Through Blood and Tears
Chapter 16: Run!
"Run, Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, pulling her out of her trance. She whipped her head in his direction and watched his amber eyes fill with concern and fear. Giving him one last look, she turned around and ran in the opposite direction. Kagome dashed pass a corner, hearing her feet pound against the tile as her heart thumped loudly in her chest.
"You bastard!" she heard Inuyasha yell from behind her before a slam was heard. It wasn't long before a chuckle rose from her father's lips and someone was thrown into the wall. She cringed, only praying that the half-demon was okay. Soon, footsteps followed after her at a steady pace. She didn't need to look back to know her father was right behind her. She could imagine his menacing smile on his lips as he walked casually down the hallway, knowing he could finish her off in an instant. His blood red eyes gazing over her in hunger and with the intent to kill.
A loud bang echoed through the school and she felt a bullet graze her arm. She screamed in agony, but continued to push herself harder, holding her arm to stop the flow of blood. Kagome ran faster, picking up speed as she sped down the hallway. As she rounded another corner, she tripped and flew across the floor. A groan sounded from her throat as her arm hit the ground, only injuring her more. Taking no time to look back, she picked herself up and continued to sprint away from the man whom she no longer could call a father.
She noticed a door at the end of the passage, a dull red exit sign hung above it. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she felt the burn in her legs, propelling her body forward. She reached the door and put both hands on the handle, yanking it in an attempt to open it. "Damn it," she yelled when it made no move to budge. The frightened girl spun around to face her attacker, glancing everywhere to find some way to save herself.
A group of folding chairs were scattered on the floor at her feet. Knowing it was a risk, she picked one of them up and threw it at the window. Only a crack erupted from the attack and it took severl more hits with the chair for it to finally fly from her hands and out the window pane. The glass shattered and fragments spilled out into the parking lot beyond. "Where do you think you're going?" she heard her father call from behind her. Wasting no time, she ripped off parts of her shirt and wound it around both of her hands. Gripping the siding, she tried to hoist herself carefully out the window.
"Ow!" she screamed as a rather large piece of glass pierced through her hand while she straddled the window. Doubling over in pain, she fell outside, landing on the glass-splattered cement with a sickening thump.
As his footsteps got closer, she pulled herself off the ground and began running once more. The sky was fading to a grey as the sun peeked over the horizon. Crisp air blew about as the cold night dwindled under the rising sunlight. Her mind told her to go to the police station, but her legs wouldn't listen. Instead of heading to the left, knowing the exact five block path to the station, she ran straight.
Her nightmares became a reality as she continued to run down the partially dark and quiet street. The only sound was the pounding on the pavement from her footsteps and those of her follower's. Her father's footsteps continued to fade as she ran, knowing she wouldn't be safe until he was dealt with. Even as the only sound became her own breathing, she continued to run, rounding a corner and then another, watching as her house came into view.
Terror washed over her, flashbacks of her nightmare coming to mind, as she pushed her legs to run faster. Dashing up the long flight of steps, Kagome tripped near the top. She stole a glance behind her, expecting to see her father's blood red eyes, but instead, only silence greeted her. Her gaze searched the street, watching and waiting. Maybe she lost him? Not likely. Deciding not to try her luck, she picked herself off the ground and headed into her house, shutting and locking the door behind her.
Kagome's breaths were heavy and uneven, a thin sheen of sweat covering her brow. Her lungs begged for more oxygen and her arm throbbed from the bullet's attack. Swallowing, she stepped into the kitchen and peeked out of the blinds to glance over the lawn. Finding no one, she sighed in relief. Maybe she was safe. Her heart pounded in her ears, as if it were to burst right out of her chest.
Leaning against the counter, she took a glance around the house, finally noticing how quiet and dark it was. "Mom?" she called out in a whisper, not knowing why she did. "Souta? Grandpa?" Only deafening silence greeted her.
