Heavenly Blood

1 - Alice

"Damn it Alice! I told you to stay away!"

"What? Like you would?" I returned, "Hell no! We face this fucking thing together."

"Please..."

I kissed him to shut him up. I shuddered at the coldness of his touch, but wanted more. He wrapped his arms around me and deepen our kiss. His eyelashes brushing softly on my cheeks as his eyes slowly closed, embracing the moment. Whatever happened I knew that I would love him and he would love me.

"If we are gonna go it has to be now!" He insisted.

"Where?" I asked excitedly.

"I don't know and I don't care! All I care about is keeping you safe!" He replied, pulling me in for another kiss, "Have you got everything?"

I nodded, "I got about two in cash."

He laughed, "Do I wanna know?"

I shrugged.

He put his arm around me, "Let's go!"

He's arm guided me down to the basement, the car park. He pulled a crash helmet on my head and kicked his bike into life. Were there faster ways out of here? Yes. But travelling by bike would be the last thing expected under these circumstances. He swung his leg over and I followed suit. I wrapped my arm around his waist before he twisted around to kiss me quickly.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"I love you!"

"You're scaring me."

He sighed, "I don't want to lose you again!"

"I'm right here!" I replied, "Now lets go!"

He nodded and revved the engine and pulled away, my body pushed backwards by the sudden acceleration. I felt no fear as I followed the movement of his body through the city. We needed to get to a remote location to figure out our next move. God. I have never feared so much.

"How long do you think we can last?" I shouted.

"As long as we get out of this city we should be ok in one location for up to six month!" He shouted back, "As long as it's a thick area, they can't cover it all."

"What will happen if they find one of us?" I asked.

"Alice! You know the answer."

I gulped, "I know I just...WATCH OUT!"

****

That was all I could remember. I gulped the air, drenched in a cold sweat. The nightmare had been returning for five years. I knew it was just a dream but, my god, sometimes it felt so real. Especially him. His red eyes burdening me every night. His voice as he spoke my name was as real and discernible as Max's footsteps around our apartment. I buried my head under the covers as I desperately clung to any memory I could. It was like holding water within my hands.

"Alice!"

I flopped onto my side and pretended to be still asleep, praying she wouldn't notice the damp sheets. The door opened and Max's laugh echoed.

"Come on! Get up!"

She walked round to my window and yanked open the curtains which thus far had been allowing me to kid myself into the actual time. I peered my head out the top to see my friend dressed in her jogging gear before being blinded. The covers were then thrown off me. Max sighed and shook her head.

"You need to see someone about these dream!" She insisted.

My turn to shake my head. Mumbling about university, I pulled myself from bed and barricaded myself in the bathroom. Every time this happened, which was almost every night, Max tried to convince me to go see her friend's hypnotist saying that it's wrong that you get so worked up over a dream. But these felt so real, more real even, than most of my childhood dreams. Max chalked it up to me wanting to believe desperately that I had a knight in shining armour but I didn't believe in that bullshit. Besides I have some proof, or at least I think I do. The necklace I took off, a locket with what I knew to be a hand carved feather, was given to me in my dreams. Not literally, but the same man in my dreams had given it to me because I had seen it. Also, I have no memory of ever receiving it from anyone.

I stepped into the shower. I couldn't exactly ask my parents. They died six years ago when I was fifteen. I met Max three years after in uni, soon after she dropped out in favour of a full time employment as a quantity surveyor with a few days in college a week. I was determined to see my chemistry degree through. Funny thing was I don't even remember starting it.

Max knocked on the door, "Some of us have work you know water hog!"

"I have uni!" I shouted back.

"No you don't. It's Saturday!" She yelled back.

Crap. "Maybe I'm just trying to get you fired!"

"Well we are going to Cornwall tomorrow and only one of us has the money to pay for fuel."

Rolling my eyes, "Alright nearly done."

I wrapped a towel around myself and swapped places with Max. This was the first time I had seen her properly this morning, and I felt a little guilty. Her black pixie cut hair was plastered to her forehead and sweat lines making her over sized jumper cling to her tall frame. She rolled her impossibly blue eyes at my Butter wouldn't melt smile that I flashed as we slide past each other. I guess both our eyes should be impossible as my own were purple.

"Oh!" I turned back to look at her, "We are travelling down tonight."

"Through the night?" I asked, "You gonna be able to deal with that?"

"I'll make coffee!" She laughed.

"Max?"

"Yeah."

"Want me to drive?" I asked, "I can sleep today, you can't, I can manage to stay awake."

She smiled, "You're a doll!"

The shower turned on and I walked away. I knocked back two of my sleeping pills before proceeding to strip the bed. I had about an hour before these bad boys kicked in and I was out cold so I suppose a 30 at 30 wash would suffice. Crap! Forgot to factor drying time.

Why didn't I just buy that bedding in primark?

****

I sat bolt upright, panting hard. The images slipping away faster than I could make sense of them. But the feeling remained. And overwhelming love but grief at the same time. Hands slipping away beyond the reach of lovers. Someone cried out. I felt a tear fall from my cheek. Jesus. It had been so real. He had kissed me. Kissed me with such a fiery passion and need to project love. We had known what was going to happen. We had let it. I curled up into a ball under the covers and lets my tears flow. I had decided to leave him. Why would I decide.....choose to leave?

I walked through the flat to the kitchen, checking in on Max as I walked past who was asleep in her room. It was about ten thirty so we would soon be getting on the road. In a way I was glad as I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep now. I turned on the coffee machine and poured myself out one black. My hand was shaking. Jesus I needed to pull myself together. Maybe Max was right. Maybe I needed help.