Chapter Three

We stood on the wet sand of our favorite beach in La Push. Despite the rain and the temperature being below thirty, I stood ankle-deep in the water watching minnows swim around my toes. La Push did strange things to me; it felt so free and relaxing being here. My skin didn’t crawl with the sensation of being watched, no one cared to eavesdrop on your conversations—it was just us and nature.

The gray clouds rolled overhead as the cold rain hit my bare arms. I had a terrible immune system, I was always getting sick easily, but it was a rule when we came here that our socks and shoes were off, and no coats allowed. Just like true Forks kids fashion. It was a beach, after all.

I spooked the minnows as I turned and frowned as they swam away, not because I was sad they were gone, but because of the bump on the log. I ran over the sand and glared at him. He was sulking again.

“What are you doing?” I asked with my hands on my hips. “This is against the rules. We don’t sulk at the beach.”

He sighed and looked up from the twigs he played with. “I told you I wasn’t in the mood today.”

“And that’s why we’re here. Your bad attitude was just begging for some fun.” I slapped the sticks from his hand and pulled him to his feet. “Come on, let’s go diving!”

“The water’s freezing, you’ll get sick.”

“Chicken, chicken,” I taunted childishly, flapping my arms like wings, as I made my way toward the short pile of rocks. I wasn’t ready to try the large mountain-like structure in the distance, being a little afraid of heights, so I stayed with my perfect diving spot. Not even Lauren would jump from my spot; it was too high for all the girls.

His footsteps raced passed me, that lanky frame a blur of brown skin, and I hurried to catch up, laughing. That brat! He was always cheating like this!

He climbed onto the platform the outcropping made and laughed as I tripped in the sand, catching myself on the rocks. I climbed up with his helping hand, but he didn’t let go once I was on solid ground. He kept a tight grip on my hand as we walked out to the edge.

“How bad do you think this thing will get?” he asked, just loud enough that I could hear him over the waves. “They can’t take over the world, right? I mean, their supposed to be myths, the world population won’t believe it.”

“You believed it right away,” I reminded him.

“Only because of my parent’s stupid superstitions, but now I’m wondering what else could be true.”

“Do you think you’ll explode into a giant wolf?” I laughed. The Quileute tribe legends weren’t public knowledge, but I knew them so well from my friends. They believed there were cold ones, vampires, out there—and that was true. What if one day he woke up in an animal’s body? I guess he would stop mocking his elders then.

“I just might.” He released my hand, raising his arms, and growled at me. “I’m a terrifying wolf who wants to eat you!”

I laughed and dashed for the edge while he howled and chased me. “No, Mr. Wolf, you don’t want to eat me. I’m nothing but skin and bones!”

“Not true. I see some meat right . . . here!” He tackled me over the rocks, thankfully securing his arms around my waist as we flipped in the air, laughing in my ear. I screamed in the split second it took to land in the water.

Cold water cascaded over my head, all sounds dying, and I found I couldn’t hold my breath. Seth’s smiling face appeared before my eyes but something was wrong. It was a forced grin, eyes wide, as his body floated to the surface.

I gasped, stupid enough to take in a mouthful of salt water, and screamed at the cloud of black that surrounded him. Blood stuck to my hands as I swam for him but something caught my ankle. I didn’t bother to look—I had to get to Seth, I had to get to the surface. I couldn’t breathe! I was drowning!

Despite my struggling the water grew darker the further I was dragged down but I could see Seth with startling clarity. The black cloud was quickly spreading, becoming a bright red, until the whole ocean was red with his blood. I kicked and screamed and sucked in more water until finally my vision burned away, body unable to fight.

I floated in the depths with Seth’s accusing voice in my head.

It’s your fault. We’re all dead because of you. I hope you’re happy.

I felt hopeless; I couldn’t do anything to stop it. I’m sorry, Seth, I’m sorry!

A weight slammed down onto me and I coughed as air rushed from my lungs. It was heavy and uncomfortable—and it was me. It was my consciousness, my life, just being awake that made me feel sluggish and heavy. Yet I was alive. I couldn’t remember half of what happened, except for Seth. I saw his frozen smile in my head, the way he floated up like a balloon—no, that wasn’t right. I didn’t kill him. He fell. He was pulled from the car with a vampire.

My eyes welled with tears and I hastily wiped them away. He wouldn’t want me to cry over him, even if he hated me for letting him die. I missed a tear but found I didn’t have the strength to catch it.

A warm cloth pressed against my face, the sensation of it so unexpected my eyes shot open. The woman stepped back in shock and I felt a soft bed under my back. How did I get here? Where was Mike, Tyler? Were they okay or . . . no, I’d find out they were here, raiding the fridge like only guys can, and that they killed their pursuers. That we were all in Rainier like planned.

I took in my surroundings with a quick glance—upper class home, nice furnishing, warm and welcoming room—before I realized I was covered in bandages and clothes that weren’t mine.

The door opened to reveal a young blond man. I knew instantly that I wasn’t staring at a human, he was completely unnatural, but I couldn’t tell what he would do. I never saw a vampire with gold eyes. I noticed a moment too late the woman also had gold eyes, and shifted away from her.

“Good morning,” said the man with a smile. He seemed incredibly confident he could pass as human. He measured his steps, he was careful to use a steady voice. How old was he? He almost perfected the art of being human—almost. “How are you feeling?”

I kept tight lipped as he approached.

He frowned. “Do you remember your name?”

