Chapter 4: Death in the Mountains
Chapter 4: Death in the Mountains
"Hello?" I shouted shivering as I entered the cool outdoors. I looked around but the figure was gone. "Jacob is that you?" I asked taking a few steps closer wondering where the person went.
"Hello?" came a voice that caused me to jump. Spinning around I spotted a beautiful platinum blonde man wondering around the yard, staggering a bit as if confused or dizzy. Immediately I felt a strange sense of nervousness, however I stood frozen in spot staring at the man.
"Are you ok?" I asked. At the sound of my voice the man spun around and it was then that I noticed that his eyes were frosted over. The man was blind. However stranger yet were the color of his eyes. It was a deep dark red that seemed to go darker yet as his sightless eyes met mine.
"No," He responded his voice soft but raspy. "I lost my eye dog," he explained, "I live in forks and came here for a walk but something happened a wolf howled and he ran off," he said, and as though right on cue a howl sounded from deep within the forest. I jumped a bit and scanned the forest as though expecting the wolf to come out at any minute when it didn't; I turned to the man who was stumbling towards me.
"Here let me help," I said despite the creepy feeling I was getting from him. However before I could take a step towards the man I felt someone grab my arm tightly.
"Tara get behind me now," Caleb said with such a stern tone it frightened me. Nodding I shuffled around his body staring at both him and the blind man before us. What the hell is going on? I asked myself as Caleb began taking a few steps back forcing me to do so as well. Stumbling back I noticed Caleb's eyes never left the man who was now still, standing up right a small frown on his face. Straining my head to see around Caleb's body I saw the blind man standing straight, a large angry frown on his face, and his head following my every movement as I continually moved back. Suddenly the man grinned as he took a step forward completely avoiding a large fallen branch that sat in front of him. A deep growl escaped Caleb's lips of which I've never heard before. "What are you doing here? How the hell did you get away from the others?" Caleb asked, his eyes completely locked on the man. The man turned his head to face Caleb as if just realizing he was there; then he grinned and if fear hadn't taken a hold of me I would have swooned over him. His body was muscular and pale and his teeth dazzled even in the rain.
"Those Cullens," he said with merriment in his face, "They think they are so clever, teaming up with these…dogs, did you really believe we didn't know about them?" he said. My head was in a total up roar. What the hell was he talking about? Looking up at Caleb's face I saw a bit of puzzlement as well as worry but otherwise his expression didn't change and we continued walking back to the house. "No, Victory knows full well of your plans but I'd admit she is a bit worried," he continued. "That is why Angelina and I are here, to scout out just how many are there." He said grinning as he looked back at me, Suddenly a strong gust blew from behind me causing my hair to fly forward and the man froze. As I fought to push my hair back Caleb shoved me back faster and faster towards the house.
"Tara move! Hurry," he whispered in a desperate tone that began to scare the hell out of me. Spinning around I began to run the short distance between me and the open French doors leading into the house. For the first time I realized how hard it was raining and how wet I had gotten. Another gust of wind and I closed my eyes to stop the rain from hitting it. As I open them I let out a small gasp as I nearly bumped into the blonde blind man. He stared at me his face full of concentration as though he was focusing on something, his eyes were darker than when I first saw them. From behind me I suddenly felt a grasp as Caleb gabbed my hips and swiveled around my body gracefully, placing himself in between the man and myself. My mind was a blur no longer trying to figure out what the hell was going on but instead trying to figure out how to get out of this mess and back inside where it was safe and warm. I stumbled back in my attempts to get as far away as possible and spun around to run to the front. However as soon as I looked up there he was with his head cocked and his face twisted in an amused smile. His blank eyes stared at me.
"What the hell is going on," I cried as I fell back crawling to get away. My mind was reeling and I couldn't process anything at all. Fear controlled me and fear moved me and fear told me to get away; now. The man scrunched down on his knees looking at me with curiosity and the same look of amusement. Suddenly and seemingly faster than lightning his hand shot out at me grabbing my chin. My eyes widened as tears streamed from my face. The man's moved my head pulling both us to our feet, and pulled again till we were nose to nose, My body shook in fear and I shut my eyes as he moved closer to my neck and inhaled deeply. Suddenly I felt my self being wrenched out of the man's wet grasp and thrown into the ground as Caleb stood over me defensively.
