Kash’s mom had driven the same Suburban for the last twenty-two years and, even though it was old and had no bells and whistles, it had enough room for all seven of them to ride in one vehicle, so most times, it was their vehicle of choice. When they all piled in at 3:15 in the morning to make the short trip to Villisca, most of the girls did so reluctantly, particularly Taylor, who was actually crying, and Cadence, who had clearly lost her battle with Drew, and once again, given in to the sobs and declarations of attending solo. Cadence hated being late, but she figured for an event such as this it didn’t really make much difference.
Typically, Sydney and Drew sat in the back because they were the most petite. Cadence was shaped more like an athlete, and though she really didn’t have a much bigger footprint, she did have longer legs, so the other girls let her sit in the middle seat with Taylor, who was just a bit curvier than the other girls and Jack, whose position had changed from right next to Cadence to the far side of the seat once they decided to be “just friends.” Despite the fact that Jon had ridden shotgun approximately four thousand consecutive times, he still insisted on yelling “shotgun” as they approached the vehicle, just in case someone decided to challenge his position.
This time, however, the seating changed just a bit. Taylor and Cadence were ordered into the vehicle first so that the others made sure they didn’t try to escape. Though it was possible Taylor may turn and run at any moment, Cadence wasn’t going anywhere without Drew. She was determined to keep her younger friend in her sights the entire time and keep her safe no matter what. She had no reason to suspect that this would be anything other than a wild party, full of costumed drunks attempting to get lucky. Nevertheless, her dream had been enough to inspire a sense of caution, and she was particularly concerned about Drew’s well-being.
Drew was sitting in the middle of the seat in front of her, so excited that she would not even buckle her seatbelt but insisted on leaning up between the two bucket seats, shouting directions. It had not been easy, but she had been able to procure the address for Percy’s Lot through an extensive online search of property records. Luckily for them, there was only one Percy who owned a significant tract of land near Villisca, Iowa.
It was unseasonably warm, and most of them were only wearing light coats or jackets. Drew was wearing a bright red cape and had also brought a Guy Fawkes inspired mask. Drew mentioned that she was disappointed that no one else had decided to wear a costume, but she was so invigorated that they had decided to go, she let her disappointment lie.
Cadence hadn’t been easily convinced to come along. In fact, Drew had been forced to turn on the tears. Cadence had showed up earlier that day, adamant that this was a dangerous idea and that someone could get hurt. They weren’t invited to these festivities; they didn’t know anyone else who was going to be there, and for all they knew, this could be a group of devil worshipers. Drew had snickered at the last remark, which made Cadence angry. She explained what she had dreamt and that it had not ended well and, though she was aware it was just a dream, and no, she didn’t think it was a premonition, per se, it did make her more aware of the fact that what they were doing was potentially hazardous, and they should just find something else to do. By then, however, Drew had already purchased her costume and made arrangements to sneak out of the house. There was no way she was going to change her mind, and if Cadence didn’t want to go, she could just stay home by herself. Drew was going. Period. End statement.
So, Cadence had to go, too, because she was not letting Drew go without her, no matter how many gentleman escorts she may have. If Drew was going to put herself in a vulnerable situation, then Cadence was going to follow. She just wished she hadn’t quit karate lessons in the third grade.
It didn’t seem to Cadence like it took very long at all to reach what Drew was sure must be Percy’s Lot. At first, there didn’t appear to be anything much happening in the open field west of town. In fact, the countryside seemed to be sleeping. Then, Kash pointed out a soft orange glow off in the distance, and they realized there would be some trekking involved in reaching their destination.
They decided to pull into the field and drive in the grass for a bit, an attempt to determine whether or not there was an actual designated parking area or if they were supposed to hoof it from the road. As Kash carefully made his way over the uneven surface, they began to see dark shapes in the distance and realized there were, in fact, other vehicles. The sound of music drifted through the air, and Drew began to sway in time to the beat of the drums.
As they poured out of the vehicle, Cadence paused for a moment to look up at the sky. A soft haze illuminated the night around the festivities, but the rest of the firmament was nothing but ebony, crowned by a full moon sliding below the horizon, its pale orange hue lending an air of foreboding. Cadence knew this scene looked familiar, and she braced herself for what she felt may come.