“Where am I?” I asked against my will. Sometimes my curiosity got the better of me.

“You are in my home in Portland, Oregon. Now, can you tell me your name?”

Portland? I wasn’t supposed to be in this area yet. I didn’t even know our contact. “I know my name, okay? Stop asking me that.”

“I just wanted to be sure. You had a major concussion when my son brought you in.” He sat lightly on the bed and stretched his arm out toward me. I threw the thick blankets at him, jumping out of the warm cocoon, only to fall on my butt. My hand immediately reached for the gun under my right arm but nothing was there.

“Are you okay? You shouldn’t have stood so quickly; your body went through a lot of trauma, it needs more time to heal.” He stood up and I held up my hands; he didn’t move a single inch.

“Don’t touch me,” I hissed, feeling so very vulnerable. I had no weapon against them, not even the lamp next to the bed would help. “I know what you are. I don’t know what you want with me but I don’t want you touching me. I’m not going back!”

“Bella, please calm down.”

“How do you know me? I didn’t tell you my name.”

“You told me while you were unconscious, or walking the line of awake and sleep. You might not—”

“Don’t lie to me!” I screamed. My body shook with fear. I never let my defense down, and to lose it in front of vampires was a definite no-no.

“I give you my word I’m not lying. May we help you up from the floor so I can check your eyes, or shall I join you down there? It’s your choice, Bella.”

I didn’t want them getting anywhere near me but I wasn’t going to degrade myself further by crawling. He offered the help—it wasn’t weak to accept it. I nodded and asked for a hand up. With wide eyes, the woman came around the bed while the man pulled back the blankets. She bent to pick me up but I quickly used her as leverage to push myself onto my feet; my legs shook too much to stand upright for long, so she was there to help, murmuring concern with each step. She felt the same as all the other vamps yet there was warmth to her voice, almost kind and motherly, that could fool anyone. Anyone who didn’t know, that is.

She set me carefully on the edge and waited for me to lay back; I refused with a stubborn pout. I wasn’t going to be tucked in only to be defenseless. The man smiled indulgently as he stood and produced a penlight from his pocket, coming around to kneel in front of me. His proximity was uncomfortable and I sat further back on the bed.

“Please try to relax Bella, I’m not going to hurt you. I only want to check your eyes. Follow my finger, please.”

“Are you some kind of doctor?” I huffed.

“How rude of me for not introducing myself before. Yes, I am Dr. Carlisle Cullen, nice to meet you.”

I couldn’t say the same. “Where’s your diploma?”

“In my office. Would you like me to get it?”

“No. Never mind.”

He chuckled, running his index finger in front of my eyes. I tried to watch him and the woman at the same time but he noticed. Demanding my full attention he asked the woman, he called her Esme, to leave. My anxiety kicked in, I knew he could hear the way my heart beat faster, and he couldn’t let it go.

“It’s odd that you’re more nervous with one person in the room instead of two,” he said calmly, putting the light away, his test complete. He stood like a human, assisting himself up with a hand on his knee.

“You don’t look that old,” I said, surprising myself. I was one step away from a conversation with a vampire!

“Many people say that but I’m much older than I appear.”

“Two hundred seventy-five?”

He laughed, the sound made me shiver. “Of course not! It’s much higher.”

I was talking with an old vamp? Crap. Luck was definitely not on my side. From the stories I heard, vamps came from the grave strong and as they grew became weak. Those stories were wrong. Our best chance to kill them was between the newborn stage and eighty years. They were confused, often brain dead fresh from the grave; they ran on instincts for a long time so it was easy to trick them. By eighty they had an understanding of their new life and were growing into their powers. If he was over two hundred, there was no way I was getting out alive.

“Do you mind if I took the bandages from around your head?” he asked unobtrusively; I still jumped at the sound of his voice. “I would like to check how you’re doing.”

I held up my hands. “I don’t want you touching me. I’ll remove them myself.”

“I still need to touch your scalp, to check the wounds.”

“You like making things difficult, don’t you?”

“Only because you make it difficult first. You can argue with me as long as you want. I fight patients all day, I can wait.”

I felt like a teenager sitting on the ridiculously comfortable bed, pouting. My hand absently found its way to where it would tug on the shoulder strap, but it wasn’t there. It finally dawned on me to ask what I should have asked first. “Where’s my gun?”

“Your gun is in its holster far from this room,” the vamp replied. “It’s not safe for you to have it right now.”

“You mean not safe for you.”

“I haven’t made a single threat about your safety yet you want to kill me? Is that a new way of saying thanks to someone who saved your life?”

“I don’t thank vampires.”

He sighed and motioned towards my head. “May I? This stubborn streak is worrying me. One so young shouldn’t be so cynical.”

Before I could snap at him, his hand was suddenly tugging on the wrap around my head; apparently he felt asking is courteous, but waiting for a reply is too much work. I flinched from the speed and chill of his fingers. Keeping still while a vampire’s hands moved around my head was one of the toughest challenges I faced, definitely harder than being stuck in a vehicle with Mike, who has the windows locked, when he lets one rip.

The vamp set the bandages off to the side, and showing that his hands were empty, lightly touched my temples. I yelped at his cold touch.

“I apologize, Bella,” he said quietly. He concentrated on the bumps throbbing on my head and the base of my skull.

“I bet your patients complain about it all the time,” I muttered.

