Satisfaction

Twelve

I don't sleep, maybe napped, but never do I sleep. Haven't slept since 1822 if that's even an agreeable time frame form of which I created, it remains unclear. But one thing is clear, this woman, lady, girl, human, makes me feel something more than just insanity, or the urge to kill her kind... A feeling I no longer thought I would be able to feel. Not since... Not since-

The sound of a cracking stick outside of the abandoned warehouse breaks me out of my thoughts. I listen harder and hear footsteps, many of them. And the cocking of various guns such as rifles and pistols.

"Emily... Wake up," I whispered so softly, I could barely hear myself. I pushed on her shoulder. "Em, come on. You need. To. Wake. Up," I say louder.

Emily stirs and winces in pain as a result.

"Wake up," I growled in her ear, I pushed her shoulder, "let's go."

"What the hell is your problem, Jack," she mumbled.

"People, they're here to take you, we have to go."

Now awake and alert, my dear Emily looks around, not knowing what to do. I kiss her forehead.

"It'll be alright, Em." I turn to Toby. "Pssst, Toby?" He snaps awake and slowly walks towards me.

"Wh-at?"

"There are people. Here. Outside."

Toby tenses and looks at Emily, nodding his head towards her. She looks up at the both of us, frightened and confused. We have to get her out of here.

"Can you walk?" I ask Emily. She shrugs.

"Well..." she starts but then frowns and stops talking.

I growl in frustration, "We could teleport, but where? Mars? No matter where we go they seem to find us."

"Th-they're get-ting clos-ser," Toby butted in.

"Yes, I know!" I snapped. The sound of dogs barking in the distance put me more on edge. "Toby, how far is The Mansion?"

Toby's face has gotten serious. "Jack, we can-n't. Sh-she'll be de-aad or eaten within min-nutes of he-er even being on th-he grounds."

"She'll be taken from us with minutes if we don't go!" I stand up and move away from the fading beauty beside me. "And she doesn't have much time left, I can see it. I can feel it. Just take us there and I will be forever in debt to you," I say much much quieter.

"Fine," Toby sighs, "we ne-eed to get through the c-cops fir-rst. There is at le-east fift-t-teen arm-mmed out there. It's go-in-ing to be ha-ard with th-aat o-one."

"I can take her somewhere safe, when we're done here, we'll go get her and then head out."

"Why don't you just take us all somewhere safe and we head out from here, less bloodshed.. less time... wasted," Emily budded in, looking paler than ever.

"This way, they'll know to back off. It'll be okay, Kiddo." Emily sighed and looked at Toby and I. "It'll be alright, Love."

"Bet-te-r go-o kno-ow, Jack-k," Toby demanded, worry deep in his voice.

I nodded, and whisk Emily into my arms, a destination already in mind.

"Up and away we go!" I whispered in Emily's ear. She chuckles softly and the winces in pain. "Oh, sorry."

"It's alright, Jacky."

Emily smiled faintly up at me. We disappear in a blink of an eye, and within moments we're inside the small, tattered apartment of the girl dying in my arms.