Prey For Me Pt. 5

The sun sliced into the night sky with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel. Slowly, the clouds turned from a bruised purple to warm orange, as blades of golden light cut across the sky. Skeagan had slept fitfully through the night, after Aaliyah took him home. He was up before dawn, ready to move forward in the search for his brother. He watched the sky changing from his perch on the branch of a pine tree. The thick, green branches hid him from the mortals below.

This tree sat conveniently behind Evann’s house. The boy did not seem to have been home all night. This fact, however, alluded his parents. Skeagan’s acute hearing picked out the sounds of them preparing for their work days. He heard Evann’s mother knock on her son’s bedroom door and tell him to wake up for school, but that was as far as she acknowledged the boy’s existence. Thirty minutes later, both adults left the house in separate vehicles.

At last, Skeagan could resume his sleuthing. He dropped silently to the ground and made his way towards the house. Earlier, he had only been able to check Evann’s bedroom through the window before hearing the parents’ alarm clock going off. From his vantage in the tree, however, he had scouted the back of the house and mentally noted the best possible point of entry—a small window into the basement. The window was almost level with the ground and only about 12 inches tall. It was going to be a tight squeeze, but this was the only open window. Of course, he was strong enough to just break a door lock or force open a window, but thought it would be better to not leave a trail of evidence.

In preparation for entry, Skeagan shed his gray cloak and tossed it over a nearby bird bath. Next, off came his black combat boots. He needed as slender of a profile as possible. After doing some warm up stretches, he squatted down and slid the window all the way open. Just as he slipped one foot into the opening, a sound came from the side of the house. Skeagan froze, listening intently.

Someone was coming through the gate in the fence. He couldn’t see them yet, since the fence was around the corner of the house. Scrambling to stand up, the fabric of his pants got caught on a nail. Whoever was approaching would be around the corner in an instant. He yanked his leg, tearing the fabric and scraping his skin.

As Skeagan was about to jump to the pine tree for cover, a teen girl came around the corner of the house. She stopped, a look of surprise on her face. “Who are you?” she demanded.

Skeagan looked less like nature’s greatest predator and more like a caught mouse. He didn’t know if he should run or try to talk his way out of the situation. As the girl continued to walk closer, he decided to make a jump for the nearest tree. There was a flash of light in his peripheral vision. The girl raised her hand; sparks danced around her fingers with the crackle of electricity. Violet tendrils of light snaked towards Skeagan, encircling his legs.

He fell to the ground with a soft thud and groaned. A smell like melting plastic hung in the air. Rolling over, he put his hands up defensively. The girl stood over him, her dark hair shadowing her eyes. She was dressed all in black, and her fingers still sparkled with purplish energy. She pointed one at Skeagan’s face, “That is so rude. I just asked you a simple question.”

Skeagan’s legs felt tingly from the magic and his head was fuzzy from the fall. “What?”

The girl rolled her eyes. “You know, for a vampire, you’re kind of disappointing. I had expected a lot more from the movies. That is what you are, right?”

“What?” Skeagan asked again. He tried to jumpstart his brain by shaking his head.

“Oh, my gosh. Are all vampires this stupid?”

“How do you know what I am?”

“So, I was right, vampires are real! That’s lit.”

Skeagan started to sit up, but she pushed him back down with a sneaker to the chest, “Hold on, first tell me your name.”

He looked at her quizzically, “My name? Skeagan Prey, why?”

“Prey?” she laughed. “That’s a little obvious for a vampire, don’t you think? Anyway, now I can put a hex on you if I need to.” She moved her foot.

Skeagan sat up and rubbed his head. “I think I have a concussion.”

“I doubt it. That’s just the effects of the magic. It will wear off.”

“Who are you?” Now that his head was clearing, Skeagan was feeling angry…and more than a little confused.

“My name is Valentina, and I am a teenage witch.” She grimaced, “Sounds a little cliché, doesn’t it. I’m gonna have to work on that. What are you doing here?”

