9 Chapter 9

Jack was terrified. He almost could not fathom what was happening around him, not to mention that he was holding the body of a dear friend. He could see what appeared to be vampires swooping in on them from all directions. He thought that, if he left Drew behind, perhaps they would have a better chance of escaping, but he couldn't consider leaving her, especially not when he knew how much she meant to Kash and Cadence.

As they were exiting the fairgrounds, the bike hesitated just a second. Jack felt an icy cold flick on his shoulder. He glanced down to see that the fabric of his jacket was torn. As far as he could tell, he wasn't bleeding, so he assumed he had not been injured, but with all of the adrenaline coursing through his veins, it was difficult to tell. However, he knew that, if this driver didn't find a way to speed this bike up, the next time he would not be so lucky. "Hurry! Hurry!" he shouted to the petite, purple-haired woman driving him away from the scene of horror. Panic welled up inside of him as he fought the idea that none of this could possibly be real.

Jack glanced back over his shoulder, though his instinct told him it wasn't a good idea to do so. He realized whatever it was he had felt on his shoulder it had originated with none other than the redheaded woman from the parade, the one who had pushed Cadence. Looking back at the woman now, he hardly recognized her. Her face was contorted, her teeth exposed, sharp white daggers protruding from her blood-red mouth. Perhaps what was most unsettling was the fact that she appeared to be flying! She was hovering above him now, and he was fairly certain that she would reach out and pluck him from the back of the motorcycle with little effort at all. After that, God only knew what might become of him.

Just as Jack was coming to the conclusion that he was about to die, a jarring force knocked the monster off balance, sending her flying to her right, tumbling across the ground. Jack thought he heard a squeal of delight from his driver as she pushed the gas a bit harder, and the Suburban came into view across the expanse in front of them.

* * *

Reaching the back of Eliza's motorcycle just in time to stop the Vampire from attacking again, Aaron flung himself into Holland with as much force as he could muster. It was enough to throw her a good twenty feet into the air and clear Eliza's bike from Holland's clutches. The rest of her clan was far enough behind that his team would be able to come in from the parking lot and intercept them with no problem. Holland had been the imminent danger, and now she was picking herself up off of the ground, dusting leaves and grass from her skirt as she snarled at him.

He could tell from the glare in her eyes that she wanted to return the blow, but she was clearly set on one goal: find the brown-haired girl and make her pay. Still, as she gathered herself back up, she looked at Aaron and spat, "You shouldn't have done that!"

He disagreed. "You broke the rules, and you're in pursuit of a Hunter. I can do whatever it takes."

She hissed at him as she leaped off. "The girl might be gone, for now, but I still might be able to catch up to her friends. I'll see you later, Aaron." She took off again, swept up in a sea of Vampires and chaotic partygoers trying to reach the exit.

Aaron was fairly certain his team had things under control, but he followed, and eventually sprinted around Holland, absently wishing there were no rules regarding destroying Vampires at an Eidolon Festival. By the time he reached the parking lot, Elliott was shouting instruction to the rest of Cadence's friends, and she and Jamie were long gone.

Eliza was helping Jack with Drew as he struggled to climb into the vehicle. Aaron could hear the other two girls in the back seat whimpering. He couldn't imagine how frightening it must be for them to see that their friends were being chased back to the parking lot. Behind him, he heard his team holding up the vampire; they would be safe now, but that wouldn't erase the terror. They'd need another method for that.

When the girls saw Drew's body, they began to cry even more. The whimpers turned into wails. The male members of Cadence's party were all wide-eyed with disbelief.

"Start the car!" Elliott barked. Kash nodded from behind the steering wheel, a numb look in his eyes. "Drive straight to Shenandoah Medical Center, and do not stop for anything!"

Once the engine was running, Elliott went around to the back where Eliza was helping Jack load Drew's body. Aaron followed, keeping his distance and letting his team operate. Elliott looked at the girl for a moment before catching Aaron's eyes and nodding solemnly. Unfortunately, the fact that Drew was gone was no surprise to Aaron after what he'd witnessed in the woods. He nodded back in understanding, and Elliott reached into his pocket, pulled out a small knife, and slashed the side of Drew's throat, turning the puncture wounds into a stab wound, at least on the surface.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" Jack yelled. "You'll kill her!"

Elliott did not reply. He simply patted Jack on the shoulder before slamming the Suburban door shut and signaling for Kash to drive. Clearly, Jack had carried her on the back of the motorcycle, hopeful that getting Drew to a hospital would allow her to be saved. Aaron knew from experience that reality would set in when Jack realized there was nothing dripping from the fresh stab wound.