“Not as much as you think. Does this hurt?” He touched a particular spot gently. I fought the urge to squirm.

Yes, it hurts, now cut it out! “No. I’m fine.”

“How about here?” He pressed on a different spot that hurt just as much.

“No.”

“And here?” His hand barely touched my back but I jumped.

“Fuck that hurts! What are you doing?” I slapped his hands away.

“From what I can tell there are no broken bones and no major head injuries, only a lot of bruising and a sprained ankle. You’re very lucky, Bella. Most people would be dead after tumbling down a thirty-foot drop. How you escaped with a few bruises is beyond me.”

“It doesn’t matter. I have to get out of here so it would be nice if you returned my gun.”

He frowned. “You’re not going anywhere until you’ve healed.”

“I need to leave immediately,” I said sternly.

“Is there anyone you would like to call?”

“No.” None of the resistance had cell phones, and landlines were only used in emergencies. The vamps watched calls and mail and Internet pages all day, every day. Anything we did was monitored.

“Just give me back my gun and I’ll go.”

“Is it because of the tattoo on the back of your neck?” My hand slapped over the mark without realizing and he smiled. “I thought so. Many people have passed through here recently with the same mark and at first I wondered where I saw it before, but it’s been some time, and my memory can’t seem to find it. You came from Washington, didn’t you? An escapee, if you don’t mind the term.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” I answered cautiously, wishing he would step back. “What are you going to do to me?”

“Nothing,” he laughed. “I wouldn’t harm a human. I know of the situation in Washington, like most vampires do and—”

“There are more of you?”

“Of course. I don’t know the exact number so let’s just say there are many vampires around the world, and most of them are not happy about what’s happening in Washington.”

I sneered. “Yeah, I bet it’s just devastating for you. No one seems to be doing anything to help.”

He moved to sit in a plush chair near the open window. I knew he did it to make me feel more comfortable, being farthest away from me, and my heart barely settled in my chest. I hate to admit it, but so far he was the kindest vampire I ever met. He laid his head against the back and sighed, closing his eyes.

I wish I had my gun. Bang—right through the heart.

“I’m sure they would but the vampires who control Washington also have influence around the world, they have a large number of highly trained guards. No one wants to take the chance.”

My anger was slowly rising to the surface. I could feel the tears coming up. “Of course no one wants to risk their life for food! We humans have to look out for ourselves and that’s why I don’t need your help. I don’t have any money but I’m sure—”

“Stand up and walk a straight line,” he interrupted.

I blinked with confusion. “Excuse me?”

He opened his eyes and gave me a strange look with those golden eyes. “You heard me.” He was confident I couldn’t do it. Fine. I’d show him.

I glared at him as I moved my legs over the edge of the bed; he watched with interest but I could see the worry behind the mask. My legs protested when they supported my full weight and my head felt fuzzy, the room only slightly spinning. I lifted my arms as if to say See? I can do it, I’m fine. He motioned for me to continue so I raised a foot to take a small step . . . and fell backwards. I screamed with the sensation of pins and needles running up and down my spine—and that was only from hitting the bed! I couldn’t imagine the pain if I fell on the floor.

He was above me again in a flash with worry on his face. “Are you okay?”

I writhed with the last excruciating wave and lay still on the bed. “You win,” I panted.

He grinned boyishly as he said, “I thought you might see it my way. Now then, there’s a bathroom across the hall, just call my wife and she’ll be happy to help you.”

“Wife?”

“Yes, Esme is my wife. You saw her earlier.”

“Vampires don’t get married.” I sat up, carefully so I wouldn’t set off the pins and needles again, to watch him move towards the door.

He rolled his eyes. “Must I show you the marriage license? While it is unusual for mates to marry in the human world, we thought it would look good on record, make some things easier for us. Unfortunately it never stops the nurses from flirting,” he chuckled. “While you’re here you’ll find that our family is much different from the vampires you’ve seen. We only want to help you, Bella.”

“What if I don’t want your help?” I scoffed.

“But you need it, and with the position you’re in, you can’t refuse. I know how you see it but asking for help from people who already offered is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of intelligence.”

His hand touched the shiny doorknob and, as if it was a second thought, he turned back to me. “Are you hungry?”

The question caught me off guard. A vampire offering a human food? It seemed farfetched to me, but when was the last time I ate? Two days ago, maybe. I had been busy preparing for the breakout that I didn’t take time to eat; my schedule consisted of running and sleeping until I was in Rainier, then I wanted a greasy burger.

“No,” I said, but my stomach answered by growling its approval of that burger. Too bad for my stomach because I wasn’t eating anything if I stayed here; they could easily poison me.

He smiled softly. “I don’t want to load too much on your system currently, so how about a hot bowl of soup?”

“Whatever.” And by that I meant: Whatever gets you out of here sooner so I can plan my escape. I don’t care if he very painfully demonstrated the fact I couldn’t walk, I would force my body through the pain to get away from these vamps.

“Very well. Soup whatever, coming right up! You’ll find it’s my specialty.” He laughed as he left the room, finally leaving me alone.

Now . . . where were the secret tunnels in this place?

Chapter Two

The trees blurred as the SUV flew down the highway. Mike had been unofficially driving since he was twelve; that kind of experience was what made riding with him exciting and terrifying at the same time. I swear the other cars were driving backwards. We blew past so many vehicles their tail lights eventually blurred together. Mike could stop this car on a dime and take the sharpest turns with ease; I felt safe riding with him.

