Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all.
Rated M for several reasons.
Chpt 10 Time Runs Out
BPOV
The plan is simple. Pick a spot far enough from Forks to avoid a massacre but close enough to their objective to make it difficult to miss us.
Make the hapless human stumble about in the wilderness leaving scent trails, and in my case probably blood, all over everything.
Get a smelly wolf to hide the human in a tree, no, I didn't know wolves could climb either. Leave a vicious killer, Rosalie, to guard the human.
Lie in wait at the end of the previously laid scent trail and surprise newborns, mature vampires, tearing them limb from limb before starting a really big fire and celebrating well into the night.
Like I said, simple.
Rosalie had to go and complicate it.
Target human running about in the middle of nowhere equals suspicious. Hence I will now be on my bike, this brought everything closer to Forks than I would have liked but the vampires don't seem bothered. It also means that someone can be with me without leaving a scent trail of their own. Smelly wolf and tree remain the same, they do climb, they just have to be in human form to do it.
She wasn't sure how to guarantee that they would follow me but Pete assured her that the newborns would pick up the recent scent of tangy human easily and while Victoria and Laurent were chasing them down they would quickly realise it was mine. I'm distinctive that way apparently, go me.
So the next problem was how to clear my schedule so that I can be free to ride around the Olympic Peninsula without attracting the attention of an acutely vulnerable Charlie. Pete was most clear on the fact that the overall success of the plan relies on Victoria and the newborns never reaching Forks.
To my utter amazement it took two phone calls and Charlie was suddenly invited up to Seattle to assist with the manhunt for their 'serial killer'. He was so proud I almost broke down and told him the truth but in fairness the Seattle cops claim they were looking for local fisherman since there were no bodies to deal with even rang true with me. The fisherman angle was call one. Call two was I know a cop who's heavily involved with the fishing community. Pete is one hell of liar, with a wide range of contacts.
With many admonishments to stay safe, as in not to trip over my own deadly feet, Charlie departed for Seattle with his battered suitcase. Safely away from whatever is about to happen here, for which Pete has my eternal gratitude.
As soon as he's gone I pack a bag of my own and wait in silence for Em to come and collect me. All of this is way outside my experience and knowledge and no matter how hard I try I can't imagine how it's going to end. Eventually I decide that's probably a good thing and even my mind goes quiet.
Em arrives in his non-descript Ford and we head back to the Cullen's place in comfortable silence.
"Are you scared?" He asks eventually.
"A bit."
"Want to talk about it?" He offers.
"I'd rather not." I tell him with a sigh. "I don't think it will help."
"We'll keep you safe." He promises. "And this will all be over soon. Then you can get on with your life."
I nod but don't answer. What life? I suppose they'll all leave me again. I'll probably go to college. Then what, cats? The funny thing is I've never been able to see past that point in my life. I'll go to college, I have no idea what I want to do or what will happen afterwards. My imagination always stopped there, the rest of it a blank canvass even before I met Edward and my whole world changed.
There's no one about when we arrive and miserably I drag myself into the house and flop down in a chair to wait.
Em laughs at my poor little face and then disappears too.
The silence is oppressive.
Lonely, I'm so lonely . . . .
"Little one." A soft voice whispers in my ear.
Screaming I leap to my feet while Pete collapses into the vacated chair shaking with laughter.
"Don't do that!" I snap. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
He cocks his head clearly listening to my wildly beating heart.
"Sounds very healthy to me." He chuckles.
Char appears behind him and cuffs him gently round the ear.
"Sorry Bella." She says with a smile. "He can be quite infantile sometimes but he's mostly harmless."
"You're gonna ruin my hard man reputation darlin'." He complains, pulling her into his lap.
"Oh Petey." She sighs, planting a kiss on his forehead. "We both know that's all in your head."
"Your very swollen head." Rosalie drawls coming to stand beside me.
"Help me Bella." Pete pleads making puppy dog eyes at me. "They're gangin' up on me."
I hold my hands up and step back. Char and Rosalie both scare me, he's on his own.
