Witch Creek Chapter 1, a vampires fanfic

PREFACE

I took my first steps inside. It was wider and taller than I thought. It seemed to be a large chamber. I looked from side to side hoping to see paintings on the walls, wondering if Native Americans had once used this cave, but there was nothing.

The ground seemed to be littered with small stones that made crunching sounds as I stepped on them. I walked as far as to the back of the cave before I noticed it. A heaviness in the air as if it had thickened, and then a bad odor hit me. I gagged, putting my hand over my mouth. Turning in a circle I searched in the dim light for the cause.

Then I noticed the cave broke off into tunnels at the back wall. A chill started up my spine. I took a step back crunching as I went, trying not to breath. The sound seemed to echo down the tunnels. I glanced down at my shoes trying to avoid the rocks that I kept stepping on, afraid to make noise.

With my hand covering my mouth and nose, I peered down trying to avoid the rocks. They seemed to be long, thin, and white. My heart was beginning to thump hard in my chest. My hand clenched tightly over my mouth I silently screamed… Bones!

A wave of dizziness hit me and I gagged. My trembling limbs could barely hold me up. I fought the blackness that was threatening to engulf me. I took deep breaths from behind my hand.

I started to back up more quickly when a sliding sound came from deep inside one of the tunnels. I froze, goosebumps prickled down my arms. I couldn't move, my eyes wide open. Run! My mind screamed but the only movement that came from my body was the pounding of my heart. From inside there was a rustling sound.

My limbs seemed to stop working, my mind kept repeating, monster, monster, monster… I could see a red light down in the tunnel now. It seemed to illuminate the darkness; two red pinpoints in the heavy darkness. The hair on the back of my neck rose. What was it? Demon? Creature? Oh God, was it coming closer?

Yes, it was coming! I panicked then as I heard a shuffling sound coming towards me. My heart was racing now. I tried to scream but it seemed to be stuck in my throat. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew it was the end. There would be no leaving the cave. I started shaking. I'm going to die…

Suddenly there came a cool breeze from behind me, cutting into the rank heat of the chamber. I was swept up quickly into an embrace, spinning around as I did. My face was pressed into a rock hard chest. The arms that held me felt like unbendable steel, and his body radiated the chill of the night. I felt my feet leave the ground. I barely had time to gasp, my eyes tightly shut.

I didn't even feel us move, but then there was sunlight on my face. I willed myself to open my eyes, afraid to see the person who held me. I tilted my head back and gazed into sapphire eyes, which looked backed at me anxiously. He had a young face which belied the strength I felt in his arms. He seemed about my age, maybe a year or two older. His dark hair fell untidy around his face. The

sunlight behind him glowed around his head creating a halo effect. And my god, that face! I would never forget the beauty of it. Although his skin was pale, his features were perfect. The concern on his face didn't mar its perfection.

"Holy crap," My voice was barely a whisper.

He raised an eye brow at that, and one corner of his mouth lifted in a lopsided grin.

"Anne, are you all right?" His eyes roamed over the delicate features of my face, searching for a sign that I was in distress.

I knew that if my heart was pounding so hard in my chest it had nothing to do with the creature from the cave.

Our faces were just inches from each other, and his breath caressed my face. I began to tremble again. He leaned in closer and I couldn't help the sigh that escaped between my lips.

He chuckled and his gaze held me capture, his hypnotic eyes held more strength than his embrace. They eyes seemed to question me, as if he was puzzled over something. He removed one arm from around me and ran his fingertips along the side of my cheek and down my neck.

My knees finally gave out, and everything went black as I lost consciousness.

Deliverance

I gazed of out my bedroom window, and contemplated on the differences between my new home of Ramona California and my former home of Memphis Tennessee. After two weeks of living here I was still adjusting to the changes. I couldn't help the homesick feeling that always rose in me. I had never lived anywhere else but Memphis, and I knew it would take time for me to get used to it here.

I missed the lush, green lawn that seemed to grow faster than I could mow it down. I hated cutting it every other week in the summer time. I complained endlessly to my mother, begging her to hire a landscaping company to do it instead. Of course she never did. Why should she when I was always available.

My glance took in the trees that couldn't quite block out the rocky mountains beyond. The limbs were twisted and some of the trees were bent at the trunk, nearly lying on the ground. I asked my mom what was wrong with them, because to me they looked almost dead. She said that the Oak trees outside were really old, and the reason they were bent was from years of strong winds called Santa Anna's. Sometimes the winds blow for days on end, and they pick up speed as they whip through the canyon.

I missed my trees back home. The tall Magnolias were my favorite this time of the year. I could almost smell the sweet perfume coming from flowers that were as big as the span of my open hand. They were teaming with squirrels, and I would watch them as they hopped from limb to limb.

