Split the Deck

Chapter 13

Blood covered him, his muscles rippling as he tore through soft flesh and sank into chewy muscles. Salted liquid copper filled his mouth and he drank eager, feeling the impurity becoming cleansed. The blond girl was the worst, her tainted being too soft. She had never known pain like Kevin had, never known suffering. Now, he had gifted her purity and she had died a saved soul. He intended to save the dark beauty beneath him, she had put up a fight but not much of one. He was about to tear through to her organs when he caught a sudden waft of juniper and vanilla. His pupils dilated and his head shot up, pupils narrowing.
     Emma. The pure one. He had caught a few glimpses of the girl through Patricia's eyes when she caught hold of the light. At first glance he could already tell that there was something different, something special. He saw through her eyes that not only was her soul strong but it was bright. It rivaled that of the sun. She truly was a force to be reckoned with, and one to never let go of.
     Beneath him the one named Marcia seized, her fingers twitching and her gasps leaking out of her throat. With careful steps her crossed over her, standing swiftly before breaking into a sprint. Speed came to him naturally, his muscles barely stressing as he sped his way through the halls and into the outer world. He scaled the large fence with ease, letting himself fall with a heavy thud.
     The night sky stared down at him as he ran, being led only by her scent. There was some curiosity as to where she would go after all of this was over. He hadn't thought that she had the strength to go back to her home, not after what her cards had told. She had endured too much to go back to it, but if she had then he had no time to waste. Her time in the darkness was over, now it was her time to walk in the Sun.

     "Where are you, girl?" He growled, her scent leading him down several streets that were lit with the yellow--orange glow of street light. In his mind her scent left a lavender and ember colored streak behind, in some spots it grew faint where it thrived in others based on her speed. The majority of her walk was spent walking slowly, almost reluctantly, and this accounted for the slam of her scent.
     In truth, he relished her scent. She was the first pure individual that they had come across in all their years alive and the connection between her and Kevin was strong. He could almost feel their bond strings, now thin due to mistrust and basic instinct.
     He almost stopped completely as the heavy scent of blood and death assaulted the air, covering her sweet scent almost entirely. The blood in his veins froze over like frost sweeping the earth. He could feel Dennis stirring at his own concern. He sprinted further, coming to an old colonial house with golden carnations  in the flower bed in front of the porch. Ferns were carefully placed on both sides of the five steps that led to the open door. He didn't see the bloody footprints at first, his eyes only landed on the mangled bodies of what he assumed to be her parents. He stepped over her father's body, crouching down to inspect the damage. His body was still warm, the blood was still pooling underneath him as he drained from all of the holes that she pierced into his body. The Beast grinned widely, his chest swelling with pride and wild adoration as he spotted the ribboned mess of her mothers carcass.
     He hadn't expected her to have the strength to destroy her attackers, yet here they lay at his feet, dead and barely recognizable. He stood slowly, seeing the first set of bloodied prints on the floor. His eyes followed them out the door, his head cocking to the side.

     "What happened? What's with all the mess?" Dennis questioned. The Beast grimaced, the hope in his stomach sinking as he traced her steps. It was harder to spot the blood on the grass at night, but thankfully he caught a whiff of her scent. He came to a head when he reached the bridge, her scent all but vanishing. His brows drew together as he searched around him, confused as to where she could have gone.
     Scent was easy enough to trace, it was in every footfall, every brush of grass or blow of the wind, it never just disappeared without a trace unless water was involved. His pupils dilated  at the realization, his ears finally turning into his surroundings and the soft roar of the water as it ran. He ran to the side, vision narrowing into the water ss he had hoped to find her. To his dismay there was nothing upstream. His eyes followed the water, making him cross the bridge. His eyes landed on her almost immediately, her body limp and stiff on the bank of the river. A tree had stopped her from progressing further downstream. He didn't expect the feeling of Dennis' anguish, his heartache. Without pause he hopped off the bridge, landing into the river with a loud splash.



     It took him by surprise when hands, hard and strong gripped his shoulders and pulled him out of the light and back into the dark. The sounds of Dennis' grunts as he forced the Beast back. The Beast put up no struggle against the heartbroken man, he had no qualms in letting Dennis take over. Dennis paid the beast no mind as he took the light, eyes full of savage rage and red hot guilt. He needed to go to her now more than he ever did and he would make sure that no one got in his way.



     Dennis crashed through the water in a not so sturdy way, arms flailing wildly until he tripped on a mossy rock. Alarm bells sounded, what he was touching was filthy and was making his skin crawl but he ignored all of that, pushing his disgust and need to be cleansed away as he closed the distance. Her body was cold, her lips blue and her hair wet and matted with mud and debrisher clothes clung heavily to her, weighing her down. He took her up in his arms, stoning out of the water and into the grassy field furiously. He got her on dry land, his body bent over hers, lips claiming hers as he blew into her mouth. He was praying his breath would reach her lungs, praying that he caught her in time. Tears falling from his eyes and onto her cheeks as he stared down at her for a moment. He lowered his head to her chest, listening to the faint thrum of her heart beat.

     "C'mon Dennis, keep it together man." He croaked, fighting back more burning tears. His hand cuffed over her sternum, pressing onto her diaphragm with some considerable force one time, two times, three. His mouth met hers again, frantically hoping for life as he breathed into her.
     No response. He repeated the steps until exhaustion hit his muscles, sorrow aching at his core. She was still unresponsive.

     "No," he moaned, taking her into his arms.  "No! You will not do this to me, you will not leave us now. Please, please baby. Stay? Stay with me, Emma." Dennis called to her frantically, brushing away a stray hair from her face. He pressed his forehead to hers. His voice was low, like a whisper, as he called to her again and rocked her softly.

     "Please baby, come back to me. I didn't see the whole picture. I just didn't want to get hurt. Please come back to me. Come back to us."
     Dennis had almost given up hope in the silent moments that passed on like eternity between his pleas for her. He was pressed his lips to her forehead as he set her down gently, his head still hung low. He began to mourn her when he heard the sound of water being forced from her lungs. His eyes flashed with sudden excitement as he heard her gasp for air.
     She came back.