"Don't You DARE touch her again," he snarled his hands clenched tighter than I ever seen. The man just moved back and laughed as Caleb grew angrier. I watched as he drew back his clenched fist and suddenly thrust himself at the man, and then I watched as the man disappeared completely and appear once again in front of me where Caleb had stood not even a split second before hand. Caleb gasped in surprise as he stumbled forward but quickly spun around to face the horrifying man whose grin never left his face. Caleb drew his hand back once more and again thrust it forward. This time it made contact, but with the palm of the man's out reached hand which caught the punch in midair. The man's second hand flew around Caleb's neck and slowly raised him in the air. The man laughed as he did so, and pulling Caleb close he said, "I may be blind but I can see through sound smell and vibrations, you were never a match for me and neither are your little friends." Then I watched as the man began to tighten his grip slowly around Caleb's neck.
"CALEB!" I screamed frozen on the ground as I watched my beloved struggle in the grasp of the stranger, his face turning blue as the man singlehandedly began suffocating him. Abruptly I unfroze and flew to my feet pounding against the back of the man, tears streaming from my eyes as I desperately pounded his concrete-like back. Caleb was shaking in the man's hand, as he used both his hands in attempts to get the man to unhand him. All of a sudden, the man's face changed. Anger rose to his face as his nostrils flared as if smelling something vile. Unexpectedly the man threw Caleb towards the house, whispering "damn!" under his breath. I watched helpless as Caleb soared through the air and crash right into the house's concrete wall. My eyes widen in horror and my feet automatically pivoted towards him as I began to sprint to him. However I had taken no more than one step when the man grabbed my arm and pulled me so hard I ricochet right into his arms. "Not you," he whispered delicately into my ears, "You're coming with me," he added his eyes growing deeper and darker every time his nose came close to my skin. I struggled desperately in his arms to escape and whipped my wet hair every where, but I was cold and exhausted and his grip on me didn't lessen in the least. He swiftly lifted me off my feet as tears began to blind my sight, I turned to look at Caleb who had looked like a broken crumpled old doll, and who was bleeding from the back of his head, however as I looked at him now I couldn't help but gasp in shock. He was standing firmly on both feet though he was arched over. His eyes glared at the man who held me with the hot intensity of a thousand suns and he was shaking all over. And then he exploded, into giant ball of fur and teeth. The giant wolf, my Caleb snarled at us. I managed to free my hand and I reached out for him, sobbing and calling out his name pleading for him to help me. But then he disappeared as the man abruptly began to sprint into the forest in a speed so fast the cold rain seemed to be slicing at my face. From behind us growls, snarls and howls seemed to follow reassuring me that he was not gone.
We ran for what felt like hours I felt cramp and dizzy in the man's arms but he didn't look at all upset. We had long ago left the reservation and now ran wildly through the thick mountainous forest. During the time I felt so incredibly dizzy from the speed and sudden altitude changes that I began passing out in the arms of my captor, and re awakening who knows how long later. My body and mind were completely numb and I couldn't feel anything anymore not my body nor the fear I was completely drained. Maybe that is why I didn't notice as the snarls, growls, and howls got further and further away until it was at last silenced. It was dark when at last we stopped moving, I was limp and numb and didn't know what was going on anymore. My body and mind were exhausted and all I could do was stare out until the man suddenly let go of everything but my arms.
Shocked I fell to the floor and as though dragged back into a horrible nightmare the fear from before welled up inside again. I realized that there must have been only one reason we stopped and that was that Caleb was no longer chasing us. I struggled to stand kicking fresh snow off the ground and towards the man in my weak attempts to escape. However the whole experience simply left me drain and with barely enough energy to stand I knew that struggling would amount to nothing. However even so I continued to struggle as tears streamed down my face stinging a bit as cold mountain air seemed to freeze the tears I shed. It was cold outside and dark, very dark. The wind blew like mad making it difficult to see. Snow, which judging on the amount on the ground, had been falling a while now and worsened everything still. My body, already numb with cold from being pressed against the unusually cold, blind man felt frozen. And the man held my wrists in one hand watching me as I sobbed only standing because he was holding me up, and worse yet he looked thoroughly amused. He lifted me higher so that my feet barely touched the ground and dragged me backwards until my back was against a hard tree.
