"We should get going," she announced to Dan and her parents in the living room.
Catching her gaze, he nodded before getting to his feet.
"Leaving so soon?" her mother protested.
Refraining from rolling her eyes, she said, "Yes, Mom. Dan and I have to work in the morning. If we leave now, we should get there by ten-thirty."
Giving in finally, her mother sighed. "I guess you're right."
Relieved, Aubree stood by the front door, mentally ticking off everything she knew was in their luggage that they brought with them.
"Wait, my fudge!" She hurried into the kitchen while Dan put his shoes on in the foyer.
They said their goodbyes and hurried out the door to their car. Whiskey barked in protest from inside while her parents waved goodbye from the porch.
They set out and stopped for dinner about two hours later at a fast-food restaurant before returning to the road. Soon, the sun was setting in their eyes and they were crossing through Wisconsin. They were halfway to the Minnesota border when the sun set and an unsettling feeling tickled the nape of her neck.
Maybe it was because the setting sun cast long dark shadows over the road from the trees as the sky turned orange, red, then purple, but she was unable to tear her eyes away from the trees that lined the highway.
When darkness set in and the moon appeared over the tops of the trees, she gazed up in awe at the large round disk. Its light shone down on the road before them until clouds hid it from view.
She rubbed her arm as she looked around them, her left hand in Dan's as he drove. The highway was quiet, with just one car a couple hundred yards ahead of them and one maybe half a mile behind. Even the oncoming traffic was sparse and Aubree was suddenly filled with memories of her drive to Minneapolis just a few short weeks ago. She had been closer to the city that time, but there was nothing out here on this stretch of road. Nothing but fields and trees for miles.
A howl pierced through the silence, making her skin crawl and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. It sounded like the howl of a lone wolf. Did they have wolves around here?
"Did you hear that?" she murmured as her eyes darted around them for the source.
"Yeah," Dan said, releasing her hand and gripping the steering wheel with both hands.
She couldn't guess how far away the wolf was, but when she heard a second howl, she knew the wolf wasn't alone.
"They wouldn't come this close to a major road, right?" she asked as a third howl sounded in the distance.
"If they were smart, they wouldn't," Dan said.
She nodded in agreement. It would be dangerous for animals to cross here, even though the traffic seemed rather light.
"The sooner we get home, the better," she mumbled.
Dan reached for her hand and stroked his thumb over her knuckles.
When the howling came to a stop, her nervousness eased up a bit and she relaxed in her seat. Only two more hours to go and then they would be home.
A shadow flickered in the trees as the headlights passed over it.
Aubree heard herself gasp as the shadow stepped out from the trees and ran in front of their car.
In the split-second it took Dan to register what happened and slam his foot down on the brakes, Aubree took in the man's appearance in the headlights.
His dark, short cropped hair was sticking up in all directions. Tattered and torn shirt and ripped jeans revealed skin as pale as a ghost's, nearly luminous that seemed to reflect the brightness of the headlights. Most striking of all that made her eyes widen in fear was the crooked grin on his lips as his red eyes gripped hers.
Squealing, the tires locked as Dan turned the wheel in an attempt to avoid the man, but he turned too sharply to the right and the car began to tilt.
In deafening silence, Aubree gripped onto the dash as the car began to roll. The windows shattered as the car's roof collided with the asphalt before skidding into the ditch where it came to a stop. Upon impact, the airbags exploded, knocking the wind from her as it struck her face and chest.
As the seconds ticked by and the airbags began to deflate, her hearing returned and she looked around frantically, calling out Dan's name.
Pushing the airbags away from her face, her fingers found Dan as she continued to scream his name. Shards of glass lodged in his flesh, his eyes were closed as he remained suspended upside-down in his seat thanks to the seatbelt. Her eyes flew to his chest where she could see the steady rising and falling with each breath he took.
Relief eased the fear holding her tightly in its clutches as she reached out to brush a strand of his hair from his face. He was okay. Unconscious, but okay.
The screech of metal being torn apart by nails met her ears before a hand grabbed her arm. Before she could register what was happening, her belt was cut and she was pulled from the vehicle by someone with alarming strength.
Crying out in pain, she looked up into the shadowed face of the man who crossed in front of their path and caused the crash. Unable to see his face clearly in the darkness, she cringed in fear under his cold, hard gaze. With her head still spinning, she could barely fathom if she was lying down on the ground or standing on her own two feet.
It didn't matter because she didn't have the strength to fight him off when he licked her forehead and groaned.
"It's a shame there's such a high price on your life," he rasped in a thin voice. "Your blood is so delectable."
Gasping, she found herself being thrown over his shoulder as he turned and sped off into the woods. Her ribs ached as she bounced against his bony shoulder. His frame was lean and tall, yet his strength and speed were phenomenal.
Finally finding her voice, she began shrieking and demanding that he put her down. Despite pounding her fists against his back and kicking him in the chest, he continued to carry her through the darkness, weaving effortlessly between the trees as if he could see them as clear as day.
After a minute, he tired of her struggle. Growling, he flung her down on the ground and straddled her, pinning her so hard against the earth that she thought her bones would break.
"If you don't settle down, I will have to hurt you and Mistress wouldn't like that," he warned as she cried out in agony at the force he applied.
Despite the pain and fear, Aubree hawked and spat in his face. Grimacing, he latched his hands around her throat and began squeezing.
Grasping at his hands, she tried to dig her nails into his skin to try and tear him off but couldn't. She flailed about to try and throw him off balance, but only resulted in hurting herself more as he continued to press down on her.
"I warned you," he growled as her strength began to slip.
Her head grew heavy and she fought to remain conscious but the more she struggled, the weaker she got.
Losing the battle, darkness took her and carried her away.
----
Dedicated to lotteholder
*Copyright Jo Lee Hunt (Joflower) 2015*
YOU ARE READING
Heart of Stone (Parts I & II)
Lupi mannari[COMPLETE] Some bonds can't be broken, even in death. -- He couldn't endure another heartbreak. "Accepting her would be a mistake," he said. "She's a human. I can't afford to have her blood on my hands." Gwen looked away, and he knew she saw the ima...
