Taint (Formerly Claimed) Dark Midnight 1

Chapter 19

*These short chapters are killing me.  I've gotten complaints in the past about my chapters being too long, so for now I've tried to keep them short, but the past FOUR chapters are actually supposed to be one long one. 

Cutting them up  Is.  Killing me.

I figure that if no one minds, then the chapters will be longer from here on out.  This means less updates (up until now, I've been managing a new chap every other day)  But they will be twice as long, if not more.  I figure that if you're not invested in the story by now to soldier through a long chapter, then buh-bye.

By the way, Thank you all so much for voting/fanning/commenting.  I will eventually get around the replying to you all.  Every single comment makes my day, and I've been having one hell of a crappy week so far, so you have no idea how much a nice comment helps.  

I truly appreciate you all!

-Nikki*

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Miriam tried to keep her breathing steady—she really did. 

But the closer that she trudged through the drifts of snow in the direction of the woods, the harder it was to even keep breathing at all.    

Every instinct she had was screaming for her to go back—run!

  It felt like wading through a pool of fear just to take a single step. 

She could hear the officers now—just murmurs and snatches of conversation—but their voices were grim. 

Grim enough to let her know that they weren't out here wading through the fresh snow without a reason. 

Stern eyes were downcast over the ice as they patrolled the edge of the road, too preoccupied with scouring the area to notice her on the opposite side of the street.

            Or Eliot, who strode fearlessly up ahead, where he seemed to blend right in with the shadows that draped the snow beneath the trees. 

Despite the pale skin, he could have been made of shadow.  

            His back was turned.  She couldn’t see his face, but she had a sinking feeling that those red eyes wouldn’t have a shred of pity in them.

            Just emptiness. 

She had no idea how he could appear so calm.  So unconcerned with the grisly scene unfolding just a few feet ahead.  

She almost envied him.  Anything had to be better than the fear; this icy, chilling feeling that slid down the nape of her neck like the brush of a cold finger. 

            She wanted to turn back.  Screaming. 

            She wanted to run right back up to her room and slam the door shut to her bedroom—crawl under the covers and forget that this whole day had ever happened. 

            Maybe…she should have done just that?

            But when Eliot turned back to glance at her—just once as if to make sure she hadn't chickened out already—she couldn’t force her legs to turn around.  She just kept shuffling reluctantly toward him until she came level to his shoulder where her feet finally slid to a stop on a patch of ice. 

            It was slicker out than she realized. 

            Her boots wobbled unsteadily.  Her knees buckled…