Yes, to me it was a stark contrast. There was barely anything that was green around here. I guess it was because it hardly ever rained in San Diego, and in Memphis we would get rain almost every day, it seemed. I gazed out my window at the dry mountains in the distance covered in bushes, and giant white boulders that seemed to gleam in the sunlight like old bones.

I sighed and turned from the window, trying to distract myself from the now familiar feeling of longing. It was pointless. My mom was transferred here, because the company she worked for closed its office in Memphis. My mother had grown up in Ramona, so she had grabbed up the opportunity to move here when they offered her the position.

Ramona…. Dry and hot, a small town surrounded by mountains, giving you the feeling of being cut off from the rest of the world. I still couldn't believe this was San Diego County. The beach was a forty-five minute drive, mostly through windy roads, that led you down through the mountains. There were only three ways out of this town, which of course, left me feeling more uneasy than ever. Anything could fall onto those highways and block the only exits out of here. Creepy.

I turned from the window hearing my mother's footsteps coming towards me from down the hall. She rapped lightly on the door.

"Anne, are you up?" She didn't wait for a reply before she opened my door and popped her head in. She saw that I was fully dressed in shorts, and my favorite 'happy bunny' tee shirt. I had pulled my hair to the sides in braids that were as thick as my wrists.

"Do you want to come with me into town? I need to pick up a few things." She asked, while putting on her watch.

My mother Charleene looked very little like me. She was an adorable 5'2, and slender, yet she had rounded curves. Her soft auburn hair fell to her shoulders, curling under at the ends. I was always jealous of her peaches and cream complexion. I marveled at how I could be her child, when my appearance was so starkly different.

First of all, I was tall and waif like. And my hair was what I considered to be ice blonde. It was thick, long and wavy. I braided it, to keep it from the unruly tangles it so often acquired. And then there was my skin color. As pale as whitewash, the only color I had was when I flushed red, which unfortunately was often.

I could easily imagine my mother at my age. She was the typical California girl, suntanned and gorgeous. And then there was me, the tall Viking girl. I could never hold a candle to that. I had to blame my father for my pale coloring though, he was from Norway. He had died before I was born, but I knew from pictures that I looked just like him. Accept for the eyes of course.

"Mom, I thought I told you I was hiking today." I couldn't keep the indifference from my voice. "I just really need some alone time, and I want to explore the hills." I was still really mad at my mom for "the move" and the closeness I had shared with her before, was encased in a layer of frost. I wasn't ready to be friends yet.

She shrugged her shoulders, backing out. "Fine," she said, "But you can't stay mad at me forever." She closed the door on my reply, which was a bored sounding, "whatever."

I didn't intend on staying mad at her forever. I just wasn't ready to forgive her just yet for taking me away from the only home I ever knew. For God's sake! It had been only two weeks since the move.

The reason I was so upset about coming here was having to make new friends. I looked so different from most of the girls I knew, and I was shunned by them. That was the reason I had been shy all my life; nobody at school ever really took notice of me, choosing to ignore me instead. I had a few close friends back home that I had known since elementary school. All of them misfits like me, silent, and shy the kind of kids that were never really noticed by the majority. That was fine by me too.

I never followed trends. I dressed simply, trying not to stand out. It was better for me that way. I recalled this one incident, with a familiar twist in my gut. It happened last year in literature, when I was a sophomore. I had to stand up in front of the class to do a presentation.

I had felt so nervous standing in front of the class. Everyone was staring at me, waiting, and I tried, I really did. But my heart was hammering in my chest, and every time I opened my mouth to speak, my tongue would trip. The kids were all snickering and I was mortified. My worst nightmare realized. I could feel my face getting redder and redder as I stammered through. When I finally finished, my relief at

Sitting back in my seat was short lived when I heard them whispering "tomato". Yes, I hated standing out!

I heard her car start, and then the tires rolling down the dirt driveway. "Alone." I sighed. Turning back to the widow, I glared up at the mountains. Why not go out and see what was out there? Why not do a little exploring?

I grabbed my Taz cap purchased from the Warner Bros. store, and headed out of my room. I stopped in the kitchen and grabbed a cereal bar. I took a bite, munching on it as I pulled open a drawer and grabbed a paper lunch sack. Setting it on the counter, I reached into the bowl sitting on the counter and grabbed an apple putting it into the bottom of the sack. I pulled out bread and turkey, making a sloppy sandwich, covered in spicy mustard. I pushed it into a baggy and zipped it closed. I threw that in the sack as well. I went over by the front door and opened a small closet. I found my small backpack and brought it into the kitchen. Unzipping it I turned it over the trash can, emptying its contents of rappers and crumbs.

I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and tossed it into my backpack, along with the lunch sack. Before leaving I picked up a large bottle of sunscreen, and squeeze out a generous blob into my hand. I smeared it all over me, worrying about the possibility of sunburn.

