Chapter 8

Chapter 8
Once Bitten!

Theres lots of strong language and lemons in my story, please dont read if you are easily offended!

I do not own anything, all things Twilight belong to Stephenie Myers.

So here I am, wandering through these days not sure if im dead, alive or delusional. The only constant, the only thing that I could cling to was Edward.
He seemed to be even more reluctant to leave me for any amount of time, since my minor schiz out!
It was on a rare occasion that I was going to have a day on my own as I had insisted that Edward hunt with the rest of his family. I had a sneaky suspicion that I wasn’t being totally left to my own devices and that someone somewhere had been put to watching over me. Though I hadn’t forgotten my nightmare, it had lost some of its clarity and I had pushed it to the back of my head; hence I didn’t really think twice about throwing on some runners and jumping in the truck and going off to the beach after I had said my breathless goodbyes to Edward.
I parked up the truck and went with an easy jog down onto the beach. The sand felt familiar as I easily ran across its hard packed surface. The waves and gulls were joining in Mother Nature’s symphony and I took in big lung full’s of the salty air, allowing it, with each exhale, to clear my head. It felt so good to be running again and feel the impacting rhythm of my feet.
I ran along the beach beside the cliffs and eventually followed an uphill path through the woods. I saw a young family walking their yapping dog and I shouted a breathy “Good Morning.” And “Thanks.” to them as they grabbed the dog and stepped aside to let me pass.
The sounds of the sea and the dog abated and soon it was only the mulchy thud of my running feet that was audible. I continued on, enjoying the speckled sun just able to filter down through the thick fir trees. It was whilst I was admiring the dappled tree line that my eye was drawn to my right. I looked in to the trees to see what had made me turn my head but didn’t stop running. I expected to see one of the many woodland creatures that dwelt there but I didn’t see anything. Wandering what time it was, I thought that I should start thinking about going back to the car soon. I decided to retrace my steps as I wasn’t sure where this path ran to or through and so started back the way I had come. As I ran I noticed that the sun was making the shadows dance in the trees just off of the pathway. My eyes kept on being drawn to what they thought were movements, but was really the sun shining through the breeze blown leaves. For about the fifth time I caught sight of a movement just off to my left. This time however it was enough to halt me from my run. I stood and gazed to where I had seen the flash. My eyes and ears strained to catch anything that may have moved. The creeping sensation of uneasiness made the trickle of sweat that was rolling between my shoulder blades turn to ice. I held my breath to see if that would help me hear anything…it didn’t!
Berating myself I started running again, but this time I picked up the pace. My eyes were flashing from side to side but I kept my focus forwards. I knew that it couldn’t be much further till I hit the downwards path to the beach. Knowing that I was getting nearer to civilisation made me crank up another gear in my pace. My breath was coming in regular bursts but my lungs were unaccustomed to being pushed like this and for such a time
.
Eventually up ahead I saw the young family sat down relaxing. I let out a huge relieved breath; I sprinted towards the group, so relieved to see them that I was nearly upon them before my oxygen starved brain told me that there was something wrong. My eyes registered the young family sat off of the pathway but my ears still registered the silence. The yappy dog wasn’t yapping anymore! I skidded to a halt, spinning around all ways to see if there was anyone else near. I couldn’t see or hear anyone or thing. I crept towards the family, my eyes wouldn’t move off of their still forms. This whole scenario seemed oddly familiar and images of my desperately trying to pump a mans dying heart into action whilst his life blood flowed away, kept flashing into my head.
As I got to the group my eyes swept over the carnage. My hands immediately went to work, I checked for any signs of life from the 3 people who lay there bloodied and mutilated. The man and woman had the cold look of death and there was no helping them. The young girl, who looked to be in her early teens, had a faint fluttering pulse. She was less mutilated than her parents had been. I found the wounds on her neck, arms and wrists and ripped at her clothes to make a dressing to try to stem the remaining blood flow. Checking her pulse again I felt it stutter and halt. My hands went to do chest compressions as I tried to assess the condition of the rest of her. After what seemed like hours of me pumping her heart for her, her body jolted and her heart reluctantly thudded of its own accord once more. I tentatively looked around, worried that we may not have been on our own. I was in no doubt as to what had murdered the couple and had left this young girl to die. My concern was that they might come back to finish the job. I reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone, scrolling hastily for the number I was looking for. Just then from behind me I heard the faintest rustle of trees, I turned to look in the direction the noise had come from and peered into the forest. I saw the three vampires as I turned back to the young girl. They were on the path and just watching me with such amusement. Fear bubbled into my chest as I took in the familiar forms of Laurent, James and Victoria!
“Oh look, Desert!” Victoria quipped as she wiped the blood from her mouth with her arm and wrist.
Laurent laughed at her joke, James just stared at me, his head rising up slightly to catch my scent each time the breeze disturbed the trees.
I rose slowly from my squatting position, my eyes never leaving the three vampires in front of me. I knew that I couldn’t possibly outrun them or fight them off, in fact there wasn’t really anything I could do now apart from die. However, as soon as I thought that, my heart thumped harder in my chest and I could feel the lactose and adrenalin building in my muscles ready to fight or flee. I stepped around towards the beach pathway, not taking my eyes off of the three predators. Their eyes, glowing ruby red from the blood they’d consumed, followed me. I moved a step, they moved a step. I thought briefly about why they didn’t attack me straight away and the vision that came into my head was Edward kissing me before he left for his hunting trip. Perhaps that was why James kept sniffing at the air, perhaps he could smell Edward on me and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. With each small step I increased the distance between myself and the three vampires, but I knew it would only be a matter of a few seconds before they caught me.
Just then the young girl gave out an excruciating scream, the vampires turned to her and watched with interest as her body arched upwards like her back was about to break.
I took my chance! I turned and ran as fast as I could through the trees. The wispy lower branches whipping across my face left it bloodied and stinging. I launched myself out into space over the cliff edge and half fell, half rolled down the craggy rock face. As I hit the bottom I felt and heard my arm break or dislocate, not waiting for the pain to register, I was on my feet and running across the sand, heading towards the truck and what I would hope would be safety. I risked a slight look behind me and couldn’t see anything, so I slowed some more and turned more fully. There was no sign of pursuit! I couldn’t understand it, there was no way that I could have out run the vampires and James was an exceptionally gifted tracker as well, so it was highly unlikely that he had lost me scent, even if I hadn’t been making enough noise for anyone in the near vicinity to hear!
Now too curious I stopped and turned and looked towards the pathway and the cliff edge I had just come down. The clouds of dust were still visible from my decent. I could hear the sounds of trees and branches snapping up along the ridge, and I felt pretty sure that that was my three pursuers. Not wanting to meet them again I turned to run back to the truck.
I sprinted up the last couple of steps and cast a last look behind me. Trying to calm myself I walked as normally as I could towards the truck. I didn’t relax fully until I was in the trucks cabin with the doors locked firmly behind me. Once I had strapped my arm up I started the old engine and was on my way, I started to giggle and then great huge gaffs of inappropriate laughter escaped me. I knew it was the shock and the relief of my escape but I couldn’t stop myself. Big tears rolled down my cheeks as I laughed hysterically. I tried to compose my self as I drove the winding road towards the town. The truck was heavy and unresponsive to all but the most heaving turns and even those it did grudgingly! This was made even more difficult as I was trying to drive using only my good arm. So it was with a huge amount of screeching that the old truck responded to my slamming of the brakes as I turned the next corner. Stood in the middle of the road waiting for me was James. The truck finally stopped and I was trying to get my already exhausted brain to function properly and get me out of another deadly mess.
James’ ruby eyes stared into mine; I noticed the slight up turn to his lips belying his amusement.

