Double update I guess. :) but no Fang POV

Chapter 9: Shaking

I was running. Being chased actually. I was in tiny shorts and a tank top, barefoot, cold bitng at my skin, roots tearing into my toes, thorns breaking my legs. My lungs were stinging, burning and I heaved every breath, trying desperately to keep running. I could hear baring anda howling behind me, masking aa horrible guttural growl. The trees were bleeding together and I couldn't see anything clearly for the life of me. Tears were blurring my vision and everything was aching. My thighs were tight and my hair was blowing into my face. I felt as though I was running in circles, like I could never escape even if I wanted to. The trapped, claustrophobic feeling crept up my back and tickled my mind a little, until it was a full blown jab to my sanity. Nothing felt right and concentrating was near impossible. My eyes darted form the left to the right in a nervous attempt to find a way out. The fear was crushing.

I stumbled.

A gasp ripped my lungs in half, and I felt a gash open on my already bleeding ankle. I was pitched forward, screaming, my throat aching and shattering. I felt a blinding, hot, searing, mind numbing shriek of terror, blood, and agony blow my world apart as razors ripped into my back. The disgusting growling sounded like laughter now.

"You cannot run from pain." The ground rumbled with the intensity of the growling.

My nerves were on fire, and I could feel my skin melting off of my body. I could feel my skin hitting the dirt and getting mixed up with the water that was feeding this stupid root and keeping this tree alive. I pulled in a shred of air, but it felt like fire in my throat and it left ash in my lungs. I was screaming, aa bloodcurdling, keel over and throw up kind of scream.

"I am pain." It was a woman's voice this time.

I jolt awake. My legs tangled in a mass of blankets and sheets. My throat is raw, and as I rub my eyes with the heel of my hand, I notice deep crescent shaped splotches of blood.

I draw in a shaky breath filling my lungs with stale air. I blink a few times too, trying to clear my head, but every time I close my eyes I see the fractured, disgusting body of the Woman lying in a pool of flesh, blood and maggots, and I want to regurgitate everything I've ever eaten in a lifetime. Her face is open with gouges, cutting her face into 8 parts. Each piece has a different expression.

I swallow hard now, and reach onto the nightstand for my cell phone. It's a Sunday, Nudge will be in church with the Rides and Aunt Val and Uncle Jeb stole the kids away for ministry too. But I know Nick and Iggy are definitely not listening to Pastor Bryant, I know for a fact that they're probably standing on the front steps smoking cigarettes. I send Nick a text. (Max is bold Fang is italics)

Pick me up?

Now?

Whenever you can.

Now. I'll be there in 15.

I laugh some at his quick replies and eagerness to leave church grounds, but my throat kills and my lungs protest so I stop, in order to save tears.

Crawling out of bed, I debate showering, but I know how nervous the mist makes me. I settle for standing in a cold bath, I realize how strange and ridiculous that is but I choose not to address that.

It's been two weeks since the Fourth of July and our shopping trip. For a while, everything was perfect. Nick and I had become partial to hanging out, just the two of us, him coming over to my guest bedroom and us watching movies or talking about college plans. I got an acceptance letter to the Florida State University and he was supposed to be going to Arizona State. We didn't talk about how far apart we would be, and we didn't mention how little we would actually see each other.

The nightmares had come back, and I don't know why. I haven't mention it to Aunt Val, and I never scream anymore, like the evil monsters haunting me didn't want anyone to find out, like they knew I wouldn't even mention it to Nick.

He knocks on my door as I'm pulling on some shorts, and then he just walks in. He lies down face first into my mattress and I laugh a little, but I sound raspy and I don't want him suspicious. I pull on some Vans and run to the bathroom to down some faucet water.

One of his flannel shirts is hanging on the back of the door. I don't know why Val hasn't noticed, and I pretend, I tell myself I'm going to give it back to him, but I end up slipping it on over my tank top. It smells like cinnamon, cigarettes and Nick.

I poke him in the back when I get back in the room. His black hair is ruffled, the perfect mess, and I want to smooth it, but that would be bad.

