Giver of Light (8 page)

“You are incredible, Hunter. I had heard, but this is truly remarkable. So ill, so frail, still you are able to fight off an attack. I shall enjoy taming you, my love. I shall enjoy breaking that beautiful spirit you hold so dear. I shall enjoy exacting my revenge for you spurning me at
Sensations
so long ago.
”

I was numb hearing the utter anger and spite in his voice. I simply lay there, trapped by his body and words of vengeance. I don't know who was watching over me though, I don't know how miracles happen, because I can't remember ever seeing one before, not that I can remember much right now, but still, by their natures, miracles should be rare. So, how I warranted a miracle that day is beyond me. But, before Jonathan could effect his plans for crushing my soul, the sun shifted. Whether clouds had hidden it and then dispersed, or the sun simply moved a fraction in the sky, either way that's all it took for the porch awning to not be enough cover for us and a beam of pure sunlight to cross his face.

He reacted instinctively. Vampires' number one rule is to survive at all costs. Luckily, it didn't include grab your hostage and drag her back with you to the shade, because he leapt off me and sprang so very gracefully back into the shadows at the door. Some three feet away.

I sat stunned for a second, no more and then rolled feet over head away and skidded down the front steps on my stomach. I was left breathless and aching from head to toe staring up at the very angry vivid blue eyes of my captor. We looked at each other for a few seconds more, then I calmly ripped off a strip from my ragged sweatshirt, thanking the gods it wasn't a knitted one, but a material that could actually be used as a bandage and wrapped it around my neck, wadding up a piece to use as a pressure point against my bite wounds. Once done, I assessed the state of the rest of the top and discarded it. Jonathan had done quite a number on it.

I stood gingerly and glanced back at the vampire, knowing I was now safe in the sun, too bright and strong on this crisply fresh winter day high up in the mountains.

“I don't suppose you'd lend me your jersey?” I asked, only wanting to rub it in a little and not expecting an answer at all.

Surprisingly, I got one, unsurprisingly it was just a low growl.

“OK, then. See ya.”

I turned and used every ounce of strength I had not to hobble, or limp, or stagger away. And walked at a brisk pace directly towards the gate. It took me eight minutes, I'd guess, to reach the trees. I turned one last time and could see the front door still open, a shadow outlined by the lights behind in the darkened interior of the house.

I'd never seen the house in daylight. It was actually quite attractive, somewhere you could imagine having a romantic interlude. I shuddered and knew this wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

Turning my back on my prison, hoping against hope it was for the last time, I stepped into the camouflage of the trees and began running.

I lasted five minutes before I collapsed to the ground in pain and exhaustion. And the world turned grey.

Then black.

Then nothing else at all.

I don't know how long I had been out, but the sun was high in the sky by the time I came to. After midday then. Thankfully, the sun had prevented me from freezing, but being in a somewhat ripped and torn T-Shirt at this altitude was not the best scenario. that was for sure. I was covered in goose bumps and was shivering, my teeth actually rattling slightly as I pushed myself into a sitting position. My body ached.

I had to keep going. I couldn't afford to be anywhere near this place when the sun set. The vampires would find me in a instant. Not just my scent, I realised, but my blood. The makeshift bandage at my neck was soaked. I didn't leave a pool of red on the ground when I sat up, but I knew I had lost a shit-load of blood to the slightly loose fibres of the material at my bite marks.

I shook off a rising sense of nausea, braced myself and got to my feet. The world turned black immediately, but not enough to take me down. I held my stance, closed my eyes, lowered my head slightly and let it wash over me. When it finally moved on I took the first of many painful and slow steps forward.

I had stopped counting them at 300 and was just simply telling myself
one foot in front of the next, in front of the next, in front of the next
. This must have gone on for at least two hours. I was thirsty, barely able to lift my feet off the ground, instead dragging one foot along the road after the other. I must have looked like a zombie, the living dead. That just made me laugh. And the more I tried to stop myself the more I just kept laughing. I had actually stopped walking, or dragging my feet as the case may be and had both hands on my knees and my head down, racked with laughter when a farmer's truck pulled over to the side of the road next to me. I hadn't even heard it approach, it was only when the loose stones on the side of the road crunched beneath its tires that I stilled and braced for a fight. My fists came up beside my chest, one foot forward, the other back, slightly crouched, ready to defend or fight.

An old guy got out of the cab, grizzled features, grey unruly hair, a tooth missing in the front. He was human and his smile was kind.

“Are y'all right there, Missy?” he asked, his accent strong, but not daring to step any closer when he saw the look on my face and the fighting stance I had adopted.

I swallowed. I had a choice, tell him to move on or accept help. I glanced down at what I was wearing and then looked up at the sun. I was running out of time.

