The Fate Of The Marked

Chapter Five

After making use of the bathroom, I found a quiet corner near the back, as far away from the receptionist desk as I could manage. There were only a few people here this early, milling around the tall shelves, but I kept my head low.

It took me almost two hours to find anything useful about strange dreams. It took me thirty pages to realize that it was fiction. I put it away and sank down between two shelves. My head pounded in time with my heart. I closed my eyes tightly and rested my forehead on my knees.

I listened to the quiet murmur of the voices around me and began to drift off. I tried to wake up, afraid of the strange woman and the screaming, but nothing greeted me but darkness.

A hand shook my shoulder, and sent an electric jolt through me. I threw my arm up and knocked the hand away, pushing myself back. My head hit the shelf with a loud crack and sent the books I had carelessly stacked there raining down on me.

"You alright kid?" The man reached for me again, but I stood up an backed away.

I stared at him for a long second, taking in his suit and briefcase. Two of the librarians were looking at us over his shoulder and I decided not to make myself memorable by causing a scene.

"I'm fine."

I had meant for it to sound more assured, but it came out as a whisper. The man didn't look convinced. I leaned down reluctantly and began to pick up the fallen books. After a long second, he began to help.

"There are better places to sleep than a library, you know," He joked. "I hear the gym around the corner has some pretty soft benches."

"The floors' actually pretty comfortable, thanks." I said, heaving the stack of books back into their place.

"Fair enough," He said, "But the library's closing for the day. You should get home. The streets aren't any place for a kid at night."

He before offered me his hand, but I ignored him and turned to pick up the book I had deemed useless before. One glance out the window told me that it was indeed getting dark out. I pushed the sour feeling in my stomach down at the thought of facing those dogs again. Breaking my arm was bad enough, but who knew how much damage they could do if they actually caught me.

"Thanks," I said.

I slipped the book back into place and walked reluctantly to the exit. The man followed after bidding the two older women goodnight. I ducked my head and jogged down the stairs, but slowed after I nearly slipped. It had rained while I was inside, and looked like it might begin again. The air seemed even colder than before, the sharp wind caused me to shiver. The man caught up to me.

"Don't you have a jacket?" He asked, easily matching my pace.

I felt my face turn red, and I decided to not answer. I looked over out the corner of my eye and noticed that he wasn't that old, maybe his mid-thirties. His dark hair had yet to be streaked with age, and he walked with a slight spring in his step.

"Never mind then," He said cheerfully. "What are you doing on Mayfield's Campus Library? Your not old enough to be a student."

I nearly stopped halfway through my last step, but made the jump instead. I turned to face him and he must have seen the look of dread on my face because he laughed.

"It's an easy mistake to make. There's another library a few blocks from here that a public one. I'm just surprised no one noticed besides me."

"Why are you on campus?" I countered.

"I'm a professor at Mayfield. I teach in the History department," He said with a chuckle.

There was a moments pause. I rocked back on my heel, ready to leave.

"Get home, kid," He said. "Stay safe."

I watched him walk down the sidewalk until he disappeared around the corner. Suddenly, I felt more venerable out in the open. There was a distant rumble of thunder.

Great, I thought, now I can get pneumonia as well as be torn apart.

I added weather to the list of things that hated me.

I stuck my hands in my jean pockets and set off in the same direction as the man had gone. I sincerely hoped that the hounds couldn't come in the city, but I had a strong feeling that someone had called them back. I walked until I reached a park, where I found an empty bench and sat down. I was wide awake now and had to force myself to keep still.

It seemed like a bad idea to stay in one place for too long, but I knew it was only adrenaline that was keeping me going. I hadn't eaten or drank anything in what felt like a long time. A light rain began to come down, but I was protected by the thin leaves of the trees above me.

I was staring at the mist that the street lamps created when I saw a shadowy figure emerge from the woods. I tired to move, but felt my muscles lock into place against my will. The figure came closer and revealed a man with long, white hair and paler than snow. He stopped a few feet away from me and seemed amused by my struggles to move.

His smile showed sharp, pointed teeth and eyes that seemed to strike terror down my back.

"Elliot Steele," He said in a pleased tone, "What a pleasure it will be to kill you at last."