A half hour into our drive Tyler was snoring behind me. It was okay. Honestly, he had more to do than the rest of us since he played our double agent; his family had sought protection from the vampires and they joined the opposing side. People who were owned by the vampires didn’t have to give as much blood at donations but they were expected to give freely at any time and work twice as hard. Poor Tyler had been up since yesterday morning running errands for his “protectors” during daylight hours and paperwork at night.

Unfortunately myths are just that. Sun didn’t harm vampires one bit. They never slept, never died, during daylight but if they were caught in the sun they lit up like a beacon. But this was Forks—there was no sun. The vampires could prowl the streets as long as they pleased. No one looked at you funny when you wore long sleeves and jeans; it was usually chilly. But on the rare chance of sunlight, they preferred to hide indoors.

I hoped our time surrounded by indestructible beasts was over. I was getting tired of the short end of the stick—honestly couldn’t take another second.

Mike zeroed in on the bumper in front of us, unable to pass with the car next to us blocking the way. The car in front was barely doing fifty-five! Didn’t these people realize we were trying to save ourselves? Of course not! The Montana license plate mocked us. They weren’t aware of the beasts; they were from lucky Montana.

Mike rode on the bumper. “Move it already,” he growled.

“Careful, he probably saw how quick you came up and will try break check you.” It happened before.

“Think so? He can try it, but if he doesn’t do it soon then we’re going over him.”

“Relax, Mike,” I yawned. “They might be fast but I doubt they even realize we’re gone. They’ll want the Bloodmobile before anything else.”

He chuckled as he played chicken with the car next to us, finally nudging it into another lane; we were back up to eighty, weaving expertly between traffic. “I can’t believe Charlie stole that eyesore. He might be used to dangerous situations being an ex-cop and all, but that’s stupid.”

“You know how Charlie is. Since he quit the force he’s always looking for fights; the guy has to have action. Sometimes I think he’s going insane but as long as he looks out for himself, I guess its okay.”

“You’re okay with the stupid stuff he does?”

“It makes him happy.” I shrugged. If an adrenaline rush was what he needed to stay happy, and he wasn’t getting himself killed, I was happy for him. He was a big boy; he could take care of himself.

Seth’s quiet voice came from behind. “That’s how my dad was, always jumping into the fray. He did it for us, he wanted to protect us, so one more dead was a good thing. He didn’t care if he got hurt, just as long as they were dead.”

I turned in my seat to see his face lit up by retreating headlights. He stared into the night but he wasn’t seeing anything. “Your dad was a brave man, Seth. He died living his mantra, protecting his family. You should be proud of that.”

He nodded, coming back to the present to give me a sad smile. “I know—I am. I want to be just like him.”

“Hey, what are you going to do with your freedom when we get to California?” Mike asked, trying to lighten the mood.

He was successful. Seth immediately answered, “I’m ripping my clothes off and rolling in the warm sand.”

“That’ll impress the bikini babes!” I laughed.

“I’ll join you, man. I want to feel the sun and how warm everything is,” Mike said. He nudged me gently. “How about you? Care for some nude sand angels?”

“No thanks, pervert. I’m going straight for our weapons dealer, spending a few weeks training, and heading back to Forks.”

“That’s murder!”

“That’s what I plan on doing.”

“You can’t go back by yourself. We wait for Charlie’s orders before we begin the next step, don’t rush it.”

“Hey if you’re not waist deep in women by the time I’m ready, you can come with me.”

“I’ll go with you,” said Tyler’s gruff voice. I glanced over the seat to see him pressing his fists into his eyes, trying to wake up. “I know how you feel. That’s our town, they shouldn’t even exist; we should help them by putting them out of their misery.”

“You want to free your parents too, don’t you?” I asked grimly.

Everyone knew of the Crowley’s situation. When they’d been taken in, they were turned into what we called bloodwhores. Not only were they freely giving blood straight from the vein but they performed sexual services for the vamps, as well. Several families were involved with their protectors, including my elementary school gal pals Jessica and Lauren.

“Yeah. I’m gonna kill the bastards that imprisoned them.”

“Let me know when you’re doing it,” Mike said. “We can take out yours and Jess’s at the same time.” His fingers gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. If I was more girly I might have made sympathetic noises or touched him, but I had a man’s reasoning inside me. Men didn’t always want comfort, even if I really felt bad for him.

Jessica and Mike had been childhood sweethearts. When her family gave themselves up for protection she acted like he didn’t even exist; all that mattered in her world was her protector and the next time she would see him again.

Our ride was silent after that. We were all dreaming of the vampires we wanted to kill and for what reasons. For me, it was about my freedom. I didn’t have anyone to protect, my dad could take care of himself, so I was willing to kill anything in my way of a normal life. I was only eighteen, I had a chance to finish my last year of high school, go to college, get a job—do something that didn’t require killing! Anything normal.

Who was I kidding? I’d never get a normal life. Not now.

I rested my head against the chilly window with a sigh.

“Why don’t you get some sleep?” Mike asked me. “You’ll need your strength.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll sleep on the plane.” He grinned, forcing me to smile back at him. Mike always had a certain likeability to him, he could make anyone feel better, and he was kind of cute when he smiled. Despite having a load of kills under his belt, there was an innocence that showed inside him.