Fear overwhelmed her as she thought about her nightmare, the one with her family's death. Taking a few steps towards the stairs, the floorboards creaked beneath her weight. "Mom?" Kagome yelled out, refusing to go up the stairs. She was scared at what lay in her bedroom. None the less, when no one replied, she lifted her foot, heavy with despair
Already she had seen most of her classmates injured, maybe some killed. She didn't have the emotional strength to deal with anything else. Her heart pounded in her chest and she swallowed the lump in her throat as she made it to the top. Her first thoughts were to go check each of the rooms, but her gut told her the truth; no one was occupying those rooms. She heard a muffled moan come from the bedroom at the end of the hallway and she swallowed the lump in her throat as she took a hold of her door knob.
It creaked open and the first thing that hit her was the smell of blood. It was overpowering, even to her. Then her gaze landed on the sight before her and she became paralyzed with horror. Kagome's body went numb as her eyes darted around the room.
Her mother was lying on her bed, drenched in her own blood. Souta was in her arms, a look of fright etched into his face. Her grandfather, ever so protective, had taken his place on the floor, undoubtedly trying to protect his daughter and grandson. Blood dripped from his lips and his aged hands gripped a piece of black cloth, torn from his killer's clothing. A single white rose had been placed on her mother's unmoving form.
Kagome took a step forward, trying to recover from the shock. "Mom?" she whispered, knowing that the woman in question wouldn't answer. A breeze blew by, directing her attention to her own window. Her gaze quickly darted around the room, taking notice of the red eyes gleaming from the dark corner. "No ... " she said in a muted whisper. Shaking her head, she didn't waste any time as she ran out of the room.
Footsteps echoed behind her as she ran dow the stairs, heavier and filled with more hatred then her father's. Her breathing became ragged and the pain in her arm seemed to amplify, shooting through her body in rage.
She whipped around the corner, ready to run out the front door. Kagome slammed into it, realizing that it had been locked ... from the outside. Even so, her sweat-coated hands tried desperately to open the door. A loud chuckle rose from the other side. "Don't you see, Kagome," her father said, his voice muffled by the door. "You are powerless to stop fate. You are meant to die here, just like my son is meant to kill you."
Confusion mixed with her anger as she stopped struggling with the door. A floorboard creaked behind her from weight. Slowly, she turned around to face the man who was going to take her life. Red eyes met her own as she saw the killer's wavy black hair and menacing smile. "Na ... Naraku?" she questioned, surprised to see her classmate. "What ... what are you doing?"
He chuckled. "You aren't as slow as you look," he said with a smile. "I didn't think I would have enough time to get here and take the life of your beloved mother." Metal glinted in the sunlight as he took out a pistol. Kagome held her arm, watching his movements. "You should have been here when I killed her. The screams of pain rising from her throat as she desperately tried to protect her son. And that old man ..." He shook his head in amusement. "Those sacred sutras couldn't hurt a fly."
"Why?" she asked, knowing that there was no room for escape. Her father was on the other side of the door while Naraku was before her. She could only try and buy time, hoping Inuyasha and the others would be able to get help.
"You just don't understand, do you Kagome?" He cocked the pistol and pointed it at her head. "Your mother betrayed us. She pretended to love my father and I, pretended to have feelings for us both. But in her eyes, we weren't worthy of human love." His glare hardened as his lips formed into a scowl. "Now, you shall pay the price for her mistakes."
She cringed as he steadied his hand, placing his finger over the trigger. Nobody was going to save her this time; nobody was going to wake her from this nightmare. This was real. Glass shattered nearby and Kagome squinted her eyes and turned her head as a loud bang sounded, waiting for some sort of impact.
A/N: I know, I know! You probably hate me right now because of such a short chapter. Especially considering that it ended much in the same way. But if I added it to the one before this, it would have been too long. Besides, I had to reveal the little bit about Naraku. Well, I'm going to drop some more bad news on you. The next chapter won't be out for a while because I've been neglecting my other stories and want to start working on future projects. I hope to update within a week, but it may be longer. Thanks for reading and please review. I love to know what you think!
New poll up!