Chapter Ten

Daryl wakes and immediately has to continue on his journey to Bridgeview. With some unexpected turns Daryl is overwhelmed by his emotions. However Tamsin and Daryl continue to fight for freedom.

I couldn’t sleep that night. As usual I was constantly thinking, this time it was about my parents. I kept thinking to myself that to save the vampires and the humans that I needed to take my parents out of the equation, forget they existed. But that’s a lot harder than it sounds. Thoughts of my little sister Chloe also bombarded my head. She is still out there somewhere; lost, frightened and alone. I prayed that she wouldn’t be alone, that someone would have taken her in and take care of her.

 

The winter sun rose the next morning, glistening on the snow outside. The occasional tweet of a bird could be heard. The dripping of snow melting and hitting the tent was annoying and woke me from what little sleep I had. Felix’s arm was wrapped around my cold body made me feel like I was wanted by somebody. I happily snuggled further into Felix’s body and closed my eyes when Tamsin burst into the tent in a mad hurry.

‘Wake up, we have to go now before the others wake’ Felix woke slowly, he was never good in the morning, especially after the amount of transforming he did the night before. We sat up slowly and dressed ourselves, packing our bags as we went along. I quickly glanced at my arm but didn’t have chance to look properly at it as Felix was looking too. I covered it up silently and backed out of the tent.

Tamsin was stood tall and waiting to go. Her eyes glared blankly at mine, she could tell that I hadn’t slept. She could also smell pain, and my arm which I cut last night was hurting.

‘Are you ok Daryl?’ She asked calmly turning her glare into a warming stare.

‘Yeah, didn’t get a lot of sleep last night’

‘Listen, this may not be the right time but please, don’t fall too much for Felix without knowing his past’ Her words of concern rushed through me like a fire, burning my emotions. I wanted to shout and scream at her for what she said, but after all she has done for me all I could bring myself to say was;

‘I’ll be careful’. Felix finally emerged from the tent knocking over metal pans with his clumsy footwork. I giggled as he stood up straight and pretended nothing happened, Tamsin however sniggered and walked off.

 

We walked through the thick forest leading up to Bridgeview’s bridge. Tamsin again leading the way whilst Felix and I followed hand in hand. I completely forgot what Tamsin had told me, I looked adoringly into Felix’s eyes as we walked. He was the ying to my yang, the stars to my sky, my night to my day. He was everything to me, and I wouldn’t let anyone change that.

‘Nearly there’ Tamsin cried from ahead.

‘I would load my guns if I were you, this could be dangerous’. Her words didn’t faze me at all. After what I have been doing these past few days “danger” could have been my middle name. But she was right, hiding in the shadows Drayton’s minions lurked. You could hear them whispering and plotting their first move against us.

‘Stick to the light, stay out of the shadows’ Felix called ahead. Luckily the path we walked was well lit by the sunlight beaming through the trees.

We continued walking along the eerie path, listening to the shadow creatures sniggering and plotting on either side. We stopped when we heard a huge crack coming from behind us.

‘What was that?’ I questioned anyone who was listening. More cracking could be heard and the trees that were behind us were closing in on us fast, creating shadows on the floor where the creatures could hide.

‘That is time for us to run’ Felix screamed at everyone. We turned around quickly and sprinted towards the exit. I wanted to change to a vampire and use my high speed to get everyone out but the sunlight would kill me instantly. This was the perfect trap, set by Drayton himself. We ran and ran, the exit was in sight. I continued running until I heard a thud behind me, Felix had fallen over a loose tree root and was lying on the floor sharing his worried stare between me and the shadow creatures. I ran towards him but Tamsin grabbed my arm and pulled me back sharply and restrained me.

‘FELIX!’ I screamed holding one arm out like he was able to reach. The shadows closed in and around him fast, they covered his body. Red eyes surrounded him and his screams echoed through the trees. Eventually they took him through the ground and disappeared. Silence fell and the trees went back to normal. I fell to the floor and Tamsin wrapped her arms around me.

