A/N: *nervous laughter*

Chapter Thirty – The Eyes That Haunt Me

it's hiding in the dark,it's teeth are razor sharp
there's no escape for me, it wants my soul, it wants my heart
no one can hear me scream, maybe it's just a dream
-skillet, monster

oOoOo

All that filled my mind was the ear piercing howl Jacob let out and my own sobs of uncertainty. It was a creature from the depths of hell; a Child of the Moon.

I could only imagine the sight of its grotesque paws as it crunched beneath layers of snow and ice, bounding behind us. Jacob's entire body was ridged while he pushed his body faster than I had ever seen him run. He could probably run faster without me.

He growled and his hackles raised; I had projected my thoughts.

"Jacob – hurry!" I pathetically whined as I clutched to him. I had no real intentions of leaving him; not with the scent of the beast only a few feet behind us.

I chose the wrong time to look back; to finally see the creature for what it was. It was a creature, all right. It's head was massive and misshapen, patches of tufted angry fur sprouting around mounds of scarred black flesh. That wasn't the worst part of its appearance.

It's rows, and rows, of yellowed canine teeth were.

There have been many times as of late where time felt as if it moved slower than a snail, and many of them were life changing. This moment was one of them.

The flurry of snow froze as Jacob's quick strides tuned out of my hearing. It moved quick; faster than I anticipated. Faster than Jacob could react. A flash of darkness, and all I heard was the snapping of bone and rip of my own flesh. The creature sank it's teeth right into my left side, barreling me off of Jacob and into a tree. More snapping played out like a haunting melody around us. The ringing within my mind was deafening, and I couldn't differentiate if it was wood or bone that had snapped.

My eyesight rocked; or perhaps it was my body that was being shaken. A whoosh of breath finally escaped my lips. The air was trapped between the creatures jaw's as it took another sinking bite out of my ribcage.

The white flurry fell again, the ringing ceased and it all came back to a forceful acceleration. Time had begun its course again. I tried to process what was happening but all I could feel was fire. It was a burning. An unrelenting, unavoidable burning. I could almost hear the feeling in my mind, like the sizzle of a coal on water.

I couldn't even scream; all that left my lips was a chattering croak. Air was hard to find; my chest felt like it was exploding and imploding all in one go. I tried to reach a hand to fight back, but all it found was those damned teeth. As soon as it clamped down on my forearm, it released me. I saw a russet blur; then a silver and brown flash close behind.

I couldn't focus on sounds. I was too busy trying to breathe. It wasn't working.

"Ja…" I wheezed out, a single syllable of Jacob's name. It was all too much. Too hot.

It was difficult to feel anything besides the heat that bubbled beneath my skin; I knew what it was. I was dying. I had been bitten; it's venom was attacking my blood cells. My platelets were falling; my liver was failing. My lungs surely were punctured; as a gurgling in my throat began to choke me. Blood. I was choking on my own blood.

I was fading. I felt it. My life force was leaving me as more blood oozed past my lips. The burning was gone now. Everything was gone. The sounds. My sight. I hoped there was Heaven after all, or at least, I hoped Lucifer was merciful.

As soon as my sight had left and the depth of darkness funneled in, it all came back in a startling jolt.

Gone was the burning and in its placing a tingling current.

"Renesmee, come on kid." A familiar voice faded in. It was hazy and distant; but it was somewhere near.

The currents were stronger now; it was insufferable. I couldn't remain trapped beneath the stinging. I had to get away. My eyes flashed open; quicker than the initial jolt. I drew in the sharpest breath of my life, and the fire returned along with the zapping. Holy hell on fire am I being electrocuted?!

I was able to focus my vision more, and noticed a silhouette with overly fair skin and flaxen hair.

"Enough, enough! She's had enough!" A booming voice commanded. I knew that voice; that was my Jacob.

I'm here, my Jacob.

"Nessie, oh fuck. Nessie – honey. I can hear you. Please, please." His tone was unfamiliar to me; sadness coated every layer of his deep voice.

A wave of fatigue hit me, and the darkness began a slow creep up to my conscious.

"Renesmee, open your eyes. You have to stay awake. Fuck – someone do something!" His desperation broke me.

The voltage was back and I succumbed to it. Another sharp inhale. A ragged exhale.

"This is going to hurt, my darling. For that, I am sorry."

If I had thought the burning of venom as it wrapped it's way around my vessels was unrelenting; it was only a test for the pain that came with the harsh jolt that ran through my extremities.

I was able to then connect the voice to the feeling. Kate.

My eyes really opened this time. Gone was the haze of clouded iris's. The first thing I saw was the bright ivory of snow, followed by the shimmering of a vampire's skin.

I coughed once, then again and again as I choked and spit out my own blood. I had wished someone would smack my back but no assistance came.

"Don't move, baby. It's okay. You're gonna be okay. Holy fuck. You're alive."

I blinked lazily, my breathing was uneven and jagged. Most of all, it was excruciating.

"That fucker got you good, Renesmee." A different voice drowned beneath waves that pulsed in my brain.

"Don't worry. We got him, honey. You're safe."

Jacob sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that last part more so than me. I squeezed my eyes shut and groaned an airy moan.

"Hu – rt's." I wheezed, while attempting to satiate the dryness that was overtaking my mouth. My tongue didn't do what my brain wanted and I remained as lifeless as a fish out of water.

"I know, Ness. I know. We'll get you to Carlisle. He can fix this."

I could sense the shift in gravity and had to assume I was off the ground, but my body was in shock and the sense of true feeling was gone. I was thankful for that.

I didn't know if we were walking or running, but the snow was still falling. I could barely focus on anything besides Jacob, and even Jacob wasn't Jacob. He was still a blurry figure. I wished I could breathe in his scent right now.

My mind dipped to a dangerous place as Jacob continued to talk, persuading me to stay with him. I wanted to rest, and every time I closed my eyes the voltage would come back.

I shouldn't have looked back. I shouldn't have dared to glance into those glowing orbs behind us. Those eyes will always haunt me.