Unable to pass up the chance to sleep, I took his offer. Tyler had fallen back asleep so it was up to Mike and Seth to get us past the state line in one piece. I didn’t think the vamps were following but that was another bad thing about experienced vamps: You couldn’t tell what they were thinking. Sometimes you were a worthless human, sometimes you’re a toy, but rarely does someone catch a vampire’s eye. Only if they think you’re worth something and can be controlled easily. A few runaways meant nothing to them.

I closed my eyes against the lights, the darkness, the blur of the trees and slowly let consciousness go.

I got a rude awakening from my head smacking against the window. I bolted upright in my seat with surprise. Mike never acted so stupid.

“What’s the deal?” I asked, rubbing the sore spot.

Then I heard it. A shrill tear broke the silence in my head, ringing in the car like a thousand aluminum cans being torn apart. A gunshot echoed in the car next. I turned to find the left side of the SUV flapping in the wind, a vampire clinging to the stable body. Seth was unloading into him as he tried to climb inside.

Mike swerved into another vehicle in a vain attempt to wipe him off but he pulled himself through in time.

I pulled my gun, and despite being in a daze, shot through the vamp. He barely staggered before reaching for Tyler; he ducked out of the way, the back of his shirt torn, and came back with a flash of silver. The vampire screamed as the blade sunk into his arm. Seth had enough time to put a bullet in his head and jumped over the seat to push him onto the road.

Another vampire was making his way through. With Seth in the way I didn’t want to take my chances of shooting my friend, but he had a major disadvantage. The vamp knew this. He smiled at Seth and grabbed the front of his shirt. He couldn’t get to his knife quick enough. The vamp fell backwards, taking Seth with him.

I screamed and hit my seatbelt to go after him but Tyler held me in.

“Keep driving!” he yelled. Mike picked up speed, although I wasn’t sure how much more it could take.

How could they just leave him? He was still alive! We had to look out for each other—we were going to survive together!

“What are you doing? We have to go back for him!” I thrashed in my seat hoping to shake Tyler; the trips to the gym paid off for him, he was stronger than me, and kept me in my seat.

“We’re on a highway being chased by a van full of vampires at twice the speed limit—we’re not stopping!”

As if on cue that van appeared next to us and proceeded to slam into us, pushing the SUV over two lanes towards the guardrail. They were going to run us off the road! Mike swerved, trying to fight them back, so he didn’t notice the semi truck strolling along in front until I screamed.

He hit the brakes, the car skidded out of his control as the vamps slowed and knocked into the backside. We flipped, bashed right through the guardrail, and rolled down the small incline before crashing into a tree. The rest of the glass fell in on us and the top of the SUV nearly crushed my skull as I tumbled around, but we got lucky. We may have had a rough decent yet we were alive and able to crawl out through the gaping wound on the side.

Tyler’s face was covered in blood, Mike had a gash in his hand from a large piece of glass—I could only imagine what I looked like, probably a villain from a horror film, if I had to guess. I shook the glass out of my hair, wiped the blood from my face onto my sleeve, and pulled my gun. The boys followed suit since we had headlights bearing down on us. The van was coming down the hill at full speed. Mike grabbed my arm, running with Tyler on our heels, when I heard a sickening crunch behind; they rammed headfirst into the SUV.

“Split up, they’ll be on us in a second!” Mike called as he released me. He disappeared into the trees without a sound, Tyler going a different direction.

I kept running my path with stumbling feet. Without a light in this unknown forest, I would instantly be caught. How many vampires chased us? It was a mini-van so there couldn’t be too many, especially since they lost two on the highway.

Seth.

I tripped over a root, nearly setting my gun off—thank God for safety. Picking myself back up, I choked on a sob. Those beasts probably held him down to get run over. Seth didn’t deserve such a horrible end. He was a sweet kid despite being dragged into this battle at a young age. He kept his innocence, retained his happiness in the worst of times—I swear the only thing that set him off was talk about his dad. He couldn’t be dead! He didn’t deserve to die!

Footsteps sounded behind me and I dove behind a tree. My breathing was so erratic I was sure it didn’t matter if I hid or not, they’d find me from my racing heart. The footsteps disappeared as quickly as they came. I caught my breath and continued running in the dark.

It wasn’t long until I slammed into something solid—something that was flesh and not bark. Hands clasped over my shoulders, bringing me closer to the pillar of ice, but my thumb hit the safety and I shot its side; it flinched with pain, letting me go. I kicked into the darkness in the direction of the strained hiss and was met with the satisfying crack of a broken nose. Before I could get my foot down to run, the big hands circled my calf and pulled me off balance; I hit the forest floor on my bony butt, already cursing him for the bruise I knew I’d have.

“Got’cha,” he growled.

I fired twice more at him before my magazine clicked empty. Crap! I never reloaded! Panic suddenly fueled my body and I kicked out with both feet only to have them secured in a beefy arm. My hands dug up dirt to throw in his face but it didn’t stop him from reeling me in. I didn’t have a knife, no extra gun, and there wasn’t enough time to reload. He had me in his clutches with no escape.

I screamed, still struggling in vain. “Let me go! Get off me!”

“Hold still, you little bitch! You’re more trouble than you’re worth.”

“Worth?” Did they know Charlie was the new leader? Were they going to use me to send a message? Was that why they didn’t kill us immediately?

“If you don’t stop struggling I’m going to take you in dead, got it?”

I instantly relaxed my muscles and he waited for all of five seconds to see if I was playing him. His arm loosened around my legs as he pulled me in without a single twitch; unfortunately, the rocks and branches were starting to tear my shirt. I could feel them biting into my skin, making me want to squirm.

