Hell Fire (Wild Fire: 2) (FINISHED)

2 - The burn in her eyes

"So..." Max uttered, "wanna tell me what's going on?"

"You're too fast," Ember huffed. "That's what's going on. Jesus... why do you even need a car, huh?"

He sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "Ember, don't you remember what happened last time when you refused to tell me what was going on?"

She stood fully, lips twisting in annoyance.

"You almost got taken over by a psychotic werewolf," Max hissed. "You saw babies get murdered? You heard screaming and crying and hallucinations galore. And you were going crazy to the point of where I was concerned for your mental state. I wasn't sure how long it would take until..." he sighed, "you know."

She sighed, putting her face in her hands.

"Ember..." Max urged. "Tell me what's happening."

"Elijah," Ember murmured. "He's haunting me. His every being."

Max was silent.

"Every orange glow in the night are his eyes," she whispered. "Every man with brown hair is him until they aren't... Every howl in the night... the scent of his cologne... It's... everywhere, and I can't get him out of my head. I keep telling myself, he's dead, Ember. He's gone. He can't hurt you. But really? I'm not sure. I hadn't the faintest clue as to if he were alive or not. There was no evidence. But just now? My sister texted me, telling me a 'bulky' man came to our front door and gave her a letter to let her know that 'a storm was coming,' and that 'to make sure Ember doesn't drown again.'"

Max's eyes darkened.

"I have to kill him..." Ember whispered. "I have to murder him with my OWN hands... And then... and then I'll be free, right?"

"Emby..." Max whispered gently.

"I know," she waved him off, "I sound crazy, I know."

"No, you don't," Max assured her. "I swear it. What... concerns me is that..." he paused, "I think... he's alive, too."

She gazed up in a panic.

"Yeah," Max responded, looking slightly pale, "I've gotten signs, too, you know."

She sighed and set her head against a tree, closing her eyes for a moment while trying to regain her strength.

But she suddenly felt heat consume her, and she looked up to find Max's face only inches from hers.

"You know..." he whispered, watching something hot burn in her eyes, "I can make you feel better."

"Oh, really now?" she responded, crossing her arms despite the heat coiling inside. "And how could you manage that?"

He smiled. "A game?"

"A... game?" she echoed in disbelief. "Like what? Monopoly?"

"No," he responded, lightly brushing some of her hair away from her face and watching her lashes flutter, "something else... Something... more exciting."

"Like what?" she wondered, gazing up at him fully.

"A race," he responded, seeing the curious tint to her eyes.

"Oh?" she asked then, clearly interested.

"Yes," he stated, "if I win, you're staying at my house tonight. If you win... I stay at yours."

She smiled. "I like that deal."

His eyes reflected amusement in them. "I knew you would."

"Prepare to lose..." she whispered to him, making him chuckle at her childish enthusiasm.