Enlightenment

Part 47

“Are you ok? We didn’t know where you had gone, there was so much chaos!”

I ignored her question, “Where is Jamie?”

She frowned, “Who?”

“The human!” I shouted in frustration.

Recognition flared in her eyes and she nodded, “I saw him being taken away in an ambulance, I don’t know anything else I was too busy searching for you.” I cursed and pushed away from her, going back in the direction I had come. The medic was still cowering inside the ambulance, his breathing rapid.

“Where are they taking the injured?” I demanded. At the sight of the people that had followed me he looked even more terrified, rapidly shaking his head back and forwards. “WHERE?”

              Eventually he managed to stutter out the name of a nearby hospital and I released him immediately. Beatrice came to support me again as I stood swaying on my feet. “I have… to get… to the hospital” I said weakly as the world spun around me. She beckoned to Felix and he reluctantly came forwards and picked me up, making me curse and struggle weakly for a moment. Even as drained as I was I still despised having to rely on anyone but myself. Ignoring my efforts she shook her head;

“There is no way you can walk into a hospital looking like that,”

              I looked around properly for the first time as we stepped back into the open air. Smoke billowed from what was left of the club, making the air thick and foul smelling. Police swarmed everywhere trying to find out what had happened but aside from us there were no other vampires in sight. They would have gone underground until the chaos blew over. Humans were swiftly appearing at the scene, drew in by the commotion like flies to a rotting corpse. I silently cursed as I noticed reporters emerging onto the street. We had to leave. Now.

              Beatrice noticed them a second after me and swore quietly. We silently began to weave through the crowds in the opposite direction, trying to remain unnoticed. We managed it fairly well, aside from drawing a few gasps and stares at the sight of the tall leather clad Felix carrying me in my blood soaked and injured state.

              When we finally emerged into quieter territory I glanced back to find Melissa still following us. I frowned;

“What are you still doing here?”

She shrugged, “My friend was my way home and I can’t find her anywhere.”

I sighed, “I sent her home,”

She didn’t seem too bothered, appearing to have recovered some of her earlier confidence; “well I’ll just have to come with you guys then.”

“Where is your friend’s house?” she listed off the address and I was slightly chagrined to realize it was quite a way away. I sighed in defeat, “We’ll drop you off on the way.” My tone left no room for argument; I didn’t want her any further involved in this than she already was. “We need to get to my car.”

              Wordlessly Felix began jogging in the direction of the hotel, he already knew the way from when he had tracked us there earlier. I winced as the movement jolted my aching body, “You can put me down now, I’ll be fine.”

He shook his head, “This way is faster.”

              I couldn’t argue with that. I was in no shape to move this quickly by myself and anything that got me to Jamie sooner would have to do. I chewed my lip anxiously, my chest knotting with worry and hoping against hope that he was ok. I tried to look at the situation objectively, using my many years of experience as a guide; it was only a single gunshot wound I thought. Surely with all the technology around today they should be able to save him easily. But this was Jamie; I would probably still be worried if it was just a scratch.