I.
Andi glanced behind her, eyes roving the dense darkness, gasping for breath as her feet pounded the pavement. Her head was spinning wildly, black dots dancing before her eyes. A group of soldiers tore around a tall brick building to her left, rifles trained on her every move. A chorus of shouts ricocheted around the street,
"Get on the ground!"
"Freeze!"
"Don't move!"
"Get down!"
Andi gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to make it. She slowed down, stumbled slightly before regaining her footing, and stopped. Panting heavily, every breath feeling like daggers piercing her lungs, she doubled over, propping herself up by clasping her hands around her knees.
The soldiers continued shouting, commanding her to drop to her knees. She muttered incoherently under her breath, to exhausted to form words. She slowly stoop up and raised her arms, crossing them and dropping their weight on top of her head, letting her lungs expand to full capacity. The soldiers stopped shouting, waiting for her to move. Andi peered down the darkened street. She could just see the silver gleam of her truck parked in front of a glowing street light. She had to get out of there.
"Have you had enough?" sneered an all to familiar voice behind her.
Andi's arms snapped to her sides, her right swiftly flicked her leather jacket open, hand folding over the familiar cold grip of her Glock. He was here. After a year of hunting, a year of running, a year of debilitating anguish and uncertainty, he was finally within reach.
"Demetri," she growled, her voice rough and cracked from lack of use, "I'm glad you could join us."
He waved off her sarcasm."I have no more patience for your games, Andi. You have two choices." Demetri drawled, "Either you disarm yourself and get on your knees, I take you into custody, torture, and brutally murder you, or..." he paused, a cruel smile evident in his voice, "I kill you right here. In either instance you will be with your dearly departed shortly. It is merely a matter of when and how."
Andi let out a barking laugh, the hand not fingering the grip of her gun clutched her aching sides as she guffawed.
The soldiers shifted nervously, glancing at their Sergeant and back at each other, their rifles lowering slightly. Was she going insane?
"Ah but Demetri," Andi's voice cracked, "that would be giving me my greatest desire." She spun before the soldiers could gather their senses, drawing out her weapon and pulling the trigger. The shot reverberated off the brick walls into the street. She didn't hesitate, she knew she hit her target. Andi turned and fled up the street, heart pounding wildly as she reached her truck. She pulled the door open and shoved her Glock back in the holster before pulling herself up into the seat. The soldiers were sprinting after her, shouting and cursing. She pulled the door shut just before they opened fire, glass exploding over her head. She ducked down, raising an arm to cover her head and turning the key in the ignition with the other.
"Man down!"
"She killed Sarge!"
"Shoot out her tires"
"Come out and fight, coward!"
Andi smiled, she knew she had killed him, but the tormented screams of the soldiers was bitter satisfaction. "One down, one to go," she thought to herself as she pressed her foot hard on the gas pedal.
II
It hadn't been hard to lose her pursuers. Demetri was slippery, but overconfident. He did not think Andi could escape his trap. She had been driving for two days now; the chilly, wet, sea air billowing into her face through her broken window and windshield. Only making the occasional stop for fuel, Andi had made remarkable time driving from the heart of Romania to Katwijk, a small Dutch town on the shores of the Netherlands. She shivered, glancing out the window towards the sea. It was beautiful, the sun shone like a beacon, shining and reflecting off the waves as they lazily crashed onto the shore. She craved the feeling of sand between her toes, aching to feel the water under her fingers.
Andi sighed, and smoothly steered the truck off the freeway and toward the shore. She needed to stretch her aching limbs. She needed a plan.
The water crashed into her shins, raising goosebumps on her fair skin and splashing onto her dark blue jeans. She had taken off her tall leather boots and dangled them casually to her side. Her brown leather jacket flapped open in the wind, revealing two guns strapped securely under her arms, and a third tucked in a holster at her back. The wind whipped through her mahogany hair, streaming it into her eyes.
She was so tired. Why do you keep running? A a quiet voice in her head demanded. Andi closed her eyes, breathing in the salty sea air.
Brown eyes stared up at her, tears gently dripping off their lashes.
"Andi..." Harrison whispered, his eyes pleading, "Andi you must run."
"I'm not leaving you!" She cried, clutching him to her chest. She was kneeling, her feet tucked underneath her, his back against her thighs and her arms wrapped protectively around him. "Everything is going to be alright, Harrison, you're going to be fine!"