“That’s a good girl,” he cooed sickeningly, and I was glad I couldn’t see his face. “You don’t want to die, do you?”

“No,” I whimpered.

“Well, when we get back to the masters I’ll see what I can do about stalling it, okay?”

He finally had us chest to chest. He was fighting to get my hands behind my back, but I clung to his shirt. “Oh thank you, thank you,” I breathed.

“Calm down, sheesh. It’s not like they’ll kill you immediately, anyway, but I can probably find you work somewhere.”

“Yes, that would be wonderful. Thank you so much!”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s my—”

I jammed my thumbs into his eyes and pushed until I felt them give; he screamed and clawed at my wrists but I fought against the pain of his talon-like nails. He fell over clutching his face and I slammed my boot down onto him for good measure. I was feeling especially violent and angry having to momentarily give in to the damsel role, but I resisted the urge to spit on him. That would be uncalled for.

It took only a second to find my gun and take off, pulling a magazine out of my back pocket to reload; my pistol only held ten shots per magazine, meaning I had to carry more ammo wherever I went.

He yelled at me as I ran but he couldn’t move yet, it would take time for his eyes to heal, so I took advantage of all the time I had. I was full-out sprinting in the dark on uneven ground with two other humans out here, and who knew how many vamps; it was my bad luck I already met one. He nearly had me, too. I didn’t have the strength to fight off another.

My foot hit the ground on a bad spot, maybe I tumbled over a log, but before I could blink I was flying head-over-heels down a hill. Not only was I bleeding freely, my muscles and head aching, but now I’d have broken bones! I tried to catch myself on a root but only cut my hand, and I tried slowing my way with my feet until I flipped over. I could only curl up and hope I wasn’t going off a cliff.

The hill slowly turned into flat land and my back hit a tree with enough force my bones shook. I coughed up blood twice before realizing I couldn’t feel my body, couldn’t move a muscle, and the darkness I saw was not the forest’s darkness. It was the kind of darkness that made me fear for my life. The kind that was paralyzing and scary enough to make me cry.

I couldn’t fight it back. It surrounded me in a hot tidal wave, lifting me out of my body. I wanted to sleep after my ordeal and quickly succumbed to the buzz in my head.

Chapter One

A knock came from the front door. Charlie jumped up from the chair while I muted the television. His hand went for the pistol at the base of his spine as he approached the door, sounding normal as ever as he called out, “I’m coming, hold your horses!” My left hand slid in the crack the cushions made to curl around the pistol concealed there, ready to hit the safety and pull it at any second.

Charlie peered through the peephole, stepped back, and opened the door just enough to let a plump woman inside. Charlie slammed the door once she cleared the threshold.

“God, Sue, you scared us,” Charlie complained while he relocked the door. “I thought we agreed on a special knock.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I couldn’t remember it with the Bloodmobile so close,” she replied, tucking her graying hair behind her ear.

“It’s already out there? I thought we might’ve had more time to prepare.”

She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You can only do so much, Charlie. Don’t push yourself.”

She was right, Charlie was doing way too much that sometimes he barely got two hours of sleep. Since Harry Clearwater’s death—they said it was a heart attack, we say they killed him when they caught him—my dad had taken on the responsibility of leading the resistance.

Everyone needed him for something at all times of the day, I was surprised he hadn’t split himself into hundreds of pieces. He had to keep everything covered; he didn’t want to disappoint Harry by losing a single inch of ground. We needed all the defense we could get against them.

Who are they? The most despicable creatures on earth. Vampires.

Forks, Washington used to be a good place. People were friendly, great scenery for tourists—everyone lived their lives peacefully. At least, those were the fairytales I heard. Vampires rose to dominance in Forks before I was born, but Charlie always told me stories about how much fun it was to hike in the woods without fear of being killed.

My mother, Renee, used to live in Forks, but she ran off in the middle of the night when she found out she was pregnant with me. Two months later the vampires came out to the public of Forks, Seattle and Port Angeles—nowhere else. In everyone else’s world vampires are just myth.

They’re the lucky ones.

Once vampires became public knowledge the death toll spiked. People wanted to kill them to protect their families, but they had armies, and they are stronger and faster than humans so they fought back in full force. Before long, humans became a minority, slaves to the vampires. We all worked for the vamps in this town. Renee had no idea what she was sending me into; she thought it was still safe, sleepy Forks. She didn’t know it turned into a battlefield.

When I showed up on Charlie’s doorstep he wanted me to go home to Renee, but word had traveled quickly about my arrival. Someone from the vamp side showed up and marked me that night. Every human who lived in Forks had the mark—an elegant V tattooed on the back of our necks. I was stuck in Forks forever.

I pulled my hand out from between the cushions as Charlie and Sue came back into the living room. She gave me a weary smile and I returned it with the same enthusiasm. Tonight may have been important but it was also the night we all dreaded. It was a breakout night, the very first under Charlie’s command.

After the last failure, some time before Harry’s leadership, they were scheduled every few years to prevent damage to our numbers. Members of the resistance were caught and tortured for months until they were returned to their families as empty shells. Those gruesome stories always ended in suicide.