‘Why did you stop me?’ I asked furiously.

‘Because I knew they would stop chasing us once they had one of us’ She replied, calmly as ever. I began to cry, right before my eyes I had just seen my lover taken from me, taken from the world. She picked me up and stared deep into my eyes.

‘Daryl, with vampires you can never be too sure if they are gone or not. Drayton has been killed so many times and he is still here. Felix could still be here.’ her words reassured me but I couldn’t help but notice that her voice too was quaking with the fact that he might not come back.

‘Arc always told me to believe the impossible, maybe you should too’ Again her words reassured me as she let go of my shoulders and directed me to the exit.

 

A few hours had passed since we left the forest and Felix left us. Tamsin and I walked in silence, I didn’t want to speak, I couldn’t believe I just let her stop me. I walked slower than Tamsin and followed behind like a lost puppy. I rolled the sleeve of my jacket up to check out my arm. Three of the four logos had healed and the remaining logo, the heart with Felix’s name underneath it, was still there. Refusing to heal. I rubbed my fingers softly over its ridges and remembered the first time we kissed.

‘We’re here’ Tamsin said looking back. She didn’t see the scar which was lucky. We arrived at the old graveyard at the foot of the first tower of the suspension bridge. Icicles on the wrought iron gates were glistening in the afternoon sun. We trenched on through the deep snow to the tomb of Atreyu. It was old, pieces of the stone walls had fallen off. Moss grew around its wooden door and the word “Atreyu” was carved above it. I took a deep breath and pulled out the amulet given by Arcturus and placed it gently into the carved slot on the stone wall beside the door. The door shuddered and creaked as it opened slowly revealing a staircase leading underground.

‘Remember, there’s no turning back once we are down there. Drayton won’t let you back up’ Tamsin said placing her hand upon my shoulder.

‘I know, I have to do this. For vampires, for humans, for Arc and Felix’ In my head it didn’t sound as cheesy as it did. We walked slowly down the torch lit staircase. The wooden doors slammed shut behind us, echoing through the passageway. Cobwebs dangled from the ceiling and the gravel floor crunched under our feet.

We walked for what seemed like an eternity until we reached an old well, standing lonesome in a torch light room. There was no water in the well, instead it was black smoke that was casually gliding over the top and onto the floor.

‘This is it, the old well. Never thought I would see this in my lifetime’ Tamsin was excited about seeing the well, like she was whenever she saw something of legend.

‘Drayton will be waiting for you as soon as you are down there. Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t ambush you’. Her words turned from excited to concerned very quickly.

‘You also have to be a vampire to use it’. I was afraid that she would say that. I closed my eyes and began thinking about everything that Has happened in order for me to get here. My parents dying, my sister being lost and the death of my lover. Empathy filled my body, closely followed by anger which warmed me up inside. I opened my eyes fiercely and focused my large red eyes onto Tamsin who smiled revealing her fangs.

I climbed onto the side of the well looked back at Tamsin and jumped feet first. The black smoke surrounded my body and for a brief moment I felt blind. I couldn’t see anything and the feeling of black smoke rushing past my body and my ears was slowly becoming unbearable. My lungs were filling with the smoke and I felt myself drifting away and eventually becoming unconscious.

Author's Note

Sorry it has taken so long. University work took priority

Reviews

[Vanessa Rico]

This brought tears to my eyes! FELIX!!!! NOOOOO!!! I did not see this coming and this chapter was worth the wait!!! I hope Felix comes back, because I love him and Daryl together! The beginning of the chapter was so touching that it made me smile...I also love Tamsin and her feisty-ness (not sure if that is a word, but it is now!) but I was appalled that she left Felix there to die! I felt Daryl's pain as if it were my own! I cant wait for the next chapter you will have to let me be the first to know!!!! Much love hun!! (100!!!!)