The Midnight Within

Chapter 55

~ Why am I so wet? ~ Mia thought as she woke on the hard snowy ground. She could remember hearing Jessie's screams and seeing Broken's crazed eyes and then nothing. She slowly flexed her fingers and toes before trying to sit up. She hurt all over and wanted to throw up but the open car doors caught her attention. There was candy spilled across the seat and no Jessie. Had she been taken or worse?

Pain radiated from her shoulder as she scrambled to her feet. " Jessie! " She checked the back seat and saw nothing. Stepping back, her booted foot came down on something squishy, drawing her attention downward. Moving her foot she almost screamed as she realized that it was an eye she had stepped on and it still had the sucker stick in it.

Feeling woozy Mia clutched at the car door and saw that the bottle of morgan was still on the floorboards. Opening the door she grabbed the bottle just in case she needed to use it to hit something and looked around for any sign of Jessie. There was no blood, that was good right?

Shivering now she walked though the snow, trying to ignore the dark shapes that lay scattered on the ground. Surly they had been there before and had to be props. Surly three people could not have slaughtered so many in such a short time? Fighting tears Mia kept going, stopping to pick up Aaron's stage blade. This was no toy, this was a real weapon that he liked to use to smack the ass of whomever happened to have a birthday that night. Mia herself had been subjected to the punishment on a few of her own birthdays.

So perhaps some of the people there had gotten out. She had to keep telling herself that as she went to the kid's tent. She found it empty and blood free, as was the ticket booth and game area. She was about to move on, towards the barn when Jessie's screams cut though the night air.

It came from deep in the corn.

" Hold on Jess. I'm coming! " Mia growled, using the last bit of strength she needed to run into the corn, colored braids flying out behind her.

" Don't run, come play." Broken had said softly as Jessie bolted for the corn. Terror driven she ran with no thoughts of where she would go or what she might find inside the maze. Her shoes squelched in the mud as the vampires sing song voice echoed inside her head. He was trying to slow her down, confuse her to get her to stop, but she wouldn't stop until she found Zakk or someone else she knew.

She had wanted to stay with Mia but had she stayed he would have gotten her for sure. She tried not to be afraid but the maze was dark and the props scared her at every turn. At last she couldn't run any more and squeezed her tiny frame in behind a trio of coffins where she could rest for a moment. Time stretched until she was forced to go to the bathroom. Ashamed she quickly left her hiding place, heading back the way she had come.

She thought she heard him off to her left but this voice was a voice she knew and it was not singsong like Broken's had been. This voice sounded scared.

" Jessie? Where are you? "

" Trez? " Reluctantly she poked her head out from the corn. She was delighted to see his dirty face. " Is that really you? "

" Yes. Why are you whispering? "

Giggling she bolted from the corn, running to Trez she hugged his legs as fresh tears streamed down her pale, scared face. " Mia took me to the car and one of the bad ones hurt Mia and tried to hurt me and I poked his eye with the sucker stick and ran away. I'm scared! " She burst into sobs, holding on to him for her life.

" Me too. Can you walk with me? " He led her towards the exit trying to look in all directions at once. It was now eerily quiet as they reached the exit. Trez thought they might make it out ok when Broken stepped into their path. He was very tall, bloody and missing an eye all-right. No wonder Jessie was so scared.

" I see you. " Broken purred as Jessie began to scream again.

" Leave her alone. " Trez growled, placing himself in front of her.

" Didn't I tell you not to come here? And let you live when you did? You do like pain don't you? "

Trez was completely caught off guard by how fast the vampire was. He had no time to react as he was backhanded into unconsciousness falling into a heap at Broken's feet. Jessie tried to run and got caught up on Trez's feet. The air woodshed out of her lungs.

" Bored now. " Broken sighed as he advanced on the little girl. She had no time to react before he grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him. He loved the little girls but they always seemed so easy to catch and always smelled like candy. He wanted her to fight him but she was too exhausted to struggle, and looked like she was ready for him to end it. " I win, " He chuckled as he bared his fangs, lifting her off the ground.

" I don't think so motherfucker! " Snarled Mia from behind them.

Shocked he could only stare down at the tip of the blade jutting from his chest. His one blue eye widened as he turned his head to stare at Mia's white face. Growling Broken turned around to face her. He grabbed her by both arms and lifted her up into the air. She struggled but his grip was too strong and she felt like he was going to break both her arms.

" Leave her alone. " Another shape came from the corn behind them as Aaron, still wearing his fur vest aimed his hunting bow at Broken's head. Mia saw him aim and screamed for him to stop but he let the arrow fly and it struck home, the tip protruding from Broken's good eye. He dropped Mia, as he tried to shift into wolf form and Aaron was on him with his knife, cutting his throat. Blood sprayed them both as Mia stood over him, her green eyes dark and emotionless as he slowly stopped moving. Reaching down she grabbed the blade hadal that stuck out from his back and twisted it until the wolf began to decompose.

" Holy shit! You saw that right? " Aaron was toeing the wolf with his boot as it began to fall apart.

and Mia went to Jessie and scooped her up. She was sobbing and hiding her head in Mia's shoulder. She could not tear her eyes away until he was nothing more than snow-covered bones on the bloodstained ground.

There was something satisfying in watching it fall apart, as if killing him was a way for her to tap into her inner slayer, although it had been Aaron who had saved the day. She had faced the demon and won, or had they? She could at least find some sort of peace within herself and now what? It was not over by a long shot.