The night was young and busy as I sat in a nearly full sports bar. Smoke, cheap perfume, and lust hung in the air, nearly choking me. It wasn't often that I left my secluded lifestyle and went out into the buzz of life. Just call me a hermit, I guess. But tonight I had felt the need to get a breath of fresh air so to say. With my recluse ways, it wasn't often that I got to be in the heart of things, watching as I was now. It amazed me to watch these people flirt and laugh, oblivious to what was out in the world.
They were human, something that was stolen from me.
So, I sat there trying to live precariously through these people while sipping a very strong cosmo. "'Ello, bartender! Mind getting me another drink?" I yelled to the young bartender washing dishes not far down. He flashed me a dazzling smile before giving me a thumbs up. "Oh please," I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes, and killing my drink.
"Not impressed with the boyish looks of the bartender I see," a deep voice next to me said, letting out a small, smooth laugh. Stopping myself from sighing in annoyance, I peeked at the man sitting next to before giving him a half-hearted shrug. It may sound dumb, but whenever I did go out I loathed having to talk to people. Being jealous of their beating hearts was one thing, but talking to them was another. It simply tedious. Most of the time it was like talking to a wall. Honestly, I had more fun talking to my tabby at home.
"Come here often?" Mr. Stranger asked while scooting closer to my chair. In instinct, I immediately moved away, reestablishing our space, but he didn't seem deterred, "cause I haven't seen you here before." Again I simply shrugged.
"Here ya go, darlin'. Its on tha house," Mr. Bartender said, his voice thick with a southern accent, before walking away but not before tipping an invisible hat and winking. Another eye roll.
"You new around the area?" The stranger attempted again. This time I couldn't contain myself. Personally, I thought I had made it pretty clear that I was not interested, but this bugger was still here trying to sweet talk me. Anyways, I'd been kind enough already; I let him sit next to me.
"Listen up booooy, I suggest you run off and chatter with some other chit. I'm not interested." Finally I turned to look at this boy, no let me take that back man, full on and oh by all that's holy was he a sight for sore eyes. With sensuous lips and ice blue eyes, this stranger just stared at me with a small smile. If he had been put off at all by my outburst he didn't show it.
"That's quite the accent. What part of England are you from?" He scooted closer yet again impeding my space. "You know, I've always had a thing for British accents. Just loved the way they sounded. Sexy." Leaning forward this stranger reached out to touch my hand, but before he could even blink I was standing and backing away from him, this gorgeous man.
"Look, its not you its me. Literally. I meant what I said, go find yourself some pretty girl to snogg." Maybe he said something in response, I don't know, but I did not stay long enough to hear. No, I raced out of that bar, leaving behind the loud noises and karaoke as I strode out into the dark night. It was quiet outside, the lot surprisingly empty considering the amount of people at the bar. There was an occasional giggle from the alley next to the bar, and multiple cars with steamed up windows, indication enough of what was going on inside of them, but that was it.
With one last longing look at the bar, I began my trek back home. It wasn't a far walk from the bar. Everything in this town was walking distance, something I enjoyed. Wyoming was full of these small, barely-there towns, which I tended to stay in; they were harder to come across and the perfect place to stay under the radar. My kind of towns.
"A bit dangerous for a vulnerable girl to be walking around this late, don't you think?" A voice from behind me interrupted. Seriously? Was this talk-to-Layla day? Maybe if I simply kept on walking whoever this was would simply just walk away. "Where you headed too?" The person was now walking right next to me. It was a girl, much to my surprise. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a thick French braid with flyways popping out in some places.
"Home." I responded curtly.
"Your name is Layla, correct?" The girl asked.
"Why do you want to know?" I asked, this time stopping to shoot her a suspicious gaze. She was dressed up all in red: red dress, red stripper heels, and blood red lipstick.
"So you are?" She shot me a winning smile, showing off a set of perfect white teeth. Something was off. Everything about this girl screamed Suspicious! And I didn't like one bit of it.
"Never said I was. Now if you would be so kind as to take yourself and your red off to where it is actually wanted. I've got things to do."
"She is only trying to figure out your name, Layla," yet another voice spoke up before a body emerged from a dark alleyway, but I didn't need to see him before I knew who he was. It was a voice that I had been running from for years, and the reason I never stayed in a place too long. Yet, here he was, cornering me in the middle of a deserted street corner.
"Declan. Can't say I'm pleased to see you," I say as I turn to look at the unwanted yet familiar person standing before me. Declan looked exactly the same from the last time I saw him. With fiery red hair, pale skin, and numerous freckles he looked every bit like the highlander he actually was. The knowing smile he shot me sent chills down my spine. I could of easily take these two twigs, but if they had learned anything from our last encounter they would have brought back up and I mean a numerous amount of back up. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Just thought I would stop by and say hello and see how life has been treating you. Quite well I see, you still look as delicious as I remember," Declan's pale blue eyes traveled down my body in a hungry manner, taking no pains to hide his blatant ogling.
