She materialized at the top of the stairs on the other side of the building, grateful that she was able to put some distance between herself and whoever – or whatever – was chasing her.
Still, she knew that now was not the time to say that she was safe; this reprieve was only brief, and she needed a way to get out of the school NOW.
The air had been thick with an ominous tension even before she had started running, and it was still present, even here.
What is going on…?
Her heart sank when she heard the same click-scratching sound echoing from another area in the building – faintly at first, but they were quickly becoming more audible.
No….
She had to hold onto the metal railing just to keep her balance when she realized that she was teetering on the very edge of the top of the stairs. Her palms were sweaty, but she tightened her grip on the railing as she began to move down the stairs, praying that she could get to the exit, and escape, but if she couldn't, she would use her ability again before her pursuer caught up with her.
I have to keep going.
She was five steps from the bottom of the stairs, her legs beginning to ache when the double doors above her were thrown open with a force that almost ripped them from their hinges, the sound so loud in the silence and gathering shadows that she started, clapping both her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming, instinctively turning around.
She wished she hadn't.
With the last rays of dying light streaming through the windows, she could make out the figure of her homeroom teacher, Reika Akimoto stumbling out the doors. Her clothes were torn and bloodstained, her shoulder length black hair that was normally pulled back in a ponytail wild and disheveled. Her face was hidden by the encroaching shadows, but it was obvious that she had tilted her head back, and appeared not to be able to see her; she seemed to be sniffing the air, or listening intently, as if searching for something.
Despite the figure being that of her homeroom teacher whom she respected, she felt a sense of unspeakable fear run through her, and knew that this was only a husk of the said woman, while not her at the same time; it chilled her to the bone. She stood completely still, her hands over her mouth so that her breathing couldn't be heard; her gut feeling was telling her that she was the one the figure was searching the air for, and was also the one pursuing her earlier.
Perhaps Akimoto-sensei had caught her scent in the air, because suddenly, the woman's head snapped in her direction with an audible, sickening crack, bringing to mind a number of horror movies she presently didn't have the time to put a title to.
Oh, my…
Before she could complete her train of thought, the figure of her teacher let out a sound that was between a high-pitched scream, and a demonic roar before lowering itself on all fours, and rushing towards her like a lizard scrambling up the walls at a horizontal angle instead of vertically.
Ignoring the pain in her legs, she wasted no time using her ability to escape the monster that was once her homeroom teacher.
But this time, she couldn't get away.
No sooner had she materialized elsewhere then she felt her left ankle yanked from under her, knocking the breath out of her lungs as she struck the floor.
No…!
She tried to pull her leg from the grip of whatever had caught her, but found herself screaming when she felt her skin being pierced in five different places above her ankle, perhaps even reaching the bone.
" Let go! " she yelled, lashing out with her other foot. She felt her heel connect with something, and the awful pain lessened, but only slightly.
Filled with an energy she didn't even know she possessed, she kicked again and again, before she finally felt her attacker release her. She scrambled to her feet, and ran, wincing at the pain above her left ankle, even as she felt a sticky dampness trickling down her leg.
The angry snarl behind her prompted her to run faster despite the pain shooting up her leg, but trying to outrun the monster behind her was like trying to outrun a speeding bullet train. She was tackled to the ground, the stench of blood and decay filling her nostrils, and she gagged, instinctively struggling to break free.
When she heard the hissing and the hot breath barely an inch from her ear, anger exploded in her chest, and she snapped her head back, trying to ignore the pain from whatever it had come into contact with before the weight on her back was alleviated slightly. Realizing that she could move, she turned, ramming her elbow into the jaw of whatever – whoever – had pinned her down. There was a sickening crack, and she inched back far enough to deliver a boot to the lower abdomen of her attacker before she managed to break free and delivered another kick, feeling it connect with a nose this time.
She scrambled to her feet, and backed up, her eyes taking in the appearance of her attacker who had followed suit. Despite bending over like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, he had no other resemblance to the tragic figure from the Victor Hugo novel; his eyes were blazing an angry, bloodshot red, the pupils nothing more than narrow slits, the look in them blank, yet filled with a raging hunger. His hair was wild and matted with the blood that stained his torn clothing that identified him as one of the school's security guards. His skin was sallow and deathly in appearance, as if the blood that hadn't splattered all over him had been drained entirely from his body.
Like a walking corpse.
He swayed from side to side as he lurched towards her, and she leaped back in time to avoid his hand as he tried to grab her. Another chill went through her when she saw his sharp claws, and blood that was clearly her own dripping from their needle sharp tips.