“Are you heading into town?”

“I'm on my way to the city. Ya need a ride. Climb in there, lass, I'll take ya as far as I can. Ya need away from here. I can tell.”

I eyed him suspiciously, what did he know of this neighbourhood? What did he know of where I had come from?

He hadn't moved since he told me to climb in his truck, he just stood there, relaxed, open and friendly. Was I trading one captor for another? Was he friends with the vampires?

Shit. I had no choice. Civilisation was near the
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
, that I was sure of and that was a good half hour away by a very fast Camaro car. On foot, I was screwed.

I dropped my fists and nodded, then walked around to the passenger side of the truck and climbed in. No way was I showing how weak I was.

The old guy didn't say anything, just slipped back in his seat and started the truck back up. As he slid it off the shoulder I held my breath, but he didn't drive back towards the vampires, he headed off down the road the same way Jonathan and I had driven to get to the concert. After about three miles I let out a long breath. I wasn't safe, not by a long shot, but I was a step closer to being so.

The old chap reached down under his seat and pulled out a first aid kit, he placed it silently next to me on the seat between us.

“My name's Gus. I live just back down the road a few miles from where I picked ya up from. I seen a lot of things in my time here. Ya need not worry I won't tell a soul of where ya been, or where ya goin'.”

I didn't say anything, just picked up the kit and started to rifle through it. Some ten minutes later I had stemmed the blood flow at my neck completely and patched it up with clean gauze and dressings. I couldn't do much for the scrapes, scratches and bruises. There were too many, there was no point trying to cover them all, so I just let them be. I tilted my head back on the seat and closed my eyes. I wasn't going to sleep, I just needed to think.

What now? There was obviously a large town nearby, a city, Gus had said. What would I do when I got there?

“
What's the name of the city?” I think I surprised Gus, he jumped slightly. Maybe he thought I had been asleep, or maybe he had expected me to know where I was. Even asking it, I was risking giving too much away. I should have just kept my mouth shut, surely there would be something to give the location away when I got there.

“Denver. Ya're in Denver, Colorado. Ya have somewhere to go?”

“I think it's best if you don't know Gus. Safer. For you, maybe for me.”

He nodded, as though that made complete and utter sense.

“How 'bout warm clothes, money?”

I chanced a glance at him. I must have looked a wreck. My T-Shirt was blood stained, I had definitely experienced something nasty at my neck, I was covered in bruises and scratches. And I was no doubt pale, gaunt and pathetic looking. I needed help, but the more I took from Gus, the more danger he would have been in. Deep down inside me I knew it was people, humans like him, I was meant to protect.

“I'll be fine, Gus. Thanks anyway.”

He humphed, but didn't push any further.

I was scared the vampires would track me, that they would somehow be able to pick up my scent, lose it at where the truck had pulled over, but somehow be able to determine what truck it was, who it belonged to and track old Gus down. It wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. Maybe, they'd had a run in with Gus before. He seemed to know more than he was letting on. I couldn't chance that any more interaction with him would be safe. As soon as we got to Denver I would be on my own.

That thought terrified me almost as much as being back at that house did.

The rest of the trip passed in silence and then I recognised the suburb, somewhere near
Red Rocks
and some twenty minutes later we were in downtown Denver right outside a mall filled to the brim with people.

“
This is the 16
th
Street Pedestrian Mall, it's busy and will be all day. Lots of people, lots of cover, lots of food. There's a visitor centre here too.”

He had pulled over to the side of the road after saying that, near a crossing to the mall. The truck was still running and he hadn't turned towards me. I decided to make myself scarce, even though the thought of what I could possibly do now sent a shiver down my spine.

Just as I was about to slip out of the cab Gus added, “Take this. It's all I got on me, but ya need it more than I do.”

I turned back to him and saw he was holding a fifty dollar note out to me. I looked up into his eyes and shook my head. “I can't take your money, Gus.”

“Ya're a long way from home, Missy and I wager y'ain't got no idea where to head to next. I got me a grand-daughter your age, I would like to think someone would help her out when she needed it too.”

He slipped the note into the top pocket of my jeans and then looked back out the front of his windscreen. I didn't know what to say, a lump had appeared in my throat. I swallowed hard past it and blinked away the tears. I wanted to tell him to move, shift house, stay away from that neighbourhood. I wanted to tell him to lock his doors and stay inside when it's dark. I wanted to tell him to always carry silver, preferably a stake. But I didn't. The less I said the better.

I thanked him and got out of the cab and watched as my good Samaritan drove off down the busy street in a puff of exhaust fumes, his ratty old farm truck bouncing along over non-existent pot holes.