"Andi..." he whispered again, his eyes loosing focus, "I have loved you from the first moment we met. Please..." he gasped, his breathing labored and uneven, "take care of yourself, I could not bare it if you gave up now." Andi's shoulders shook with the force of her tears, "No, Harrison, please no. Don't do this! Not now. I can't lose you!" Harrison tried to run his finger across her cheek, but his hand merely jerked and twitched. "Please, Andi. You must run. Run... Run for me." He coughed wetly, splattering blood on Andi's shirt and down his chin. "No... no, no, Harrison no!" she sobbed, dipping her head and touching her forehead to his. "Run." Harrison breathed, his last breath a caressing sigh on her cheek.
Andi's eyes flew open, bringing her back to the shore in Katwijk. It had been over a year since she held her dying love in her arms. The longest year of her life. Never staying long in one place, searching for Demetri and Tallius had consumed her. She fought for survival, not because she wanted to live, but because he had wanted her to live. Now she only sought revenge. Anger over Demetri and Tallius's betrayal burned through her soul like a hot iron, coursing through her veins like a ever-present drug.
One down, one to go.
Andi quickly turned and walked up the beach returning to her truck. She scraped the sand off her feet before sliding her jeans back down her legs and tucking them into her boots. She sighed, and pulled her pack out of the truck and checked her supplies.
On one of her stops for fuel she had found a small army surplus store, a rarity in Europe, and probably illegal. Nonetheless she had bought their entire stock of 9mm bullets, a 6 inch hunting knife, and a new tent. Her old tent had recently been ravaged by a particularly fearsome storm. The store clerk had not spoken any English, but it was just as well. Andi had spoken so little in the last year that she had all but lost her voice. Besides, she was incredibly gifted at communicating without speech.
Inside her backpack was a length of rope, 3 or 4 pockets knives, various food stuffs and clothing, and ammunition crammed in every open space left. She had razors, soaps, and other toiletries in the outer pockets. The tent was strapped to the top of the bag, and a sleeping bag at the bottom. She looked up at the passenger seat where a leather saddle bag was laying, spilling it's contents onto the seat. Her ipod peaked out from inside a leather pocket next to her cell phone. Her small laptop was carefully encased in an inside pocket, along with her wallet, passport, and other various items.
She reached for the bag and set it down on the pavement in front of her, crouching down and digging through a side pocket until she found what she sought. She stood up and peered at her father's watch. It was all she had left of her childhood. She didn't know why she had even taken it off, but Romania had been a close call. She had almost lost everything. She snapped the clasp around her wrist and stretched. She would not take it off willingly again.
Distantly, the sound of sirens woke Andi from her reverie. Shit! She didn't stop to think, she threw her bags back into the truck, climbed in and took off, careening around a corner before reaching to slam the door shut.
The sun sank lower in the horizon and city lights began glittering. She was somewhere in Germany now, she wasn't sure where. A distant hill or mountain, she was never quite sure how to tell the difference, loomed in front of her, covered in dense forest. She needed to rest, and it seemed a good a place as she could find. She steered the truck swiftly through side streets and narrow lines, slowly winding up the hill. Abruptly the road came to an end. There was no building or structure in side, not signs to warn of the impending end, no nothing. The road simply ended. Andi drove slowly through the trees, the truck bouncing and shaking with the rough hillside. Once she was far enough from the road that she was sure no one would spot her truck, she put it in park and turned it off. Silence and darkness engulfed her.
Pushing the door open and hopping out, she collected her backpack and hitched it onto her back. She reached in to a side pocket and pulled out her flashlight and flicked it on. Grabbing her saddle bag, she looped the long strap over her head onto her shoulder. She aimed the beam of light into the cab and checked to make sure she had everything before slamming the door shut.
It wasn't a long hike to the top of the hill, but she was surprised when she found a large clearing in the thick woods. It stretched out before her, the size of a football field she wagered, and full of brambles and weeds. The moonlight illuminated the field in a soft glow, and she could see two rabbits hopping into the woods on the far side. A wave of exhaustion swept over her, and she nearly collapsed. Steadying herself by placing a hand on a tree, she slid to the ground just outside the cleaning. Leaning her back against the tree trunk, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Just for a minute...
III
Andi jolted awake. The ground was vibrating. An earthquake? She sprang to her feet, her backpack and saddle bag still secured to her, damp with dew. She crouched by the tree and looked around. Fog rolled low through the weeds in the early light of dawn, the weeds trembling by the earthquake. A loud CRACK echoed through the forest and Andi started. A green glow was coming from the middle of the clearing, and a figure was walking towards her in its light. She crouched lower, staying out of sight. The figure continued walking straight towards her, slowly coming into focus. As she neared, Andi saw that it was a woman, a curvy woman, walking with a slow, sultry gate. Andi focus on her head and let out a small gasp. The woman has horns! Soft white hair gently fluttered with each step, but the protruding horns that swept back from her face and into a graceful arch were certainly not something Andi was used to. Maybe she was a fanatic dressed up for some ritual?
