The night was clear, crisp. A good night to walk. A good night to lose himself in the delightfully foggy haze he slipped into when it was time to feed. Autumn in America, a pretty time of year. Great for vacations... and a pleasant change from the slums he'd been frequenting for meals. No, it was definitely time for a change.
The lodges at the back of the park called. There was a nice young couple staying in one right now; he'd overheard their conversation on the street. If that fell through, there was always some unsuspecting soccer-mom (or baseball-mom, as it were)... but that didn't quite appeal to him.
Tai slipped along the fringes of the woodland in the growing shadows, intent upon the cabins at the back of the preserve when a lone figure caught his attention. A dog. A little one, on a leash. Someone either held the end or had it tethered. They weren't far off, and they seemed relatively alone. Maybe dinner was closer at hand than he'd suspected.
Standing in the deepening darkness, Tai watched carefully. Puppies needed to be walked, didn't they? Perhaps this one would catch his scent and come sniffing... and bring dinner along.
Silly Ideas
At least there was no snow forecast, but the temperatures really weren't conducive to a picnic. It was autumn along the east coast after all, and while it wouldn't have been at all unusual to be picnicking in southern California now, in Nachton it was a bit odd.
Yet Shay just inhaled the crisp air and pulled her jacket closer, as she watched Russ chase his tail, and she began laying out the blanket.
She could hear the shouts of kids in the distance, playing baseball during one of the winter league night games. It was a friendly sound that helped set the tone for what she hoped would be a fun and relaxing evening for her and Alexi.
Russ was long leashed, and enjoying himself as he ran around. He was funny though in that he always seemed to sense when the leash was at its end, and would then stop...and then jerk himself on it as if making sure he was still attached. But after several minutes of chasing shadows the full moon cast, he collapsed on a corner of the blanket and began napping.
The picnic basket carried two bottles, one of white wine, and one of type O. Shay didn't often do anything about that part of Alexi's meals, but had secured a few bags of the red stuff for emergencies, and decided to surprise him with one tonight. Knowing him he had taken care of that need when it arose, and probably wouldn't even want anything more tonight, but she was just trying to cover all the bases.
The bottles were set aside on the blanket, with two glasses, and the utensils and other eating paraphernalia was placed along side. She left the food in the basket for now, but double checked to make sure everything was there. Fried chicken, baked beans, potato and macaroni salad...everything a good, old, American picnic would have.
As usual she had arrived at the designated spot early. The moon was just coming up over the horizon, and was HUGE. Shay pulled a second blanket with her as she went to sit next to Russ and wait. Watching the moon got her to 'daydreaming', and she soon laid down along side the dog and the food, and stared at the stars overhead.
Ichiro Taiji
17 years ago
Shay
17 years ago
"What is it Russ?!" The pup's whining and yipping brought Shay out of her idle thoughts, and back to the fact that something was bugging the little guy. Gone was his quiet napping form, and in its place stood a tiny mutt clearly agitated by something.
Shay sat up and looked around. Maybe Alexi was finally there, as that might account for the whining. Happily Russ seemed to accept that Alexi shared his home, and even snuggled up against the man now and then. It was usually when they were watching television, and Shay was nearby as well, but it was a visible sign that Russ wasn't going to be difficult when it came to the most important person in Shay's life.
Looking around she saw no one within a close enough proximity to startle the pup, so she guessed maybe he needed a quick walk. Being that his leash was on a stake in the grass, Shay assumed he would be able to go about his business on his own. But this was a new technique and maybe he had to get used to the idea a bit more.
"Okay...a short walk only. Daddy will be here soon and I'm getting hungry." Sitting up, giggling, Shay pushed the blanket that covered her legs off, and then pulled her legs underneath to get into a kneeling position. That was the first time she had referenced Alexi as a father figure, and it seemed cute to her. Walking on her knees she got to the stake and unhooked the leash, holding onto it firmly. Once she stood up, she gave an easy tug, and began walking towards a copse of bushes not far from the picnic setting.
"Alright little man, let's go, you started this. Just be quick about it please."