I wasn't hungry, I still couldn't stomach food, but I needed warm clothes, I needed a map and I needed somewhere to hide. Fifty bucks wasn't much to accomplish all of those, but it was a start.

I entered the throng of people and wandered the shops, feeling for the first time in quite a while that I wasn't alone. Finding something to wear was actually harder than I thought it would be. There were restaurants and cafés galore and clothes shops, but they were all incredibly expensive. So I opted out of clothes hunting and just went to the closest bathrooms I could find. Turning my T-Shirt inside out, I hoped I'd avoid too many looks. I washed the blood and dirt off my face and arms and then ventured back into the throng towards the information centre.

The visitor centre had a wealth of information and I was soon set with a map, a cheap
Discover Denver
sweatshirt to keep me warm and an idea of where to hide out at least until the wee hours. I headed out to catch a cab. The LoDo District - the Lower Downtown Historic District - was a mishmash of old brick buildings, historical Denver sights and a whole lot of pubs and clubs. I suddenly felt at ease.

I knew the pedestrian mall I had started at would wind down at 5pm, but LoDo would keep going well after dark. Once the pubs and clubs all closed, I was going to have to think of another plan of attack. But for now, a club was the best place to be. The sun was getting low by the time my cab deposited me at my destination and I did a quick scan of the area, sussing out any dark alleys, dead ends, potential traps. The more time I spent away from the house, the more sure I was of how to look after myself. But still, I felt so weak. I'd been riding a high since I had escaped Jonathan, I knew any moment now I'd be hitting that low.

I scanned the area for something loud, busy and pumping, something that wouldn't quit too early in the game. I wasn't after a good time, just a well hidden time for as long as I could get away with it. An Irish Pub was the best I could come up with, large enough to accommodate a good number or patrons and not likely to turf out a tourist with a Denver sweatshirt and crumpled jeans.

O'Hagan's
was in full swing. Irish music wafting out of the front doors onto the street, the smells of beer and hot potato chips and the sounds of laughter and merriment calling to me. I had no idea if I was a regular pub goer in my previous life, but
O'Hagan's
just seemed to be perfect right about now. Maybe I could even stomach a salted chip or two. A girl could only dream.

I wended my way through the already busy throng of pub crawlers and made it to the bar. Ordering a Guinness - which I had no intention of drinking - and a plate of hot chips, I found a spot in a dark corner to hide and watch the front door. I knew instinctively that I was close to the kitchens and a possible back entrance would be available if needed. I was also up against a wall, nothing could surprise me here. I sat and picked at my plate of crispy spud
slivers, even managing to eat one or two and spent the next hour just watching. No one approached me, maybe I really did look pretty pathetic, but also no vampire crossed the threshold either. The stars had appeared not long after I arrived, so I knew they would be out and about for sure.

I could only hope by moving from where Gus had dropped me, having a different coloured top on and redoing my hair so it looked short from the front, would help to conceal me. But deep down inside I knew it was all futile. Vampires had ways of tracking you, a network available to find you, supernatural powers that only us humans could dream of. They were nothing if not efficient hunters and I didn't for a second think I would be difficult prey to find.

That thought just made me more and more nervous as the night wore on. Finally, after being eyed a few times too many by the bartender, I thought it was time to move on.

I snuck out with a loud group of revellers and walked at the back of their group for a while. My eyes darting from shadow to shadow, my senses on high alert, my fingers tingling with anticipation and downright fear.

The group I was tagging along with actually ended up passing Union Station, which even at this time of night was lit up like all good historical buildings should be from the outside, but also bustling with human activity on the inside too. I ducked in through the main entrance before my group had finished passing the front doors and hid behind a flower stand to survey my next refuge. Train stations stayed open all night, didn't they? I could only hope so and looking at the number of people purposefully marching across the great expanse, heading towards platforms and waiting trains, or off towards buses and taxis out to one side, I felt my hopes rise.

I waited for another group of commuters to walk past heading in the right direction then tagged on to their group. As they passed the public toilets I slipped inside. It was well appointed and big. Also relatively clean for such a busy and public place.

I was beyond exhausted now. The low had finally arrived and with no other safe options available I resigned myself to a night in a toilet stall. Images of Will Smith's
The Pursuit of Happyness
movie came to mind. If Chris Gardener could sleep in a loo with his little boy, then so could I.

I found the farthest toilet stall possible, thanking my lucky stars that there were some ten or so others readily usable for any foot traffic that came my way and locked the door behind me. OK, so no back door out of here, no window either. If a vampire were to track me here, I'd be trapped. But, the thought of sleeping on a bench out in the main area didn't sound much safer either. Maybe I'd just catch an hour's sleep here, no more. Then shift on. Surely one hour would be OK.