The Wolf's Witch (book 1)

32. Snickerdoodles

As I raced towards the connivence store, a vampire I didn't recognize tried to lodge his fangs in my throat. It was sheer luck that I had struck him first. He either hadn't seen or didn't care about the sword I'd kept at the ready as I ran for cover. He'd moved so fast and come out of nowhere, that if I hadn't been holding it, he'd be drinking his fill already. 

I moved on auto-pilot as the vampire lunged his own mid-section on my sword and gritted through the pain of tugging upwards. He was trying to slide closer, impaling himself further and closer to me. I needed to slice upwards and through him before he got close enough to sink his fangs into me. The struggle left us in an awkward angle with his fingers gripping into my skin. Unlike me, he seemed completely unresponsive to his wound. 

Surely, in this situation, I'll be able to plead self-defence. 

A reverberating loud bang went off as a bullet hit too close for comfort. It took out the top right part of the vampires skull, slightly larger than the size of my fist. 

My ears rung as the sound echoed, thudding at full volume in my ears.

It was ridiculous because I'd just been fighting to kill him but all I could think of was, Did this vampire have a family too? 

I hovered for a bit longer than was necessary like an idiot.

The after thought that it could've been me drifted in the distance but refused to fully register. 

Had I really been sympathizing for the asshole who just tried to kill me? 

I really couldn't take another fatal wound. I ran for shelter, or tried to, as I fell over a body on the floor in desperation to get away. My ankle, knees and hands took must of the hit as the gravel bite through thin skin. 

I took another heaving breath and pushed myself up. I needed to take a moment to refreeze my wound. I've already lost enough blood. The last thing I needed to do was look down-

Don't look down. 

Don't look down. 

Wet lashes around dark empty green eyes greeted me and for the bleeding life of me I couldn't place them. Whoever she was, she hadn't been inside the house. An innocent passerbyer or someone willing to help. From the creases in her skin and white roots, likely a grandmother. 

Deja-vu hit me. 

Although those eyes were a different color, they were eerily similar to- With quick breath, I grasped my hand over my wound to keep the reminiscent image of my mother from implanting itself in the forefront of my mind. I wouldn't be able to go on otherwise. 

I strained my fingers to keep ahold of my sword on the opposite hand and kept running. I was o my third step when my magic responded and on my fourth when I started to pray that the humans didn't ask any questions about why my sword had been smoking a second ago. 

My lifesaver in red plaid was still holding his shotgun at the ready as his lips moved frantically. I couldn't make out what he was saying and I wasn't that good at reading lips, but I was pretty sure he was saying something under the lines of, hurry the fuck up. 

I have no idea how I made past him but the next second I blinked, I was extremely close to the connivence store now and could spot the chains near the door.

Nice.

For the time being, it would work better than a lock. 

No.

It felt wrong. 

I'm forgetting something. 

Someone.