My heart was racing and the air in the mountain was so thin I felt like I could barely breathe. I was frozen all I wore was my jeans my silk t-shirt and my winter jacket for which I was suddenly grateful. The man wore nothing more than a light t-shirt as well as a pair of jeans, how he could manage without so much of a shiver I didn't know. For a moment we stood in silence my eyes were closed and faced away from him as he held my hands high onto the tree with one hand as the other traced the side of my chin. My skin got even more chills as his cool skin touched mine and my body flinched and squirmed. I didn't like to be touched, not by anyone; anyone, that is, except for Caleb. The man then locked his grip on my chin for the second time today and pulled it towards him. I let out a sob as I opened my eyes to face him. I couldn't see much through my tears and even if I wasn't crying I doubted I would be able to see much by the way the wind was blowing snow everywhere. Yet still I knew that what little I could see the man could see even less, yet never once did his blindness seem to hinder him in anyway. Once again he raised his hands to my face, my body stiffened and cringed away as much as possible, he touched me anyway. This time, however, he didn't stroke me, but instead gently rubbed my face with his hands. He felt my tears and wiped them away gently as well but still I squirmed. My wrists were beginning to ache under my body weight my legs were to numb to stand. The man moved closer placing his mouth near my ear, again I cringed in fear.
"You're beautiful," He whispered to me in a voice so beautiful it could have made my heart stop, even his breath was heavenly. Nevertheless my face was covered in tears, my exhausted body screamed to be put down. Suddenly my entire body froze, except for my eyes which widened ten times their normal size. The forest and the wind silenced as my ears focused on one sound, the sound of my coat getting unzip. My legs collapsed under me and I dangled from my wrists.
"Please," I sobbed as a freezing cold breeze blew across my bare neck. His hand left the zipper and placed it on my hip. My whole body shook as his hand left my hip and began getting higher and higher. I squirmed as much as I could trying to get his disgusting hands off me, but nothing I did seemed to be doing much good. "No," I begged, "Please," the man only smiled as he bent down and forcibly placed his lips against my face searching a bit until he found my lips. His lips were smooth against my frozen and chapped lips. Tears streamed down my face as my thoughts centered around Caleb. No. I wouldn't let this happen; never would I let someone touch me like that. With a sudden desperate burst of energy, I began to thrash my body around as if I was having a seizure. My sudden movement seemed to shock the man as his grip on my wrists loosened. I was able to free on hand and began beating the man as hard as I could with my fists. But his body was as hard as rock and my hand throbbed in pain. Still I pounded, though again and again until my hand was red with blood. However what I didn't notice was how he seemed to have frozen for the last few moments.
I threw my fist at him once again when his hand suddenly caught it in mid air. His head rose and he stared at me with pure black orbs. He shoved me back against the tree and pressed his body against mine pinning me to the oak tree. The breath was knocked out of me and all I could do was stare out into the empty forest. It happened so fast after that. The man bent his head over my bare neck and what felt like a cold kiss soon changed into a sudden sting of pain. I could feel as my energy began to be zapped away from me. I felt drained and the energy burst was completely lost and I was worse off than before, sort of like crashing from a sugar high. I didn't know what was happening but it wasn't so bad. I began loosing the feeling of pain and cold and I felt myself slipping away. The tears never stopped falling since the moment I was wrenched away from Caleb however at that moment as I stared off slipping away, the tears stopped and just for a moment time seemed to stop as I stared into two beautiful silver eyes only a few feet away. There was a loud bark and growl and the man shocked let me drop to the ground. His shirt was stained with something red but all my attention was on the giant wolf in front of us. "Caleb…" I gasped reaching out for him. The wolf turned his attention to me and I could feel the pain behind his hurt eyes. He then turned back and without wasting another second attacked the man with everything he had. "Caleb!" I screamed frightened. I struggled to sit up, my body felt like dead weight and my neck was throbbing in pain. It began heating up and I was starting to feel as though it were on fire. Tears formed around my eyes again as the sound of biting and ripping filled the air muffled.