As they approached what seemed to be an entrance, the entire party tensed up. They had no idea if they would be charged a monetary fee, required to show an invitation, or sign over their first-born child. There was no gate, however. No ticket taker. Only a ring of tents, haphazardly thrown up to create some sort of perimeter and several more temporary dwellings within the outer circle. It was difficult to ascertain exactly how large the area was. Several bonfires were strewn amongst the structures, and the smoke created a permanent fog that hovered around them. There was also a thin layer of fog that sat right on top of them, lending itself nicely to the eerie setting. As if reading her mind, Jack leaned over to Cadence and said quietly, “All we need now is a creepy castle, and we’ll be all set.”
Perhaps what was more disturbing than the setting were the partygoers themselves. Many of them were wearing costumes, much to Drew’s delight. Many more needed no costumes; they were even more frightening than those in masks and capes. Everywhere she looked, Cadence saw complicated facial piercings, brightly colored hair, and any skin that was showing (and there was a lot, despite the cooler temperatures), was tattooed. These were not your typical, “Mom” tattoos either. Rather, the majority of them depicted horror scenes and fantastic creatures hell-bent on ripping one’s lungs straight from one’s chest.
If anyone noticed they did not belong, they said nothing. There were a handful of other lost souls wandering around, eyes wide open, mouths ajar. But the majority of the attendees had clearly known what to expect, and they were there to revel in their own unique world of horror.
“Let’s go home,” Cadence pleaded, turning to Jack and placing her hand on his arm.
It was loud and difficult to hear. “What’s that?” he asked, leaning toward her.
Cadence glanced around again. She was accidentally making eye contact with many of the revelers now, and their piercing stares seemed almost mesmerizing, not in a way that made Cadence feel comfortable or safe. “I said, I think we should go home,” she repeated more urgently.
Jack had heard her this time, and he was nodding his head. Drew was still walking ahead of them, giggling with delight like a small child at her birthday party. Kash was close behind her, though his expression was not quite as chipper as his ex-girlfriend’s. Taylor and Sydney were both cowering behind Jon, only peering out from around his shoulders from time to time to make sure no boogeymen were about to pounce on them. Taylor was still crying, and it actually seemed to be working against her because it was drawing stares from the fiends around them.
“I’m not sure we are going to be able to get Drew to come with us just yet,” Jack explained.
Cadence knew he was correct. The only way they were going to get Drew back into that vehicle was if they picked her up and carried her. “Maybe we can convince her,” she said, letting go of Jack’s arm and walking toward Drew, who was bouncing up and down to the beat of the drums.
Out of the corner of her eye, Cadence saw a flash of black, perhaps a human form, but moving much more quickly than any human ever could. She turned to see what it was, but by the time she was able to whip her head around, it was gone. She didn’t feel frightened, for some reason, however, just surprised. She made a mental note and continued to attempt to catch up with Drew.
Placing her hand on Drew’s shoulder, she pulled her back gently in an effort to get her attention. Drew didn’t seem to notice as she was enthralled by the music. Ahead of them, some belly dancers were entertaining a crowd near a small bonfire, and Drew pulled away from Cadence, headed in that direction. In the speechless environment, they had to rely on expression and gestures, so Cadence and Kash locked glances and followed.
As they approached the small group of belly dancers, Cadence could see a sizable group of musicians off in the distance. There was a crowd congregated nearby, and every dancer was a portal unto him or herself, moving and gyrating however the music moved them. There were only a few couples dancing together, and they seemed to be performing some sort of mating ritual, or perhaps a few of them were mating, though Cadence did not wish to stare hard enough to find out. She did notice that a few couples slithered into the forest near the dance area, and she could only assume they must be consummating their relationships.
Drew seemed so fascinated by the belly dancers that she didn’t notice the other dancing going on behind her. Cadence was hopeful it would stay this way. She wasn’t exactly sure where the rhythm might take Drew, but she was afraid it wouldn’t be anywhere closer to home.
