27. Chapter 27
I ran down the road into Cornwall. I prayed to any god that would listen, that this phenomena was only above the Dark Entry Forest, but the further away I got the more I suspected I’d broken the entire world this time.
The guilt devoured every thought.
Please.
I could smell the fires and hear the crackling before I stepped into the town. People covered in burns ran around calling for their loved ones.
A TV in a shop window blared a warning and flashed about the ‘great light phenomena’ on the national news. There were theories about nuclear warfare and a falling star.
“Stay calm. Stay home. Don’t panic,” the anchorman begged.
As if those words could calm the riots that were already incited.
When would my coven realize I was something worthy of extermination?
I pressed my forehead to the burning glass.
Why did I do that?
The sinking realization of the damage I caused hit me. The crystal clarity that I only experienced after I wrecked everything was my worst enemy. I’d probably broken the civilized world and possibly killed the only person who made me feel whole.
A sob broke from my chest. I slammed my head against the glass, as if that could knock some sense into me.
I should have let Abiel and Willow talk me off the ledge.
The light vanished, without warning or preamble.
It was as if someone turned off the sun. The same smothering darkness that I’d experience that night in the forest. The lights on the stores and the TVs of the shop popped and sprayed glass like rain. My breathing froze.
Abiel.
He was alive.
Relief washed over me.
The screams went up a notch as people processed that they were completely blind in this darkness. “What is happening?”
A roar rumbled behind me loud enough to vibrate the earth beneath my feet and my heart to pound in my ears. My eyes grew painfully wide.
That didn’t sound like he was in a forgiving mood. My fingers trembled and the urge to run hit like a freight train.
“Sasha,” echoed from the direction of the forest.
My breathing came in gasps of panic. He’d never called me by my government name before. I was his Dandelion.
Shame rolled down to my toes and back up again as if it wanted to make sure I understood the shit I was in.
Run.
Run!
Frantic screams filled the air, and I could only hope there were enough bodies to slow him down. The panic and fear was its own energy. It was the kind of fear that tainted the soil in the earth around it in ways that never faded.
Like it did in Dudleytown.
I felt along the wall of the building, to the door to the pharmacy I knew was to my left. The hot, jagged stone under my fingers gave way to glass, and I pulled open the door.
I needed a plan. But I didn’t have my witchy tool kit, Willow, or even the internet to help me.
What was I thinking?
You weren’t.
I felt along the shelves, but it was hard to tell what anything was. Was there even something here that could help?
If eliminating shadows for an hour didn’t do anything, what could anything else do?
The building shook and creaked as a powerful wind blew against it. I ducked down, holding my breath.
How could I hide from him?
Everything was in shadow now.
I couldn’t face him, not after what I’d done. Another person to be disappointed in my lack of impulse control and destructive tendencies. I couldn’t even fault him for it.
I deserved it.
“Sasha. Help us.” People screamed my name before the sound cut off with a ring of finality that made me flinch.
“There won’t be anything left for you to protect if you don’t come back to me.” The ghost of his breath behind me made me flail before I realized that it was in my head.
More thumps as bodies hit the ground. I pressed my hands to my mouth to smother my whimpers.
I should surrender to save the town. I did this. It was my job to nut up and settle it.
I’d slain countless monsters, dedicated myself to the war ground my ancestors cultivated by hand.
But him…
He had me ready to piss my pants, abandon my pride, and run in the other direction. So that I never had to face the consequences of what I’d done to us.
Could he ever forgive me? He knew now that I wasn’t his perfect dandelion.
I never was.
Part of me wished he was still trapped in that illusion. The thought that he knew that I wasn’t someone worthy of his worship hurt more than I cared to admit.
No. I couldn’t face him now.
Run. That was the only option.
No matter how much, I wanted him to lie to me and make me feel precious again.
“What the fuck is that?!” someone shrieked behind me, deeper in the store. Only for glass to shatter and snarls to launch through the air.
Air whipped past me, and I heard something tackled onto the tile floor with a crash when a shelf fell as well.
“Help!” the person screamed.
I’m sorry.
I scrambled back onto my feet, feeling my way back to the door, walking through the shattered glass. The air pressure dropped and an icy chill creeped down my spine. My breathing stuttered, I could swear he was right on top of me.
“I can feel you.” His voice echoed through the air, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. Everywhere if I had to guess. “Come back to me and I’ll stop.”
The sound of running footsteps met my ears, but a loud squelch of blood and meat stopped them in their tracks.
Shit.
My fingers glued themselves to the sticky, blood-coated wall, and followed the building that I knew would lead to the main road out of town. I had to get out of here.
My foot knocked into something, sending rubble skittering across the ground loudly. I winced and froze, waiting for him to respond.
When I was relatively sure he hadn’t heard me, I used my foot to feel along the barrier I’d walked into. It was roughly human shaped and not moving.
I reached down, feeling for a pulse to be met with nothing. Which was stupid, even if they were alive, I wouldn’t be able to help them.
That was a kick to the lady nuts.
Keep going.
Get out of town.
Regroup.
Find a solution.
The solution was right here.
“I didn’t take you for a coward.” He chuckled as if he could hear my thoughts. More like he was baiting me.
Asshole.
I swallowed down the stupid pride that wanted me to go show him a fucking coward. Why? So he could kill me with a flick of his fingers? Or worse stare at me like I was the biggest disappointment on the planet?
No.
I stepped over the dead body and kept going, even as it made my stomach sick.
I’m the one who killed these people.
I was just as much of a monster as he was.
Eye on the prize, Sasha. Focus on the plan.
Get off the main road.
Slow and steady.
Wait for the sun to come back.
A plan formed with ease. The consistent practice made the hunt second nature. There were enough feet still running around, that I knew he’d be busy as he sorted through everyone trying to flee. They would be his priority. He couldn’t let me escape after all.
So, I had to sneak under the radar.
Eventually I ran out of building to follow, so every step was carefully tested. Slow and steady was better than fast and dead.
The more space I put between me and the town, the lighter the darkness was. That gave me a sliver of hope that my plan was solid and it made it easier to traverse the terrain.
Once I was far enough that the darkness was more like a new moon night, I realized I’d made it to the edge of the city limits. The trees around me were decaying. Fragments of the bark broke away and disintegrated in the wind.
One of the giant wolves I met in the forest came into view up ahead, and I ducked behind a tree.
Damn it.
The wolf halted and sniffed the air. Did it have my scent from the last time I’d met them?
It answered by throwing its head back and howling. A sound that was obviously calling the others and sent goosebumps over me.
I scratched at the back of my neck. His mark throbbed painfully.
Something on my arm caught my attention, and I realized a bunch of shadow spiders were crawling all over me. Panic welled in my chest, but I clamped my mouth shut to keep myself from screaming, as they crawled under my clothes.
I tried to brush them off, but of course, that did nothing. If anything they crawled more frantically up around my throat and into my hair.
Three growls rumbled behind me and made me freeze. I turned to find them inches away in a triangle formation, like herding dogs. One snapped its teeth at me, making me stumble back.
I patted my pockets and only found a lighter and pill bottle. I lit the lighter, but as I expected the light was smothered immediately. Teeth nipped at my heels from behind me, making me fall back on my ass.
One of the wolves grabbed my pant leg, dragging me. Its teeth pinched my ankle in the process, making me yelp, as if to warn me that not going wasn’t an option. I kicked with my other foot, but it couldn’t care less. All while the spiders tickled every nerve that made me want to scream.
They were taking me back to him.
Think, stupid bitch.