Swan Song || The Lost Boys - & The One Who Found Them...

Chapter XII ~ ᛃ ( Jera ) Part III - Drink The Wine, Taste The Blood

From the top of the dune I spotted an old lighthouse in the nearby distance, the cone of flowing light peacefully drawing circles around the area & allowing me to catch a glimpse of the large cliff that David was heading for.

Before I could take a closer look at the scenery we were already swallowed by the trees, speeding farther up the hill through what appeared to be a small piece of woodland for a good minute until we emerged on the other side, the cliff & the lighthouse quickly moving within reach.

A shiver ran down my spine at the sight of ominously white mist covering every single inch of the ground before us, spread out like a tapestry & rolling towards the same trees we had just emerged from, the offshore lighthouse fully cloaked in fog. Not only was it significantly colder up here, the air was also much clearer, purer. Almost a tad frosty.

It smelled like winter, although not the kind of winter one would experience in a city like Santa Carla.
I tasted glacier & snow in every single breath.

Something about this felt unnatural to me...

Dwayne's slightly rugged fingers wandering over the back of my hand pulled me out of my thoughts, the image of a haunted cliff tipping over as he turned his bike to follow the others down a narrow path terrifyingly close to the steep slope that separated land & water. I clung to Dwayne's back like a baby monkey to its mom, closing my eyes to avoid getting dizzy. The way he maneuvered his motorcycle across the scarp of excavated rock & soil was astounding to say the least, the drive uncomfortable yet short & only a few seconds later the bike came to a sudden halt, all four engines drifting into silence one after the other.

My eyes flung open when a warm hand landed on my thigh. We were in some kind of cave, or rather at its entrance, the darkness making it impossible for me to see much of what lay ahead unless the lighthouse swept its light in our direction.

Judging by the smell it was rather dank & already mold-infested, an icy draft from inside painting goosebumps all over my skin.
From several feet below I heard the awful sound of waves crashing into the cliff's sturdy spine, the walls of water withdrawing with a sigh & creating an undertow, their roars so loud that Dwayne's voice was nothing but a whisper. He had to squeeze my hand in order to get my attention.

I looked up to find that he had already gotten off his motorcycle, not letting go of my hand for even a second.
" Are you alright? "

" Yes, I am. "
I nodded, preparing to get off his bike as well when I felt his arm shoot around my small frame & he picked me up with ease, gently putting me down several steps away from the slope.

His thumb brushed across my skin as he cupped my cheek with one hand.
" Stay close to me. Always. "

" Don't worry, Dwayne. I already told David that having you & the others around the whole time is my ultimate condition.

I don't even know why I felt the need to bring it up, it suddenly seemed so important to me... "

" I do know why. "
He pushed some of my hair behind my ear, the white beams from the lighthouse illuminating his beautiful yet stern features.

" It was actually my condition. "

My eyes narrowed in confusion.
" What do you mean..? "

" I will explain later, Lily. "
His soft lips touched my forehead for one reassuring kiss before he drew back from me, facing David & the other two who had just emerged from the shadows after parking their motorcycles inside the cave.

Steel-blue eyes locked with mine once I followed his gaze, still somewhat lost over Dwayne's words but currently in no state of mind to overthink anything. From this point forward I had to be a special kind of observant & most of all cautious, notwithstanding my curiosity being at its very peak.