As her petite friend swung around in circles, swaying to and fro with the beat, attempting to move her hips similarly to the more accomplished dancers, Cadence turned to check on her friends. They were all still there, all still together. That, at least, was something to be grateful for. She turned back to Drew in time to see some sort of an Egyptian hand-flare, like something out of a Bangles video, and shook her head in disbelief. Kash began to dance along with Drew, an indicator to Cadence that, from his perspective, this whole thing may have been his attempt to re-hookup with his ex-flame, and Cadence had to look away in disgust.
She noticed the outline of a figure dressed in black just against the trees near where the band was entertaining the crowd. She peered more closely, and the person, what appeared to be a muscular man, faded back into the darkness of the trees and disappeared. She almost rubbed her eyes, attempting to determine whether or not they had been playing tricks on her. Why was she seeing these odd creatures? Were they real or imagined?
Just then, a loud booming began to shake the ground. From the back of the outer circle, a stream of percussionists started to pour out of one of the tents. They began to dance their way down the worn dirt path, banging methodically on their instruments, winding their way around the perimeter of the circle. There were other musicians within the parade as well, but it was the deep vibration of the bass drums that carried the reptilian line along.
Most of them wore costumes, almost all in shades of red. It was difficult to see anyone’s full face. Either a half mask, paint, outlandish makeup, or an instrument hid most of their faces from view. Cadence was standing directly beside the route, and she soon felt Drew’s arm slip through hers as she bounced up to get a better view.
As the procession began to wind down, the crowds along the route started to cheer. Tailing the parade was a small group of individuals who seemed to be of some significance. They slowly came into view, and as they did so, Cadence felt a chill the length of her spine. She knew she had seen those eyes before. The pale white skin, bright red hair, blood red lips. She recognized her instantly. This was the woman from her dream, the one she had been running from.
Beside her, Drew was gasping as well, but not at the woman. Once Cadence collected herself, she glanced at her friend to see she was blushing, staring incessantly at the man walking next to the redheaded woman. He had a light complexion with jet black hair and steely eyes just as piercing as his companion. And, much to Cadence’s dismay, those piercing eyes were firmly planted right on Drew.
It happened rather quickly, and Cadence wasn’t exactly sure what was transpiring until it was far too late. Just as the party approached where she was standing, the man reached out to Drew, taking her by the arm and pulling her into the parade. Kash was too far separated from her to get there in time, and the rest of their group was on the other side of the parade, so Cadence knew she had to act on her own. She reached after Drew, stepping into the parade route herself. Just then, the woman with the red hair bumped into her. Cadence shuddered when she felt the coolness of her body against her arm. She looked up into penetrating gray eyes, suddenly frozen with fear.
Her voice like the hiss of a snake, the woman opened her ruby red lips and snarled, “You should be very careful to watch where you are going!”
Cadence said nothing, only stared into those mesmerizing eyes.
“Otherwise, you might get hurt!” she continued, pushing Cadence backward into the crowd and away from where Drew was disappearing. Cadence caught herself before she fell. Something about the woman’s tone caused her fear to morph into anger, and no longer petrified, she fought her way back to the front of the crowd.
The tail end of the parade was just passing, and she was back together with the rest of her friends. She could still see Drew giggling as she rounded the corner, dancing along with the dark man.
“We have to follow her!” Cadence yelled to the rest of the party.
Those who had been standing on the other side looked confused. They had not seen Drew become swept up into the parade. “What are you talking about?” Jon asked, his arms now around both of the other girls.
“Drew!” Cadence exclaimed. They began to glance around, just realizing that she wasn’t there.
“Why bother?” Kash asked, a look of defeat on his face.
“This is no time for pity parties,” Cadence said as she began to step forward down the path where Drew had disappeared. “If we don’t find her, something awful is going to happen.”
“That’s what happens when you go off with strange men at parties,” Kash said nonchalantly.
Cadence spun on her heels. “Listen, you may have come here with the idea that you and Drew were going to hook up, but this situation has just escalated beyond what may or may not hurt your feelings.” Then, turning to Jack and Jon she said, “I’m telling you, if we don’t find her, something bad—very, very bad—is going to happen to Drew. I just know it.”
Regardless of how Kash felt about the present situation, it was evident to all of them that they needed to find her immediately and get the hell out of there. Taylor burst into tears, and Sydney dropped Jon’s arm so that she could comfort her. Cadence sighed; they were wasting time. “Look, Jon, why don’t you take the girls back to the Suburban, and we’ll find Drew and meet you there?”