Skeagan blinked, this girl changed the subject so fast, it was hard to keep up. “Uh, I’m looking for my brother.”

“Is he that older guy that Evann’s been hanging out with? Tall, dark, good looking—I guess, if you’re into the broody type. I didn’t get it, and I told Evann that guy was bad news—no offense.”

“Wait, you know Evann? And my brother is not bad news. Evann’s the problem here. My brother was doing great before meeting that—that punk!”

“Look, all I know is Evann started acting really weird a few months ago, and it seemed like it was right around when he met your brother. What’s his name by the way?”

“My brother? His name is Logan. So, you’re saying Evann didn’t normally go out and party all night?”

“He would go out sometimes, but not like he has been recently. The worst part is, he’s been shutting out his real friends. We used to do everything together.”

She shook her head as if shaking off the emotions, “Look, Evann wasn’t at school yesterday and he won’t answer my calls. Do you know where he is?”

Skeagan shrugged, a concerned look on his face. “Logan has been missing since yesterday afternoon. I was hoping to find some clue here, since he and Evann were spending so much time together.”

Valentina looked from the boy to the basement window and grinned, “You know, they usually leave the back door unlocked.”

Skeagan rolled his eyes. “You can’t be serious.”

She nodded and waved for him to follow her. Sure enough, the back door opened easily, and they made their way inside. The house was quiet and dark. Skeagan felt weird walking through someone else’s house, when they weren’t there. He was kind of glad to have Valentina with him, even if he didn’t completely trust her yet. He had met other witches in his life, but not very many his own age. She seemed really powerful for being so young. It would probably be best to stay on guard around her.

Valentina led the way upstairs to a closed door. “Here’s Evann’s room.” She tried the handle, “It’s locked.”

“I can break it.”

“Slow down, vampire.” There was a spark from Valentina’s hand still on the nob, and the lock clicked. She pushed the door open, “Not everything requires brute strength.”

Skeagan didn’t know how this small girl kept making him feel overpowered; she was at least a foot shorter than he was. He was also not used to people treating him like he was dumb. Who did this “teen witch” think she was?

Evann’s room was messy. Pieces of clothing were lying haphazardly on the furniture and floor. The bed looked like it hadn’t been made since…well, maybe never. The room didn’t smell bad, there was just stuff everywhere.

“Eesh, my mom would never let my room look like this!” Skeagan commented as he stepped over a stack of records.

“Yeah, Evann’s never been very good at cleaning.” Valentina went straight for the records on the floor and began looking through them.

“What are you doing?”

“He borrowed my White Stripes album, like, a year ago and never gave it back.” She gave a happy shriek and held a record sleeve in the air. “Found it!”

Skeagan rolled his eyes and began sniffing around the room. He could pick up faint traces of his brother but nothing fresh enough to have been recent. This made him feel discouraged, where could Logan have gone?

Meanwhile, Valentina had moved across the room and was on her hands and knees by the bed. “His suitcase isn’t under here.”

“Really?” Skeagan brightened a little, “Logan’s was gone too. Do you think they ran away together?”

“Duh.” Valentina stood up and brushed off her black pants. “The question is where did they go?”

“You don’t have to be so rude.” Skeagan was tired of her condescending tone.

Valentina looked at him, a hand on her hip, “You know, you’re right, it was rude. But excuse me, I’m worried about my best friend. For all I know, your brother kidnapped him and is draining his blood while we talk!”

Skeagan immediately felt bad, Valentina was going through the same thing he was. “Look, I’m sorry! I didn’t...” his voice trailed off. “If it makes you feel any better, we don’t suck blood. I mean, we can. But we don’t, like, need it to survive. The only blood my family has ever tasted was animal. Honestly, I didn’t even think it tasted good. I’d rather have Starbucks.”

Valentina laughed, “That does make me feel better, actually. How old are you, anyway? You look like a kid, but don’t you guys live forever, or something?”

