Chapter 21 Ghost train

Just as she had planned Jeff didn't go and tell Storm straight away which gave her some more borrowed time, eventually it would all come down to one thing and she knew that it would all be worth it. Looking at her watch she decided it was time.

"Storm!" Raven hollered from her place at the table in front of the laptop. They all thought she was hunting, in reality she was playing online Scrabble.

"You yelled?" Storm asked slightly irritated, she was more irritated that she couldn't find what was wrong with Jeff. Everyday he just seemed to be getting weaker and again Storm was afraid of losing him.

"I have something to tell you but you have to promise me that you will stay calm and put the clan first"

Storm raised an eyebrow "Ok" She said slowly not liking where this was going.

"I know whats wrong with Jeff, I also know that tonight he will need you in more ways than you could possibly imagine." Raven let out a puff of air. "I thought that he would man up and tell you but obviously he still thinks that he can beat it. Idiot" Raven couldn't help but add that in. He was told about the lust several times but just like a typical male, he didn't listen. Stupid men, no wonder the leader of all clans was always a woman.

"Beat what?" Storm asked her eyes narrowed, Raven didn't need to answer because she caught on quickly. "Idiot! I told him not to eat!"

"Storm he needs you, you know he does. And if you don't want him anymore thats fine but the clan needs him too"

"You know right now I don't really care" Storm began her way upstairs, Raven's soft voice cut through her making her stop.

"You couldn't save Twiggy but you can save Jeff"

Storm stayed in her room almost all night, she was too mad to do anything else. She was more mad that she might lose Jeff like she lost Twiggy, she couldn't go through that again. Twiggy had died for her and now Jeff would die without her. Around seven she came downstairs to talk to Raven, hoping that she would tell her what to do next. Storm was a good hunter but she had only been here for two hundred years, she was still learning.

"Raven?" She asked softly "How do I save him?"

"You'll know that when the time comes" Raven looked at her watch again since her genius plan she had become obsessed with time. "Which will happen in the next thirty seconds, call me if you need me"

Storm's eyes bulged as she flew up the stairs, a large bang exploding in her bedroom. She went in slowly ready to attack if needed. She flipped on a light not prepared to see the sight in front of her, every part of Jeff was covered in blood. He looked at her as though he were a helpless child, "Storm you have to help me" He glid over to her and pulled her into a bear-hug. The smell of blood flooded her systems. Jeff gripped her flesh as though she would vanish.

"I couldn't help it Storm, I just couldn't stop" He kept ranting sadly, his grip not reliquishing one bit.

"Who did you kill Jeff?" Storm pulled away and made him look at her, his gaze poured straight through her like she wasn't even there.

"Maria" He said sadly "I just couldn't stop, I had to eat her. It wouldn't let me stop" Jeff sank to his knees trying to stop all the sick urges. He knew he would lose and another harmless human would be eaten. Jeff fell backwards into the abyss his body shaking and contorted in ways that no one should bend.

"Jeff!" Storm tried to help him but this was out of her depth, "Raven!"

In an instant Raven was by her side watching what was going on. "The ghost train. Storm listen to me, you have to pull him off the tracks"

Storm nodded, taking Jeff's skull she forced his eyes open, she had never done this before but she wasn't going to lose him. Not ever. Ripping sliced through her body as she forced herself to enter his current state, it was alot more painful than the movies made out. She litterly had to share his body while at the same time maintaining her own. She felt safe in the fact that Raven was with her because if anyone could get her out it was the Huntress.

Storm landed on the rickety steps her knees connecting hard with the planked wood. She could hear the ghost train coming, it still had a while before it reached her but she knew even that wasn't much time. Picking herself up she willed herself to walk over the tracks, all she had to do was find Jeff and pull him off the tracks. Easier said than done. Two shadows wailed in the distance, she swore it was two people. Storm couldn't see them properly the light from the ghost train blocking her view, but she swore that they had old fashoined dresses on. She kept walking the sounds of the train getting closer, she was running out of time, the smoke making it hard to see.

"Jeff!" She shouted only to have it thrown in her face from the wind.

"Storm!" Jeff called out panicked, she wasn't sure how she did it but she ran to him. She wouldn't let him go this easily unlike with Twiggy. Jeff was in a sprawled heap on the tracks, he was sitting there waiting for death to take him. Storm tugged his arm "We have to go" She said urgently, it was alot harder to pull him here. Here it was like he was made of lead.

"The train has decided I'm next" He said simply staring at the lights. Like many before him he had accepted his fate and was just waiting now.

"Over my dead body" Storm spat, the train sped towards them gaining more speed as it went. The lights flashing madly, wind ripping through their bodies. Storm did the only thing she could, she tackled him and both of them fell off the tracks and into the smoke.

They both opened their eyes back on Storm's bedroom floor. Heaving and sweating Raven let them come down from the rush. She knew all about the ghost train, sometimes she would go back to it just so she could practice dodging it, Raven just loved toying with her own life. It wouldn't matter in the end, nothing would.

"Just breathe" She soothed as they tried to catch their breath. "Your safe now, well Storm is. I can't say the same for you Hardy"

Raven checked them over one more time before leaving them alone. They just looked at each other for the longest time before they both flopped down on her floor staring at the ceiling.

"Storm I'm sorry but I thank you for saving me, I owe you forever"

Storm turned and looked at him "You listen to me Jeffery Nero Hardy. I forgive you and I love you and I will never leave you but if you ever do that to me again the ghost train will be the least of your worries. Clear?"

"Crystal" Jeff smiled pulling her over to him. He felt alot better now that he had let his shocking secret come to light.

Storm suddenly sat bolt right up "I have to tell Raven something" She practically flew down the stairs almost tripping over her own feet.

"Raven while I was on the tracks I saw something, something I'm not sure was real"

"Everything is real on the tracks Storm, only one in one hundred thousand get saved" Raven responded not looking up from her game.

"I saw two shadows on the tracks, they were hit but they didn't become passengers, the train merely went through them"

Raven looked up finally, this was something she didn't know which was why she was so concerned. "It went through them?"

"Yeah, they were wearing old school dresses"

Raven got up and forced Storm's eyes to her's "Tell me what did they look like?"

Storm shook her head, Raven scaring her slightly "I don't know, I couldn't see them they were blocked by the lights of the train"

"Try Storm, look through the lights, what did they look like?"

Storm shut her eyes and tried to concentrate, trying to get back to the train and the two figures. She opened her eyes shock settling in on her entire system.

"They looked just like us"