Blood Slaves Ch. 05

"You, alright?"

I looked over at Morgan and nodded. "Yeah, just...keep driving. I've got kind of a bad feeling."

"A bad feeling?"

I looked away, not sure how to explain it.

"Bad feeling about what?"

"I-I don't know, just...something feels weird. I don't know if it's related to Elyse or not."

"Are you hearing any voices," Morgan asked concerned.

"Voices?"

"Elyse, specifically. She may be trying to reach out."

I hesitated, then shook my head...

"No...no voices, just bad feelings."

Morgan sighed, focusing on the road again. She looked like she was deep in thought, then she looked like she had more to say...but she didn't speak. She glanced at the gas gauge and then groaned, clearly more agitated now.

"I have to stop for gas."

"There," I pointed, off to the left after looking around.

"Just up ahead."

Morgan nodded, and once we had pulled into the gas station, she gave me strict orders to wait in the car. Gas stations were likely the most convenient places, for posters with my "mugshot" as she put it so delicately.

Morgan got out, walked up to pay for the gas, and I stayed put, playing lazily with my blonde hair as I waited for her return.

As I sat waiting, something caught my attention from the corner of my eye...a girl. A few feet away from the car, with soft, red hair and gorgeous green eyes to compliment her mane.

She looked to be no older than her mid-twenties if that but along with her, a man who appeared in his late thirties. He wore a grey flannel and faded grey jeans. Slicked back dark hair, and some five o'clock shadow lining his face.

He didn't seem very friendly.

The man and the young woman appeared to be in a bit of an argument, with the girl throwing her hands up as she yelled something that I couldn't quite make out, while the man simply shook his head and smirked...it was a sinister grin...one that after a few moments, made the young woman step back and then cower in shame, as the man began pointing his finger in her face and yelling angrily at her.

I didn't like how aggressive he seemed, and clearly, the young woman didn't either. Something came over me...something, I couldn't quite explain. It was like an instinct, that led me to reach for the door, ready to step out and intervene.

Morgan beat me to the punch.

She slipped up behind the two, without either of them noticing her until the very moment that she roughly laid a hand on the man's shoulder and squeezed it, to draw his attention. I chuckled, as he jumped and looked back at Morgan with a hint of surprise. She said something to him...again, from the car, I had no idea what.

Whatever it was though, it seemed to put an end to the disagreement between him and the younger woman.

The man simply shook his head, walked away, and climbed back into his vehicle. Morgan stayed back with the woman, smiling at her and I was able to read her lips and piece together the following conversation.

Just making sure she was okay, I realized.

Once Morgan was certain that the woman was safe, they shook hands and Morgan started back towards the car.

The woman got into the vehicle with the man, and it was only as they were pulling out of the gas station that I realized, there was a younger man in the back seat...though, I couldn't quite make out any features.

I brushed it off, as Morgan finished filling up the tank and then climbed back behind the steering wheel.

"What was that about," I asked, as she started the car.

"Some jackass, treating his girlfriend like trash...I put him in his place, and she felt okay enough to stay with him."

"You're a real hero there, huh?"

"It's a shame," Morgan sighed, as she began pulling out of the gas station. "I was kind of hoping she'd want a lift somewhere...would have made a nice snack."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"What," Morgan laughed. "I'm kidding...maybe."

- - - - -

I have to admit...I was warming up to this.

Being with Morgan. Leaving Seaway behind, even if that meant leaving my family and Kimberly, too. Not because I didn't care about any of them, don't get me wrong. I would miss them, forever.

Literally.

But Morgan was right, it WAS for the best. And being with Morgan...well, I didn't mind that so much either. Of course, I missed Elyse and even Amanda, almost as much as I missed my family and friends...not...quite as much. But I knew from everything Morgan had told me so far, that Elyse could not be trusted fully.

I was better off with Morgan, but there was the lingering question in the back of my mind...how would I eventually come to cut the mental connection, between me and Elyse?

It would have to happen, sooner or later. Even now, I could feel it...just as Morgan had warned. That pull, that tug. That urge to turn around, run back home, right into the warmth of her arms. To serve her, please her, and satisfy her every need.