“Nah, that’s just in the movies. We do age really slowly, though. So, the average vampire life is like three times as long as a mortal’s. I’m 42 in calendar years."

Valentina’s face showed her surprise.

“But, we also mature slower than mortals, so I’m really only like 14.”

“Cool, I’m 16. Sorry, I’ve just never met a vampire before.”

Skeagan smiled, “I’ve never met a witch my own age, so there you go.”

Valentina nodded and looked around the room. “Any idea where to go from here?”

Skeagan was about to answer when he heard a noise coming from outside. “Is that a motorcycle?”

The sound grew louder as it approached the house and stopped just outside. The teens exchanged a look then ran to the room across the hall. Out a window, they could see not one but two motorcycles in the driveway. The riders were big, with muscled arms and scowling faces. They looked menacing, even through a window. Slowly the two climbed off the bikes and approached the front door. The sudden pounding knock made the teens jump.

“Do you know them?” Skeagan asked in a low voice.

Valentina shook her head quickly.

“Okay, let’s just think.” Skeagan’s thoughts chased themselves around his head.

There was a crack of wood then the crashing sound of the front door being kicked in.

“We need to hide!” Valentina whispered.

Skeagan had a sudden idea. “Come on!”

He led the way back to Evann’s room. Valentina shut the door behind them, locking it. She looked towards Skeagan, who was opening the bedroom window.

“What are you doing?”

Skeagan beckoned to her, “Hurry!”

She ran over, “Do not say—“

“Do you trust me?” Skeagan wrapped an arm around her waist.

She gritted her teeth as they jumped through the window to the ground below. Without taking a step, Skeagan jumped to a branch in the nearby pine tree. After making sure Valentina had sure footing, he let her go.

“Never do that again,” she said firmly.

From their protected position behind the evergreen branches, they watched as the two bikers broke into Evann’s room. One of them walked to the window and looked out at the yard. Skeagan heard her say to the man inside, “I don’t think anyone’s here.”

Skeagan noticed a tattoo on her bare arm. It was the emblem of a wolf head with fangs bared. He had seen it before, a couple nights ago, outside the bar where he had found Logan and Evann. He would never forget it, because he had fought five guys with the same symbol inked on their bodies.

“I recognize that gang ink,” he told Valentina, after the biker had pulled her head back into the window.

“Really?” she seemed incredulous.

“Yeah, members of the same gang got in a fight with Logan and Evann just a couple days ago.”

“Do you think they’re looking for Evann?”

Skeagan nodded.

“We should follow them!”

“I don’t have a ride.” Skeagan said.

“I do!” she started climbing down.

“Do you want some help?” Skeagan reached out a hand.

She shot him a look, “I think I can climb down a tree by myself.”

Gruesome Discovery

Valentina’s ride was a beat up Volkswagen bug with a convertible top. At one point, it had been blue, but rust was changing the surface to a mottled work of art. Skeagan mused that, with all the crater-like dents, it kind of resembled the surface of a planet.

“Where did you find this thing?” He shouted above the sound of the wind.

“Ex-boyfriend.”

They were several car lengths behind the bikers, taking a highway out of town. There were other vehicles on the highway, so with any luck, the bikers wouldn’t realize they were being followed. As the flat coast land began to turn into piney woods, however, the traffic thinned, and Skeagan began to get worried.

“Don’t get too close. We don’t want them to know what’s up.”

“I got this, vampire.” Valentina shot back.

Skeagan had to acknowledge, she was an excellent driver, especially compared to his limited experience. He seriously needed more practice, if he was going to get his permit next year. His Dad had taken him out driving a few times… before everything changed. Logan had promised to teach him, but that hadn’t panned out so far. Skeagan didn’t often think about his Dad; it was easier to just stay busy. But, if he was honest with himself, Logan being missing really had him scared. He didn’t want to lose anyone else in his life.

