Till Death (Volturi / Twilight Fanfiction)

36: Just a normal hiking trip

How long had she been walking? Taylor didn't know. For a while, she counted the seconds through the footfalls of her steps. But their timing was uneven as the terrain became the same to match. Stumbling over roots took about four seconds. Going downhill required fewer steps but she found her feet to be in the air longer than traversing uphill. She wondered, momentarily, if this was private property. Who owned this piece of land? Of course, a realization hit her like a brick wall.

Whoever was burying the bodies here most likely owned the land.

She shook the thought off.

As Taylor looked above to judge the position of the sun she realized with a start how unusual her situation was. She was here, following a ghostly stranger through the middle of the woods. Too far to see civilization. Much too isolated for anyone to hear her scream. Goodness, the situations her gift puts her in. Exhausting.

Maurice tisked at Taylor's sudden stop, drawing her attention. The forest was orange overlaying its' usual green. The sun only peeked over the horizon casting dramatic shadows upon the scenery. Woodland critters were only just loud enough to drown out Taylor's thoughts of leaving. What little sun was there cast shadows, plenty dark enough to house danger. She both marveled at the beauty of it all and shuddered. Glad she brought her flashlight, she would be traveling back in the dark.

"Does he taste like a corpse?"

"Jesus." Taylor exasperated, pulling herself over a small terrace of tangled roots and dirt.

"No, not the son of the Father. I refer to Marcus Volturi." She ignored Maurice and continued forward, readjusting the duffle bag over her shoulders. Maurice still led her on but floated lazily above the obstacles Taylor had to navigate. His head was held in place by a hand as if he were lounging.

"How much further?"

"I will admit to wondering how it would feel to kiss a vampire. The allure is interesting, intense. However, I would assume it would be fairly unpleasant, seeing as they no longer produce saliva but venom. Was there a burning sensation?"

"Maurice." Taylor waved to him. "Focus." He rolled his eyes.

"Mule of a woman." He tutted. "Believe me, when we arrive you will not need my validation to know we have."

"Great, when's that gonna be?"

"Soon, I'm sure. It is surprising that we do not see more spirits gathered about. I am, not only incredibly charming and attractive but the only spirit in sight. You'd think they'd come out of their hiding places if only to gaze upon my magnificence." Taylor furrowed her brows, understanding Maurice's point between him self-jerking his ego.

"It is a bit weird..." Maurice was leading her to a mass grave of sorts, a place the Volturi dumped bodies when they could not be burned. This place should be crawling with the dead, it should be unbearable for Taylor. But it wasn't.

"These grounds are suffocating, like being buried alive. Perhaps they left. If my soul was trapped here I would quickly find a way to move on. Regardless in the likelihood of my burning for eternity in the fires of hell. That is, at least, expected. This is... a different sort of unpleasantness." Taylor nodded, wiping the dirt off her thighs as she stood straight. She placed her hands on her hips to look around once more. In front, behind, and to either side, were trees. Just oak and pine with little grasses pecking the patches of dirt the sun hit through the thick branches above. There wasn't any real indication that they traveled far at all, save for the burning in Taylor's legs and the lack of light. 

"Did he say whether or not we're close?" Taylor turned.

"No." She answered. "But we must be getting closer, he's not feeling so hot." Darla Acuso lagged behind Taylor, Taylor had assumed it was because of her advanced age. Perhaps she had a difficult time keeping up with the much younger Taylor. However, Darla approached looking far less disheveled than her 'hiking partner'. In fact, she looked fairly comfortable. With rolled-up cargo shorts and a green button-down tee Darla looked like some kinda camp counselor, but that's just how she dressed outside of formal attire. Taylor had seen it plenty of times. Darla was an old family friend.