Blood splattered across the tile, an endless tide of black that stained the white marble of the entryway. The massive double doors hung askew on their hinges, splinters of the frame scattered in an arc from the threshold and mixed with the inky black viscera and sinew of the headless body crumpled on the floor of the foyer in the old plantation home.
Elizabeth gawked at the ruins of their plans laying at her feet, refusing to believe it.
Lifeless eyes stared up, and fanged teeth snarled in a final declaration of wrath. A smear of her own bright red blood marred a perfect, pale cheek, and Elizabeth fought down the impulse to vomit. She clenched the handle of her machete, focusing on it, her only anchor in a sea adrift as she collapsed to the floor gasping for air.
God, how had everything gone so wrong?
All but forgotten, Natalie stirred on the grand staircase, coming to with a groggy groan of pain and confusion. As she spotted the corpse, her eyes bulged, and her jaw fell slack. Her attention snapped to Elizabeth, her shock replaced by sheer terror.
Natalie grasped the bannister overhead, scrambling to her feet. “Liz… What the fuck?” Black blood streaked the polished wood bannister, Natalie’s hands coated in the vile substance. “What happened?”
Elizabeth’s gaze slid back to the bloody mess where she stared, unseeing. Nothing made sense. No way in hell had they blown their cover. So far from home, nobody knew them. And yet, the fanged face lying on the floor stared at her with knowing eyes. Familiar. Close. Intimate.
Reality crashed home and shattered her memories to a million tiny pieces. Elizabeth recoiled, crawling as fast as she could, hands and boots scraping the marble in her frantic need to get away. Her back collided with a tall pillar and she shouted, leaping to her feet in a flash only to topple over once more in a wave of nausea. Sour bile burned the back of her throat and Elizabeth retched.
“Liz!”
Natalie rushed to her side, kneeling close and righting her slumping body. “C'mon, let’s go, we have to get out of here.” When Elizabeth slouched against the pillar, Natalie groaned in protest. “C'mon, Liz, you fucking amazon, work with me here.”
Elizabeth struggled to lift her head, let alone stand. Natalie grasped her wrist and tossed one arm over her shoulder, and with all the strength her tiny body possessed, she stood, lifting them both to their feet. With a hitch of her hip, she secured Elizabeth’s weight against her small frame, then started for the doorway. “I’ve got you. C'mon, let’s get out of here.”
The scrape of their boots echoed through the cavernous entryway, Elizabeth’s clumsy feet disobeying as she leaned on Natalie. A shiver coursed along her spine, chilling Elizabeth to the bone as Natalie carried her into the night. Down the steps and onto the drive, she led them to the car, gravel crunching and churning beneath their heavy boots.
In her delirious state, Elizabeth tried to determine where they had fucked up. Teeth sharp as needles had grazed her neck and drew blood in a too recent memory. But thank God for Natalie. Before the vampire had a chance to bite Elizabeth, Natalie had gutted the sucker. Had it not been for her, Elizabeth would be worse than dead. Again.
Reality crashed home as the cool metal frame of the car burned into the palm of one hand, the other still gripping her machete like a vice. She heard Natalie speak, her voice a thousand miles away. A sharp curse snagged her consciousness and her focus returned to find the car shaking as the starter turned over but failed to bring the engine to life.
“Where are we going?” Elizabeth muttered as she steadied herself against the car.
Natalie cursed again as she stepped from the car, slamming the door shut so hard the metallic crash rang like a gong between Elizabeth’s ears.
“Nowhere, since the car won’t start,” she hissed. “C'mon, we can’t stay here. We’ll find a ride, get some help.”
With her arm thrown across Natalie’s shoulder once again, Elizabeth took a moment to steady herself. The sudden wave of clarity rushed time forward and the severity of their situation, precarious, tenuous, sank deep into the pit of her stomach. Though Elizabeth struggled to stand, she waved off Natalie’s concerned glare and motioned for the road with a nod of her head. Natalie led them into the night, falling into an awkward lockstep with Elizabeth, their boots crunching on the gravel driveway. Despite their plan, Elizabeth struggled to shake the nagging, gnawing worry that they were fucked.
Royally fucked.
The End tags - I guess I started a tag list based on the reception I received the other week from a handful of folks.
Thanks for reading! Reblogs are much appreciated. And I apologize for no Sam and Dean in the opening chapter. But Chapter 2 will cover you. And hopefully I can stay on top of editing with my beta to keep chapters coming on the reg.
