Sandra ran, her feet slapping the hard packed earth of the path in time with the thumping of her heart. The noise was loud in her ears and she thought frantically that...that thing must surely hear it too. She stumbled over something in the darkness, nearly falling, only to regain her balance at the last possible moment. She took a brief moment to rest, bent over with her hands resting on her knees and her breath coming out in wheezing, gasps which left a trail of vapour in the cold night air. Hearing a sound, her head whipped up and she brushed her long red hair away from her eyes in irritation. Breathing as shallowly as possibly she peered into the darkness and listened. The tall, thick shrubbery all around her, created an almost solid wall of dark, foreboding green. In her panic to escape, she'd found herself, more than once, brought up short when the path she had chosen at random had turned out to be another dead end.
Sandra didn't hear anything and she let out a small sigh of relief. She cursed her stupidity for stepping outside for a breath of fresh air. But at the same as she congratulated herself on her cleverness for deciding to hide within the huge labyrinth in the garden. She had recalled hours spent with James, her childhood friend, while they played a game of tag within the walls of the hedge maze. The one who managed to elude the other and reach the small garden in the centre was declared the winner. Giggling, they would spread a blanket upon the soft grass near the small koi pond where they would eat their packed lunch while talking and feeding crumbs to the fish. She still missed his happy, carefree laughter and constant, unwavering support of whatever her choices. The car accident, which had taken her Jamie, had been his own fault and for months, she had alternated between hating him for leaving her and missing him dreadfully.
She had foolishly thought her knowledge of the maze would give her an edge but as she struggled to decide which way to go, she realised her mistake. It had been years since she had run these paths with her childhood friend, and even then, it had been in the light of day, not this inky blackness. She felt all turned round. Sandra thought she was close to the centre but couldn't be sure.
A sudden crack broke the stillness and got her feet moving again. She chose a direction at random and ran. Her side threatened to cramp and she pressed a hand hard to the stitch, hoping it would pass. She limped along and her breath was, once more, coming in great, heaving gasps. She was alarmed at how quickly she was beginning to tire. She could hear the sound of running feet behind her and dared a quick, yet fruitless, glance over her shoulder. Her moan of frustration when the pain in her side increased changed to a cry of triumph as she limped around the corner and saw the familiar lines of the small koi pond. She knew there was a phone in the lattice archway which would give her a direct connection the to house. She lifted the handset with a shaking hand, nearly dropping it in her haste. With a sob of relief she pressed it to her ear. "H-hel-hello. Please. Answer, "she whispered.
She screamed and dropped the phone when a hand landed on her shoulder. She spun and recoiled in fear, her eyes wide. Sandra tried to draw in another breath to scream as she took in the deformed face before her, but a cold hand slammed over her lower face, pressing her lips cruelly against her teeth. She felt her top lip split under the pressure but ignored the taste of her own blood to stare at the golden eyes of her attacker. An impossibly strong arm hauled her closer and the creature dipped his head. Cool lips pressed gently to her neck before a stinging pain forced out a muffled whimper of fear. She started to feel dizzy and impossibly colder as the creature kept his face buried against the skin of her neck. She could feel her life draining away and felt a vague sense of the unfairness of it all. She had hardly done any of the things she had meant to do. As she drifted and a muted darkness began to obscure her vision, she wondered if James would be waiting for her.
Xander carelessly dropped the body in his arms. He turned, smiling, eyes shining and bouncing on his toes in excitement. "Did you see Sire? My first hunt and I caught her all by myself!"
Spike nodded and leaned forward to lap and nuzzle at Xander's bloodstained lips. "I saw Childe. I saw."
~ Mòran taing ~