Feeling completely safe in her surroundings, Shay paid no attention to anything but the pup running about at her feet. She again hoped Alexi wouldn't think her off her rocker for suggesting a picnic in the park, at night, so close to winter.
Shay sat up and looked around. Maybe Alexi was finally there, as that might account for the whining. Happily Russ seemed to accept that Alexi shared his home, and even snuggled up against the man now and then. It was usually when they were watching television, and Shay was nearby as well, but it was a visible sign that Russ wasn't going to be difficult when it came to the most important person in Shay's life.
Looking around she saw no one within a close enough proximity to startle the pup, so she guessed maybe he needed a quick walk. Being that his leash was on a stake in the grass, Shay assumed he would be able to go about his business on his own. But this was a new technique and maybe he had to get used to the idea a bit more.
"Okay...a short walk only. Daddy will be here soon and I'm getting hungry." Sitting up, giggling, Shay pushed the blanket that covered her legs off, and then pulled her legs underneath to get into a kneeling position. That was the first time she had referenced Alexi as a father figure, and it seemed cute to her. Walking on her knees she got to the stake and unhooked the leash, holding onto it firmly. Once she stood up, she gave an easy tug, and began walking towards a copse of bushes not far from the picnic setting.
"Alright little man, let's go, you started this. Just be quick about it please."
Feeling completely safe in her surroundings, Shay paid no attention to anything but the pup running about at her feet. She again hoped Alexi wouldn't think her off her rocker for suggesting a picnic in the park, at night, so close to winter.
Ichiro Taiji
17 years ago
It really was too easy sometimes. That was Ellis' voice dancing through his head for some reason. Tai felt like a passenger looking on from somewhere outside as his body recognized the woman from months ago at the mayor's party. Reaching for her was simple; his body didn't fight it. Ellis' low laughter echoed through his head as he snaked an arm around her and pulled her close. The other hand wound around to her windpipe, allowing enough air to breathe but none for screaming.
It was easy, easy... he'd preyed on those whose defenses were far better before. The hold was effective, the weapons keenly sharpened and honed to perfect points as they sank into her skin. Revenge, comeuppance, whatever you'd call it... so easily enacted. Feeding on street-trash was one thing, but this was so much more fulfilling.
Her hair brushed against his cheek as he drank, her head finally stilled and resting, resting...
Ellis' laughter faded and Yuu's head rested against his cheek. Tai paused for a moment. Yuu? He wouldn't feed from Yuu. Anyone but Yuu.
He pulled away, ignoring the whining of the small dog and looking hard at the woman who was fainting in his arms. Not Yuu, then. Reality was crashing back with all the weight of a boulder upon his back. This woman wasn't his... not his.
His tawny eyes flashed in the moonlight as he looked back to the picnic site, now bathed entirely in shadow. Not his, but someone else's, and someone who was expected soon. What the hell could have caused him to behave so rashly?
He picked the woman up easily in his arms and strode to the edge of the blanket. She was alive, barely. Not for him to do anything about, even if he cared to... and he didn't care to. Sink or swim, he thought as he gazed down at her. Live or die, it didn't matter.
There was a voice off in the distance. Tai looked up, smiling into the dark at a figure whose details he couldn't make out.
((ooc: Permission to get grabby with Shay. No permission to eat the funky mushrooms. Visions of Ellis and Yuu solely a result of aforementioned bad mushrooms. No small dogs were harmed in the writing of this post.))
It was easy, easy... he'd preyed on those whose defenses were far better before. The hold was effective, the weapons keenly sharpened and honed to perfect points as they sank into her skin. Revenge, comeuppance, whatever you'd call it... so easily enacted. Feeding on street-trash was one thing, but this was so much more fulfilling.
Her hair brushed against his cheek as he drank, her head finally stilled and resting, resting...
Ellis' laughter faded and Yuu's head rested against his cheek. Tai paused for a moment. Yuu? He wouldn't feed from Yuu. Anyone but Yuu.
He pulled away, ignoring the whining of the small dog and looking hard at the woman who was fainting in his arms. Not Yuu, then. Reality was crashing back with all the weight of a boulder upon his back. This woman wasn't his... not his.
