Authors: Barb Hendee
Hunting Memories (25 page)
Philip walked up behind Eleisha and leaned close to her ear.
“What’s wrong with her?” he whispered.
“Shhhhh,” Eleisha said. “You know she’s afraid of traveling. I just didn’t think it would be this . . .” She trailed off.
Robert and Wade both seemed equally concerned, but when Wade took a step back, Eleisha stopped him and dropped her bag. “Let me.”
She walked toward the doors, reaching out to stroke Rose’s arm. “We’ll be hidden away in our cabin soon.”
She could feel Rose’s arm shaking and suddenly felt at a loss for words. Was this more than simply a fear of traveling? Eleisha had never dealt with a full-blown phobia before. Maybe she should have let Wade handle this?
“Isn’t this too soon?” Rose whispered. “Should we not take more time to . . . get used to each other, to steel ourselves for this journey? Doesn’t that seem wise?” Her eyes shifted back and forth. “Let us go back to my home. We can leave for Portland in a few nights. . . . Yes, a few more nights.”
Eleisha heart began to sink. Rose would say anything to put the impending journey off. Of course she would feel better once they’d reached their cabin, but here, in the bright lights of the station, Eleisha could think of no way to comfort her.
And therefore she decided not to try.
“No, Rose,” she said firmly. “We’re going tonight. Just take my hand.”
Suddenly Rose’s expression turned completely calm, almost blank. She looked right at Eleisha and said, “Before we board and begin searching for our cabins, could we find a ladies’ room? I need to splash some water on my face first.”
The request brought some relief. At least Rose sounded rational.
“Of course.” Eleisha called out to Philip, “Wait here. We’ll be right back.”
He frowned. “Why?”
She held up her palm. “Be right back.”
Taking Rose’s hand, she made her way down the vast cavernous station, passing people and check-in counters without really noticing them. Rose’s hand had stopped shaking, which was a good sign. They turned a corner around the Departures board, and she looked at Eleisha.
“What are you wearing?”
Eleisha glanced down at herself. She had dressed in bit of a hurry, in white sneakers, faded jeans, and Philip’s Ralph Lauren V-neck sweater—with the sleeves rolled up and the bottom hanging halfway to her knees.
Rose wore sandals and a loose black dress that flowed when she walked.
“I’ve no idea, really,” Eleisha answered, smiling, feeling better now that Rose was acting more like herself. “I just grabbed something out of the suitcases.”
She was still smiling when she spotted the ladies’ room sign near an exit to the parking lot. “Oh, right there.”
Just then, Rose stopped walking and gripped down hard on Eleisha’s hand, causing her to stumble. When she looked up, Rose’s eyes were glassy again—lost and wild at the same time, as if the last few moments and her request for a splash of cold water had never happened.
“Eleisha,” she said slowly, “you and I should go back to the apartment. We’ll have tea in the kitchen and talk all night.”
Her voice was smooth, and it tingled in Eleisha’s ears. The station grew hazy. Rose’s idea did sound lovely—so inviting.
But they were already here. They had tickets.
“No, we need to board soon, and Wade is—”
“The men will be fine,” Rose said, her voice sounding smoother, softer. “You and I will go home, and they can leave tonight. Don’t you think we need some time to ourselves?”
Eleisha’s mind filled with images of sitting huddled at the kitchen table with Rose, sipping tea, talking together of things that mattered, just the two of them. Why hadn’t she thought of this before? Rose always knew what to do.
“Wade can take Philip and Robert, and we’ll all meet in a few nights at the church.” Rose’s voice went on. “Can you see our homecoming? They’ll be so glad to see us when we arrive.”
The lights of the station seemed too bright. Images of arriving at the church and meeting Wade and Philip passed through her mind. Of course this was best.
“Come home with me,” Rose whispered.
Eleisha followed Rose out the exit and into the ground floor parking lot. The air was colder, and she looked out into the numerous lines of empty cars.
Something was itching, scratching at the back of her brain.
“This way,” Rose said.
The scratching grew uncomfortable as Eleisha looked around. What were they doing in the parking lot?
“Rose, why are we . . . ?”
Her companion looked back in alarm, and Eleisha’s stomach lurched. Rose was inside her head! She pushed back hard, fighting to gain control of her own senses, and Rose’s expression shifted to panic.
She turned and ran, moving so fast that she vanished between the cars.
Eleisha stood stunned. Then she reached out wildly with her thoughts, trying to clear her mind and connect with Wade.
Rose is running! She’s in the ground floor parking lot. Hurry!
Nothing came back, and she had no idea if he’d heard her. She bolted after Rose.
chapter 10
Jasper made a hard turn with the Lexus and squealed through an entrance to the station’s parking lot. He slammed on the brakes, skidded to a stop, grabbed the sword, and jumped out of the car, dropping to low crouched position.
“Now what?” he said aloud. “Are they here? Where do I go?”
If Julian’s enemies were inside the building, he knew he’d already lost without a fight. He and Mary were supposed to cut them off.
Please, don’t let them be here yet
, he thought.
, he thought.
Mary appeared suddenly, swiveling her transparent head as if she was listening. “Yeah, they’re here but . . . wait. That way!” She pointed across the lot to the right. “Somebody’s still outside. One of them is running, over there.”
Closing his eyes, he could hear the sound of running feet, but he didn’t see anyone.
Relief flooded him. He must be more afraid of Julian than he’d realized.
“Remember to stay hidden!” Mary said.
Gripping the sheathed sword, Jasper slipped alongside the countless parked cars, moving quickly toward the sound.