"Funny, something tells me there is more to it than your horny shenanigans. If you are the same as the last time I saw you, which I am almost positive that you are, than you're probably giving it to the little red riding hood over here." If the girl's intake of breath wasn't indication enough that my guess was right then Declan's soft chuckle was.
"Her name is Kate." Was all he responded.
"Fascinating," I replied in a flat tone, "Well, I'd say that I want to stay and chat, but I was always taught not to lie. Good day." It was no surprise that the pair still continued to follow me even after I walked off and what irritated me the most was that they made no attempt to hide it.
So behind me I had two buggers whispering and giggling like children as I made my way through the streets. With them following me there was no way I was going to lead them to my at-the-moment home. It was around the third circle that they noticed I was leading them nowhere.
"Now what's this about, Layla? Taking us on a wild goose chase I see?" Declan spoke up finally, sounding quite irritated.
Turning around to give him a mischievous grin, I replied, "A wild goose chase? Is that what you want? All right you old lug," and that's when I ran. To where I didn't know, but I was going to try and get as far away as possible. There weren't many places to even go, a downside of living in such a small suburban area.
Yet, I still ran at an inhuman speed, rushing through empty streets. Around me I could hear them; the voices. The voices that have haunted me for all my days and had me hiding for so many years, escaping them every single time. But I knew that this would be the last time; something in my gut told me it was so, and whenever my gut predicted it came true.
"Run after her!" I heard them yell.
"I'm on her trail," another voice responded, causing dread to etch its way in. I knew that Declan would have brought back-up but I hadn't anticipated this much. They were everywhere; I could just hear them, the patter of there feet as they hit the ground. And those were just the ones who were still green and in training. No, the most dangerous ones were as silent as the grave that they came from, there feet barely brushing the ground as they ran towards my doom. Those were the ones I should be afraid of, was afraid of.
They may have been silent, but I heard them. I heard them as if they were an explosion going off in my ear.
My feet continued to run as my brain tried to assess its surrounding. All I wanted to do was get away from those loud silent feet. And I was so close. Ahead of me I saw the border of Montana and Wyoming, a beacon to my freedom. Maybe this wasn't the end after all. Maybe my gut was wrong this time. Once I crossed the border there was no way they could catch me. I would run to the big city not far and for once I would use the busy streets and all the buildings as my camouflage. I would be lost to them yet again.
And I was so, so close. I was gaining miles at a time with the speed I was going at, and I felt myself relax. Yes, my gut was wrong. If they couldn't catch me the first time they wouldn't be able to catch me this time. A small smile tugged at my lips as I thought of the fit Declan would throw when he found out I got away.
BAM!
A crippling pain exploded in my side, causing me to cry out. It was pulling me down, making my legs turn into led, but I fought it trying to go on running. The border was almost in my grasp it would have been devastating not to make it.
But I knew I wouldn't.
The pain continued to grow, making tears gather at the corner of my eyes. Panic flitted through my mind, as I knew what was to come. Misery. Misery for the rest of my existence. My body began to tremble, a result of my panic or the silver bullet I had just got shot with I don't know, but I was trembling so hard I collapsed on all fours.
"Got her, captain." A voice said behind me as I heaved, blood spurting out of my mouth. "She isn't going anywhere." The voice was so familiar. If I was in a normal state of mind I know I would have been able to place it, but instead my mind was going mad. It was screaming at me to fight back while also trying to deal with all this pain.
"Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn't move if I were you. Only gunna make it worse," he said as he saw me try to get up again. His words didn't stop me and continued to try, however pointless and I heard him audibly sigh, "You're making this worse for yourself, and I wont let you do that." Two strong hands grabbed my shoulders initiating a flow of images to fight their way to my head. I tried so hard to make them stop, but I couldn't. I had lost complete control and they were only making my pain worse.
"What's wrong? Why are you screaming?!" Flipping me around, I was faced with two ice-blue eyes, filled with concern, a characteristic extremely rare among them.
Those eyes. I knew those eyes. I had just seen them no longer than an hour ago.
"You ass," I barely got out in a growl.
"Careful Julius! Don't let her get any information that she could use against you." Another voice said as whoever it was approached us.
"I don't think she would even be able to lift a finger let alone fight us all."
"I suppose your correct, turn her so she can see me." This so called Julius turned me so I was facing the one and only man I truly hated with every fiber of my being.
"You…" I tried to start but couldn't seem to finish. Seeming to find this funny, my enemy let out a loud belly laugh, looking up to the sky, but when he looked back at me his face was completely serious.
"Now Layla aren't we past the 'You will pay for this Gabriel!'? I certainly thought we were." Moving closer, Gabriel was barely a couple inches from my face. "I finally got you. No I'm sorry we got you."
I opened my mouth to respond but was promptly interrupted by Gabriel, "No need to thank me. You'll be happy here. Welcome, Layla. Welcome to The Red Guard."