The Coming

The Chase

The train rattles along the dark tube bringing me closer to my destination. Her voice still resonating in my ear, 'next stop exit - await further instructions'. I obey, the train slows and I rise from my seat, make my way through the warm bodies and hot breath on the crowded compartment as I make my exit. I stride through the station with haste and await my next instruction outside in the cold winter rain.

The phone vibrates in my pocket after a minute. "Make your way to tower bridge, I will be waiting, hurry, they are coming". The line goes dead. I look around in desperation to see if I can identify my pursuers, but all I see is the endless stream of people making their way through the bad weather, obscuring their faces with a variety of hoods, raincoats and umbrellas. I step into the human river and weave as quickly as possible through it towards the meeting point. The bridge comes into sight but among the human traffic it is difficult to spot her. I spot her crown of crimson curls and her ivory face comes into view, her expression sincere as always. I walk faster towards her now but as I do I see her expression change, her body tighten in preparation to flee and I notice she does not look at me but past me. Our eyes meet, she yells but the down power of the rain is too hard for her words to reach me. She turns and starts running. My brain processes the word she mouthed and her actions too slowly, she wanted me to run, but it is too late. As the tide of people move around and past me I feel a forceful hand wrap around the back of my vulnerable neck forcing me to the bridge side.

The icy grip rotates me so we are face to face. I am stunned, in a state of total awe of the terrifying beauty of the creature that restrains me. She towers over me her pale blue piercing eyes penetrating my own with a focus that suggests she is trying to read me, a final confirmation that I am the one she seeks before she carries out her orders.

She raises the arm that grips me lifting me off my feet so we are eye level. I am encircled by three of these creatures but can not take my eyes off her the one whose steely hand now clamps my neck so tightly I can feel the blood struggling to pump through to my brain. Her lips curl around strange words I do not recognise. The creature to my left passes something to her free hand I see a silver glint. My eyes search and fall upon the ornate dagger she yields. A long twisted blade stands erect from an delicately carved ebony and ivory handle. How odd that something so beautiful has been created for such an ugly purpose. I look into her eyes but I only see my death. I am nearly calling for it now the pain that her grip has already inflicted on my oxygen starved body. The three creatures move closer still and in their strange tongue being to whisper harmonious chants. I stare at the dagger blade feeling the fear of death finally wash over me and they restrain my arms from thrashing. Even if I had breath to scream I do not think anyone could help me, as surrounded as we are by people it is clear they are naive to the scene playing out beside them. My eyesight finally begins to fade, black spots blotting out the fearsome picture before me and I anticipate the sharp pain of the dagger breaking through my delicate skin, another pain comes, shooting through my knees and hands echoing up my bones. I choke on air as it begins to re-enter my lungs. I have been dropped on the ground. My eyes still struggling to work only see a black swirl which my woozy brain can not decipher. Run, I have to move quickly, I crawl through the legs and slowly stand limping as fast possible away from that swirl away from the creatures but the wall of people on the bridge obstructs me. A hideous cry erupts from behind me and I turn to see the creature open her mouth impossibly wide to release another. She sees me and I have no hope of escape. Perhaps it is the fear of being stabbed through the heart that sees me climb over the bridge railings, or perhaps it is stubbornness not to let them have the satisfaction of killing me but either way I am posed to jump into the icy fast flowing river far below and certainly to my death. I take one last look and as I see her reach for me I fling myself over.

Descending, tumbling wildly in the icy air, my limbs tossing about almost independent of my torso. The alien sounds of my scream ending with the last of my breath. One flip and I am looking up, looking at her watching me as I plummet out of her reach, the next flip has me inches from the unforgiving wall of water below me. This is it, this is the end of my short life, the end of Bethany Stone. Waiting for the impact mere seconds away feels like an eternity, time seems to stretch below me and in every direction, I seem to stretch with it. A beautiful peace fills me and I begin to see not with my eyes. I watch my life play out but not from my perspective, instead with absolute objectivity, understanding other thoughts, experiencing their feelings as if they were my own. I see and become everyone I have ever interacted with, every moment I filled from the intimate to a mere passing on a street and in this place of peace and understanding I hear a voice, 'not yet, young one, not yet'. With that I hit the water, the peace has gone from me, and as the current pulls me under and fills my mouth with my own blood and suffocating water I have enough time to feel the broken bones and searing pain and confusion before the darkness pulls me under.