OK I admit it im a hot head, and well this pissed me off and I felt like someone had to fight for the little family that had lost their lives today and as I didn’t see anyone else around queing up to do it, it may as well be me!!

I revved the engine of the truck, it rumbled and roared and shook. The smile on James’ face became much more apparent, as I screamed towards him, the wheels spinning and leaving huge clouds of burnt rubber smoke behind as we went. James started to run towards me head on, I was hoping that I could at least knock out a tooth or two!!
The impact of the heavy truck hitting the vampire’s body sent a shock wave through the vehicle and me. It lifted us up over the vampire who disappeared from my view as glass was tossed around the spinning truck cab. The truck did a full revolution and it continued to turn. It didn’t make it back round to its tires before the ground rushed to meet us! With a huge banging impact the truck landed on its roof and continued to skid along the road, ripping great gauges in the road as it went, sending sparks flying around me.

Black.

My eyes came open as my nose twitched with the smell of gasoline. It took me a micro second to remember what had happened and immediately my mind cleared. I was half hanging, half lying upside down in the trucks cabin, held by my seat belt. My face felt warm and sticky from the glass and tree scratches. As I tested methodically through the rest of my body, I was trying to peer out the crushed cab to see what had happened to James. I managed to slip myself out of the seat belt and dropped to the floor, which was really the roof of the truck. I let out an involuntary yelp as it jarred my arm, but I bit my lip and tried to be as quiet as possible. Pulling myself out of the broken window, I was eventually able to stand up. Gingerly I got to my feet and saw properly where James was. He was where I had hit him but he was on the floor, some fifty feet away! He wasn’t moving. I reached for my phone… “shit!”
I had had my phone out on the cliff ridge before I had seen the three vampires, I couldn’t remember putting it away as I had hastily run away, and I couldn’t find it now. I guessed it was somewhere in the woods on the cliff walkway! I took another look towards James to satisfy myself that he was still there and then I started to walk in the direction of town again. I knew I would get to some houses soon.
Every few minutes or so, I would look behind me to see James, not moving. The final time I looked though, he was stood, with not a scratch on him wearing that same amused expression. Why hadn’t he just come and got me straight away? I knew as soon as I thought it why… He was a hunter, he liked the chase, and if it was over too quickly he didn’t get the enjoyment or satisfaction out of it.