His tawny eyes flashed in the moonlight as he looked back to the picnic site, now bathed entirely in shadow. Not his, but someone else's, and someone who was expected soon. What the hell could have caused him to behave so rashly?
He picked the woman up easily in his arms and strode to the edge of the blanket. She was alive, barely. Not for him to do anything about, even if he cared to... and he didn't care to. Sink or swim, he thought as he gazed down at her. Live or die, it didn't matter.
There was a voice off in the distance. Tai looked up, smiling into the dark at a figure whose details he couldn't make out.
((ooc: Permission to get grabby with Shay. No permission to eat the funky mushrooms. Visions of Ellis and Yuu solely a result of aforementioned bad mushrooms. No small dogs were harmed in the writing of this post.))
Ginnie
17 years ago
Hunting....again. She hated the interruption into her life some times. Granted she could just get it from a bag, but it just wasn't the same. In fact she had almost done just that, but her palms were itching and she craved hot living blood. She'd picked the park because she could find a homeless guy or two sleeping under the trees or a teenage couple that had strayed too far from the game so they could neck.
She was in luck this evening, a man and woman were wandering amongst the trees, gazing at the stars through the canopy. She crept up slowly behind them, and picked up a rock from the side of the path just before them, and scooted it into their way, a neat little trick provided by telekinetics. With their eyes on the sky neither saw, and the woman went down with a hard thud, Ginnie giving her slight hundred pound frame a nudge with her mind. There was another rock at just the right spot, place there by Ginnie, that the woman hit her head on, and lost consciousness. Her husband was quickly beside her calling for help.
Ginnie stepped from the shadows and hurried over to him.
"Oh wow, I was just coming around the bend there and saw her go down. Here let me call for help."
She'd put her hand on his shoulder and with her free hand she pulled out her cell. It was on and working just fine, but she had programmed it long ago to not show the signal bars. Well, ok, so one of the techie Mercs had done it. She pressed the buttons and held the phone to her ear.
"Oh no, I'm not getting a signal out here." She showed him the phone and in his panic for his lady, he took it and began to press buttons as well. Ginnie moved around behind him and struck, quickly, cleanly, and with a small moan. He tensed beneath her and struggled until she slipped into his mind and began to alter his perception of the event. She made it seem that he and his wife had fallen together. He hit his head and blacked out for a moment. Ginnie pulled away from him, her belly hot and heavy with his blood. She licked carefully at the wound and watched it close into a small hickey like mark. She then picked up a rock and rapped him gently on the head with it. Hard enough to leave a bump, but gently enough to not knock him out.
The need for her illusion to work, kept her from taking care of the woman's wound, she hated to leave the blood, but it was necessary. She moved into the shadows and watched as he stirred, and found his wife prone and bleeding. He pulled his previously forgotten cell phone from his pocket, and called 911. She left only when he'd hung up the phone and sat weeping over his wife. She would be fine the contusion was superficial, she just had a low tolerance for head injury.
Ginnie began to wander through the trees, letting the euphoria of her feeding wear off. She had come through the woods fron the opposite direction of her car, so did not go back the way she'd come. Instead she stepped off the path and made for the parking lot. She'd have to cross over a clearing, but since she was dressed like a normal person, black jeans, navy sweater, boots, and black leather trench coat, it wouldn't be a big deal.
((permission given to enter))
She was in luck this evening, a man and woman were wandering amongst the trees, gazing at the stars through the canopy. She crept up slowly behind them, and picked up a rock from the side of the path just before them, and scooted it into their way, a neat little trick provided by telekinetics. With their eyes on the sky neither saw, and the woman went down with a hard thud, Ginnie giving her slight hundred pound frame a nudge with her mind. There was another rock at just the right spot, place there by Ginnie, that the woman hit her head on, and lost consciousness. Her husband was quickly beside her calling for help.
Ginnie stepped from the shadows and hurried over to him.
"Oh wow, I was just coming around the bend there and saw her go down. Here let me call for help."