" Your blood… "
She jolted at those words, spoken with such venomous loathing and hunger. His mouth opened, revealing a shark load of razor sharp teeth, accentuated by equally long, sharp fangs that dripped saliva, his breath rancid.
" What the…?! "
A vampire…?!
The creature lurched forward, and this time, when she moved back to put some distance between them, she slipped on the blood that had splattered in different places without her noticing during the struggle. She fell backwards as it charged at her, its open mouth forming a gaping, hideous grin of triumph.
The deep, guttural snarl the monster before her emitted seemed to echo in the shadowed corridor, and she was about to close her eyes, unwilling to let that hideous countenance be the last thing she saw as her throat was ripped out.
But she didn't close her eyes; no, if anything, they widened as they caught a glimpse of movement behind the creature, and she wondered if her mind had conjured this image to comfort her in her final moments so that her death would be painless.
But the Angel of Death wasn't there to claim her…
Suddenly, she heard a wet, scrunching sound, followed by a sticky substance that landed on her left cheek. She sat up straight when she saw that something coated in red like a parasitic, bloody flower had ripped through the host that it was feeding on protruding from where the monster's throat should be.
The creature was twitching in mid-air, and when she blinked, she saw that what she had likened to a blood coated flower was actually a hand that had impaled her attacker through the back of its neck. She flinched at the gruesome sight, unable to move her body as the man twice dead was yanked back, and a second hand grabbed the blood matted strands of hair; she covered her mouth in shock as her attacker's head was ripped off so swiftly and violently, blood spraying from the stump that was its neck before it was sent flying to the far end of the corridor as the rest of its body hit the floor with a thud. It then dissolved into dust, the only traces of the nightmare being the blood that dripped from the Blue King's left hand, and the uniform that dropped to the floor.
Oh, my…
His hand was covered in the blood of the one he had killed, the red substance covering most of his wrist sleeve. His expression was that of the cold rage of a predator that had finally disposed of another predator that he considered beneath him. He'd turned as he tossed his prey's head away so that he stood with his back to her, but her eyes had long adjusted to the dark, and despite the shadows blanketing everything around her, she could see that he was tense, both his hands – covered in blood and not - clenched at his sides, the same dangerous aura she had briefly felt last time like a dark tornado that would tear anyone who tried to get close to shreds swirling around him.
She began to tremble, her eyes on the man who was both dangerous and her savior; she was afraid to breathe, wondering what was going to happen now…
Uncertain what to do, but not wanting to be in a more vulnerable position than she already was, she slowly began to rise to her feet, moving as quietly as she could. She had almost managed to stand when her left leg betrayed her, and she gasped as pain erupted from where she had been wounded, and winced as she found herself sitting on the cold floor once again.
No…!
Blood was seeping out of her wound, and trickling onto the cold tiles…
She felt trapped….
He licked the blood from his hand, the beast inside him enjoying the taste of the carmine liquid on his tongue.
And yet, the unspeakable rage inside him still burned, wanting to destroy more of what he had seen; it didn't help that he had caught one of the creatures attacking a young student in the almost empty corridors of the school.
And not just any student….
He sensed her presence in the school as soon as his vehicle reached the bridge, the realization that she was still alive a huge relief to him; and yet, the relief was short lived as he detected the presence of not one, not two, but almost twenty of the bloodthirsty creatures prowling around the campus, and closing in on the school building in addition to the dormitories. As Scepter 4 spread out to contain the threat, the Blue King entered the school, his aura throwing the sliding doors of the main entrance open with a violence that startled and unnerved those present. He could feel their eyes on him, but he didn't care; his blade sharp senses located the girl, and the three creatures that were after her.
Munakata had long accepted that he had been abandoned by God Himself, and the angels of Heaven, but he found himself praying that he could reach her, and save her from the danger closing in on her.
He didn't know if God would hear that prayer during this dark hour, but still…
The Blue King was barely more than a fleeting shadow out of the corner of one's eye as he reached the top of the stairs in one leap, and moved towards the sounds of struggling mixed with her soft, sweet scent of moonflowers and that of blood and death. Munakata felt his fangs emerge when he'd turned the corner and was met with the sight of the undead creature lunging towards the lavender haired figure fighting for her life, a rage blacker than the pits of hell exploding within him. He closed the distance between himself and the creature in one step, thrusting his left hand forward without a second thought. His hand tore through the rotting flesh and brittle bone, coated by the hot, sticky liquid that was the creature's blood. He then grabbed the strands of filthy, matted hair and tore the upper half of the creature's head off, taking a grim satisfaction in inflicting a violent, painful death to the one who had been about to take the life of the one he'd come to save.