I was so confused, and my neck was throbbing more and more as the flames that licked the edge of my neck seemed to grow hotter and worse yet spread. My whole body was numb from the sheer pain I was in. I felt like an old crumpled up piece of paper thrown aside. My body didn't move and lay crumpled on the ground in the same position it was when the man dropped me. I found it getting hard to breath, to see, to function. Suddenly I heard a loud whoosh and crash above the roar of the wind, as something flew over my head. My mouth opened and I felt wind rushing out of my mouth, but my screamed seemed to be blown away by the wind. I coughed choking as the wind slapped my face. Above me another sound seemed to over power the wind. It was loud, but low moaning sound. Looking up I could see the tree swaying, the wind flying in all directions swung it back and forth like a pendulum. Whatever had just crashed into the tree had caused it to snap, it wobbled trying to keep balance however the tree continued to moan louder and louder until…
I looked up my voice too strained to scream, my arms to heavy to lift and protect myself as the tree began tilting towards me. The wound on my neck was bleeding freely and I felt myself starting to black out; my body burning up. I suddenly felt something shove me roughly out of the way. The shove sent me rolling several feet away as the tree fell just where I had been sending ripples through the ground; shockwaves. I let my body lay the way it landed a bit uncomfortable but my body was in such much pain so much that I didn't dare move. I lifted my head to see what had saved me sending another wave of pain. I looked back and saw Caleb panting by the tree staring at me until his head turned sharply. I followed his gaze and shivered as I saw the man, no the monster, pounce on Caleb, resuming their fight no their battle. I couldn't lie still any more the flames were spreading and I rolled trying to put out the flames that consumed her, however I realized I needed to control myself. I needed to leave; so long as I was here Caleb would continue to fight, risking his life. I remembered where he stood so close to the tree, any further back and he would have been… I closed her eyes tight fighting away the image as I rolled myself onto her stomach. I had to get out of this, had to. But how? I felt my body writhed in pain I felt like I was burning in some kind of inferno, but my body was freezing. I was getting dizzy from the loss of blood, but I knew I couldn't pass out otherwise Caleb would keep fighting until…
I stood shakingly and knew my legs could give out at any minute. I ran clumsily into the woods, leaving the clearing behind. I couldn't move easily, however. Every few steps I would trip and fall and it would take me longer and longer to get back up. No matter how much pain I was in I kept running, stumbling actually. Meanwhile with every heart beat I felt the fire intensify, spread. Nearly my whole body was engulfed now except for some of my right side. I realized her throat felt raw, and started to burn as I breather. I was screaming, I realized, screaming, writhing and squirming in pain and in a desperate attempt to get away. Another loud bam filled the air echoing throughout the forest. The shockwaves rippled underneath me and I tripped again. The sounds of fighting was lost to the wind by now, but I knew I wasn't safe yet, I was still very close so I continued to run, stumble, fall, escape. Suddenly I couldn't stand it anymore. I fell to my knees and held myself screaming until I crumpled to the ground and flipped over to my back as the flames engulfed me. How I wished I could just pass out forget all of this. I tried to remember the events that led up to this moment. However all I could think about now was the fire the damn non existent blaze that was burning me alive. Suddenly I remembered the last peaceful moment I shared with Caleb but a few hours before, snuggled up on Caleb's chest sipping tea, listening to him snore.
This is a nightmare; I tried telling myself, sobbing. I'll wake up screaming and Caleb will hold me tight and everything will be ok. However the pain reminded me that this was in fact no nightmare. Caleb, I thought, thinking of him fighting that monster. My body twitched, spazed, as my body contorted itself in pain. Caleb! I thought again. Tears were frozen to my face mixed with blood and sweat. I had to escape, I had to. I gritted my teeth to stop the screaming, but it wasn't enough so I bit my lower lip. I kept my mouth locked shut and felt blood fill my mouth as I struggled to stand again but to no avail. The flames were still there and I could feel my face was contorted in pain. I closed my eyes repeating the words "I must escape" in my mind, over and over again. I stumbled on my knees crawling, and unable to stand. I would grab at low branches and trunks anything that could give me a push. I kept moving stopping too many times breathing heavily trying to ignore the pain, as the rush of pain subsided I continued my struggle.
I continued moving, not sure where I was going, not sure where I was at all, but I never worried about getting lost. Somewhere deep inside myself I knew that whatever happened, Caleb would find me, just as he found me before when I was invisible to everyone else. I struggled through the low bushes as the trees began become dense again as I made my way further and further into the forest. I couldn't see where I was going and just crawled one hand in front of the other, however as I pushed my way through a thick bush I felt my hand fall forward. Surprised I felt my whole body tumble forward until I realized I had stumbled onto a steep slop downward. My mind was a blur and I didn't know what was happening. I felt my body being propelled downward by gravity. Every so often I would feel a sharp pain in my side. Tears streamed down my face as I lashed out my hand trying to grab something My hand dug into the earth but I kept sliding until suddenly and unexpectedly some hard and solid hit my head. I heard a small "gush" sound before everything went black and my mind disappeared in the darkness.
A/n: Yo! This is Inu I apologize for the long wait, I haven't had much time for writing recently and writers block wasn't helping much either xP anyway I wants to get your guys input on my story thus far and some critique, and also in case you guys didn't catch it yet this is all happening the night before the werewolf + cullens Vs. Victoria + newborns war battle thing and again I swear Edward is coming soon not next chapter but definitely the chapter afterwards… I'll try to update again soon! inu