She'd put her hand on his shoulder and with her free hand she pulled out her cell. It was on and working just fine, but she had programmed it long ago to not show the signal bars. Well, ok, so one of the techie Mercs had done it. She pressed the buttons and held the phone to her ear.
"Oh no, I'm not getting a signal out here." She showed him the phone and in his panic for his lady, he took it and began to press buttons as well. Ginnie moved around behind him and struck, quickly, cleanly, and with a small moan. He tensed beneath her and struggled until she slipped into his mind and began to alter his perception of the event. She made it seem that he and his wife had fallen together. He hit his head and blacked out for a moment. Ginnie pulled away from him, her belly hot and heavy with his blood. She licked carefully at the wound and watched it close into a small hickey like mark. She then picked up a rock and rapped him gently on the head with it. Hard enough to leave a bump, but gently enough to not knock him out.
The need for her illusion to work, kept her from taking care of the woman's wound, she hated to leave the blood, but it was necessary. She moved into the shadows and watched as he stirred, and found his wife prone and bleeding. He pulled his previously forgotten cell phone from his pocket, and called 911. She left only when he'd hung up the phone and sat weeping over his wife. She would be fine the contusion was superficial, she just had a low tolerance for head injury.
Ginnie began to wander through the trees, letting the euphoria of her feeding wear off. She had come through the woods fron the opposite direction of her car, so did not go back the way she'd come. Instead she stepped off the path and made for the parking lot. She'd have to cross over a clearing, but since she was dressed like a normal person, black jeans, navy sweater, boots, and black leather trench coat, it wouldn't be a big deal.
((permission given to enter))
Shay
17 years ago
The feel of hands on her body made Shay think Alexi had snuck up on her in surprise...until she found it impossible to breathe, and ultimately blacked out.
The sensation of falling was acute, but she never seemed to hit the ground, or anything else for that matter. Strangely enough as well, was the realization that she no longer needed to breath. There had been a few seconds of panic when she thought she had fought back, and tried to wrench herself free...but they were truly mere seconds, and soon replaced with a feeling of tremendous calm.
An annoying sting to her neck was felt, but being such a small thing in comparison to suffocating, it barely registered. An equally annoying whine pestered her rapidly slipping consciousness, but the darkness became welcoming, and she chose to delve deeply towards that, and away from the other things. All sense of time and self evaporated then, and the darkness began to lighten. She thought she might have even heard some calling her...but while the voice sounded extremely familiar, she couldn't place it to save her life.
Not that her life seemed to be recoverable any longer.
The sensation of falling was acute, but she never seemed to hit the ground, or anything else for that matter. Strangely enough as well, was the realization that she no longer needed to breath. There had been a few seconds of panic when she thought she had fought back, and tried to wrench herself free...but they were truly mere seconds, and soon replaced with a feeling of tremendous calm.
An annoying sting to her neck was felt, but being such a small thing in comparison to suffocating, it barely registered. An equally annoying whine pestered her rapidly slipping consciousness, but the darkness became welcoming, and she chose to delve deeply towards that, and away from the other things. All sense of time and self evaporated then, and the darkness began to lighten. She thought she might have even heard some calling her...but while the voice sounded extremely familiar, she couldn't place it to save her life.
Not that her life seemed to be recoverable any longer.
Ginnie
17 years ago
A whining bark annoyed Ginnie out of her blood induced reverie. Quickly, she scanned her surroundings, and found nothing but trees, and two arguing squirrels, so the bark was not from near by. Sighing at the loss of euphoria, she pushed through the edge of the woods and saw the source of the bark. It was the cutest little puppy nudging the face of his prone owner. A blonde woman...'wait, I know that blonde woman.'
"Shay?" She called out over the field separating them. No answer came and Ginnie closed the distance between them in seconds. Ginnie went into instant rescue mode as she hit her knees beside the prone woman. She pushed the dog away and put her fingers to Shay's neck. The pulse was weak and thready, and wouldn't last much longer. Ginnie glanced over Shay's body and saw no grievous injury that would have the woman this close to death.
