Chapter 15: On the Run
As I drove down the street with tears in my eyes, all I could think about was my mom. The look on her face would haunt me for the rest of my life. I couldn't believe I told her that. As I was deep in thought Riley and Langston appeared in the bed of the truck. I gasped because I had no idea they were back there.
"Hey, sorry to scare you like that." Riley said. "Here, let me take over." I scooted over into the passenger seat and let Riley take the wheel. Langston leaned on my seat.
"Look, she'll forgive you." he said with a smile.
"No she won't. You didn't see her face. I told her that she was clingy. The exact words my dad used when he left her." I said as the tears spilled over. Riley reached over and caressed my face.
"That was the only way she'd let you leave." he said. "But it's okay. Alex is following us now. So your mom and Zoey will be safe." Just then a loud bang caught my attention. "It's just A.J." I looked back and saw A.J. in the bed of the truck prepared for battle with Langston. As we rode by the Dot, I saw Imogen, Connor, Marisol, K.C., and Jake. They all looked so happy. I turned away and slouched down in my seat. We arrived at Riley's house and sat there.
"Look, I know this is hard for you. If you never want to see me again after this, I'll completely understand." Riley said sadly. I looked into his eyes.
"No, I'm not leaving. We're in this together." I said with a slight smile. He took my hand and kissed it.
"Together." he said and then we got out. We entered the house and saw Vince walking with Elena. Riley held me back and hissed at him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, relax. He's just here to help. Here him out." she said. I just looked at him.
"Okay, look this is not my idea of a game. I'm not in this fight. But I have to warn you. Alex's abilities are extremely lethal. I haven't seen a vampire like her in all of the 400 years of my existence. And the boy, Jay? Please don't underrate him." He said and left. We all then walked to the garage. I saw Chloe putting on her gloves.
"Their kind, I've fought before. Killing them won't be effortless." she said.
"But it isn't unachievable either." A.J. said with a smile.
"There you go, Arabella, always looking for a fight." Adonis said.
"Got that right babe." she said and passionately kissed him.
"Ugh, come on guys! Focus!" Riley said.
"We'll tear her apart and burn the pieces." Chloe said. The thought of that made me nauseous.
"I don't really enjoy the thought of killing someone. Even someone merciless like Alex." Elena said.
"Don't worry dear. Everything will work out fine." Lysander said. Elena hugged him and continued preparing to leave.
"Hold up. What if she kills one of us before we can get to her?" Adonis asked. Riley growled at him.
"Then make sure that doesn't happen then!" Riley said sarcastically. "I'm gonna take Zane to California. Can you lead Alex away from here?"
"No, that's a bad idea. She knows about your tight bond with Zane. She'll just follow you." Elena said.
"I've got it! Why don't Chloe and I take her to Cali?" Langston asked. Everyone thought for a moment.
"That's actually a good idea." Chloe said quietly. "I mean if she thinks Zane's with Riley and she travels a different course, she'll fall into an ambush and Zane will still be safe."
"Ugh, can't you two keep your thoughts hidden?" Riley asked.
"Yes, we can. We'll take good care of him." Langston said and led me to Elena's Lincoln Lacrosse. I got in and watched Riley throw my jacket to Lysander and Adonis.
"Here guys, I need you two to wear these. That way, the tracker will catch on to Zane's scent and follow you instead." he said. Adonis caught the jacket and stared at it. He and Riley had an intense stare down.
"Why? Why should I care what happens to him? What relation is he to me?" Adonis asked with a smirk. Riley just stared at him menacingly. I feared that a fight was about to break out, but luckily Elena thought ahead.
"Look Adonis, Zane and Riley are together. Like it or not. He's a part of the family now and we watch over our family. Now if you don't like it, feel free to leave." Elena said as she held out the jacket. Adonis reluctantly took it and walked over to A.J.'s Hummer. Riley walked over the car I was in and leaned in the window.
"Oh god. What if? If anything… If something happens…" I stammered. Riley put his hand on my face.
"Everything's gonna be fine." he said.
"You don't know that." I said.
"It's like someone once said, 'You're right. I don't. But that doesn't stop me from loving you any less.' " he said with a smile. I gave him a quizzical look.
"What does that have to do with this?" I asked. He rolled his eyes.