Jon hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help find Drew?”
Cadence nodded. “I think we can find her faster without the three of you, and I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
He nodded and began to usher Taylor and Sydney away. “No, wait!” Sydney yelled, spinning back around. “I want to help!”
“No,” Cadence, declared. “You’ll be more helpful in the car, praying, where we know you’re safe.”
As if she had been given a command, Sydney nodded her head in understanding and turned to go. The little party walked quickly, and Cadence would not have been surprised to see them break into a sprint. What she was surprised to see was that they were clearly being followed by two figures dressed all in black. This time, she could easily see they were a man and a woman. They followed at a distance, never speaking to each other or anyone else, and although she had no idea who they were or why they might be following her friends, her instincts told her this was all right, and she needed to concentrate on finding Drew.
By the time the others left and Cadence continued down the path the parade had followed, she couldn’t even see the end of the chain anymore. In fact, the crowd had filled in the trail so completely she had to push her way through just to continue her search.
Upon reaching the tent at the back of the outer circle, where the parade had begun, she realized Jack and Kash were now far behind her, several groups of people separating them. She sighed in despair, running her hands through her long brown hair and stomping her booted foot on the ground. There, in the dirt, she saw a Guy Fawkes mask and realized it must be Drew’s. Picking it up, and feeling overwhelmed by helplessness, she yelled, “Dammit!” She knew she should wait for the men. They would, most likely, be a far better match for the dark haired man than she was. However, a feeling in her gut told her that, if she didn’t go right now, Drew was going to be in much more trouble than any of them wanted to think about. Glancing over her shoulder, she decided to press on with her search, though she had no plan and no idea where Drew might be. As she turned back around, she bumped directly into someone. At first, she assumed it was just another partygoer, but then she noticed his outfit and realized he was dressed entirely in black leather. He was only there a split second before he disappeared, a flash of black against the white tent beside her. It was almost as if he wanted her to be aware of his presence. There was only one facial feature that caught her attention and that was his piercing blue eyes.
Cadence shook her head violently, attempting to clear her thoughts, and took off toward the band and the area where the dancers continued to revel. She peered through the crowd, mask still in hand, jumping up to see if a different vantage point improved her perspective, which it did not. She became aware that there was a mounting presence of black-garbed persons on the perimeter of the dancers, and this alarmed her a bit. However, she knew she needed to find Drew immediately, and she was unable to let anything distract her from this mission. Jack and Kash were nowhere to be seen. She paused for just a moment to consider where Drew may have gone. Just then, she saw a couple slinking off into the protection of the trees, and she realized that Drew must be in the forest.
She took off into the woods, instinct completely guiding her now. She was moving so quickly, yet she was able to make her way between the twisted branches that reached for her coat and nipped at her hair, hardly making contact with any of them. As she weaved between the obstacles that lay between her and Drew, she began to ponder if this was what it was like to have an out-of-body experience. She was cognizant of what she was doing, but it was all happening so quickly, it seemed surreal. It was as if she was being guided by an internal force that knew exactly where Drew was and which path she must use to reach her the quickest.
Cadence began to hear noises in the trees in front of her. She knew that many couples had ventured off into these woods, and it was possible that she may come across someone else, but as she stepped into a clearing, she realized she had seen this unfold before. She was not at all surprised to see the gray eyes of the dark haired man staring directly at her, his mouth wide, razor sharp teeth exposed. Drew was there, her bare back glistening in the light of the few stars that had made their way through the clouded heavens. He knelt beside her, his hand cupping her head, and even from this distance, Cadence could see she was too late. A thin scarlet line trickled its way down her long, pale neck, dripping off of the back of her shoulder.
She had seen it all before in her dream. She knew what would happen next. The way he was looking at her, as if Cadence would be his next meal. She began to think, perhaps, he had also had a premonition. She wasn’t willing to wait to find out. The anger boiling up inside of her was too much to contain. As he stood to meet her, she ran straight for him, tossing the mask aside. She had no weapon, but she felt she did not need one. He opened his mouth so widely, she could no longer see his eyes, as if baring his teeth would somehow frighten her into submission. It did not. As he stepped toward her, she agilely stepped around him, grabbing his skull from the back. In one complete motion, she cranked his head from one shoulder to the other, ratcheting his neck, causing a popping and cracking sound like nothing she had ever heard before. She continued to pull until she realized she was holding his head in her hands, his severed body tumbling to the ground beside Drew.