There, I thought. Putting my cap on I went out the back door, not bothering to lock it. That was another difference, not having to lock the doors. I don't know if it was because the town was small, or if it was because everybody knew each other, that the crime rate was practically nonexistent.

I turned to look around wondering which direction to go. Our house was located on the outskirts of town in a canyon called Mussy Grade. I really liked this house because it didn't have a fence, and that provided me with an unobstructed view of the mountains beyond.

The property seemed endless, yet I knew I had neighbors. Where they were I didn't know. There had been no welcoming committee when we moved out here, which was fine by me, but I was starting to believe they were just a myth my mom created.

"Well, it all looks about the same," I said to myself, after I looked past the Oak and Eucalyptus trees that surrounded our ranch style house. I walked through the trees and saw a small pathway. I started up it, puzzled over why I hadn't noticed it till now. I guess I hadn't cared too much about venturing far from the back yard. But also, the path wasn't much of a path. The grass on both sides was overgrown, almost covering the dirt pathway. I put my hands out on both sides of me, skimming the tips of the blades.

I felt lighter here, the touch of the grass soothing me, tickling my palms. For the moment I forgot about the anger I felt towards my mom. I let go of all my insecurities and just basked in this new peaceful feeling that swept over me. I continued on down the path, my large green eyes taking in

everything. I felt attuned to everything around me, totally caught up in this new splendor of feeling. "Where had this awareness come from?" I asked myself.

I breathed in deeply, "I can even smell the soil. No, not just the soil, I can even smell the dew," it still clung to the grass and wild flowers in the meadow not yet having been burnt off by the sun.

The path took me into a small orchard. It hadn't been maintained in a while, which was obvious by the condition of the pathway I had taken. As I entered the orchard, I realized I recognized some of the trees. They were mostly apple, peach and plum. The others could be pear but I couldn't be sure because the fruit was too high up. Why hadn't my mom told me about this place? I had the feeling of being enveloped; it felt so private and peaceful.

I decided to claim this place as my own. I felt happier knowing I had a place to go. I'm not going to tell my mom about it; a secret place, I told myself. I stood up on my toes to reach a plum. It was red and warm to the touch. I rubbed it against my shirt and took a bite. The sweet juices flowed out of my mouth and I quickly leaned forward so it wouldn't drip on my shirt.

I swiped my mouth with the back of my hand, "It's nice to know my clumsiness hasn't changed." I muttered, another bite of the plum, this time smaller, sucking in the juices. I threw the pit out behind the trees satisfied. "Time to go climbing the rocks", I told myself, promising to come back next time with a blanket and a good book.

The pathway ended beyond the orchard so I decided to start my hike up the canyon, aiming for a large cluster of stones. I was careful not to trip over any rocks sticking out of the ground. The giant boulders loomed ahead, and I felt anticipation. I was surprised I felt so excited about exploring some ancient rocks.

I could feel droplets of sweat trickling down my back, and I was glad I had my water bottle. When I reached the first giant boulder I climbed up onto it. There was an old oak tree behind it and that provided me with some shelter from the suns heat. I squinted my eyes and looked towards the sun. I could tell I had been gone a couple hours already from where the sun sat. Who cares? It's not like I had any big plans today, I grimaced.

I wriggled out of my pack as I sat down. Getting my water bottle out, I opened it and took a gulp letting some of the drip over my lips and spilling down my neck. I sighed with pleasure as the water made a cool trail down my shirt. I felt like taking off my hat and pouring the rest of its contents over my head. But I knew I needed the water for the rest of the morning, otherwise I would have to turn back.

As I set the bottle on the hard stone I suddenly felt an awareness that hadn't been there before. Was someone watching me, hiding in those dark crevices? The hair on the back of my neck stood up and my heartbeat sped up. Hugging myself, I tried not to show my fear as I searched the rocks for the animal or person I could feel watching me.

There were boulders everywhere, and it seemed that part of one side of the mountain was all rock, with boulders jutting up that created shadows everywhere. Some of those shadows could be deep crevices or caves that someone could hide in, I thought. There was nothing though, that I could see, and the feeling that I was being watched started ebbing away. I laughed quietly. "I'm spooking myself! There is no one out here but me." I convinced myself.

I did feel better after a few moments, but I decided to keep a vigil just in case, but the feeling was gone, and my heart rate slowed down. I didn't want to turn back now, I frowned. I came all this way and I'm not heading back yet. I packed my water bottle and slung my pack up over my shoulders with determination. With my jaw clenched, I set off again heading up.

There were more rocks now; I guess I could call it craggy. Oak trees dotted here and there but mostly all I could see were the giant white boulders. I climbed up one that was massive, using cracks in its surface as foot holds. My teeth clenched tightly together, and my muscles straining, I stretched myself up, pulling myself the rest of the way to the top with my arms only. I didn't bother worrying about the scrapes I got.