"I was just trying to make you smile. And it worked." he said. I blushed; he always knew how to make me smile. "Look, there are all of us against two of them. And when everything's over, I'll find you. You are my world now. As in my life." he said as he leaned down and kissed me. He pulled back and smiled. The garage door opened and we were off. I watched as Riley disappeared into the background.
It took a day and 16 hours but we finally made it to L.A. Lucky for us it was raining outside so, Langston and Chloe's skin wouldn't sparkle. I had called my dad, so he knew what was 'going on'. We pulled into a Hilton hotel and quickly exited the vehicle. The lobby looked very nice. I watched as Chloe checked us in.
"Alright. Come on." she said as we took the elevator to our room. Once we were settled in, I sat down and watched a movie.
"Ugh, not The Little Vampire." Chloe sighed.
"I happen to like this movie. It's good natured. Plus it calms my nerves." I said feeling relaxed.
"Actually, that's me." Chloe said. I honestly didn't care. I was just glad that I wasn't scared anymore.
"Thanks, Chloe." I said. She nodded her head. Once the movie was over I went into my room to lie on my bed. I began to think about all the things that were going on. I really hoped that my mother would forgive me. As I was thinking, Langston came into the room.
"Hey dude, you feelin' okay?" he asked.
"Not really. I was just thinking about everything that's happened. And the things that are going to happen." I said. Langston then came over and sat beside me.
"I understand that you're scared. But everything will be just fine. I've seen it. Don't go thinking about everything that's happened or what's currently going on. It'll drive you insane." he chuckled.
"You're right. I should calm down." I said. We got up and walked into the living room.
"I see you're feeling better." Chloe said.
"Yeah. I just have to relax." I said as I sat down and watched some T.V. All of a sudden, Langston had this blank stare on his face. "What's wrong?" I asked. He didn't answer. Chloe was instantly beside him.
"What do you see?" she asked. Langston blinked a couple of times.
"She just changed paths." he said.
"Where's she headed?" Chloe asked. Langston rubbed his temples.
"Um, I see pictures. A hall full of pictures." he said. That's when it hit me.
"She's going to this museum." I said. They both looked at me.
"You've been there?" Langston asked.
"Yeah, I used to go there when I was a kid." I explained.
"Is this museum located here?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah, it should be. But how can you be so sure that she's going there? Riley said that the visions weren't 100% certain."
"But I see the intentions of the people. If the intentions change, so do the visions." Langston said.
"So her path is going to lead her to that old museum?" I asked.
"So far, yes." he said. Just then, my phone rang.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hey Zane." Riley said. I took a breath of relief.
"Are you okay Riley?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. We lost her, Zane. The other guy, Jay is still around. But Adonis and Lysander are going back to Toronto to keep an eye on your mom and Zoey." he said.
"Okay." I said.
"I'm on my way to get you. And then we'll disappear for a while. Just you and me. My family will keep searching. Whatever it takes to make sure you're safe, I'll do it." he said.
"Alright. I'll go start packing." I said.
"See you soon, I love you." he said.
"And I love you." I said and hung up. When I turned around Langston and Chloe had their bags.
"We'll be downstairs if you need us." Chloe said and left with Langston. I went into my room and began to pack. While doing so, my phone rang.
"Hey dad. I'm glad you got my message." I said.
"Zane, Zane, where'd you go?" he asked. I knew he was worried.
"I'm fine dad, don't worry." I reassured him.
"Zane!" he said again.
"Relax. I'll give you most of the details later." I said. Then suddenly, I heard some noise on the other line. "Dad?"
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A female voice said. Alex.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"It's quite simple. I want you. You know? Your school doesn't really protect you. Jay found that out. He also found out where you recently lived." she said with a giggle. I just rolled my eyes.
"Get to the point." I said angrily.
"Ooh, touchy. You might not wanna catch an attitude with me." she said.
"What are you…?" I then heard a voice.
"Zane!" my dad called out.
"You have my dad!" I almost yelled.
"Yep. You see he came home after your mother called him. I was gonna meet you here but I figured, why not take daddy instead." she said.
"Don't hurt him!" I pleaded.
"No problem. But you have to do something for me." she purred.
"What?" I asked.
"Ditch your friends."