Wade waited, somewhat impatiently, with Philip and Robert. He tapped his foot and glanced at his watch. It was already eleven forty.
What in the world was Eleisha doing?
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her judgment, and it was clear she was trying to help Rose through this . . . but they really needed to board.
At least his other two companions seemed okay with each other. The tense moment from the kitchen had passed as soon as Philip dried his hair and donned his usual designer clothes. Wade had no idea what transpired between them in the kitchen, but he certainly didn’t have time to worry about it now.
Robert was still carrying the narrow canvas bag over his shoulder, and Wade had packed his gun and Philip’s machete into the same brown suitcase.
“Can you see Eleisha coming back yet?” Philip said. “I can’t see her anywhere.”
Robert swiveled his head to look around, and just then, Wade was hit hard by what felt like a telepathic shout.
Rose is running! She’s in the ground floor parking lot. Hurry!
The shock made him buckle forward, tripping over two bags and falling to the floor. He caught himself on his hands.
“Wade!” Philip shouted, reaching to help, and people around them began to stare.
Wade grabbed Philip’s arm. “Go,” he managed to say. “Rose is running, and I think Eleisha’s chasing her. They’re in the ground floor parking lot.”
Robert was rushing toward the far exit doors before Wade completed his last sentence.
“Don’t leave that brown bag, Wade!” Philip called, running after Robert. “Don’t lose it.”
Only then did Wade think to reach out and try to contact Eleisha. But he couldn’t feel her anywhere. She just seemed to be gone—or maybe out of reach. He struggled to his feet, grabbed the brown suitcase with their weapons, and started running, leaving the other bags behind.
Eleisha ran after Rose, dodging between cars and debating on whether to call out or not. The parking lot was nearly empty of people, but she could see a family half hidden by a column about seven rows down, all climbing into an SUV.
Eleisha ran on, catching a glimpse of Rose’s black dress vanishing behind a white van up ahead, and she ran faster.
“Rose!” she called, throwing caution away. “Please stop. We’ll go back to the apartment!”
She would have promised anything in that moment.
The air in front of her shimmered, and a brightly colored form appeared from nowhere . . . a transparent girl with magenta hair, waving her arms and baring her teeth. Eleisha swerved and smashed into the side of a car.
She bounced off and hit the concrete ground, rolling quickly to try to get up. The girl ghost was coming toward her, making snarling sounds. Eleisha crawled backward in confusion and a surprised fear that made thinking difficult.
What was going on?
“Seamus!” she called.
He flashed into view beside her.
“Go!” he barked at her in his hollow voice. “Get to Rose!”
Then he focused on the girl ghost, his angry eyes narrowing. They were both transparent, but here in this modern parking lot, Seamus looked even more like something from a bygone era with his draped plaid, hand-sewn breeches, long shaggy hair, and the sheath on his belt.
The girl ghost drew back at the sight of him. She stopped snarling and waving her hands. Her eyes widened.
“Oh, geez . . . ,” she said. “No way.”
She vanished from sight. So did Seamus.
Rose screamed, and the sound echoed off the concrete columns stretching down the lot. Then Eleisha heard a loud clanking sound. She dashed forward, skidding around the back of the van, and she could not believe the sight before her.
Rose was crawling backward, trying to use one of the garage columns to protect herself . . . and a slender man in a long coat was chasing her with a sword. He swung hard but missed her by inches, smashing the blade against the column. Eleisha sensed no life coming from him at all.
He was one of them.
“Get away from her!” she yelled.
He stopped, letting the tip of the sword drop when he saw her. Rose looked lost and frightened, still crawling backward up against the column. Eleisha didn’t hesitate.
She let her gift flow and tried to permeate his mind. She didn’t know him. But if he was telepathic, he’d be able to resist the kind of attack she’d used on Julian, and he was standing so close to Rose that Eleisha didn’t want to take any risks.
She let her gift flow, and she worked to soak it inside of him. He shouldn’t hurt her . . . he should come to her . . . walk over to her . . . protect her.
His face went blank, and he took a few steps, dragging the sword. She had him.
“Eleisha?” he said.
He knew her name?
Suddenly, she felt something coming from him . . . a feeling of how tragic his life had been, and she could not help a wave of pity rising inside her. She wavered, and her connection broke.
He blinked, straightening and staring at her in shock. Then he saw Rose right beside him and he roared, raising the blade and swinging hard.
“No!” Eleisha screamed.
The tip of the sword sliced through Rose’s throat, not severing her head, but black blood sprayed out onto the concrete.
The strange vampire backed up at the sight, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just done. But then he drew his sword arm back again. Eleisha had no weapons and her gift had failed, but without thinking, she ran forward, getting him between him and Rose, shouting, “Don’t!”
He halted in midswing.
Philip’s voice rang out from somewhere behind them. “Eleisha!”
“Here! We’re here!” she called.
Rose was toppled to the side, bleeding from her throat. But at the sound of Philip’s voice, her attacker swiveled his head around desperately, as if he didn’t know what to do—or maybe he was expecting help. With one last wild look at Rose, and he turned and fled around the column, vanishing from sight. Eleisha dropped to her knees beside Rose.
“Philip!” she cried out.
He came running around the van with Robert on his heels. They both skidded to a stop, taking in the sight of Rose on the floor with her throat half-severed.
“It was one of us,” Eleisha began babbling. “With a sword. He cut her and ran. Oh, God, Philip, he tried to take her head off!”
“Where?” he asked.
“There,” she said, and pointed behind the column.
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