Innocent Blood

Innocent Blood (Chapter 28)

Chapter 28

      The coloured lights flashed in my eyes, leaving blobs of colour obscuring my vision. "No", I said, pushing up from the chair and trying to loose myself in the crowd. I'd got up so fast that I had already made it to the other side of the dance floor before I saw his head bob up through the crowd. People moved easily out of my way, that probably left him a clear path to follow me. Despite the heels, I moved fast, weaving between people nimbly and feeling suddenly sober. I was almost at the door when a hand wrapped around my wrist, I yelped and he instantly let go. "Where are you going?" It was Sean, I tried to look by his tall frame but I couldn't see David.
"Just getting some air." I lied, feeling a little more at ease.
"I'll come with you", Sean offered, taking a step closer to the door.  
"Uh, no, that's alright. I actually need to make a call so you wait right here?" I looked past him again, "I'll be two minutes." He was easier to convince than Mark would have been, and with a simple nod he let me leave.
      It was freezing outside. The street was near deserted, with just three people standing together near the entrance of the club, smoking cigarettes. One of them watched me as I passed, telling me something that my head was to busy to hear. I walked at a brisk pace, the clicking of my heels being the only noise in the night. My arms were wrapped around me and I kept my head down. I had almost reached the bar that we had been in earlier, that was now in darkness, like all the other businesses around me, when I heard, "Accalia! Wait!" I allowed myself only a quick glance behind, to ensure it was who I thought it was. The club entrance was quite a bit down the street now, but I could see that the Smokers were gone and David was in quick pursuit of me. I ran as fast as I could but I felt ridiculously slow. "Leave me alone!" I shouted back at him.
      His footsteps were getting louder and I grew more panicked, I had no idea where I was going, I wasn't near my flat, the car journey had taken much longer than last night, I didn't even know where the car was parked. On top of that, I'd left my jacket and bag, with EVERYTHING inside it! Already I'd taken a couple of turns since the club and I was well aware that I was getting more and more and lost. I had no alternative now but to face him. I gradually slowed and turned to face him., he hadn't been far behind me and he looked grateful that I stopped for him. We were both out of breath and I took a moment to collect myself before I spoke to him. "You're mistaken. My name is Claire", keeping my eyes focused on his feet. "No. You're Accalia, I know you." He stepped forward, total confidence in himself that he was right, he took my chin in his hand and tilted my face up, "look at me." His tone was more gentle. And I looked at him, I'd tried not to look at him directly at all but I had a burning desire to look at him since I'd realised who he was. My eyes had wanted to soak up every part of him, to see the living evidence of my past life. A thousand memories flashed through my head when I looked at that face, walking home from school with David, on a bike run with David, sleeping over at David's, climbing trees with David, swimming at the beach with David. David, David, David. Here he was, stood in front of me, taller and more muscled than I remember but still, my David.
      We stood there staring at each other for several long heartbeats. His eyes searched my face, he radiated awe and wonderment and I had no doubt that my expression mirrored his. "I can't believe this. You're supposed to be dead! But it's you, you're here. Really here..." He stroked my cheek, like he were making sure I were really there. I was too shook to even talk back to him, so I just stood there like a trembling fool staring at him. "I've seen those eyes every night for the past four years." I shook my head, not like I was disagreeing with him, I was merely trying to clear my head into coherent thought. "What happened to you?" He went on. "I was at your funeral..." Again I shook my head, there really was no point in keeping up the denial, he knew me as I knew him, and I did know him like he was a part of myself. Every childhood memory was filled with his face. But how was I supposed to explain? "Would it be cliché if I said I it was a long story?" My voice cracked, I could feel tears threatening to flood my eyes and I saw a tear glint in the light as it rolled down his cheek. He was crying for me! "My god", he said again as he pulled me into a tight hug. "I can't believe its really you."
    A sound from further down the street had us both look round to see a figure staggering down the street, he passed by wordlessly. "Let's go to mine, I don't live far..."
"Claire...?" Asked a voice several yards away. I looked back over my shoulder. A man stood, motioning to me to come to him, he was too far and it was too dark to see who it was. "You know him?" David asked warily. The man pointed to a car and I saw it was Sean's little blue car. "Oh, it's Sean," I told him.
"Boyfriend?"
"Uh, no. Friend", I waved to Sean, and held up a finger trying to signal I'd be 'one minute'. "Friend of a friend actually", Sean still stood, motioning to the car impatiently. "They must be waiting on me."
"Don't go. We need to talk." He was making it really hard for me to go, right now, there was nothing I wanted more than to stay there with him, bask in his presence and relive a time when the world was good. He was by far the nearest thing to home that I'd have any hope of finding. "I have to go David. I wish I didn't have to but... Come see me tomorrow?" He pulled me to him, holding me so close I could barley breathe. "Promise me you won't disappear again. Promise me..." He whispered in my ear.