If she were to pause and think about what had just happened, Cadence knew she would fall to pieces. Stopping to consider what she had just done or figure out how it was possible would have to wait for later. She tossed the decapitated head aside and knelt to ascertain the condition of her dear friend. She could plainly see that blood was flowing freely from two puncture wounds on her neck. She felt for a pulse and found none. She looked around, hoping to see Jack or Kash, thinking they could help carry her out, get her to a hospital, possibly resuscitate her. They were not there, but she realized she was not alone. There was no time just now to address the man in black with the piercing blue eyes who had suddenly shown up directly to her left. Rather, she turned back to Drew, feeling for a pulse, contemplating whether or not she should go for help or begin CPR. She hurriedly adjusted Drew’s clothing, standing now and peering through the trees, not sure if the noises she heard around her were her friends, or perhaps, more enemies.
“You need to go,” she heard him say as she turned back to Drew. Panic was starting to set in. She noticed that there was no longer a torso next to Drew but didn’t allow herself to contemplate where it might have gone, or, for that matter, how she had just managed to pull the head off of a vampire. She decided to start CPR and began pounding on Drew’s chest, praying her heart would start beating again.
“You really don’t have much time,” he said, taking a step forward.
Cadence began blowing into Drew’s mouth, trying to remember how many counts of each she was supposed to perform when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She continued to pump Drew’s chest, his hand still there and clearly in her way. “I have to save her,” she said as calmly as she could muster.
“If you don’t go now, we might not be able to help you.”
Cadence continued to pound, oblivious to the urgency in his tranquil voice.
The hand on her shoulder suddenly became much firmer, and she was being pulled to her feet. He spun her around to face him. “Cadence, Drew is gone. You must go now!”
She stared at the stranger, not sure what to make of him, the situation, or what he had just said. Suddenly, the sound of branches breaking and heavy breathing drew her attention away from those intense blue eyes and back to reality. She braced herself, afraid that it might be more vampires, but it was not. Jack and Kash came tearing through the trees, clearly out of breath and exhausted from attempting to keep up with Cadence.
“Cadence!” Jack exclaimed. He looked relieved at first until he saw Drew lying on the ground. Then, his expression changed from joy to overwhelming grief. Kash was standing nearby, his eyes locked on Drew, stunned.
Suddenly, the instinct from Cadence’s dream kicked in, and she had an overpowering understanding that they all needed to get away from there immediately. She did not know the relationship between the dark haired man she’d annihilated and the redheaded woman, but she was quite certain that, once the woman realized what she had done, there would be hell to pay.
“We have no time,” she said as calmly as possible to her friends. “We have to get out of here. Now.”
“What about Drew?” Jack asked. Kash was still not moving, but Cadence could clearly see the tears streaming down his face.
Cadence glanced back at the man in black. He nodded.
“Bring her.”
There had been plenty of chatter on the Intelligence Assistance Communicator, or IAC, recently, so it was no surprise to Aaron McReynolds to see Cadence and her friends arrive at the Eidolon Festival. He believed he had brought enough of his team with him to sufficiently cover anything that might arise, although he was hopeful that Holland and her clan would be particularly careful considering who Cadence was and how obligated he was to provide her with unconditional protection. He was, however, extremely surprised to see Carter pull such a bold move and whisk one of Cadence’s friends away like that. The Vampire should have known that would not be permitted. Nevertheless, he took her, and that livened things up beyond a typical peacekeeping operation.
As soon as Drew had danced her way into the parade, Aaron began organizing his team, calling in backup immediately. He knew from his vast experience that this would most likely activate Cadence enough that she would track Carter down. He was thankful she had sent most of her friends back to the car because it made it easier to protect them and gave him less subjects to worry about inside the perimeter.
