The Chase

The Chase Ch. 34

Ginger's P.O.V

               Chaos surrounded us as soon as the vampires revealed themselves. I practically felt it when Thad got his wrist snapped by one of them. I watched as he got away safely and disappeared down the hall, presumably to find Mina's brother. I turned back around to find a male running towards me. Unable to get out of the way fast enough, he tackled me to the ground. Pain shot up my spine and into the back of my head. Sparks flew across my vision. That hurt...bad.

               I brought my fist up and bashed him on the head but he didn't budge. He threw my gun across the room. I was immobile and weaponless.

"Donovan!" I screeched.

               But he couldn't hear me. He was too busy fighting off his own monsters. The guy rose to his feet and took me with him. He bolted out the door with me in tow. No one even noticed. His grip on me was fierce as I struggled to free myself. I felt his arms grow tighter around me and a snap rang up towards my ears. I screamed in pain. Something trickled up my throat and I spit. Blood.

               We stopped and he dropped me on the ground without a care in the world. I groaned in pain and clutched at my broken rib. More sparks flew across my line of vision as I feebly and uselessly tried to crawl away. Taking in my surroundings through clouded vision, I saw we were in some sort of cave.

"Get back here," he growled. He grabbed my ankle and dragged me back towards him. I cried out and squeezed my eyes shut. He propped me up against the cave wall. "Hey," he began. He smacked me. "I like my meals alive so stay awake."

I forced my eyes open. It hurt to move, let alone breathe.

"Please," I begged.

"I love it when they beg." He crawled towards me and tilted my head to the side, preparing to bite. "Why hasn't your vampire changed you? Is your blood that special?"

"He loves me," I responded weakly.

"Love?" He laughed. "I doubt that."

               He kissed my neck and I jerked my head away. It pained me but how dare he kiss me?

"Don't be like that sweetheart. It'll only take a second."

"Go...to...Hell."

"I already am," he responded smugly.

               He gripped my neck and bit down. It was nothing like Thad's bites. This was excruciating. I screamed but movement killed me. His venom seared my skin. I couldn't hear anything but my own screaming. It was as if a fire was lit from within me and I was being burned alive.

“Ginger!"

               I heard someone scream my name but I couldn’t place the voice through the fire. My eyes searched for the voice but didn’t find who it belonged to. The vampire that was draining me looked up and was suddenly thrown halfway across the cave. His body smashed into the adjacent wall. His assailant held him by the throat and seconds later began tearing him apart, literally. His limbs were torn from their sockets and strewn across the cave floor. I couldn’t find the energy to scream any longer or even try to stay awake. My breathing came in shallow gasps.

“Ginger, stay with me,” I heard someone say. A hand touched my cheek and I flinched at its icy temperature.

“Thad?”

“I’m here,” he whispered.

“I think I’m dying,” I said, a bitter laugh escaping my throat.

“No!” he yelled defiantly. “You’re not dying! Not now!”

“I have to die someday,” I responded.

“Not today you aren’t. Just please, stay awake. You’ll be fine.”

“Is that a manly quiver I hear in your voice?” I asked, a grin playing at my lips.

“How the hell can you smile at a time like this?”

“I can’t very well die if I’m unhappy now can I?”

“The blood loss must be getting to your head.”

“What makes you say that?”

He sighed. “Ginger,” he began. “I know this is sudden but…I need you. You’re the only thing worth protecting to me in this world. If you died then I might as well die too. I think this is what love feels like.”

“Are you saying you love me?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

               I breathed in once more, trying to find the breath to say it back. Rather than the “I love you too” I was searching for, a whimper escaped my lips. I felt myself slipping…