I smiled triumphantly at my accomplishment as I stood up proudly. Then concern set in after a moment, cutting in on my feeling of accomplishment. My brow furrow as I looked over the edge that I had just climbed up from. My airway seemed to close as I stepped backwards. The way back down was going to be steep.

What the heck was I thinking? How was going to get back down? I mentally kicked myself in the butt. There must be another way down I consoled myself. My eyes searched around doubtfully. "Ok, get moving," I muttered.

The boulder was massive, blaring whitely in the sunlight. My lips set into a grimace as I went around the parameter. Around one side there were some old oak trees. The branches were knarled and twisted looking, and a few were about two feet from the rocks edge.

"That is a better." I relaxed a little. I can jump over to the branches and climb down. I smiled to myself thinking that I was really on an adventure. I got that feeling inside me that I used to get when I was a little girl. When everything I saw or did was new and magical.

My curiosity got the best of me as I looked around the space. After my panic was in check I decided to explore my surroundings. There were cracks and crevices where the rocks had formed together. I wondered what was beyond those shadowy crevices. There was a group of bushes to one side. I walked over to them curious as to how that was possible.

The bushes seemed to be growing through the cracks in the stone. I was amazed at how life could find its way from the dark depth into the sunlight, only through a crack. The sun was beating down hotter now than before. Sitting down I took shelter in the shade, provided by the bushes.

I slipped off my pack, and pulled out my sandwich, and water bottle. I wiped the sweat from my forehead leaving a smear mark, a remnant of my earlier struggles. I was starving, I realized after the first bite. I had barely chewed it before I took the next, and then the next. Soon it was gone, eaten too quickly, and I barely felt the sting from the mustard on my tongue. I wasn't nearly satisfied. I gulped down half my water bottle before I picked up my apple and took a bite.

I chewed it as I looked around. Sitting down I had a different view point. I looked at the bushes and saw that their trunks had turned sideways and twisted as it came through the cracks. Amazing… Then I noticed it. At first I thought it was a trick caused by the shadows. But I got on my knees and kneeled foreword, putting my cheek on the stone.

Yes, it was a cave. Not a crevice or a crawl space. It seemed like it could be deep. Although the opening of the cave was large, it was blocked from the sunlight from the bushes.

Straining my eyes, willing them to see in, I suddenly felt a presence. I sat up quickly, turning, and looked behind me, fully expecting to see someone there. I sighed with relief when I didn't find anyone. Giving myself a mental shake, I chastised myself for being so jumpy.

Yet, I still had that nagging feeling. I tried looking around; searching the trees and rocks for any signs, but there was nothing. Not even a bird flying by. In fact not even a bird chirping. It had become quiet, too quiet.

The silence was only broken by my quickening heartbeat. It was as if the world was suddenly holding its breath, waiting to see what I was going to do next. I didn't know what to feel. Afraid? I thought about shouting, "Is there anybody there?" But then I remembered, in practically every scary movie I had seen where the lady would yell, "Is there anybody there?" and then the monster would get her.

I shattered the silence with my sudden burst of laughter. I'm sixteen I reminded myself. I felt so silly, of course there weren't monsters out there hiding behind those trees. Monsters! I am loosing it, I thought. Still, the wariness wouldn't leave me. I assumed it was from being alone in a strange canyon, stuck up on a giant boulder, sitting in front of a dark cave.

To prove that I wasn't a cowered I decided to somehow get behind the bushes and explore the cave. I pushed some of the branches down hoping to filter some sunlight into the cave. It wasn't a thick bush so it was easy to do.

Now I had a way in and I could see into the six foot entrance. My mouth opened in amazement and with large eyes, I pushed my way through the branches, ignoring the scratches I got along the way.

I stood in the opening of the cave, the sun behind me now. I had no idea I was such an adventurer. I knew I probably shouldn't go inside. Not alone at least. But my curiosity was burning like a flame inside me, and I couldn't stop myself.

Then I noticed the cave broke off into tunnels at the back wall. A chill started up my back. I took a step back crunching as I went, trying not to breath. The sound seemed to echo down the tunnels. I glanced down at my shoes trying to avoid the rocks that I kept stepping on, afraid to make noise.

I peered down lower, my hand covering my mouth and nose. The rocks seemed to be long and thin, and white. My heart was beginning to thump hard in my chest. My hand clenched tightly over my mouth I silently screamed… Bones!

A wave of dizziness hit me. My trembling limbs could barely hold me up. I fought the blackness that was threatening to engulf me. I took deep breaths behind my hand.

I started to back up more quickly when a sliding sound came from deep inside one of the tunnels. I froze, goosebumps prickled down my arms. I couldn't move, my eyes opened wide. Run! My mind screamed but the only movement that came from my body was the pounding of my heart. From inside there was a rustling sound.