"Where will I meet you?" I asked.
"That old museum you used to go to." she said.
"Fine. I'll be there soon." I said.
"And don't forget, I'll know if you decide to bring your friends. Your dad will suffer for that." she said.
"I'll be there." I said and hung up. How the hell would I get past Langston? I sat down and began to think. He said that if the intention changes, the vision changes. Well my intention is to go with them. But if I change it at the last minute I can get out of there. Hopefully Langston will see that and they'll come find me. I packed the rest of my bags and went downstairs.
"Okay guys, I'm ready." I said.
"Alright. Langston can you help me with these?" Chloe asked.
"Oh wait, I left something upstairs. I'll be right back." I said as I turned the corner. I quickly managed to escape and got a cab. I told the old man the directions and then we left. I sunk down in my seat and began to think about all the ways I could die. This Alex person is really going to kill me. But as long as I was saving my father, I didn't care about me. I know I can't change the past. But hopefully I could change the future. The decisions I've made will probably be my ultimate downfall, but at least one of those decisions brought me Riley. I could see him now. His beautiful face and golden eyes. It nearly killed me to know that I'd never seen them again after tonight. And my mom and sister, god what would they think? As we pulled up to the museum, I paid the cab driver and made my way towards the building. I pulled out my Taser that I had snuck out of my suitcase. I hit the button to make sure it worked. Buzzzz! Good it worked. I entered the building and walked around.
When I got to the showcase room, which was the biggest room there, I heard a voice coming from behind a curtain. I ran as fast as my human legs could carry me. I stopped and looked back to see if Alex was there yet, but she wasn't. All I saw was the moonlight shining through the skylight of the museum.
"Zane!" the voice said.
"Dad!" I called out. I threw open the curtain to see a T.V. with my face on it. I couldn't have been no more than 10 years old.
"Zane, where'd you go?" My dad said again.
"I thought that this piece was far more exciting than that boring kid's section." my ten year old self said. My dad came over to me and picked me up.
"So wise beyond his years isn't he?" he asked my mom.
"He sure is." she said proudly.
"This place is boring. Can we go now?" 11 year old Zoey asked. I remember this. My mom had recorded this when we first went to the museum. I had decided to look at the more intriguing pieces of art that day and wondered off. Suddenly the tape cut off and I was looking at my current self.
"It seems to me that someone was very adventurous." a voice said. I turned around to see Alex walking from behind a pillar. I backed up against the wall. "I love that part. You were so cute." she said. Oh my god, she tricked me.
"He's not even here is he? You tricked me." I said. She grabbed my shoulder and pinned me up against the wall.
"Yeah, I know. But hey, think of it this way, if you would have saved him, he would've had to watch you die. Now what fun would that be?" she asked as she caressed my face. "Now we're gonna have some fun. We're gonna make a little movie." she then held up a video camera. "So I stole this from your house, along with the video. I knew you wouldn't mind." She then held the camera up to my face. "Action." I felt so uncomfortable. She then began to laugh. "Oh, this will nearly kill Riley." I suddenly felt the courage to stand up to her.
"You wouldn't… Leave Riley out of this!" I yelled and tried to get free, but she pushed me back harder this time.
"Oh, now you know I can't do that. It wouldn't be much of a game if I backed out. You see, with his useless attempt to rescue you, he'll fail. And by seeing this, it will piss him off to the point to where the game will be 10 times as fun. Now if you don't mind?" she said. I slowly pulled out the Taser.
"Actually…" I hit the button, "I do!" I hit her neck and ran. As I tried to run to the door she appeared in front of me. She grabbed my neck and threw me into a pillar. My head bounced of the pillar extremely hard. I turned over and reach for the back of my head. When I looked at my hand it was bloody. Oh, great. I'm bleeding and there's a vampire in the room. Could this get any worse?
"Oh my god. This is so picturesque. You look great on camera." she said as she approached me. I tried to hide my hand but she caught me. She held it in her hand and looked at it deeply. "Riley really should have changed you. But he obviously didn't have the strength. That's too bad." she said as she stood up. She looked at me and smiled. Then her foot came crashing down on my leg. All I heard was the bones cracking.
"AHHHH!" I screamed out loud.
"Yeah, tell him how excruciating the pain is!" she yelled. I shook my head and continued to groan. "Tell him to seek vengeance for you!"