And, something deeper. Beneath the desire to satisfy Elyse for the rest of eternity, was that lingering feeling of impending doom that I had told Morgan about earlier. It hadn't left. Not even for a second, since we had pulled into that gas station about an hour ago.

No, it had stayed heavy and increasingly overwhelming, forming into more of a pit of despair, that no matter what I did I just couldn't seem to shake. Like something horrible was about to happen, but at the same time, it was like something horrible had already happened.

And it fed into the urge to return home. Not home, home but to Elyse and Amanda. Like, I had to go back and if I didn't go back, something really REALLY bad would happen as a result of me not going back.

Was it my family?

Mark and Dad? Kimberly? Would Elyse kill them, if I didn't return? I could only imagine how pissed she was...surely by now, she knew that Morgan had betrayed her and taken me along for the joy ride.

Just because I was willing to accept my fate and stick with Morgan, rather than returning home to everyone I cared about, didn't mean that I was okay with the idea of them dying as a result.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight, trying to force these thoughts aside...so maybe this was something Elyse was doing, to try and bring me back.

But what if, it wasn't exactly what Morgan thought?

What if the strategy was a little different, than what we anticipated. What if, Elyse was just playing mind games. Not particularly reaching out to me, so much as she was trying to fuck with my head and make me paranoid, afraid.

She knew how much Mark, Kimberly, and Dad meant to me.

She'd do anything, to get my attention.

I had to consider the possibility, that these people weren't actually in danger...Elyse might just want me to THINK that they were.

"We're heading for Connecticut."

I jumped, startled by Morgan's voice beside me...I had been in such a deep train of thought, I almost forgot where I was. My eyes opened and I looked over at her, confused and dazed for a moment. "You good?"

"Yeah," I replied, as my brain fog began to clear.

"No, sorry. I just...I guess, I'm a little tired."

"Connecticut is far enough," Morgan continued.

"I doubt anyone out there, is aware of some small-town Jersey girl that went missing a month ago. We'll find a motel, settle in and look for a way to make some cash...once we've got enough, we'll look for a more permanent home."

"Are you sure, it's safe to sit still for long?"

"No," Morgan admitted. "Connecticut isn't a permanent home. We'll stay there as long as we can, but our dream home will be somewhere else. It's just going to take some time."

I nodded with understanding. As I did so, I looked up to the right and noticed a car parked off at the side of the road...and...it was a familiar car. It was the same vehicle we'd seen back at that gas station, with the redhead and her possibly abusive boyfriend, or whatever he was to her.

As we drew closer, it was clear that Morgan didn't quite notice them sitting there on the side of the road...or...maybe, she just didn't care. Either way, it was obvious that something was wrong.

"Hey," I said, leaning forward slightly to get a better look as we approached.

"Morgan, s-stop."

"What?"

"Look," I pointed. "Isn't that the couple, from the station?"

She slowed down, leaning over the steering wheel for a better look and then pressed on the breaks a bit harder though she didn't come to a complete stop just yet.

"Yeah," Morgan muttered.

Drawing to a slow halt, we saw the man with the slicked-back hair leaning over the open hood of the car. His redhead girlfriend, Morgan's "snack that got away," stood beside him and for a moment, I worried that this might be a bad idea. Maybe we shouldn't stop. I didn't want to put these people in any sort of danger from Morgan.

And me...I hadn't drank in a few hours. Admittedly, the bloodthirst was setting somewhere deep within.

Morgan drew a deep breath, then reached for the door but paused and looked over at me for a second.

"Wait here."

She didn't wait for an answer, before climbing out of the car and slamming the door shut. I wanted to go with her...something felt wrong about this, which was why I felt the need to go with her. Morgan probably sensed it too though, and it might just be her reason for wanting me to stay. As she approached the man with black hair, I tried to make out what the two were discussing.

Just like at the gas station, I had no idea what they were saying but I was able to guess that the car must have broken down and they needed help...or...was this some sort of trap?

Why would I think something like that?

A few minutes passed by, and Morgan seemed to be looking over the parts under the hood of the car now. The man stood close to her...uncomfortably close. When the back passenger door opened and the younger guy stepped out, that's when my nerves began to really twist in my gut.

