Chapter 20: Fighting the Nomads

Meredith never knew that a minute could be so slow. She must have checked her phone at least twenty times before it changed from 7:43 to 7:44. Then again, time had a nasty little habit of turning into molasses whenever someone wanted something to be over. Meredith shivered where she sat, leaning up against the moss ridden base of the old redwood, her only comfort for that night. That and her book. Ironically, it was a copy of Dracula by Bram Stoker. She clutched it and kept her eyes whizzing, though she never fully read a line. It was dusk now. The cold air constricted her as the sun began to set above the canopy that watched her every move. She knew that Derek and the others hadn't abandoned her. Still, with the silence of the trees being the only thing surrounding her, it was hard to remember that she was protected. She hunched her shoulders and buried herself closer to the tree. She hoped that Thatcher would be all right. Mark and Billy had swung by unannounced that afternoon. Fortunately, there was a late baseball game on that night. Meredith excused herself once they arrived, explaining she was tired. After which, she snuck up to her room and climbed out the window to be met by Derek and Rosalie. As she promised, she stayed and watched the house, while Derek carried her to the spot where they were setting the trap. The snow fall was gentle. Like little bits of powder drifting to the Earth. It was the only thing calming about the entire situation. She was greeted by the other three Shepherds, who would be watching her. Emmet was once more guised in his gray sweat jacket. Alice, who shadowed him, wore an emerald cloak of sorts that drifted down to the ground she stood on, her face shrouded by the hood. Carlisle wore a long, twenties style trench coat, with the collar upturned and an old-fashioned hat to go with it. They were quite the interesting group to look at. She was reassured that she would be safe, and then was set in the heart of the forest. After she settled in, the others vanished, leaving her alone with the snow and the merciless wind. There, she sat down and began to read, her fingers numb as she turned the pages.

As the sun became more and more scarce, Meredith began to grow even more nervous. It went without saying that the apprehension felt by the young woman was enough to make her want to flee Forks for good. But her anxiety grew as the grayish light dwindled and she was left alone in the dark. It reminded her so much of when she discovered Derek's secret. It was the night that changed her life. What if she had not met Derek? Her life would be much easier, that was obvious. There would be no monsters that hounded her – no fears that chased her in dreams and in reality. Yet... she did not regret knowing him, or what he was. In fact, she was almost glad for it. Not glad for the nomads nipping at her heals, of course. But glad to have found a very unusual friend in a very unusual boy. She wondered if Derek felt the same. He must have, considering how he reacted when the plan was stated earlier that day. Then again, she could be misreading things. In any case, she was happy to have him by her side.

She heard a noise. Sitting up straight, she felt chills run up her spine as she hopped to her feet. Her heart bounded against her ears. She could detect faint laughter against the otherwise silent trees. It froze her to her place, and she clutched her book tightly. She could hear a rustle of leaves and a snapping of twigs. As though something quite fast was heading through the forest. She pushed her back up against the bark so that nothing could spring up from behind her. She trembled but was prepared for what came out of the darkness. And indeed, three familiar faces made themselves known on either side of her, Laurent being in the middle. He grinned, his unnaturally sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight.

"Haven't you learned by now that it's unwise to be out at night?" he taunted. Meredith kept her mouth shut as Victoria made her way over to the human. The burn was still there, and it was obvious she was still angry about it.

"Come Laurent," she hissed, leaning in dangerously close to Meredith. "Let's eat her. Right now. Or better yet, let's tear her apart and leave her for the wolves. A fitting end for a spiteful little wench, wouldn't you agree?"

Meredith held up her cross. "Stay back," she ordered firmly.

"Or you'll do what?" Victoria spat.

"It is more of a question of what we will do."

The three nomads turned to see the four Shepherds surrounding them. They were all crouched, like tigers ready to spring on their prey. Derek looked especially fierce; his face contorted into an angry scowl. And while Carlisle and Emmet looked as though they didn't want things to escalate, Alice looked quite the opposite. A sickly smile came to her thin lips, her hands clawed out and her nails sharp and at the ready. She looked to be enjoying herself, as though fighting was a natural thing for her. All the more reason Meredith had to be scared of the vampire. Victoria clicked her tongue and put her hands on her hips.

"My my," she said in a voice laced with sarcasm. "It looks to be a trap, Laurent. What will we ever do?"

A chuckle came out of Laurent's throat. "I'm at a loss, my dear. I suppose we're caught! Oh woe is us!"

"Shut up!" Derek snapped, his already short temper starting to flare.

"Why don't you make us, Derek?" James said with a crooked smile. "Of course, we may have no choice but to harm your little pet over there..." Meredith could feel her chest tighten and she pushed herself even more to the tree.