After she bumped into him during her frantic search for Drew, he knew there was no stopping her Transformation. Rather than attempting to trail Cadence through the woods, he used the IAC infrared to track her and reach the destination simultaneously. If necessary, he was ready to step in on her behalf, but clearly, she needed no help defeating Carter, which was a shocking testimony to her strength and power. Now, as she began to realize what was happening around her and attempt to escape, his role became even more difficult. On the other side of those trees, a legion of vampires was just recognizing what had happened here, and they would all be willing to do whatever it took to bring her down.
Using the IAC, he was able to communicate to his team without speaking aloud. Therefore, Cadence and her friends had no idea the magnitude of the operation unfolding around them. His primary objective was to get Cadence, Jack, and Kash home with no harm befalling any of them. However, she was his main concern, and if that meant losing someone else along the way, so be it.
“Eliza, Jamie, Elliott, pick up on the other side of these trees. As soon as they’re clear, I need to hear some engines.” The orders were clear, and he knew his team would respond appropriately.
Jack scooped Drew’s limp body up, and Cadence began to lead them out of the woods. Her instincts started to kick in, and she knew exactly where she was going. However, she was also well aware of the fact that her friends were not keeping up with her. She did her best to keep pace with them, wondering why they were running so slowly. The man in black did not follow them. Conversely, as they wound their way through the woods, they were suddenly surrounded by a group of similarly dressed persons, and Cadence realized they were being escorted.
Approaching the edge of the woods, she could plainly hear the music from the band. She could see that the dancers continued. If any of those individuals happened to be vampires, and somehow, she seemed to know which ones were, they were presently unaware that she had just destroyed one of their own. While it seemed more reasonable to slowly walk out of the woods and nonchalantly exit the festival, hoping no one noticed the body Jack was carrying, every fiber of her being was telling her to run, sprint, fly out of that place as quickly as possible. It was all she could do to slow down enough for her friends to keep up.
Suddenly, there was a loud rumble drowning out the music and causing the entire back section of dancers to pause mid-step. As if materializing out of nowhere, three jet black motorcycles came screeching out of the night, flying toward them. Jack and Kash jumped back into the woods, clearly a bit alarmed, but Cadence could plainly see they were there to help. The drivers were dressed in black.
They motioned impatiently for the three friends to get on. While it was extremely difficult for Jack to keep ahold of Drew and still hold on to the back of the rider, he managed by throwing her small body over his shoulder, despite the unbelievable speed they began to travel. Cadence jumped onto the closest bike, barely glancing at the driver, and held on as tightly as she could, and she realized she was actually traveling more quickly than the other two bikes.
The motorcycles seemed to be a tip to the vampires that something had happened, and it did not take long for the redheaded woman to show her pale white face. Cadence was concentrating on watching where they were going, unsure exactly how her driver was managing to weave through some of the tight spots they were passing through. However, a blood-curdling scream pierced the night sky, causing her ears to ring, and she knew without even turning her head that this must be the woman with the steel gray eyes. She squeezed the waist of her driver more tightly, and he somehow found a way to make the bike go even faster.
From his vantage point, Aaron could see that Eliza was struggling to balance the bike and maintain her speed with Jack and Drew’s body behind her. In fact, she almost wrecked twice just navigating the tents. He could see that Elliott had almost made it to the Suburban with Kash before she had even exited the grounds, and Jamie was long gone with Cadence. “I’m struggling!” she called in to Aaron, and he began to contemplate exactly how to get her assistance. Just as she made the call, Holland and her band of cronies began to ascend on her. “I don’t know how I am going to get Jack out of this alive.” Her voice sounded panicked, which was unusual for her, an indicator the situation was serious.
Aaron had not planned for Drew’s body to be extracted when he had made the plans to use motorcycles. However, he knew it was important to Cadence, and he thought they could do it. Now, with a clan of vampires closing in on Jack’s tail, the idea didn’t seem like such a great one.
Holland’s anger had made her strength grow immeasurably, and now with each leap she took closer to Eliza, it appeared as if she was flying. Aaron knew he needed to find a way to slow her down. His position near the woods, where he stopped to coordinate his forces, was so far away from the exit, he didn’t know if it was possible to catch up to the infuriated Vampire now. However, he was also fueled by emotion and was capable of moving even more quickly than she was.
