Yellinas Vessel

I take a sip from the dirty glass and wipe away the dribble from my chin. I can feel his eyes locked on me and I just continue watching the scratchy TV posted in the top right corner.

I hear a chair move and slow footsteps approaching but just before he gets too close, I spin around and slam the glass against his head. No cry of pain and before he can react, I grab his head and slam it against my knee making him fall backwards onto his back.

“What the hell is going on here”

I quickly leave the bar, not looking back I rush outside and make it to my car and quickly drive off away from the old bar.

“Jessy! We have to go now!” I grab my backpack and start shoving food and water bottles into it.

“They found us?” She comes around the corner with a large rucksack and a small dirty yellow backpack on her back.

“No time for questions we need to leave.” I grab the keys and the long duffle bag, and we both run out the door and back to the car. I quickly check around us and see no one. Jessy is already in the car, and I quickly get in and we drive away as fast as we can.

“How did they find us?” Jessy finally asks looking over to me.

I just shake my head and concentrate on the road. Jessy leans her head against the glass and stares out the window watching the autumn forest pass us by.

I made sure we weren’t followed. New names, no record of our past life but they still found us. How?

“How long can we do this Marcus? How long can we go from one room to another?”

I look over to her and just stare at her. “As long as I am still alive. No one will ever hurt you.”

She stares back at me but eventually turns away and closes her eyes and tries to fall asleep ending the conversation. I look back to the road and slam on the brakes making a loud screeching noise. Jessy sits up quickly and looks out infront of us and gasps.

The same man is standing infront of us, large blade of fire ember in his hand. Black skin and completely bald. Wearing an old, tattered suit long outlived its priceless appearance.

“Stay here.” I slowly get out of the car tucking the rod behind my back jeans. I walk slowly infront of the car and a few paces towards the man.

“Give us the girl.” He speaks in a deep-toned voice.

“Never”.

We stand off for a few minutes and I see out of the corner of my right eye two figures running out of the forest straight at me with jagged spears. I quickly grab one of the spears, feeling the incredible hot heat and trip the woman charging me by kicking her legs out as I pull her by. The other man jabs the spear at me, but I dodge out of the way and uppercut his chin making him stagger back but regaining his balance shortly after.

The woman behind me gets up and snarls at me and charges again but this time I grab the rod from my back and extend it summoning my blue trident. I quickly deflect the spear and stab into the woman’s chest and quickly turn causing her to cry out in pain before she turns into a blue liquid and drops before me.

The other man taking the opportunity stabs into my back and just grazes my side. I turn but I feel the hot burn spread from the wound. I turn the trident to overhead strike which he blocks, but I anticipate this and break apart the Trident and take the bottom half and stab into his neck. Red blood gurgles in his mouth and before he can react, I twist, and he also turns to liquid.

I turn to the man with the sword and reattach the trident and face him. He watched the whole time and didn’t react but is just smiling at me. He changes his stance to an offensive stance and is about to move towards me when gunshots behind me go off and he is shot three times in the chest making him fall back motionless. I turn to see Jessy shaking with the revolver in her hand still pointed at the man. I quickly run to her and gently take it out of her hands, “Its alright, you can let go now.” She stares at me, and tears start to form but she does so.

We both quickly get back into the car and I look to my wound and see that the slash on my side has black veins around it and is hot to the touch. Jessy quickly gets a wet rag and applies pressure which stings but soothes the pain. I step on the gas, and we quickly drive off as fast as I can.

My eyes open and I slowly get up looking to the wet spots where the hounds had perished foolishly. I look down to the three blood-soaked wounds and turn my head curiously. I reach into my wound and feel muscle and blood but pull out the small, impacted bullet and let it drop from my hand.

I do the same with the other two and look off towards where they went. I smell the air and can taste the blood where the spear grazed his side. That’s all I need.

*

I pull into the motel infront of the closest room to the road. I turn the car off and sit there a few moments catching my breath and checking behind us.

“Are you okay?”

I look over and see her still shaking but looking concerned. Her long brown hair tied in a top pony. Dirt and grim on her face but her slender small nose always stands out. Her dark green eyes and freckles remind me of summer. I nod and put a hand on hers and squeeze it comfortably. We both get out and I head to the motel office and purchase the room for the night. I quickly check that three other people are staying here and quickly take note of their appearance and mannerisms as I walk by their rooms. Were clear.

I take the keys and unlock the door and Jessy brings in the bags from the car as I head straight to the bathroom. I slowly take my jacket off and shirt and look at the wound more closely. Dark red tissue is showing with black skin around it and black veins which stretch around it like tentacles of a squid. I look up to the mirror and take in my grizzly appearance. Dark grey hair with white in it. Tough but weathered skin and some wrinkles in my face and body. Dark bushy eyebrows and dark brown eyes. A scratchy short beard with a large scar running from under my right eye down to my chin and around the mouth. I run my hand down the scar and remember that night.

Cold and wet, enemies all around us and no one there to watch my back. Blood-soaked shoes and hands, friends and ally’s dead and hounds standing growling and snapping at me. Hooded men circled me with long jagged chains jingling in the windy rain.

A knock on the door breaks the loop and Jessy opens the door and looks at my wound. “You know you can heal that a lot quicker than this bandage will.”

I look to her and nod for the bandage and she begins to wrap it around the wound and secure it comfortably. I nod in thanks and head straight to the window looking out, watching. A gust of wind blows the red and orange leaves across the pavement. The forest stands on the opposite side of the road and around the motel and its quiet. A few cars pass by but nothing suspicious. For now.

“Get some sleep” I tell Jessy and take a chair and put it beside the window and take out my rod and set it on the small table ready to be grabbed quickly if need be.

“You should too, you haven’t slept for hours.”

“I will be fine. Now rest” I reassure her with a half smile and begin my watch over her.

Hours go by with a few more people coming to stay for the afternoon. During the time I parked the car across the motel infront of an unoccupied room to not make it obvious where we are staying. I look out to the world and look down to the wound. I take my left hand and move my fingers in a swirling motion. Water from the rod slowly glides out to the wound. I open the bandage just enough for it to be visible and the water pools up around the wound and a cold relaxing feeling tingles around it and across my whole side.

I let out a relieving but quiet sigh and look back down to see the water gone and the wound fully healed with a small scar where the slash used to be. I take the bandage and gently package it up and leave it on the table. I look back up and my instincts instantly kick in and I quickly stand making the chair push back.

Jessy wakes up from the sudden noise, but I put a finger to my lip and look out the window and see him walking across the parking lot. Now wearing a brown hoodie with black jeans, he walks over to the office and goes inside. Jessy quickly has the bags packed and ready to go and I just wait to see what happens.

After what seems like forever he finally walks out of the office and looks around. His head stops at the car and slowly he walks over to it. I grab the long duffle bag and strap it to my back and motion Jessy to get close to the door and wait. I watch as the man slowly walks beside the car, slowly pulling the fire embered blade from his back and as he gets to the door he waits and stands there. I feel a small bead of sweat go down my cheek and wipe it away.

Nothing happens for a few seconds but then he kicks open the door and charges into the room. When he disappears, I quickly run to the door grabbing Jessy’s hand and we both run around the edge of the building and book it into the forest behind the motel. I make a quick look back and don’t see anyone but don’t slow down and quickly I push Jessy onwards into the forest and we both run as fast as we can.