I took a last look into the eyes that struck terror in my very soul, and I took a big breath and then I calmly turned my back and took a step away from him. Before my foot had touched down a gust of air passed me and James was stood directly in front of me. That same smug smile, making his perfect face look more sadistic, if that were possible. Every nerve ending in my body was screaming at me to run away from James. He reached out a marble hand and cupped my face, stroking my bloodied cheek with his thumb. To an unaware onlooker, the scene would have looked tender, even sensual. Bile started to rise in my stomach as I smelt blood and entrails on his skin. Still he did not move. He just stood looking at me. James moved closer to me, so that his whole body was pressed against mine. He removed the hair that was sticking to my sweat and blood coated neck. I closed my eyes and not for the first time, prepared for the end to come. I was waiting for the pain, when it came, it felt like I had been hit with a freight train. My eyes flew open as I hit the floor and skidded on my already shredded arms. I saw James rolling over with something huge and furry!! James and the huge wolf were tumbling over each other. The russet colour identified the wolf as Jake, I looked up and saw another huge wolf, which I assumed would be Paul, judging by the size and colouring. James had been taken off guard as he wasn’t aware of the wolves or of their purpose! I scrambled over towards Paul, not taking my eyes off of the fighting pair. The sound was horrific, there was the sound or tearing metal each time Jakes teeth caught James. Low guttural growling was coming from both of them. James made a move to grab Jacobs’s neck, but Jacob saw it coming, he flung his body out at an obtuse angle, but he was a fraction slower than the vampire. I heard Jakes leg break with a loud snap that reminded me of trees being felled rather than a human femur fracturing. James was good. Panic and fear for my friend made me forget my own fears, I ran towards the tussling pair picking up the biggest branch I could on the way. My way was halted by Paul placing himself in front of me and using himself as a doggy shield!
“He’s getting hurt!” I screamed at wolf Paul, trying to push my way past. Pauls ears pricked up and his head turned slightly in the direction of the woods, we were joined then by 3 other wolves. One huge black wolf, almost as big as Jacob joined in the melee of the growling fight between James and Jacob.
James was a brilliant tracker, and to be a brilliant tracker you needed to be smart. He knew when he should cut and run….and that’s what he did…he ran as fast as his vampire legs would take him, with three of the four wolves snapping and harrying him and snapping at his heels.
Jake limped off into the woods and I made to follow him when he reappeared seconds later in his usual modest attire of cut off jeans and nothing else.
I ran over to him, hugging him as I screamed at him.
“Are you ok?” Oh my God, let me take a look at your leg.” Shoving him to the floor with more force than I had expected, he winced. “Ouch! Easy there Kenze I heal quick but it still hurts like a bitch!”
“Sorry!” I apologised. “You need to get to a hospital.” I said.
“Its ok im going to be healed in about another ten minutes, it was a straight break.”
He lay back on the woodland floor and put his big arms behind his head and closed his eyes.
I sat down beside him in silence, waiting for the questions to come, but I was only met by silence. Eventually I turned to him only to hear the faintest snore escape from his smiling mouth!
“MEN!” I accused the quiet forest.
We sat like that for about 40 minutes, me watching the woods, Jake snoring contentedly, until Sam and the others returned. Paul gave Jacob a kick to wake him. Sam came over to ask if I was ok.
“What happened?” I asked, “Are you all in one piece?”
“We’re all ok Mackenzie. I think we have some stuff to talk about!”
My face must have screwed up because Jake barked a laugh out.
“Come on,” he said “I’ll give you a ride home!”
I looked around trying to see where the road was and when I looked back Jake was no where to be seen. In his place stood the huge russet wolf!
“You’ve got to be kidding me?” I asked to the others.
They laughed as they phased, their laughter turning into Hyena yaps. Gritting my teeth I roughly grabbed a handful of Jacobs’s fur, and half vaulted, half pulled myself up on his back.
He set off as soon as I was seated properly. This was going to take some explaining to Edward if he ever found out.
Jacobs’s easy running strides made the ride actually quite comfortable and it wasn’t long before I could see Sam’s house in the distance.