Our last breakout was two years ago, a failed attempt that lost us fourteen people. The vampires knew what they were doing and caught key members; it was a huge hit to our morale. Charlie spent his time carefully planning the quickest escape. He thought he might have found the problem. This time we weren’t going north for a connection in Port Angeles. Charlie wanted to confuse the vampires by fleeing straight south, into Oregon. We would meet at a secret rendezvous to fly from Oregon to California, where the sun would keep us safe. He guaranteed as long as we stayed well defended at night and moved in the sunlight we had a chance.

A very, very small chance.

“Turn up the game, would you, sport?” Charlie asked as we listened to the familiar rumble of the Bloodmobile’s engine. I hit the volume of the TV playing a pre-recorded football game, straining to hear where the car was going.

Breakouts were always scheduled on donation days. Calling it a “donation” was a lie, they took however much blood they wanted, but it made it sound nice to the visitors who didn’t know. We chose these days because the majority of vampires were at their main compound awaiting the Bloodmobile’s return with its fresh stock of blood. Without them patrolling the streets we were free to run.

“Who do you think will win?” he asked with fake enthusiasm. The engine cut off two houses away. It wouldn’t be long.

“The orange guys,” I answered, nervously adjusting the shoulder strap of my holster. It was custom made to fit me like a glove and hold my gun securely, but I couldn’t help touching it when I was nervous. “They’ve had a good season so far.”

He scoffed as noise picked up outside; fists pounding on wood, arguments. “You might have them confused for someone else. They have yet to win a game.” Doors slammed. He nodded. Sue and I moved to the kitchen, closer to the basement.

“Whatever. Hey Dad, want another beer?” I called, opening the fridge. Sue pulled out the container of bleach from the empty racks and skillfully spread it on the floor, covering our scent. It would follow us into the basement and confuse their sense of smell.

“Sure, kiddo, that’d be great.” Right on cue the fists were on our door. “Hold on, there’s someone at the door.” As if he didn’t know who it was.

Sue and I were already quietly moving down the basement stairs, door barred behind us; it wouldn’t keep them out but it would slow them down. There would be two vamps at the door but Charlie was sure he could handle them; as long as we used the passageway to the sewers he was happy. His plan was to kill the vamps and steal the Bloodmobile, picking up the few humans who couldn’t get out on his way out of town. The Bloodmobile was an ambulance—he could move quickly.

Sue, on the other hand, could not. She was getting on in years, she’d already had two surgeries for her bad hip, and we were going to be stuck in the dark for a while. Flashlights or not, she would slow me down. We were set to separate at the first fork, where she would go left and meet up with her kids, but I was worried for her. She was like a mother to me in this demented place, if anything happened to her I would blame myself. I didn’t think she even had a gun on her.

Footsteps pounded above in a normal rhythm just as we found the ancient bookcase blocking the tunnel. The tunnel had once been a bomb shelter until Harry and Charlie found out it was next door to the sewers; they converted it so it connected for an escape route, in case of emergencies. My scrawny muscles slowly moved it out of the way to reveal the dank dome corridor beyond. We reached the large steel door at the same time a gunshot went off. Sue watched my back as I fiddled with the combination on the lock, nearly forgetting the numbers in my panic, and yanked the door open. I snatched my flashlight back from her, drew my gun, and started into the sewer.

A crack rang down the corridor. Sue pushed me forward when I stopped, ready to turn and fire. They only broke through the basement door. I couldn’t even see them but I was willing to shoot.

“Don’t stop!” she whispered. “Don’t stop for anything!”

“They’re breaking through already!” I whisper-screamed.

“Well what are you waiting for? Get running.”

“I’m not leaving you behind!”

“My children are waiting just up ahead, I’ll be fine. You stay on your path. Go—now!” She pushed me again, roughly, propelling me forward at a dead run.

If their already moving on us, what did that mean for Charlie? Was he okay? They could easily—no, don’t think about it, just run. Run like Charlie wanted.

My feet sloshed, my eyes and lungs burned, but I couldn’t stop my legs if I tried; it was drilled into my head from a young age how to survive here. There was no screaming behind me yet, but Sue didn’t seem like the type.

Subconsciously I knew they were behind me, tracking me by the noise I made, watching my light bounce on the tunnel walls. We chose the sewers for a reason. Not because of the handy tunnel hidden in the house—we were originally going to use it as a decoy—but because the vampires were crippled down here. They could see better in the dark but the sludge would slow them down, the stench would cover me, and by the way sound carries if they made a noise I would know. I wasn’t sure if I could pull a trigger faster than they could move, but I would try.

I came to the first fork and made my way down the right side. There was another fork ahead that I had to take left then I was on the homestretch to my rendezvous. Mike Newton, who was skilled in the art of dangerous driving, was waiting with two others and would drive us towards Oregon. I couldn’t wait for my first taste of freedom in nine years. Even high school would be welcome in my world, as long as there were no vampires.

After the second turn I slowed to take in a sickening lungful of the damp air, wiping the sweat off my forehead. If they were pursuing they would have caught up by now. They weren’t that slow. When I had enough breath, I continued at a brisk walk, listening to every slosh my feet made, every drop of water hit the sludge. Just because they weren’t here now didn’t mean they wouldn’t show up. They knew I was here. They heard me in the house, and no way would they mistake Sue for me. Unless we had a lucky night and amateurs came to our door.

I cut off my light, conserving battery life. The service lights were bright enough in this area that I could walk comfortably—well, as comfortably as possible with my boots filled with raw sewage.