Something wasn't right about this. I watched, as the younger guy and the redhead exchanged glances and then he started walking around the opposite side of the car, to join the man and Morgan.

I watched him reaching for something in his coat, and I made my move. Quickly stepping out of the car myself, I moved to join Morgan just in case I was right. I didn't make it all the way though, before the young man reached the front and pulled out a machete. At the same time, the man with the slicked-back hair stepped back from the hood of the car and pulled a similar weapon from his coat, all while Morgan was still hunched over the hood and examining the inside.

"Morgan, watch out!"

The man swung first.

When Morgan ducked out of the way and jumped backward, the younger man lunged at her and attempted to succeed where the older man had just failed. Morgan ducked again though, moving much too fast for either of them.

She managed to avoid the next few blows before she found both men standing on either side of her, clearly having no intentions of backing down any time soon. "Morgan-"

"Let's go," the redhead suddenly yelled.

I looked up to see her running towards me, armed with a machete of her own and before I could react she had grabbed me by the arm and started pulling me towards the car while her two friends continued trying to cut down Morgan.

"W-What...hey, let go! What are you doing!?"

"It's okay, relax! You're Sara Willits, right?"

I froze, blinking twice...how did she know my name?

"How-"

"My name is Lisa," she interrupted.

"We're here to save you!"

Save...me?

Hunters...they were Hunters.

And they were here to save me...they must have been following the Seaway case for a while now and knew that I was the most recent person to go missing. Clearly, though, they had no idea that I was no longer the innocent human girl they had set out to rescue.

This was an opportunity, I thought...a chance to get away and go home to my family. More like, a missed opportunity. Tears stung my eyes as I knew deep down of course, that this wouldn't work for obvious reasons. Once they realized I was a Vampire now too, they'd go from trying to save me, to trying to kill me like they were trying to kill Morgan.

Lisa saw the hesitation, fear, and sadness in my eyes and stared at me with confusion. She tugged at my arm again, trying to pull me towards their car and I shook my head at her. "I..."

"Sara, what's wrong...we don't have time!"

"I-I can't go home," I stifled my tears. "It's too late..."

The realization set in for Lisa, and I could see it in her eyes now. Her confused expression changed to one of sorrow and sympathy, as she let go of my arm and looked over at her two friends. The battle had begun to intensify now, with Morgan having knocked the machete from the older opponent's grasp now.

She knocked him to the ground and then spun on her heels, delivering a sharp kick straight to his young partner's gut and sending him flying.

With a hiss, Morgan sped after the young man and once he hit the ground, she knelt and grabbed him by the throat and dug her nails into his skin, instantly drawing some blood.

"You little shit," she growled at him.

"It's a shame really...so young and impressionable...I bet you thought, you'd go on to become a skilled Hunter someday with the right training. Too bad, you're life's about to end now!"

Just before Morgan could sink her fangs into the panicked young man, a gunshot echoed and Morgan yelped and cringed. She heard the bullet whizz right past her on the left-hand side, felt it graze her cheek but fortunately did not penetrate...fortunate, because it was probably dipped in Dead Man's Blood which would have been pretty bad.

She looked back over her shoulder and saw that it was the other man who had fired the gun at her. He knew that he had missed, even if just by mere inches, and quickly grabbed his machete with one hand, while still gripping the gun with the other. Enraged, Morgan stood up and turned to face him completely...obviously, he was much more skilled than the boy and he would have to be taken down first.

Morgan began charging straight towards him, letting her rage blind her and as she drew closer to him, he started firing off more rounds with the gun. She dodged every bullet he shot at her until she was right in front of him and that's when he swung the machete and sunk the blade into her right shoulder.

Morgan screamed in pain, as blood splattered everywhere and she grabbed the weapon and ripped it from her shoulder, tossing it aside. Before she could make another move though, the younger man fired a gun of his own...this time, Morgan hadn't seen it coming.

"Morgan, no!" I cried as the bullet struck her in the left leg before she could try to avoid it.

The wounded leg instantly gave out under her weight and she sunk to one knee, with the older man towering over here now and ready to take her head clean off her shoulders. "Don't do it, please! Leave her alone!"