"Come, child." The figure had stopped, and beckoned for someone to approach. Andi looked around, but saw no one.
"There is no one here but you and me," The horned woman spoke, her voice like that of a firm, rasping grandmother, "there is no need to fear." She chuckled before adding, " For now."
Andi felt a cold shiver travel down her spine as the horned woman's amber eyes met hers. How could that be? She and the horned woman were much to far apart to see each other's faces clearly, let alone meet the other's gaze. Her heart hammered in her chest. Her eyes were locked in to this woman's cold gaze, distance apparently held no meaning. Who was this woman?
It was clear after a few moments of icy stares that Andi would have to confront the woman. Slowly, she straightened her back, and carefully stepped foreword.
"Ahh, kleine Falke, we finally meet." The horned woman crossed her arms, smiling slightly. Though her voice gave the impression of age, the woman was quite young. Mid twenties, perhaps?
Andi stood silent, her right hand resting on the grip of her Glock concealed on her back, her left hand loose at her side.
"I do not expect you to speak much for our first meeting," she said, "for it will be quite short. Two unfair choices were given to you. They were not executed. Two fair choices I have to give you, and they will be carried out. Unlike the first two, these choices are your destiny, not fate."
Andi remained unmoved, her face an expressionless mask. Was this lady a lunatic?
"You have killed one of two men who betrayed you, but only after a year of running. The other now hunts you, torments your sleep. Your path is now forked. If you travel down one side," The horned woman paused, "Tallius will kill you. If you travel down the other, you will kill him."
Andi continued to stare blankly at the horned woman. She was stark raving mad!
The horned woman chuckled, releasing her arms and started to pace. "Your first choice is to remain here, on this hillside. I will return through the rift without you. You will continue running and fighting until there is nothing left of you. Tallius will find you and destroy you." She met Andi's gaze and continued to pace. "Your second choice is to enter the rift with me. You will be met with circumstances that you cannot understand at this moment. However, you will kill Tallius."
Andi's gaze shifted to the green glow behind the horned woman. She had mentioned entering a rift. Was that what it was? She hadn't bothered to look closer at the green glow as she walked towards the woman, but now that she looked it seemed to be a green pane of glass, roiling and turning in midair. Whisps of a green smoke-like substance floated and wrapped themselves through the air. A faint whispering seemed to grow to a hum.
Andi licked her lips, "What," she rasped, "is a rift?"
The horned woman came to a stop in front of Andi and crossed her arms to her chest before replying. "It not simple to explain. Rifts take on different forms depending on how they are summoned. In this instance, think of it as a window between worlds."
Andi fought the urge to roll her eyes,"And tell me, you crazy horned bat, why I should listen to you?"
The woman let out a howl of laughter, "Crazy horned bat? I have been called many things, but I must say," she continued chortling, "crazy horned bat is a first!"
Andi continued to stare, keeping her expression carefully blank.
The woman took a few steps foreword until she was inches from Andi's face. "Tell me, Falke, where did you last hold your Harrison?"
Grayling, Michigan. In my home. What was left of it, anyway.
"Who was near you when he died in your arms?"
The town was completely destroyed. No even a tree still stood. There was no one left.
Andi continued to stare at the woman. Where was she going with this?
The woman was silent for a moment before opening her mouth to speak, but it wasn't her voice. It was Harrison.
"Please, Andi. You must run. Run... Run for me."
Andi froze, her eyes opening wide.
"Run," Andi and the woman both whispered together.
Andi felt tears prickling her eyes and blinked them back. Hearing his voice again was...jarring. Unexpected. It brought back memories long buried, and she fought to keep her composure.
"I am sorry," the woman said softly, "but the time has come for you to decide, kleine Falke. They are coming. Either come with me or remain. The choice is yours." She unfolded her arms, turned, and began to walk slowly toward the green light. The distant sound of sirens stirred Andi from her despair. Her mind reeled, Harrison's voice still echoing in her mind. She craved an end to her eternal race. She was so tired. She had to continue, if not for her, than for Harrison. She wasn't prepared for a fight on this hillside. Lack of sleep made her mind foggy, her reactions slow. This was no place for a fight.
You can die here, or you can die there. What's the difference?
She hitched the strap of her saddle bag further up her arms and followed the woman to the light. The woman was standing directly under the twisting green rift, watching Andi approach with a soft smile.
"Come, child," she said, holding out her hand. Andi reached foreword tentatively, then grasped the woman's hand firmly.