He was brought out of his reflections by Valentina’s voice, “Look.” She pointed ahead to what appeared to be an abandoned gas station. The bikers were pulling off the road into what had been the parking lot. What was alarming was the sight of several more motorcycles already parked at the location. Their riders had to be somewhere nearby.

To avoid suspicion, Valentina drove past the gas station. Skeagan ducked his head down. He didn’t think anyone would recognize him, but you never knew. When they had driven about a mile past, Valentina pulled to the side of the road and turned off the engine.

“Ready to go check this out?” She looked at her passenger.

Skeagan nodded.

They hiked into the woods lining the road before making their way back towards the gas station. The pine trees cut off most of the noise from the cars, with only an occasional bird call to break the silence. It should have been peaceful, but Skeagan had chills along his spine. All of his senses were tingling on high alert. He could hear the biker gang before he saw them. There were seven, gathered around a fire in a trash bin behind the remains of the old gas station. Some of them held beers. They talked loudly to each other, completely at ease. All wore leather, and Skeagan spotted the wolf tattoo on those with bare arms.

He heard crackling electricity and looked down to see Valentina’s hands sparking with violet energy. Quickly, he touched her arm and whispered, “Not yet.” She nodded, but kept the magic activated. For a second time that day, Skeagan found himself glad for her presence. After what she had done back at Evann’s house, he figured she would be a good ally in a fight.

“Any reason we should stick around here?” One of the bikers asked.

“I doubt those kids are coming back here.”

“I can’t believe they got away from us!”

“At least we gave them a licking they won’t soon forget!” There was a round of cruel laughter about this.

“Yeah, be surprised if that blood sucker makes it.”

Still laughing, the group gathered their stuff and began making the way around to the bikes.

Skeagan was trembling, but he was too angry to cry. Instead, he clenched his fists, driving his fingernails into his palms. He was trying to distract himself so he didn’t rush at the gang that very moment. Valentina laid a hand on his arm, whispering something to him. He looked down at her and saw his emotions reflected in her face: anger, sadness, fear.

“We have to do something,” she said through clenched teeth.

Skeagan nodded and took a deep breath, “Let’s keep looking around.”

The sound of the motorcycles was fading quickly as the gang rode away. The teens crept closer to the empty gravel lot. The trash fire still burned, and it was accosting Skeagan’s nose. It was all he could smell.

“Do you have a water spell to put that thing out?”

Valentina wrinkled her nose, “I wish.”

“Well, let’s get away from it. I can’t track from here.”

They moved back into the woods until Skeagan felt like he could breathe again. Leaning against a tree, he closed his eyes. How did his world just keep spinning more out of control? Every morning felt like a fresh day in purgatory.

“Skeagan, look! What is that?”

The boy opened his eyes and followed the sound of Valentina’s voice. She had continued walking and now stood a few feet away. Looking back over her shoulder, she said, “I think you should check this out.”

Not far from where they were standing, a gash had been ripped through a thick tree trunk. Rough bark was torn away and claw marks cut deep into the pale flesh of the tree. The mark was almost a foot wide. Whatever had made this was no ordinary beast. Skeagan’s nose began picking up a trail of animal odor, and as he followed it, signs of a struggle became visible. Broken branches, claw marks, even blood stains. Pressing his nose to the crimson splatters, Skeagan grimaced, “I think its Logan’s.”

“Over here.” Valentina’s voice was solemn. She pointed to a dirty piece of cloth on the ground. There were more scattered around, remnants of t-shirts and jeans—all shredded and covered with dried blood. Skeagan even found half a sneaker.

“I can smell both of them here,” he said quietly.

“What kind of animals would do this?” Valentina looked around at the devastation, holding part of a shirt in her hand.

Skeagan closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Focusing on the odors, he tried to distinguish them all. “Vampire and human, of course. Maybe bear and… wolf.” His jaw clenched as he opened his eyes, “Lycan were here.”

“Lycan?”

Skeagan lowered his voice to a whisper, “Werewolf.”