The puppy had wedged it's way between her and Shay and Ginnie was forced to push him away again, as she began to look closer for a reason for Shay's current state. Moving Shay's head to the side revealed Ginnie's worst case scenario, there, marring her lovely neck, was evidence she had hopped not to fine. Since the marks never lasted long, that meant a vampire was responsible for this. Which meant Shay's body was nearly exsanguinated and that left Ginnie with very very few choices.
She couldn't let the woman die, she was a clanmate's familiar, nor could she simply give her a little blood, no Ginnie didn't have enough blood in her body to save this woman that way. That really only left one choice for her, one she hoped she would never have had to make. Ginnie did not think it wise to bring another living soul into this cursed life. Tears pricked her eyes as she prayed silently for forgiveness from a God she wasn't sure still heard her prayers. Ginnie knew how the process had to go, she would have to relieve this poor woman of just a little more blood, enough that her own enzymes could mingle with the blood she would give.
Tears burned hot trails down her cheeks as leaned down. Fangs pierced cooling skin, not far from the offending bite that began this, and Ginnie sucked gently, just enough to wet her mouth. Not entirely sure how long she should stay put she counted three minutes, as that was usually how long it took her to drain a pint from her meals, before pulling her fangs from Shay's throat. Shay's pulse weakened more, and Ginnie grew concerned that she would not be able to get the woman to drink.
Swiping at the tears, she moved until she cradled Shay's head in her lap. She pulled a dagger from the inside of her boot and positioned herself carefully. She pried open Shay's mouth, and rested her left hand above the purpling lips. With her right she sliced across the cluster of veins on her wrist, and blood began to pour. When her mouth was full, Ginnie put down the dagger, and massaged Shay's throat, compulsive swallowing and coaxing from Ginnie, got the blood down. Happy with the result Ginnie did it again, and a third time. By the sixth round of fill and swallow, Ginnie was feeling a little light headed. She figured that she'd given Shay a good pint of her own blood, and now she had to get the woman to some place safe before she woke.
Ginnie licked the drying blood from her wrist, before tucking one of the blankets beneath Shay's head. She stood, and cleaned up all of the picnic things surrounding the woman's body. Shay must have been waiting for someone...Mathias...
"Oh dear God, what am I going to tell that man. Speaking of, where the hell is he. He's obviously expected here. Oh no!." Ginnie's hand went to her mouth as she stared down at Shay. What...what if Mathias had done this? What if he'd gone too far with his familiar and not knowing, had left her? "I'll kill him myself, that's what."
Angry now, Ginnie finished shoving everything into the basket. The remaining blanket she used to wrap around Shay. She picked the woman up, one arm under her knees and the other under her neck. The basket was picked up with her mind and floated merrily along beside her, the puppy whimpered his way behind her, dragging his leash. At her little bug, she let the basket drop to the ground and dug her keys out of her pocket with that same ability. With some difficulty she got the alarm shut off pressed and the doors unlocked. With a bit more difficulty she got Shay into the front passenger seat, and laid the back down as far as it would go.
She tossed the basket into the trunk, and jogged back to the picnic site. She'd left nothing, satisfied with that small thing she ran back to the car and stared down at the dog. She couldn't take him into the Domicile. Well, she'd just have to have it taken care of. She saw Shay's car, the only other one in the lot and tied the little guy to the bumper. She ran back to her car and grabbed the blanket from under Shay's head, and tucked that around him. Nodding at her handiwork, she returned to her car and threw herself into the driver's seat. As she started the car she pulled her blackberry from her pocket and called one of the Mercs.
"Yeah, I need you to grab a partner. There's a car at the nature preserve, east lot, blue Mercedes convertible. You'll need to break in and hot wire the thing, because I don't have a key. Then bring it to the Dom's garage, park it next to mine. Or you can tow the thing. I don't care. Just get it out of the lot and into the garage. Also there's a puppy tied to the bumper, take him to a shelter or something, ok?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Ginnie liked having her little bit of authority over the Mercs, it helped when they just followed orders instead of asking questions and challenging her. Her speeds far exceeded the posted limits as she screamed through town. Shay began to stir in the seat beside her, and Ginnie, was forced to break even more laws. She wanted to be indoors, and safe before a second feeding was needed. She wanted Shay from prying eyes and the vultures of the underworld.