He looked over at me and Lisa with confusion, shaking his head as he tried to catch his breath. "What the fuck's her issue?" He asked Lisa, who shook her head in frustration.

"We're too late," Lisa explained. "They turned her!"

The man shook his head, as their younger partner finally got back on his feet and staggered over to his side.

"Crazy bitch," the young man said, before smacking Morgan across the face with much force. She flinched and cringed, glaring up at him angrily through gritted teeth.

"I'll show you how fucking crazy I am," Morgan laughed.

She tried to move, then flinched again as pain soared through her wounded leg and she gave a low grunt. I covered my mouth with fear, as I realized what was wrong...it wasn't the gunshot wound alone stopping Morgan from moving. Surely, being a Vampire and one as strong as her, she could have handled something like that without a problem.

The bullet must have been dipped in Blood, I reminded myself...which meant that she was poisoned and completely at the mercy of these Hunters now.

"Please," I said desperately now. "Please, w-we're not looking for any trouble...we left the Nest to get away from all of this!"

The man looked at me again and scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Me and Morgan...we won't hurt anybody, I promise. We abandoned the Nest so that we could be normal."

"Normal," I laughed. "You're kidding me, right...there is no such thing as NORMAL for you things...you're Monsters. Sara, I'm sorry we couldn't save you but it's too late now and we have to do, what we have to do."

"Don't worry," Lisa said from behind me.

I hadn't noticed until that moment, that she had moved from my side and no longer seemed as sympathetic. Now, she was standing in a rather threatening position behind me and gripping that machete even tighter than before.

"Once we've killed you both, we'll be sure to take care of your Nest. Lilith has already taken two more prisoners, to try and draw you home with but that's not going to happen."

"Wait," I gasped. "W-What?"

"I'll kill Lilith myself," Morgan said suddenly.

"And then, when you see her in Hell? Be sure and tell her I said fuck you, bitch."

Suddenly, Morgan was back on both feet again.

I couldn't understand how, and it was obvious that the older man and his younger partner were both equally confused. Neither of them had time to react though before Morgan had lunged at them and knocked their weapons aside. Her eyes began to glow a terrifying crimson red, as they were both lifted from their feet by invisible hands and into the air.

"Jerry," Lisa screamed, as the older man was lifted first.

"Mike!" She cried for the younger guy, who looked at her with terror in his eyes and reached out for her as if to plead for her help. "L-Lisa! Don't let her kill me!"

"Let my brother go, you bitch!" Lisa screamed.

"Morgan, don't do it!" I yelled, desperately pleading with her not to do what I feared she was about to do. Sure, I understood these two were Hunters and their mission was to kill us both. We were both strong enough to get away from them though, or at least

Morgan was, and strong enough to later teach me how to fight for myself.

I'd rather prove that we were capable of being normal, and killing these two would only prove the opposite.

"Morgan!"

Just as she clenched both fists, prepared to end their lives in whatever way she must have seen fit, she jerked her head and looked back over her shoulder at me for a second.

"Please!"

She was hesitant, I could see it. But after a few moments, Morgan looked back at the two of me and then snapped her fingers. Instantly, they both fell back to the ground and both landed with a loud thud that made me flinch.

They hit the ground, like a ton of bricks and now, they were lying there completely motionless. Had she ignored my pleas for her to show mercy? Were they dead?

"Don't worry," Morgan said as if she had read my thoughts.

"They're both still alive...they'll be fine."

I breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing my temples with both hands and trying to calm my nerves now. For a minute there, I thought for sure that Morgan would slaughter them both.

The sound of footsteps running jarred me back to reality. Looking back up again, I saw that Lisa had made a run for it now. She was hauling ass back towards the car she and her friends had come in, and Morgan saw her moving, too.

"Ha," Morgan laughed.

"I don't fucking think so!"

Faster than even I could blink, Morgan flew through the air and came right between Lisa and the driver's side of the car, putting up one hand to stop the girl dead in her tracks.

"Where, do you think you're going?"

"P-Please," Lisa shook her head slowly. "Don't k-kill me!"

"Let her go, Morgan!"

The raven-haired girl looked over me and snickered, rolling her eyes at me in annoyance. "You're no fun," she chuckled.

"Don't worry though...I need her alive, anyway."