Em arrives with a board game in his hands.
"Let's play this while we wait for the wolves?" He suggests hopefully.
"God Em." Rosalie growls. "How old are you?"
"Over the age it says on the box babe and that's all that matters."
By force of his personality alone we are soon sat around the dining room table attempting to play Monopoly by a set of rules which seem to be known to only him. Needless to say he's winning and it isn't going down very well with the others. I haven't laughed so much in a long time.
The wolves are meeting us here at the house and as soon as the others smell them approaching we abandon Em's game and gather outside at the bottom of the steps.
As they emerge from the trees I gasp in fear and dart behind Rosalie, who snorts in amusement. They are absolutely huge. Massive. Giant grizzly bears disguised as wolves. There are five, the others are staying back to protect La Push, the largest black one in the lead and flanked by others who range from pale grey to dark brown. Their eyes glow in a way a natural wolf's wouldn't but despite the terrifying appearance there is something jaunty about their plummy tails. Or, I am just properly insane at his point.
The supernatural gathering watch me intently as I wheel my motorcycle out of the garage and start it up.
Pete gives last minute instructions and we all depart into the unknown.
My riding skills are seriously hampered by having a stone beauty queen perched on the back of the bike and so we proceed slowly into the forest between Forks and Seattle. After an hour my passenger instructs me to turn right and start leaving the scent trail.
"I am bored." She announces after another hour.
"This was your idea." I growl, concentrating on putting my foot or hand out from time to time to touch something as we pass.
"I didn't realise it would be so boring." She huffs.
About thirty feet behind us the massive black wolf is shadowing us, weaving silently in and out of the trees. He's the one who's going to 'tree' me when the time comes.
"What if they don't come today and we have to do this for weeks on end?" I ask her.
"Then either I will die from boredom, or you will." She growls.
"I thought you never ate humans?"
"I don't and I won't but that doesn't mean I've never killed one."
It takes a minute or two but eventually I pluck up the courage to ask what she means.
"Later." She says dismissively. "If you really want to know I'll tell you later when all this is over.
Good enough. Rosalie is true to her word if nothing else and I've got time to decide if I really want to know.
Another hour passes and my stomach decides it's time to stop for a snack. Rosalie neatly launches herself off the bike and into a nearby tree, hanging upside down like a vampire bat.
The black wolf creeps in closer and settles down on his haunches with a huge yawn. My, what big teeth you have. I shudder.
I'm halfway through my granola bar when he leaps back to his feet, head down and teeth bared with every hair on his body standing to attention.
Rosalie flips herself upright and climbs higher in the tree, scanning the horizon.
I scramble back onto my bike and wait.
"You should keep heading south." Rosalie calls down. "We'll follow you."
The wolf shakes his head emphatically and Rosalie climbs back down the tree stopping near the bottom.
"What?" She demands.
He shimmers and shakes and before my startled eyes turns into Sam Uley. A naked Sam Uley. A naked and I assume excited, Sam Uley.
I gasp in shock and flush bright red, slapping my hand over my eyes.
"The others have seen the attackers." He says urgently. "They are here and one of them has already crossed Bella's scent. They are coming, now. There is no time. Your vampires and the rest of my pack are trying to catch up with them."
"We must get her into a tree, quickly." Rosalie orders.
Sam grabs me and I tremble in mortification as a naked man, who I've probably spoken no more than a few words to in my entire life, sweeps me off my bike and slings me onto his back. He takes off running, to put as much distance between me and the end of scent trail as possible. After a few minutes he veers abruptly left and with a mighty leap he hits a tree trunk about ten feet up and starts climbing. I screw my eyes tight shut and hold on around his neck. His heavily muscled body is so warm I can feel sweat break out between my breasts.
"You have arrived and can open your eyes." Rosalie greets me.
I obey and clutch poor Sam even tighter.
"Holy shit." I whisper. We are a long way up, a very long way up.
Carefully Rosalie lifts me off Sam's back and settles me against the tree trunk on a good, solid feeling branch.
