King of The Vamps

Stop Talking

Amaryllis stopped running when she found a black raspberry bush in the woods. She'd been running for two hours and was absolutely exhausted. The terrain wasn't easy to run in and her athleticism was very subpar.

She intended on turning going in the direction that they had come from, but once she got in the woods, she lost her direction and couldn't remember which way she'd come from after being so deep in the woods. She also didn't see any exit to them once she got in them.

She'd been looking for a creek or small stream to find water in, but she wasn't sure if she would drink it anyway. She had no means to make a fire to boil the water first and she didn't want to waste time or exert her energy in trying to make one from rubbing sticks together.

The bottom of her pants had ripped when she caught them on a stick. She ripped the pants the rest of the way until she had a strip long enough to wrap the berries in and tie it around the loop of her pants.

After she took a few minutes to rest, Amaryllis began her run again. Just as she started to run about a hill, she heard a voice yelling in the distance.

"Amaryllis! Amaryllis, I know you're out here! Please answer me, my sweet angel!" Reynold called out.

Amaryllis's anxiety peaked. She increased her pace, no longer caring about the sharp pain in her ribs or the lack of air she was getting. She needed to put as much distance between her and Reynold as possible.

"Amaryllis, I don't want to hurt you. But I might have to if you don't come here right now," he threatened.

Fuck you, she said to herself. If you really "loved" me as you claimed, you wouldn't threaten to harm me.

She ran down the hill, careful not to trip over exposed roots or rocks. She knew she wouldn't be able to outrun him if he was that close, but she was hoping she could find a spot to hide.

She spotted a pile of brush that had built up. There were all kinds of leafy branches, leaves, and weeds. She pulled some of the branches away and situated herself in the middle of the piled. Then she put the branches against her body to camouflage herself.

She attempted to slow her breathing and calm her heart rate in order to prevent Reynold from hearing it. As she laid, she remained perfectly still, her only movements were from her controlled breaths.

Amaryllis closed her eyes and imagined the day before. She and Ulric had engaged in a large step of their relationship- he finally fed on her. For romantic reasons that was, not because he was angry with her.

It felt lovely, too. She felt so loved and protected as he held her in his thick arms while he drank from her, making sure she was perfectly comfortable. She loved him so much. She never wanted another man ever. She was ready to spend the rest of eternity with Ulric. When he came for her and rescued her, she would tell him that. She didn't want to waste any more time.

"Angel!" Reynold called again, pulling her out of thoughts. "I want you back in our home. I don't appreciate having to search the woods for you when you're mine!" He said. His voice was calm, but she could hear the underlying tones of aggression. He was pissed.

Amaryllis heard the sound of twigs and dry leaves crunching under his boots. He was getting closer to her with every second. Her skin turned clammy at the thought of being caught. He was obviously mentally unstable before she escaped, she didn't even want to think about how crazed he would be if he caught her.

"Come out come out wherever you are," he said in a faux sing-song voice. She squeezed her eyes shut and clasped her hands together.

Amaryllis peeked one eye open and saw a very muffled Reynold standing a few yards away from her hiding spot. It was difficult to see because all of the sticks were blocking her view, but that was a positive. Hopefully the abundance of sticks, as well as her green shirt and grey pajama pants, would camouflage her enough.