      David waited where I had left him as I walked to the car, I couldn't help but to keep looking back at him. I gave him one final wave when I reached Sean. "Sorry." I sighed. Now my tears came streaming down freely. I automatically reached for the door handle then paused when I saw that the car was empty. "Em, where is everyone?" I asked confused as I turned back to him. He smiled down at me, an unfamiliar, fiendish smile that sent shivers down my spine. My heart pounded in my chest as I looked upon the strangers face, his tall, burly body towered above me, his severe face had one huge scar running from the end of his eye brow, to his jaw. I pressed myself back against the car and looked at David, who still stood in his place watching. "Don't do that." The man warned, "just wave and get in the van." He nodded his head to the midnight black mini-van that was parked up behind the car. My face went back to David, trying desperately to communicate with him. It seemed he picked up on that because he strode forward. "Fancy his chances?" Whispered the man menacingly and straightened up to face David.
"You alright?" David asked, his eyes flicking between the man and I. "Go home." Answered the man. I wanted to run or scream out, but he kept close enough to keep me in place and had managed to render me speechless. "Do you know this clown?" Asked David angrily. I shook my head quickly, hoping he could somehow fix this. "Clown? Wanna see something funny?" Said the man in a calm voice. White hot panic shot through me as I saw something glint in his hand as he lunged forward. There was a brief scuffle between the two men then a shout of pain. The scarred man came away, holding a knife that dripped with blood. David lay on the ground, holding his side, "run" he gasped, but the man was already at my side, hustling me toward his van. In the commotion I forgot to breathe, I couldn't take my eyes off David, who lay there watching me, "leave her, leave her!" I struggled, squirmed, kicked and screamed but he calmly whispered, "get in or I'll finish him off." David never heard that, and as I was taken to the back door of the van, he got to his feet, shouting and hobbling to us. He threw me into the back and slammed the door shut. The only light was from the small window, that looked into the cab part of the van. Outside I could hear David's wails of despair as the van skidded away.
      It was cold and dark in the van, far from luxury, a thin, crude carpet covered the bottom, the side were simply the bare metal. Every bump in the road had me bouncing around the back. He ignored my bawling, and after I'd strained my voice, I gave up and cried to myself. He pulled over and began a conversation, at first I thought he was talking to me but I looked through the small window and saw him on a mobile phone. "Yeah it was the same girl from the coffee shop... 'cause some guy was shouting her... I'm telling you... Same place... Yeah fine, twenty minutes, make sure you bring the money or I'll keep her." That was the end of the conversation. "Who was that?" I dared to ask.
"You'll find out soon enough" He took a long pause and asked, "why do you have to names? You use a middle name or something?" I stayed quiet, "well, we've got some time to kill before they come for you. Wanna come up front?" He looked through the window at me, "no? You shy? Want me to come through there then?" He got out of the cab, slamming the door. He banged on the side of the van, trying to intimidate me, I knew, and it worked.
      Don't panic. Stay calm. Think. They only way out was through the back door, the door he was going to come through. There was absolutely nothing in the back with me to use as a weapon. I thought fast, my shoe, it had a heel that could do some damage. I hoped. It was easy to slip off and I got into position, ready to strike. He took his time, it had only been seconds since he had got out, but that had been much too long. So I waited in silence, blood pounding in my ears. I knew I had no chance in fighting him off, but if I was lucky, I could get him by surprise and out run him. The lock popped, the door swung open, I lunged forward, shoe in hand swinging blindly. It came in contact twice, before he wrenched it from my hand and pinned me back against the floor of the van. I kicked wildly. I'd go down fighting.
"Look at me!" He growled, holding my face in place. My crew, warped head had imposed a beautiful over the hideousness of my captor. Probably a defence mechanism, but that wasn't the cruel part, it was the particular face that my mind had chosen. It was torture really. The most beautiful face that my mind could conjure. I shut my eyes tight, refusing to see the flawless beauty of the delusion. "Are you hurt?" He asked and I could feel his breath close to my face, his body pressed over mine. The voice perfectly matched the sick delusion. So much so, that my eyes disobeyed me and inched open. I wriggled out from under him, scurrying to the other end of the van. He stood back, the light of the moon illuminating him, like an angel of the night. As I studied him, barely believing my own eyes, I noticed the blood spattered over his ripped shirt and face, more like a glorious war god than an angel. I was terrified, I was besotted, I was... going to pass out.
      My eyes opened sleepily when I felt myself being jostled about. He had me in his arms, climbing out of the van. "Aristaios?" He set me down on the edge of the van and I instantly caught sight of the bloodied body of the Scarred Man, in a heap, yards from us. "Oh my god." I wretched.
"Don't look." Aristaios whispered, turning my head to look at him. "How did you know I was here?"
"He was following you", he sneered, looking in the direction of the dead man. "You were following me?" I asked in bewilderment.
"I was following him." He evaded. I burst into tears and fell into his arms. He let me cry for a few moments then tried to calm me. "You're alright now. You can stop crying."
"Why does this stuff always happen to me?" I sobbed. "David!" I remembered, "he hurt David, we need to go back..."
"Listen to me Accalia, try to calm yourself, you're hysterical. Don't worry about anyone else but you right now." I was shaking so violently that he had to wrap his arms around me to stop me from falling from the lip of the van. "What's going to happen now?"
"We wait."
"For what?" I asked shakily.
"Someone is going to some lengths to get to you, and by the sounds of it he'll be here soon." That thought was more scary than any of the Scarred Man, of course we both knew who was behind it. And I didn't want to wait here for him to come and collect, no matter if Aristaios thought he could take him on.