Think happy thoughts. I’ll get a change of clothes, and shoes, when I meet up with Mike. No shower until roughly four hours later when we stopped in Rainier just passed the state line. Four hours smelling like an outhouse was nothing when freedom was that close.

A heavy scrape made my steps falter. They were moving a manhole cover. They knew exactly where I was going.

I hit the safety on my pistol as I ran. Bodies dropped into the sludge behind me—two of them, by the sounds of it, which was no surprise since they often traveled in pairs. I begged my aching legs not to give. They were picking up speed but my exit was just up ahead. I saw the glaring red paint smeared on the brick, exactly where I marked it last week in preparation of tonight.

Climbing was going to slow me down, but I’d already dropped my flashlight, left hand cramped around my gun; I could climb and shoot to ward them off. The rendezvous point was just beyond the line of trees above ground. I made it to the ladder, braced my foot on the last rung and pushed, jumping to catch the highest I could reach. A hand caught my leg and pulled me down. My jaw caught on the steel so hard my teeth clicked together, my head ringing.

I was tossed onto my back in the sludge with two shadowy figures above me. My hand instinctively flew out and shot one in the chest; he staggered back but his friend wasn’t happy. The wild-haired one leapt on me. I held out my foot and used her momentum to fling her over my head; she landed with a meaty squish in the distance.

The man had noticed my bullet didn’t kill him but it was too late. I was already on my feet. He was heads taller than me but range makes up for it easily. I fired at the back of his skull and, turning to intercept my attack, it luckily caught him in the temple. With wide eyes he dropped face first into the sewage and I climbed over his body, watching for the woman.

There was no movement. I had to hurry before the man’s body healed itself—bullets never killed vampires. I scrambled up the ladder, holstered my gun to move the lid, and jumped into the crisp night air.

My muscles were at their breaking point. I saw Mike’s familiar form propped against a tree near the streetlight. I could feel him watching me, knew his gun was at his side having heard my struggle. Squishy noises came from the tunnel and I pulled my legs out of the hole in time avoid the woman as she barreled up the ladder.

Mike was instantly at my side to pull me to my feet. She charged at Mike so I had enough time to pull my gun free. I couldn’t get a bead with the way she moved—all that vampiric feline grace and footwork that suggested she was a dancer sometime in her life—and I didn’t want to hit Mike. I had to wait until she slowed down.

She grabbed him around the neck, slammed him onto the concrete. I thought I heard his skull crack until I noticed his hand coated in red; he sunk a knife between her ribs, trying to get her heart, and she screamed with pain and terror.

“Now!” he shouted over her screeching. He held her down as she twisted. She was only driving the blade further.

I raised my gun with exhausted muscles, a fine trembling running through my arms, and fired at her head. The kick was stronger than usual; my shot went wide. I fixed my grip and steeled my nerves, focusing on the flesh just between her eyes and pulled the trigger. Blood splattered onto Mike’s face as he wrenched the blade through her chest; it was long enough that the tip stuck out her back.

He pulled the blade free when she stopped moving, happy to see her chest ravaged, and set it against her neck, dragging it back in a sharp motion. I flinched and turned my back at the sound of her head detaching from her body. Well, at least that makes one less vamp.

“Do we have to clean up the mess?” I mumbled as I slid my gun back into its holster.

“There’s another in the sewers, isn’t there?” he asked.

“Incapacitated.”

“Figures. You’re a wicked shot but regular ammo does nothing against these beasts.”

“Well it’s not like their affected by holy water. It’d be nice if that sewer was full of it. Have you smelled me recently?”

“You smell like a bed of roses to me. Come on, we have to get moving before her partner decides to wake up and take revenge.” He slid the small sword into a sheath on his hip as he went towards the tree line. I covered the manhole before joining him.

Hiding in the trees was Mike’s black SUV, Tyler Crowley, and Sue’s youngest child Seth. It was surprising to see him here since he was supposed to wait for his mom with Leah. I ran up to him, trying to hold back my panic.

“What happened? Is Sue okay?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I guess so. Sam showed up to help your dad and brought her through looking a little beat up. He told me to head out with you guys, and to tell you your dad made it out without a scratch.”

I smiled with relief. Yeah, my dad was hardcore like that. “Thanks, Seth.”

Without another word we climbed into the hulking vehicle. I got shotgun because I called it two nights ago and no one was going to argue now. Seth passed me a box of baby wipes and a plastic grocery store bag with my change of clothes. I gratefully accepted the gifts and stripped while Mike got us on the road. Was I worried, or nervous, about being half naked in front of three guys? Nope. We’d all been friends since childhood, often thrown together in the bathtub as kids, and we were all in survival mode. They were too busy watching for incoming attacks to even think about a girl covered in crap trying to make herself decent.

As I vigorously scrubbed with the wipes, I caught sight of the clock. One-thirty in the morning. Only twenty minutes had passed. I seriously had someone to thank for creating short tunnels.

In twenty minutes, the exact estimated time, over a hundred people should have been moved from Forks. Unfortunately we couldn’t take everyone in a single night, but if we survived, whoever was left behind had hope of getting out, as well. Idly I wondered if anyone else got a kill tonight. Getting deadlier weapons was definitely top priority on our list. They could be incapacitated by normal bullets if shot near the heart or in the head, but short of cutting off their head, we had no good ways to kill vampires. It was only one step on our way because we certainly weren’t done. We weren’t running from Forks just to get out and abandon everyone—oh no, we were coming back for sure.

We planned to take back our town.