"Don't move." She orders pointlessly.
I roll my eyes. As if.
Sam winks and promptly disappears back down the trunk.
"So much for Pete's plan." She observes, eyes scanning the horizon.
I laugh. A short bitter laugh. Welcome to my life, a series of short disasters starring me as the helpless victim. I probably should have warned them.
After a tense wait three ragged looking vampires I don't recognise appear on the edge of the clearing where we left my bike. They look around cautiously, sniffing the air like dogs. Beside me Rosalie freezes like a statue.
I hold my breath. They look, well they look kind of feral and very, very frightening.
A rumbling sound like distant thunder sounds behind them and I can see the tops of some of the trees trembling as if there is a sudden wind.
Two of the vampires turn and dart back that way but one of them moves forwards slowly, studying my bike intently his head cocked to one side.
Suddenly he turns and looks directly up at Rosalie and me. My breathing hitches, even at this distance I can see his bright red crazy eyes. With a snarl he starts forwards immediately blurring with superhuman speed.
A black blur streaks out to meet him and they come together with a reverberating crash.
"Sam." Rosalie explains absently.
As I struggle to follow the fight below us another much larger fracas is coming inexorably towards us. Its progress easy for me to track, as trees topple suddenly from sight and terrible sounds draw nearer.
I can barely follow the action, I certainly can't see anything of the fight, just random whirls of color that emit curses, snarls or gut wrenching tearing sounds before they crash loudly against something and then blur back into action.
It's terrifying and completely disorientating.
Rosalie watches the action intently, obviously able to see what's happening, occasionally it occurs to her to tell me.
Mostly she just gasps out a name that has my stomach tightening in fear.
"Victoria and Laurent are attacking Em." She whispers and I feel her fear. Pete told us newborns may be stronger and faster but mature vampires are usually much more effective fighters.
"Go."
She looks at me strangely.
"If it were Edward I would go." I urge her. "He's your husband, your mate. Go. I understand, I really do."
Her look becomes conflicted and then darts back to the melee below.
"I have to." She decides quietly. "You hold on tight, like your life depends on it!"
I nod mutely.
She pats my shoulder and then backflips out of my sight.
I manage to track her blur for a while and then she joins the whirling mass and I can't distinguish her any longer.
Frantic movement is all around me, sometimes brushing up against my tree and setting it trembling but since nothing's climbed it yet I assume that part of the plan is working and no one else knows I'm here.
Impossibly it seems like there are more vampires and wolves fighting now than there were originally. I still can't see anything but the sound of battle is escalating and my poor heart is struggling to beat out a response. Desperately I will myself to be calm, aware from Pete's instruction that even all the way up here a vampire might hear me, or smell me, if the circumstances are right.
Which is why Rosalie should be with me but it can't be helped, no one should be expected to abandon their loved ones when they are in danger, it isn't right.
Another swirl of action buffets my tree which groans in protest and rocks wildly from side to side. I bite my hand to stop myself from screaming.
Even with James I don't think I have ever been this scared. In Phoenix at least I was buoyed up the knowledge I was doing a good thing, here I feel like all I'm doing is waiting to die.
And I don't want to die, not in the permanent sense.
The tree groans and sways again as another blur of movement smashes against it beneath me.
My grip tightens.
Really, now would be a good time to get a vision of Edward, I'm in adrenaline overload and it would be nice to go with a smile on my face.
Should I call out to warn the others that my tree is under attack or would that just draw more attention? Or fatally distract them from their own fights.
Once again something barrels into my tree and this time I hear splintering wood before a deep groan starts up and the tree begins to tip slowly backwards.
Calm overtakes me. A 'what will be, will be' moment. Swiftly followed by a fresh surge of panic, this won't be the first time I've fallen out of a tree although it's going to be considerably more fatal.
Inside my head a tiny voice cries out 'T i m bb eee rrrrrrr!' as the tree and I plummet to the ground.
Mercifully one of the whipping branches wallops me in the face and everything goes black.