The smell of burned rubber filled the garage as Ginnie screeched into her assigned space. Jumping out of the car, she ran to the other side and pulled Shay out and walked as quickly as carrying a hundred pound woman would allow her, to the elevator. As the elevator took them to her floor, Ginnie's insides began to boil and her foot began to tap as insecurity, fear and grief flooded her. She had no business snuffing out the life of someone else's familiar. She had a dreaded feeling, that there was going to be hell to pay for this. The repercussions of her actions were far to frightening to think about. Simon, Carol, and Mathias were going to kill her and Alec...she had no idea how Alec was going to react.
The doors whooshed quietly open and she made her way to the apartment she and Alec called home, the door opening at her voice command. Once inside she pushed the portal closed with her foot, before making her way into the living room. She lay Shay gently down on the sofa, and began to pace the three feet of floor on the other side of the coffee table.
"Shay?" She called out over the field separating them. No answer came and Ginnie closed the distance between them in seconds. Ginnie went into instant rescue mode as she hit her knees beside the prone woman. She pushed the dog away and put her fingers to Shay's neck. The pulse was weak and thready, and wouldn't last much longer. Ginnie glanced over Shay's body and saw no grievous injury that would have the woman this close to death.
The puppy had wedged it's way between her and Shay and Ginnie was forced to push him away again, as she began to look closer for a reason for Shay's current state. Moving Shay's head to the side revealed Ginnie's worst case scenario, there, marring her lovely neck, was evidence she had hopped not to fine. Since the marks never lasted long, that meant a vampire was responsible for this. Which meant Shay's body was nearly exsanguinated and that left Ginnie with very very few choices.
She couldn't let the woman die, she was a clanmate's familiar, nor could she simply give her a little blood, no Ginnie didn't have enough blood in her body to save this woman that way. That really only left one choice for her, one she hoped she would never have had to make. Ginnie did not think it wise to bring another living soul into this cursed life. Tears pricked her eyes as she prayed silently for forgiveness from a God she wasn't sure still heard her prayers. Ginnie knew how the process had to go, she would have to relieve this poor woman of just a little more blood, enough that her own enzymes could mingle with the blood she would give.
Tears burned hot trails down her cheeks as leaned down. Fangs pierced cooling skin, not far from the offending bite that began this, and Ginnie sucked gently, just enough to wet her mouth. Not entirely sure how long she should stay put she counted three minutes, as that was usually how long it took her to drain a pint from her meals, before pulling her fangs from Shay's throat. Shay's pulse weakened more, and Ginnie grew concerned that she would not be able to get the woman to drink.
Swiping at the tears, she moved until she cradled Shay's head in her lap. She pulled a dagger from the inside of her boot and positioned herself carefully. She pried open Shay's mouth, and rested her left hand above the purpling lips. With her right she sliced across the cluster of veins on her wrist, and blood began to pour. When her mouth was full, Ginnie put down the dagger, and massaged Shay's throat, compulsive swallowing and coaxing from Ginnie, got the blood down. Happy with the result Ginnie did it again, and a third time. By the sixth round of fill and swallow, Ginnie was feeling a little light headed. She figured that she'd given Shay a good pint of her own blood, and now she had to get the woman to some place safe before she woke.
Ginnie licked the drying blood from her wrist, before tucking one of the blankets beneath Shay's head. She stood, and cleaned up all of the picnic things surrounding the woman's body. Shay must have been waiting for someone...Mathias...
"Oh dear God, what am I going to tell that man. Speaking of, where the hell is he. He's obviously expected here. Oh no!." Ginnie's hand went to her mouth as she stared down at Shay. What...what if Mathias had done this? What if he'd gone too far with his familiar and not knowing, had left her? "I'll kill him myself, that's what."
