The Price of Blood

Chapter 24

She is sleeping again.

The eerie sunlight creeps through a small hole in the side of the truck, sending small lines of light all across the floor. A cry of a barn owl circling overhead, searching for its prey, crying out in need of it, its yellow eyes scanning the tumultuous ravines and caverns of the upper mountain pass. The wind; whipping against the sides of the truck in a never-ending frenzy, causing it to groan and complain and the wheels to skid on the sheet ice. The creaks of the truck as it turns a corner, as we drive further and further towards doomsday. The howling gales mask the trees that sway in the wind, cut clean in half by a lightning strike. This jagged unforgiving habitat will never ne silenced.

And me? I sit with my legs crossed by her chair, trying to tend to the huge gashes left by my sister's knife. I carefully wrap her arm up with a clean cotton bandage before soaking it in burning alcohol to remove any grit. I never thought that I would be asked to be a First Aider, but I know that Jake can't kill her. Well not yet anyway. As much as I would like to not be doing what I am doing, I know that I am protecting her as best as I can. And right now, that's better than nothing.

My audience watch me with loathsome eye as I care for Lauren's fragile body. Nate is rubbing his hands together; trying to keep warm I suppose. His hands are covered in blisters and cuts, rough to touch, yet deadly in combat. Kevin is tapping his foot, which has a slight dusting of ice from when he had walked outside the lorry to check if we were being followed. But we know that we will never be followed. Rihanna is drinking a shot of tequila in the corner, and is reading a book covered in runes and other symbols. I work out that it is a book on the Blood Supremacy Wars in the 16th Century in Texas. I don't like history. Especially our history.

The time doesn't seem to ever end. I try and check my watch surreptitiously, but still find my every move is being monitored by one of the three guards. What do they think I'm gonna do, try and help her escape, try and kill them? But we have never been very trustworthy creatures so it is almost understandable that they are acting in this way. I see the time, 11:23 am, and almost groan. We've been in the truck for over 24 hours, even though we could get there much faster if we could just use ourselves. But apparently that leaves a slight trace. And that would be crap. For us anyway.

Suddenly, as if foreshadowing the end of the world, the truck door comes open and my brother and sister come back inside.  They regard my bandaging with a sort of amusement, and luckily don't notice the feeling of revulsion in my throat that I have as they stare at Lauren, still asleep.

"What are we going to do with her when she wakes up again?" Jess's voice drips with malice as she regards Lauren with a hungry expression, digging her fingernails into Jake's hand, making him growl a little.

"Teach her a lesson." replies Jake simply, and I watch in horror  as he starts to prod at her bandages, trying to peel them off her skin.  My eyes begin to burn behind my sockets as his fingers start to go into other more sensitive places, his face clearly enjoying the pain and damage he was inflicting on a poor and defenceless girl.  Eventually, I can't take it any more.

"Cut it out." I growl at him angrily.

Jake looks up, taking his fingers away from Lauren and wheeling round to look at me.

"What did you say?" he asks, almost in disbelief that I just spoke to him and that I am not cowering in fear as he responds.

"You heard what I said." I tell him simply, "Just leave her alone.  She's tried and she needs rest.  Whatever you're doing is not helping."

Jake's eyes flash at me angrily and he begins to walk towards me.  My hands start shaking a little, but I stand my ground, trying not to be put off by the red flames dancing in his eyes.  He comes so close to me, I can feel his cold breath on my cheek.  Everything about my brother is cold, he is such a heartless bastard who I couldn't even believe could pull off such an loving relationship with Lauren all that time ago.  Good thing she saw through his bullshit, and she got to live a little longer.

"I heard what you said." he replied shortly, and then punched me in the face.  Blood starts streaming out of my nose at an alarming rate, and I feel my hands going clammy from the sweat, blood and anger that was running over, through and inside me.  I grab his arm and twist it away from me, before kicking his knee, causing him to be knocked backwards not the floor of the truck.  I am no match for him, but can at least get a few good punches in. For Lauren as well as me.  Suddenly, two other pairs of arms come from behind, twisting my own arms back until I yell in pain.

"Get the hell off me!" I yell angrily, but Nate and Kevin aren't interested.  They pull me again the wall of the truck, and from my almost covered up eyes I see Jake going over to Lauren again, starting to touch her again, and I realise I am powerless to stop him.  I close my eyes, trying to block out the grotesque images I see before me, trying not to feel like I cannot help her.  Her eyes, glistening with tears as she looks into Jake's terrified face as he touches her, her fingers shaking with suppressed anger and disgust.  Mu sister, grinning like a Cheshire Cat next to him, as he continues to feel her in places that no-one should every be felt.  The others, not running in to the stop him.  This was not the bargain.  We would get her, tie her up and leave her, not start abusing her.  I try and writhe away to help, but Nate and Kevin's grip is strong.  Eventually, I kick Nate in the balls and run headfirst into Jake, knocking him square onto the floor.  I start punching him in the eye, the face, the neck, anywhere my hands can reach, until I am pulled off him.  He begins to laugh, a nasty grating sound that burns me alive.  Is this hell? I ask myself, as I am pulled back against the wall, this time, my sister's knife right at my throat.  Why did I even agree to help them? This question races around my mind as Jake goes back to his business.  I hate it, but at lest won't have my throat cut until I try and stop it.

Eventually, Jake stops and takes off Lauren's gag.  She starts to scream, and I am released when Jess rushes over hungrily and puts her knife right underneath her neck.  Her scream turns to a whimper.

"Shush." Jake puts his finger to Lauren's dry, chapped lips, causing her entire body to shake,"Don't say anything."

Lauren doesn't, she just stares at me, pleeing for help, knowing I cannot help her.  Me, I'm trying desperately to escape the restraints of Nate and Kevin, with Kelly now holding another knife by my neck.

"No-one is going to hurt you." he says slowly, and I find myself almost laughing out loud.

"You really t-t-think I b-b-b-e-li-e-v-v-e that?" Lauren finally manages to get out, "W-w-w-h-y am I he-e-ear? And why did you k-k-k-i-l-l..."

She can't say his name.  It is unbearable.

"You're a very special girl Lauren." Jake replies, stroking the tears away from her eyes, causing her to shudder even more, "that's why you were chosen."

"You didn't an-s-sw-w-e-r my q-q-u-e-s-t-i-o-n?" she cries in anger, "Why did you kill him?"

Her final cry comes with no hesitation.  Her eyes; burning and accusatory, seem to shake my eldest brother to his core.  They go dark again, but he retains his polite tone.

"You see Lauren, some people are just used to get to others." he finally admits, and I feel my stomach drop and then do a somersault, "He was just a tool to get to you. He got in the way."

Lauren snaps.  She starts to flail her arms again at him, catching his eye, before the knife is dug into her neck, leaving small drops of blood beaded on it.  She stops almost immediately, tired and terrified.

"You see Lauren, I only have one rule." Jake;s voice is low and threatening, and Lauren's eyes turn fearful, "Do everything I say, and you will at least have a quick and painless end."

This doesn't seem to surprise Lauren, she almost acknowledges it with a small nod.

"If you fail to do so," Jake's voice becomes even more menacing, "I will kill everyone you care about.  Jamie, Harriet, your mother, your father... EVERYONE."

The tears start to come, gushing, and Lauren whimpers.

"Do you understand?" he asks her, and she nods.  Jake smiles wickedly.  The truck suddenly stops, knocking me over onto my face. I look up to see that Nate and Kevin let go of me at last, their eyes angry and full of hatred.  Jake has the final word of course.

"Well then,  welcome to hell." he says.