Now, as he tasted the blood on his fingers, he fought to keep the beast within contained, for it was fighting to break free, wanting to destroy all that was in its way, and everything around it.
You stay where you are, he warned. I will not have you running amok.
The beast laughed mockingly, and stared at him challengingly. He knew that look; it was the stare he would receive each time a long, violent struggle for dominance loomed, and he felt himself tense inwardly.
However, something changed in the beast's aura as a gasp of pain reached their ears, and it slowly retreated into the shadows, its eyes glowing.
What…?
As if to answer his question, her scent reached him, washing the blood from his vision and pulling him back to reality as his thirst that had only been matched by his rage instantly went from boiling to simmering; it hadn't been quelled completely, but it was no longer overwhelming him, or blurring the lines between him and his self control…
Slowly, he turned.
She was sitting on the floor, blood seeping from her left leg, and the sight alarmed him more than he wanted to admit; he was alarmed because he didn't know how deep her wound was, and because her scent – and that of her blood - were INTOXICATING.
He stiffened as the same thirst he thought that he had brought under control barely a moment ago came back to life. He could feel his fangs emerge, and his throat began to BURN with an intensity that made him feel like he was about to burst into flames.
Her scent filled him, called to him…
Tempted him…
Those eyes…
There were those eyes again, and if the sight was enough to make her want to run, his aura made her think that she couldn't escape him even if she ran to the farthest corners of the earth, even if her legs were beginning to feel numb and cramped from their awkward position, coupled with the blood pooling on the floor.
But she couldn't move.
Almost as soon as his eyes found her, his burning gaze seemed to hold her in place, and she felt her limbs become heavy as if they were drained of strength.
Why…?
Purple fire illuminated the shadows, and despite her paralyzed state, she felt the chill in her body begin to melt away as he closed the distance between them until he loomed over her, a dark phantom that was one with the shadows, and yet apart. Despite the terror coursing through her, she was able to see that he had regained control of his aura which, although still dangerous, was no longer the stifling, and coldly murderous tornado from earlier.
And his eyes were human once again…
She blinked, feeling her breath leave her as bewilderment at the sudden change in him set in; the glow in his eyes no longer burned her, yet she still felt its intensity.
It was like stepping away from a roaring fire, but still feeling the heat of the flames….
Her eyes followed him as he bent down, extending his blood covered hand to her.
" Are you alright? " he asked gently.
Her voice seemed to have gone into hiding, for she was unable to give him a verbal answer; she could only give a faint nod before tearing her gaze away, her eyes coming to rest on the hand he held out to her. It was covered in blood; she could smell the coppery scent.
And yet…
Without thinking, she reached out her hand, and was surprised at what greeted her when their hands touched; instead of a crushing pain, she was greeted by the same warmth that pushed away the cold chill in her, and she tightened her grip in his as he took her other hand before pulling her to her feet. She looked up at him, wanting to thank him, but her words were lost when she saw his expression.
He looked relieved.
If only he knew...
That he was echoing her own feelings…
It seemed so natural for her to allow him to pull her to him, and for her to move closer. She could feel his raw strength as he wound his arms around her, and she melted against him, clutching at the lapels of his coat.
He didn't speak, he just held her. His warmth and silence were comforting, his presence a pillar of grounding strength for her. She kept her face buried in his chest, unable to step away and leave the safety of his embrace as she continued to tremble.
Everything would be alright….
Because he was there…
Her tension had only just begun to ebb away when she felt him stiffen, and tighten his arms around her as he pulled her closer.
Confused, she raised her eyes to his face and saw him looking past her; his brows were slightly furrowed, his lips a thin line.
No…
The fear that he had banished now returned with a vengeance as she followed his gaze, tightening her grip on his coat as her eyes came to rest on the figure of her former homeroom teacher. She was on all fours, rocking from side to side as she attempted to move closer, eyeing them like a predator that had managed to corner its prey, but was trying to decide how to attack because it could see that the latter wasn't going down without a fight. Akimoto-sensei stared at the Blue King for a long moment, before focusing on her, and she felt her heart drop to her feet as she saw mad hunger and bloodlust sharpen those blank, bloodshot eyes. The woman – no – the creature – lunged forward, never taking her eyes off of her.
" Oh, my God…! "
The Blue King moved one of his hands up to cup the back of her head, startling her out of the terrified trance she had fallen into. Gratefully, she tore her eyes away from the living nightmare rushing towards them, and turned to look up at him once more; somewhere in a distant part of her mind, she remembered that the hand in her hair was the same bloodied hand he had held out to her when he had helped her up.
His amethyst eyes were fixed on the monster he had spotted, his face grim, but his words were directed towards her.
"Don't look. "