Angry now, Ginnie finished shoving everything into the basket. The remaining blanket she used to wrap around Shay. She picked the woman up, one arm under her knees and the other under her neck. The basket was picked up with her mind and floated merrily along beside her, the puppy whimpered his way behind her, dragging his leash. At her little bug, she let the basket drop to the ground and dug her keys out of her pocket with that same ability. With some difficulty she got the alarm shut off pressed and the doors unlocked. With a bit more difficulty she got Shay into the front passenger seat, and laid the back down as far as it would go.
She tossed the basket into the trunk, and jogged back to the picnic site. She'd left nothing, satisfied with that small thing she ran back to the car and stared down at the dog. She couldn't take him into the Domicile. Well, she'd just have to have it taken care of. She saw Shay's car, the only other one in the lot and tied the little guy to the bumper. She ran back to her car and grabbed the blanket from under Shay's head, and tucked that around him. Nodding at her handiwork, she returned to her car and threw herself into the driver's seat. As she started the car she pulled her blackberry from her pocket and called one of the Mercs.
"Yeah, I need you to grab a partner. There's a car at the nature preserve, east lot, blue Mercedes convertible. You'll need to break in and hot wire the thing, because I don't have a key. Then bring it to the Dom's garage, park it next to mine. Or you can tow the thing. I don't care. Just get it out of the lot and into the garage. Also there's a puppy tied to the bumper, take him to a shelter or something, ok?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Ginnie liked having her little bit of authority over the Mercs, it helped when they just followed orders instead of asking questions and challenging her. Her speeds far exceeded the posted limits as she screamed through town. Shay began to stir in the seat beside her, and Ginnie, was forced to break even more laws. She wanted to be indoors, and safe before a second feeding was needed. She wanted Shay from prying eyes and the vultures of the underworld.
The smell of burned rubber filled the garage as Ginnie screeched into her assigned space. Jumping out of the car, she ran to the other side and pulled Shay out and walked as quickly as carrying a hundred pound woman would allow her, to the elevator. As the elevator took them to her floor, Ginnie's insides began to boil and her foot began to tap as insecurity, fear and grief flooded her. She had no business snuffing out the life of someone else's familiar. She had a dreaded feeling, that there was going to be hell to pay for this. The repercussions of her actions were far to frightening to think about. Simon, Carol, and Mathias were going to kill her and Alec...she had no idea how Alec was going to react.
The doors whooshed quietly open and she made her way to the apartment she and Alec called home, the door opening at her voice command. Once inside she pushed the portal closed with her foot, before making her way into the living room. She lay Shay gently down on the sofa, and began to pace the three feet of floor on the other side of the coffee table.
Shay
17 years ago
The most incredible sense of peace had enveloped Shay, in a cocoon like feeling of both coolness, and warmth. It was a very odd sensation, but one that gave Shay the impression she was safe, so she consequently didn't fight it. Rather she allowed herself to be pulled along, as if floating on a lazy river raft, down a slow moving stream.
The images that passed along side in her peripheral vision seemed to be similar to one of those dioramas Shay had made in school, as a child. Starting from the time she had been five, and ridden her bicycle into a brick wall to stop it, fallen off and skinned her elbow and knee, up through her winning a spelling bee in seventh grade, and her prom date in high school, then moving through the horror of Mary's death, and onto meeting and falling in love with Alexi...Shay could see all these things as if she were living them again, but for the first time.
And then everything stopped, and Shay felt herself being pulled into the light. She was still floating along, but everything was becoming brighter. So intense was the light that she thought she might go blind, but there was no pain to indicate that might be happening. And though everything looked hot white, Shay felt intensely cold. However, just as the bright light didn't hurt, neither did the cold. Shay felt them both, and didn't. It was quite a perplexing experience, but thoughts of it disappeared almost as quickly as they had arisen, so Shay was no longer bothered by them.
What did bother her were the acute pains that shook her body as if she had been struck by lightning. Or so she imagined. Sharp pains radiated from the center of her chest, down through her stomach, and then out each of her limbs. She imagined actual white hot bolts literally shooting from her fingertips, and toes, and cried out.
But had she genuinely made any noise at all?
