Boris and the Vampire (Legends of Pinewood 2)

And He Will Get Squished

Running into the woods on my own had to be my most stupid action to date. And there had been some fierce competition for that title lately.

While I ran to Bob's old factory in the woods, my mind also raced. I was pretty convinced it was Nathan and his friends who had confronted Etienne. Who else here knew of his existence and was strong enough to corner a vampire? It definitely wasn't Mr. and Mrs. Davis from the village.

The who wasn't the most puzzling part of this, however. What I really didn't get was why Etienne was no longer in the fey woods. Why didn't Ivana keep him there, as was the plan all along? It made little sense to move him.

Of course the thought that this could be a trap had flashed through my head too, but that also made little sense. A trap for what, and why?

After taking a shortcut through the thick vegetation—but not thick enough to stop a determined werewolf—I reached the factory situated in a clearing not far from Pinewood town.

I didn't hear a single sound coming from inside the building. Nature had already started reclaiming the area, but I spotted broken branches and plants near the entrance, indicating there had definitely been someone here recently.

Eerie silence where you expected voices was never a good sign. It probably meant I was already too late.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself, marched to the front door of the factory's office area, and pushed it open. The door gave way easily, albeit with a loud creak, and I slipped inside.

Bob's office was all cleared out, leaving only dust, and walls with peeling paint inside. Light shone in through cracked windows, though the dusk was quickly setting in. Another bad sign. If Etienne was here, he must've gotten burned while being dragged inside.

I didn't see anyone, however. I still didn't hear nor smell anyone either. Should've asked Danny where exactly he peeked inside.

Cursing under my breath, I marched on to the hallway. When I opened the next door, a strong smell finally hit me. Iron. Blood.

My heart dropped. I figured it was probably best not to make a ruckus and announce my presence to everyone inside the factory, but now I couldn't stop myself from yelling.

"Etienne?" I called out.

My voice echoed through the empty hallway. There was no response, and I started running towards the source of the blood. It seemed to originate from the workplace up ahead.

I burst through the door, into a large, open space only dimly lit by the light in the hallway behind me. I was definitely going the right way; the smell of iron was overwhelming.

When I reached for the light switch, the lights overhead flickered on and I had finally found the source of the smell.

Etienne was on the ground and covered in blood. I caught the scent of a wolf's blood as well—the prey he had consumed a few days ago which was still running through his veins.

"Etienne!"

He didn't respond to my voice as I ran over. It was always hard to tell with vampires whether they were 'alive' or not, but thankfully, Etienne showed a sign of life by groaning and blinking his eyes open as I kneeled down beside him.

"Boris?" Etienne rasped.

I hushed him as I inspected his wounds. They looked like claw marks, and they were deep. While vampires were pretty tough, they could still die when their injuries were severe. And this looked pretty damn severe.

My hands trembled as I clenched Etienne's blood-soaked shirt. I had to think fast. I couldn't bring Etienne to a human hospital, and he wouldn't survive the long journey back to his own people. I could only think of one way to heal him right now, and that was for him to drink blood. Strong blood. Like a werewolf's.