"No! Riley don't do anything!" I warned him.
"Tell him now!" Alex growled. Then all of a sudden, she was thrown backwards. I looked over and saw Riley. He looked at me as if he was in pain. We looked at each for a while until Alex grabbed Riley and pinned him up against the wall.
"I see that you're alone. Obviously because you're the fastest one in your group." she said and then slammed his head up against the wall, knocking off a chunk of it. "But are you stronger than they are?" Riley grabbed Alex's hands and kicked her in the gut causing her to fly back and land on a glass case.
"Yeah I'm strong. Strong enough to kill you for hurting him!" Riley roared. He ran over to me and picked me up. "I'm so sorry." He said as he jumped for the balcony. But Alex caught him in midair and slammed him down to the ground, causing me to go through a glass case and land on the ground too. I saw her grab Riley's leg again and threw him towards the skylight. I instantly felt pain in my leg and saw that I hand a large shard of glass in it. I carefully pulled it out and threw it to the ground. I did what I had seen on the medical shows and tried to put pressure on the wound. When I looked up again, I saw Alex leaning over me. She leaned down and grabbed my hand. I looked at Riley who was tangled in the skylight. Alex then bit me. As the pain sunk in, Riley pushed Alex off of me before she completely drained my blood. I began to feel a burning sensation in my wrist. As I flopped around like a fish, I still managed to watch Riley and Alex. He had her pinned up against the wall and ripped out what looked like a chunk of her neck. I closed my eyes and when I opened them, Langston was leaning over me.
"Hey, we're here now. Don't worry. But next time, give us a little warning letting us know what you're about to do." he said with a smile. A.J. and Chloe were taking care of Alex. While Elena and Riley came over to me.
"He's losing a lot of blood." Elena said.
"I know I'll go take care of Alex with the others. I don't know if I could handle being that close to his blood." Langston said.
"Alright, go. We'll deal with this." Elena said. Langston got up and went over to his sisters and tore off Alex's head. I screamed in pain, because the burning was getting worse.
"Oh god. His femoral artery has been detached." Elena said.
"No, that's not what's causing me pain. It's my wrist!" I yelled out.
"It' the venom." Riley said.
"Well, now it's time for you to choose. You could let the change continue." Elena said.
"No, I won't do this to him." Riley said as he held on to his stomach. He looked like he was gonna be sick. "No."
"Dude, it's gonna happen one way or another. I've already seen it." Langston said as he came back over to us.
"It's doesn't necessarily have to be that way." Riley said.
"Jesus Christ, he's hemorrhaging. Langston give me your bandana. We'll make a tourniquet with it. Here tie it just above my hands." Elena instructed.
"Mom, what's my other option?" Riley asked.
"There we go, that should do it." Elena said.
"Mom!" Riley said. Langston looked like he lost his concentration for a moment.
"Go, go help your sisters with the fire." she said. I looked to my left and saw A.J. and Chloe throwing what was left of Alex's body into a pit of flames.
"We could suck the venom out. I believe that should help." Elena said.
"You of all people know that I won't be able to stop." Riley said.
"It's either that or let the change happen!" Elena snapped. "You're running out of time. He only has 3 minutes left." she said. I screamed out in pain again. Riley leaned down and kissed my forehead.
"I'm gonna make things right, Zane. I promise. I'm gonna make the pain disappear." Riley said with a sad smile. I trusted him to do the right thing. He leaned down and bit where Alex had bitten me. As he began to suck out the venom, I began to feel at ease. The pain actually started to go away.
"Alright Riley, his blood is clean. You can stop now." Elena said. But Riley had a firm grip on my arm. "Riley stop or you'll kill him!" But Riley didn't listen. His frenzy had taken over. I could feel the life draining from me.
"Riley, you're stronger than this. Find the strength to stop." Elena said. I began to fade in and out. But the last thing I saw was Riley letting go of my arm. And then darkness surrounded me.
A/N: Okay peeps, this took a while to write but here it is. The next chapter will be the last, but certainly not the last of the series. The Ziley Chronicles is a Trilogy. For now. I hope you guys like it. Read and Review. And Meagan, let me know if you see any mistakes. XOXO ShadowBeauty.