Hello Darkness

Chapter Thirty-Four

It's like something flips on Stevens' face. He's suddenly calm, his voice is even lighter. "I'm sorry, sir." Stevens saunters toward him. "I don't believe we asked for your permission."

The red dot now on the center of Stevens' chest. I want to yell at him to stop, but I'm afraid that gun will focus on me again. Instead, Stevens' steps closer.

"Stop, or I'll shoot."

Stevens smirks. "Do it..." he whispers merely feet from the soldier. His voice creeps across my skin, alerting the fine hairs along my neck. The soldier's hands shake as he unintentionally steps back. Stevens takes another step toward him.

Two shots echo off the walls, one bullet exiting through the window, sending pieces of glass cascading onto the floor. My itching scream escapes, and I cower to the ground, narrowly missing shards of glass.

Stevens laugh sounds like the shattering glass. Sharp and destructive. I peek from beneath my arm. Large black leather wings explode from Stevens' back in a cloud of black mist. He is still laughing as long fangs split his gums. In one fluid motion he sticks his long finger into the bloody hole in his arm and flicks the second bullet out like it's a sliver. It bounces across the floor. He rolls his shoulders, those magnificent wings rolling with them. "At least you were smart enough to use silver, but not quite enough."

The officer fires again but Stevens flashes to his side—faster than anything I've ever seen, like time had sped up. He swats the gun from the guards hand.

"One time I can forgive but again—that was a mistake." He knocks the metallic goggles off the man's face. "Don't scream." The soldiers stare goes blank as Stevens cocks his head to the side and sinks his teeth into the guards flesh.

Darkness slithers around me. I press my eyelids closed and bury my face into my knees, rocking. I count the glass slivers laying around my feet..

One. Two. Three.

Four. Five. Six.

"Stop." I beg. It's hardly a breath.

"Stop?" Stevens laughs again. I manage to look up at him. He rises from the body. "He expected me to bring you back to him unharmed. But I was taunted by your god-damned smell the entire time. Then you cut yourself. Do you know what a test of my restraint it was not to take you for myself?" He stops, the moon's light turning the spiderweb of blood growing on his chin silver. His eyes glow in the darkness—swirling pools of glittering black. "Now let's go." He steps towards me. "Before I change my mind."

My hands shake. I stand, my back sliding against the lockers I grasp for anything to keep me stable. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"You don't have much of a choice." A cruel grin spreads across his face as he saunters closer. He stands between me and my only exit. He's too fast. I'll die here.

A door shuts in the hall—the other guard, called by the gunshots. If I can hold off long enough, maybe the guard could distract him and I could run. "Who is he?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Let's go." He lunges for me. I put up my arm and press it hard into his throat. But he hardly flinches and wraps his arms around me. "Those useless human tricks won't work on me, sweet cheeks."

I unintentionally whimper.

"Don't worry. He'll take good care of you. At least until he can't hold himself off anymore."
"Get your hands off her." A voice growls. Stevens spins, pinning me against the lockers with his back. The blood from his wound smells rotten, like the time we left the dead mouse on the trap for too long. I resist the urge to gag.

"Are you deaf, Stevens? Step away from her." The voice clears my thoughts as I recognize who it came from.

I push against his body as the voice resounded in my ears—Talum. I beat on the wings pinned around me. I scream and claw against anything I could get my hands on. Then I freeze. He knows his name.