"Is that mine?" he asks.

"Um, yeah, if you want me to-," I begin. I don't even know why I put it on in the first place. I just had to feel close to him, I felt unsafe and I needed something steady.

"No, keep it." He says suddenly. I narrow my eyes at me and he shrugs. It doesn't matter.

We end up in his room. I don't know why I dressed, but who cares. We listen to rock music and sing along a little too. The kids don't come back to the theater anymore, and he is contemplating finding a job at the mall all the way in Morgan City. I don't want him to, I want him to just stay with me, but he will need things for college so it makes sense for him to save now, I guess.

Radiohead was playing, and Nick was nodding along. The light was hitting his perfect ivory skin, that covered his strong jaw line, like a model's and he seemed to glow a little. It was early in the morning. He has dark circles under his eyes. I am suddenly thinking of Kate Nash and I know exactly how she feels. I am overwhelmed with a sense of safety and I want nothing more than to wrap myself up in his sunshine and beauty and just live there forever. My eyes are droopy, I am sleepy but I don't want to sleep or take my eyes off of him.

"Lissa asked me on a date." He says quietly. My heart drops. I sit up, nearly falling off of his bed, but not caring. AI turn at look at him, lying on his bed in all his calm, silent glory. I want to be angry, but I can't blame her, and I can't blame him for saying yes. She's beautiful, a real Hollywood beauty, and I know AI cannot compete.

"Really?" I say, trying to feign nonchalance. My mind is crushed, and now I know how Kate felt in We Get On. I never thought it would hurt this much.

Maybe I'm not good enough? Maybe my thighs are too big and maybe he hates the dark marks of old zits on my face. Maybe he hates how nervous I irrationally get. Maybe he hates the fact that I walk with this air of general discomfort. Maybe he hates my two toned hair or my eyes that aren't any real color. Maybe he just likes me as a friend and doesn't want a broken girl to kiss. He doesn't want her to turn to dust in his hands and whisk away, gone with the wind.

"Yes. I said okay, but I don't know where to take her." I am even more discouraged. He wants relationship advice? Why?

"Baton Rouge." I shrug, sitting back down.

"That's a two hour drive."

"She's really pretty Nick."

"Who cares?"

"You do."

"I don't."

"I do?"

"Why?"

"She's perfect. You should go out with her." My voice is shaking like a aleaf and I think he hears it, but he doesn't say anything. I am ashamed of myself, for thinking I had aa chance.

He grabs my hand, squeezes it, and I feel a liquid lightning run through my veins for aa quick moment. I blink, and behind my eyelids I see something that makes me screama.

It is Fang. His eyes are wild and huge, strung out. He has fangs and I ahte them because they are dripping with blood. And somehow I know, that the blood belongs to the Woman. The Woman who died. Who killed herself.

I blink again.

This time I see Lissa, her feline green eyes are searching an area. She picks up a downy off white feather. It is long and has a smattering of blood on it. She puts it to her nose and inhales.

"We will find her." She says.

I blink again.

And now it is the woman. Her face, chopped like a large pepperoni pizza, her eyes sunken in and her hair matted with her own blood and the distinct smell of dog lingers around her. How do I know this? I'll never understand.

"I am pain." She whispers.

I am still screaming.

So this chapter is shit, and I'll probably replace it with something different soon. So don't get too attached. I just wanted to give you guys an idea of what might be happening soon in this story. There's going to be some legit action soon too, so please stick around. And tell me what you guys think is going to happen. Also to emowriter: I hope a double update makes up for my suckishness and I'm going to use your idea you put in your review. Probably in the next two chapters actually :)

But this was lame and I really am sorry. Go read Going Under also, it's in my favorite stories. It's really good and me and the author are going to be doing a collaboration soon. It's called Until We Bleed, do you guys want a teaser? It's a Percy Jackson fic. So spam us both with reviews and faves and such if you do. PM also, love those... and again, sorry for the not quality-ness of this chapter :3