She dives at him, swooping like an eagle for a rabbit. Teeth bared, taloned fingers, legs target to lock around his head and snap it between her thighs.
He moves in the nick of time, slipping beneath the death lock of her legs and claws. Fangs sink into her calf.
She snarls as they spin out of control into planked crates and boxes. Gravel sprays, pebbles tinkle, sprinkling around like wedding rice.
A crate smashes into pieces as they collide with it. Miles snaps up a splintered plank from the shattered box. He thrusts downward aiming to gore her in the back.
I cry, "Look out!"
She flips around catching the weaponized arm. She squeezes until the flesh bulges around her fingers, forcing him to drop the wood. The arm contorts and Miles inhales a sharp yell of discomfort.
His free hand swipe at her face. June tilts but not quick enough. Nails catch like fish hooks tearing open her lower cheek. It peels, leaving a wet, stringy gouge.
She snarls and electric blue flows from her sockets, her fingers clamp deeper into the muscle. His arm looks like it might explode. Their wounds weep metallic ink in the floodlights.
He tries to escape her miserable grip, swinging an arm then a leg. They shuffle as if fencing. June snaps at his fist then avoids the foot, taking a retaliation swipe of her own. Her grip on his arm doesn't ease.
She jerks him by the battered arm and lifts off the ground, levitating higher for the rounded ceiling. He's hanging by his bleeding limb, kicking and reaching for her helplessly.
He swings both feet curling into a ball, then thrusts both legs out, punching into her ribs. They drop at an angle like being shot out of a cannon, barreling in my direction. I roll out of the way, hugging the wall.
Dust kicks up from their crash, playing like fog in spotlights. Two shadows fight relentlessly in the haze. Some feral sounds rival the stomping engine.
Train gears pound, dangerously close almost to the end. Their silhouettes grapple and bite, snarling like two hydra creatures. Their outlines bounce and mash into one another, appearing as some massive monstrosity.
The shadow divides. One flies backwards, disappearing into smoke and smashing into debris. The other figure emerges, more focused and clear. It's running, retreating. Wait! It's gunning for me!
I scramble to get away, pushing off to sprint deeper into the headlights, keeping close to the wall. I don't want to be hit by the speeding train.
The blinding white disorients me but I run forward regardless. A hand latches onto my ankle and digs in. 'Damn it! Too slow!'
I yelp and nearly faceplant. I kick behind with my free leg in a desperate hop. Bad move, my other foot is snatched up. I cling to the wall and scrape across as gravity yanks me down.
I roll off my stomach, and flail in chaotic bicycle kicks as I shout. The attacker stumbles forward.
I clamber to rise but he scurries to pin me down. Two crimson circles beam as Miles army crawls over top of me. I struggle against the groping hands, whimpering and growling as I kick and scratch.
A hand reaches for my head and I bite into flesh. I taste cold power, it's alarmingly desirable.
I clamp down on sinew lining his limb as stagnant blood floods my tastebuds. It's not like human blood though I can taste the last person he fed on. There is something dangerously good about vampire blood.
The arm thrusts downward and flesh tears from my teeth. The arm hooks over my neck into a choke hold. His body is tight against mine as he forces us upright.
I snarl and thrash, his multitude of wounds seep into my clothes and on my skin. He grunts and winces from pain and exhaustion but steadily drags me by my heels.
He backing us up in a hurry, trying to use me as a shield or hostage. My loose hand claws chunks out of his arm. He struggles to trap it but it doesn't deter him. He's determined to get out of this tunnel by any means.
A chilling voice snarls from behind, "What did I say about pestering my fledgling?"
He hisses through his teeth as we get yanked, she seizes his arms. I get free and drop between them, skittering away.
"I won't let you eat me!" he bellows at her, striving to escape. The train howls, plunging down the tracks like a mad bull. It's about to pass.
June let's loose her unhinged laugh, eyes wide and raining blue hellfire, the whites now bleeding black.
Fear and hunger rack across my flesh like barbed wired and snake scales. I can feel it pooling from them.
She always recaptures him when he wriggles something free, reeling him a little closer with every attempt. He's a fly struggling against a spider's web.
He rips away briefly and she's had enough. Fangs flash as she locks him in place, clasping his clawed hand aiming to strike her. June forces the elbow to bend, arching it back at the joint in his shoulder.
He yowls as it cranks like a clock dial and he drops to his knees, her other hand shoves his face away. She stoops forward and those razored canines plunge into his bent arm.
He cries out pushing against her as she sucks at it violently. His other arm is useless being just out of reach.
"Devil woman," he spits in that uncomfortable position, "You won't have the satisfaction!"
Miles shouts enraged and panicked over the pounding engines. June has him effectively restrained. Soon the train will block him in. She'll drain him and rip out his heart. I know it, I've more or less seen it.
Miles stops scuffling, seeming to submit. His eyes lock with mine as June's palm grinds into the side of his face. His expression goes blank, eerily calm, though his irises gleam red. I don't know what kind of expression I'm wearing. I don't know what to feel. I just stare at him.
He closes his eyes then seems to collapse under June's weight. They both dip only for Miles to spring up and shove himself backwards, feet and all thrusting against her.
Eyes closed, head thrown back, arms spread without intent, right into the wake of the oncoming train. A suicidal trust fall.
The whistle screams as everything goes white and black. I wince and cover my eyes.
The splat is hardly audible, it's overshadowed by the roaring train as it tears past with a brutal wind and a spray unsavory wetness.
I gasp a second time being splashed and covered by it. I press myself against the wall and refuse to open my eyes as metal wheels squeal and click on the tracks.
The sound of a fleeing stampede dwindles, spreading from the confines of the tunnel. It's unearthly hushed by comparison as the train disappears into the night.
The noisy engine fades into obscurity. A sudden noise startles me. I suck through my teeth again. The sound of grapes being stamped under feet to make wine, if only that were the case.
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