Fear. Unadulterated fear filled her now, and she longed for the floating feeling again. But she was no longer feeling safe and peaceful. As quickly as the one event had come upon her, she had to let go of the positive enveloping pillow and take on feelings that scared her more than anything ever had in her life. She went rigid with the sensation of true horror as it's blackness swallowed her up and pressed heavily upon her. She couldn't breath, but worse still, she couldn't move. She needed to tell someone, but something told her it was not to be.
She knew she was dying and couldn't do a thing about it but panic and mentally claw tenaciously to what she believe to be the remnants of her life. She wasn't sure how she knew she was dying, but figured it must be one of those intuitions. The bright light was something she had heard of, and enjoyed the way she felt when she had been headed that way, but when that had disappeared to be replaced with the ominous darkness, her feeling of peace had simultaneously been replaced with the feelings of fear. It didn't seem fair that a person had to pass from one life to the next in such an awful manner, and she decided she would talk to someone about it whenever she was able to find out who that someone was.
Seconds later there was no thought in her mind. It had gone blank. As if someone had taken an eraser and wiped her brain clean. And though she again felt suspended, there was no sense of peace to calm her. Fortunately, the black fear was gone as well, and now all she felt was...nothing. It was almost like she was inside white noise...and that was what held her aloft. But that feeling of comfort was again short lived as her body doubled over wracked with pain. Again she thought she cried out, but had no way to confirm it wasn't a trick her mind was playing. There was no outside stimuli apparent to her yet, as she continued to experience everything internally.
The images that passed along side in her peripheral vision seemed to be similar to one of those dioramas Shay had made in school, as a child. Starting from the time she had been five, and ridden her bicycle into a brick wall to stop it, fallen off and skinned her elbow and knee, up through her winning a spelling bee in seventh grade, and her prom date in high school, then moving through the horror of Mary's death, and onto meeting and falling in love with Alexi...Shay could see all these things as if she were living them again, but for the first time.
And then everything stopped, and Shay felt herself being pulled into the light. She was still floating along, but everything was becoming brighter. So intense was the light that she thought she might go blind, but there was no pain to indicate that might be happening. And though everything looked hot white, Shay felt intensely cold. However, just as the bright light didn't hurt, neither did the cold. Shay felt them both, and didn't. It was quite a perplexing experience, but thoughts of it disappeared almost as quickly as they had arisen, so Shay was no longer bothered by them.
What did bother her were the acute pains that shook her body as if she had been struck by lightning. Or so she imagined. Sharp pains radiated from the center of her chest, down through her stomach, and then out each of her limbs. She imagined actual white hot bolts literally shooting from her fingertips, and toes, and cried out.
But had she genuinely made any noise at all?
Fear. Unadulterated fear filled her now, and she longed for the floating feeling again. But she was no longer feeling safe and peaceful. As quickly as the one event had come upon her, she had to let go of the positive enveloping pillow and take on feelings that scared her more than anything ever had in her life. She went rigid with the sensation of true horror as it's blackness swallowed her up and pressed heavily upon her. She couldn't breath, but worse still, she couldn't move. She needed to tell someone, but something told her it was not to be.
She knew she was dying and couldn't do a thing about it but panic and mentally claw tenaciously to what she believe to be the remnants of her life. She wasn't sure how she knew she was dying, but figured it must be one of those intuitions. The bright light was something she had heard of, and enjoyed the way she felt when she had been headed that way, but when that had disappeared to be replaced with the ominous darkness, her feeling of peace had simultaneously been replaced with the feelings of fear. It didn't seem fair that a person had to pass from one life to the next in such an awful manner, and she decided she would talk to someone about it whenever she was able to find out who that someone was.
Seconds later there was no thought in her mind. It had gone blank. As if someone had taken an eraser and wiped her brain clean. And though she again felt suspended, there was no sense of peace to calm her. Fortunately, the black fear was gone as well, and now all she felt was...nothing. It was almost like she was inside white noise...and that was what held her aloft. But that feeling of comfort was again short lived as her body doubled over wracked with pain. Again she thought she cried out, but had no way to confirm it wasn't a trick her mind was playing. There was no outside stimuli apparent to her yet, as she continued to experience everything internally.