"Enough," Carlisle commanded in his firm voice. A hush fell over the vampires. Even with enemies, Carlisle seemed to be worthy of the utmost respect. "We will give you a chance," he said to the nomads. "One chance to leave. If you do not, then we will have no choice but to act."

"Is that so?" said Laurent, holding his head up as though to challenge Carlisle. "Well deary dear. I suppose we don't have much of a choice, do we? Then again... we could always fight back."

"In case you haven't noticed," Emmet stated bluntly, "it's four against three. Not to mention our Allie here fights like a mad animal." He gestured to Alice, who let her lips curl back to reveal her fangs. She truly did look wild and untamed. Ready to bite off heads if needed.

"Four against three," Laurent mused. "My oh my. Well that's not much of an even fight is it? I guess I'll just have to even the odds." With a snap of his fingers, something began to happen. His form became blurry and quick bits and pieces of him almost transparent. Wind rushed and Meredith could barely see what was happening. But before she knew it, ten Laurents now perched above them all, glaring down like gargoyles, while the original Laurent stood where he was, his hands raised. "Now this is a fair fight, wouldn't you say?"

"Bastard," Derek grunted, eyeing the copies above with anger. He glared to the leader of the nomads and got himself ready. "We can take all thirteen of you," he snapped.

"Really?" Suddenly, Meredith felt two strong hands take hold of both of her arms. James had sped up behind her and grabbed her, Victoria holding a hand up to her cheek. That hand slowly began to grow smooth and pointed. Soon, it resembled that of a pale flesh colored blade, pressed up against her skin. It felt like the cruel metal of a sword or a knife. Meredith whimpered, but could do nothing. Her hands were not free to use her cross with. Laurent continued as Derek's eyes went wide with shock. "Let's see you try. Oh, and don't be reckless. Otherwise, that little girl won't be able to talk."

With a growl, the four Shepherds jerked up, lunging to the copied vampires above them. Meredith watched in fear. It was like an angry swarm of bees. It all happened so fast; Meredith was unable to pick out just what was happening. She saw flashes of faces and bodies and could hear the cracking of bones and swishing of figures through the air. Suddenly, she felt herself being jerked away. James had taken off in a run, the pressure of the forced air pushing on her body painfully. She tried to scream but found that there was no air in her lungs. But almost as fast as he started, James stopped, a hiss forming at his throat. Standing before the two of them was Derek. He was a bit battered and had a cut above his eye, but still looked noble. And very very pissed. He leapt for James, causing the other to jump high in order to dodge Derek's attack. Meredith watched as they bounded between the trees, lashing and diving for one another. All Meredith could think to do now was run. She turned and scampered along the uneven surface of the forest floor, panting and trying hard to find her way out of the forest without killing herself. That's when she ran into the hard body of one of the Laurent copies. He grabbed her and pinned her to a tree, laughing in her face. His fangs extended, and she felt her blood run quickly. He may not be able to drink from her neck, but he could sure as hell tear out her heart with his teeth. With his mouth open wide and saliva dripping from his mouth, Meredith knew that – copy or not – she was facing her death once more. That's when she noticed a large splinter that stuck out just beside her from the tree. As Laurent moved forward towards her, she yanked the piece of wood from the tree and drove it into his chest. Suddenly, his mouth closed, and his eyes went wide. He screeched and pulled himself away, turning into a cloud of dust before her very eyes. The cloud then funneled upwards and directed its way back to the fight to rejoin the original. Meredith gripped the sliver of wood in her hands. She had found her way to fight back.

She turned and ran back to where she could still hear the fight and peered out from behind a tree. There she saw Alice, standing calmly in a circle of Laurents. They sneered and hissed at her, but she paid them no mind. Instead, she let her eyes leer at them, her twisted smile visible from the shadow of her hood. At once, all three copies lunged for her. Her hands twitched. That was all Meredith could see. But in that split moment after her hands had twitched, the Laurents stopped in midair, their heads tumbling from their necks. Alice had sliced through their throats with one swipe, moving so fast that Meredith couldn't even detect it. Each one turned to dust and flew back to where the original was. Alice let her eyes fall to Meredith, and the girl shivered. Never did she want to get on Alice Cullen's bad side.

Alice turned and made her way back to the battle, Meredith heading back too. However, by the time she got there, the nomads were long gone. Derek glared at the tops of the trees; his jaw tight. "They got away," he growled. In anger, he hit the side of the tree with his palm. Emmet put a hand on his shoulder in comfort and he nodded, sighing. He turned his head to Meredith. "You ok?" His eyes trailed to the wood in her hand.

"Yes," she said. "I'm fine." She turned to look at the object as well. "I... think I might have found a way to... to..." Suddenly, she couldn't talk. Things began to go blurry. She could hear her name being called, but couldn't quite tell who it was that was speaking to her. Her head throbbed and she blacked out, her body shutting down after such a fast-paced night.


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~ Charlie xoxo