Jack was terrified. He almost could not fathom what was happening around him, not to mention that he was holding the body of a dear friend. He could see what appeared to be vampires swooping in on them from all directions. He thought that, if he left Drew behind, perhaps they would have a better chance of escaping, but he couldn’t consider leaving her, especially not when he knew how much she meant to Kash and Cadence.
As they were exiting the fairgrounds, the bike hesitated just a second. Jack felt an icy cold flick on his shoulder. He glanced down to see that his jacket was torn. He saw no blood, so he assumed he had not been injured, but with all of the adrenaline coursing through his veins, it was difficult to tell. However, he knew that, if this driver didn’t find a way to speed this bike up, the next time he would not be so lucky. “Hurry! Hurry!” he shouted to the purple-haired woman driving him away from the scene of horror.
Jack glanced back over his shoulder, though his instinct told him it wasn’t a good idea to do so. He realized whatever it was he had felt on his shoulder it had originated with none other than the redheaded woman from the parade, the one who had pushed Cadence. Looking back at her now, he hardly recognized her. Her face was contorted, her teeth exposed, sharp white daggers protruding from her mouth. Perhaps what was most unsettling was the fact that she appeared to be flying! She was hovering above him now, and he was fairly certain that she would reach out and pluck him from the back of the motorcycle with little effort at all.
Just as Jack was coming to this conclusion, a jarring force knocked her off balance, sending her flying to her right, tumbling on the ground. Jack thought he heard a squeal of delight from his driver as she pushed the gas a bit harder, and the Suburban began to come into view.
Aaron had flung himself into Holland with as much force as he could muster. It was enough to throw her a good twenty feet into the air and clear Eliza’s bike from Holland’s clutches. The rest of her clan was far enough behind that his team would be able to come in from the parking lot and intercept them with no problem. Holland had been the imminent danger, and now she was picking herself up off of the ground.
He could tell from the glare in her eyes that she wanted to return the blow, but she was clearly set on one goal: find the brown-haired girl and make her pay. Still, as she gathered herself back up, she looked at Aaron and spat, “You shouldn’t have done that!”
He disagreed. “You broke the rules, and you’re in pursuit of a Hunter. I can do whatever it takes.”
She hissed at him as she leaped off. “The girl might be gone, for now, but I still might be able to catch up to her friends. I’ll see you later, Aaron.” She took off again, swept up in a sea of Vampires and chaotic partygoers trying to reach the exit.
Aaron was fairly certain his team had things under control, but he followed, and eventually sprinted around Holland, absently wishing there were no rules regarding destroying Vampires at an Eidolon Festival. By the time he reached the parking lot, Elliott was shouting instruction to the rest of Cadence’s friends, and she and Jamie were long gone.
Eliza was helping Jack with Drew as he struggled to climb into the vehicle. Aaron could hear the other two girls in the back seat whimpering. He couldn’t imagine how frightening it must be for them to see that their friends were being chased back to the parking lot. Behind him, he heard his team holding up the vampire; they would be safe now, but that wouldn’t erase the terror. They’d need another method for that.
When the girls saw Drew’s body, they began to cry even more. The whimpers turned into wails. The male members of Cadence’s party were all wide-eyed with disbelief.
“Start the car!” Elliott barked. Kash nodded, a numb look in his eyes. “Drive straight to Shenandoah Medical Center and do not stop for anything!”
Once the engine was running, Elliott went around to the back where Eliza was helping Jack load Drew’s body. Aaron followed, keeping his distance and letting his team operate. Elliott looked at the girl for a moment before catching Aaron’s eyes and nodding solemnly. Unfortunately, the fact that Drew was gone was no surprise to Aaron. He nodded back in understanding, and Elliott reached into his pocket, pulled out a small knife, and slashed the side of Drew’s throat, turning the puncture wounds into a stab wound, at least on the surface.
“What are you doing?” Jack yelled. “You’ll kill her!”
Elliott did not reply. He simply patted Jack on the shoulder before slamming the Suburban door shut and signaling for Kash to drive. Clearly, Jack had carried her on the back of the motorcycle, hopeful that getting Drew to a hospital would allow her to be saved. Aaron knew from experience that reality would set in when Jack realized there was nothing dripping from the fresh stab wound.