Hunted

Chapter Three :: Third Date

*** A/N...Chapter 3 for you, hope you like it, see you on the other side ***

** Madison POV **

The day passed by in a blur with my mind being on my stalker in black from this morning. I knew the moment I laid eyes on him that he was a Vampire, but chose to ignore it, hoping I'd been mistaken...paranoid. This meant he had come to kill me. I didn't understand why he didn't strike, he had two attempts to kill me in one morning yet he chose to have a conversation with me instead. Even though we had been in public he could of killed me swiftly and easily without drawing too much attention. He was different this Vampire, he didn't have the same cold, dead eyes as the rest that had come for me in the past. He seemed to retain more of his humanity than the others I had encountered over the years. From what I had seen of Vampires they were cold and callous, with no human thoughts and feelings and very little, if no humanity at all. For two races that looked so alike, Vampires and humans couldn't be more different.  

I had successfully avoided Tristan at college, steering clear of his popular haunts I knew he would have been waiting for me at. I had too much to process that I didn't need or want the distraction. Instead of eating in the cafeteria as usual, sitting with Tristan and my best friend Niamh, I chose to hide away in the girls bathroom, locking myself away in a cubicle to think over my next move. I was unsure to whether I should rush home and tell my mum and John, or like my nightmares keep it hidden for fear of worrying them. If the Vampire hadn't killed me yet maybe, just maybe he would leave, curiosity enough to appease him. In my dreams I scolded myself mentally. I hoped this was the case as I couldn't bear the thought of having to run again. After two years of living in Ireland, finally settling somewhere, it had become home. I came to the conclusion that age had caused me to be a lot more rational and calm about my encounter with the Vampire this morning. I should have been scared and running for the hills like I would of when I was younger, yet I stood my ground and approached him, not fearful of what might happen. It was either age or damn stupidity.  

Once my last lesson was over at the end of the day I was relieved, I had spent the day in a world of my own that I just wanted to get home to the sanctuary of my bedroom. I walked through the college grounds looking around for Tristan, hoping he had already gone so I could slip away un noticed. Part of me was hoping the Vampire in black would still be propped up against the tree, legs and arms crossed, waiting for me. I walked through the gates looking toward the tree he had been stood against this morning but he wasn't there. A sinking feeling in my stomach made me gasp for breath, I spoke inwardly to myself to get a grip. Why on earth would I want a Vampire that had clearly come to kill me, to be waiting for me outside school. I really was losing it.  

I tore my gaze from the tree and started the short walk to the bus stop, half way there I decided I would walk the few miles home today it would give me some more time to think. I pulled my ipod out of my bag and popped the earphones in before pressing play. I picked up my pace to the tempo of the music and decided to take a detour home via a local park, the scenery and hustle and bustle of passers by were always a welcomed distraction. I strolled along enjoying the cold january breeze when once again something caught my attention in my peripheral vision. This was becoming a habit. I snapped my head to the right but there was nothing there but a duck pond and a few members of the public throwing bread for the ducks. I shook it off, berating myself mentally for being so paranoid. I carried on walking, picking up my pace as I stalked off towards a wooded area, when once again something flashed by in the corner of my eye. This time I looked to the left, but there was nothing there either apart from some trees and a small picnic area. Something inside me told me this wasn't right. I pulled the earphones from my ears so I could listen out for any sounds and carried on cautiously walking into the wooded area thinking to myself how stupid I was for walking into a secluded area in the first place, but my stubborn trait pushed me forward not wanting to be a victim. There were no sounds except the rustling of soggy leaves underneath my feet as I walked along the dirt path towards a clearing with an open playing field. I saw the clearing up ahead and breathed a sigh of relief that I would soon be out in the open again and would feel a lot safer. A haunting feeling that I was being watched crept up inside me, my eyes were darting everywhere, looking for anything or anyone. As I looked forward again towards the clearing I felt a cold breeze on the back of my neck. I jolted forward, before spinning around on my heels to face whatever it was that had caused the breeze. My eyes searched the spot I had just turned to but there was nothing there. I shuddered, fear rising in me as a sense of dread filled me. I swiveled back around to face the clearing again and a silent gasp escaped my lips as I came face to face with the Vampire in black. We were stood so close that I could feel his cold breath wash over my face as he glared down at me. I stumbled backwards, fear taking over my body and mind for the first time since I'd met him this morning. Something told me to run but I couldn't, I was frozen in my place, my thoughts screaming at me to run away, or to scream, but I couldn't, my legs felt like lead and my voice had disappeared. This scene reminded me of my nightmares, it was all too coincidental for my liking. I gazed up at the Vampire in black as he stared back at me, an odd expression was written on his face, it was a cross between guilt and frustration. I stood there patiently waiting for him to strike. I knew that if I ran it would be a fruitless effort as he was clearly faster and stronger than I would ever be. I had never feared death, death would bring me closer to my father and would rid my mother and protectors of a life of a half existence, running and hiding, waiting to be found. I tore my eyes from his and stared at the floor, wet leaves and moss curling over the sides of my shoes. I could feel my heart beating erratically in my chest, threatening to burst through my ribcage. Tears threatened to spill over my eyes onto my cheeks but I bit my lip and forced the tears back in.  

"What do you want?" I whispered quietly, knowing that if I spoke any louder my voice would break, making my fear obvious.  

He unclenched his fists which I noticed were firmly planted by his sides and pulled his hand up towards my face. I closed my eyes waiting for pain or even death to come, a blow to my face that would more than likely knock my head off of my shoulders. I felt his cold hand cup my chin and pull my head upwards.  

"Open your eyes." He said gently. I obliged, not wanting to make him angry. If I did as he said he may take pity on me and kill me quickly, painlessly. One could only hope.  

I looked into his eyes and noticed how sad they looked, I almost felt sorry for him.  

"You have to come with me...Madison." His voice was so quiet and gentle I almost didn't hear him.  

"Where will you take me?" I asked, not bothering to ask why as I knew the answer to that question.  

"I have to take you back to my homeland..." He stopped mid sentence and looked down at the floor.  

Panic rose up in me at the prospect of being whisked away to some foreign land to my death. If I were to die I wanted it to be here, at home, where someone would find my body and my mother could bury me. My head once again screamed at me to run, this time my body listened and I span around quickly whilst his gaze was not on me and I ran back the way I had come. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I forced my legs to move faster, my lungs were gasping for air as I struggled to breathe. I felt a hand grab my coat from behind and pull me to a stop. Strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind, pulling me to his body. I could feel his cold skin beneath his clothes. I struggled underneath his hold, trying to break free, knowing it was pointless, he was too strong. He spun me around and grasped me by the shoulders, his eyes bore into mine with regret.  

"Please do not fight this, I do not want to hurt you...but I will." He looked away from me when he said that last part, staring once more at the floor.  

"Please...please...don't." I begged, gasping for air as sobs rose up in my throat. My tears ran freely now, there was no point trying to stop them now, the time for bravery had been and gone.  

He snapped his head up and his eyes invaded mine, as if they were searching for something. His face took on an expression I had not seen in him before now, all expression and emotion was wiped from him. His eyes took on the cold look I had seen in other Vampires and a shiver shot down my spine. He removed one of his hands from my shoulder and raised it above me. His face took on a pained look and his eyes showed emotion once again but only very briefly before he returned to his Vampire-like composure.  

"I'm sorry." He said. My mobile phone started ringing in my pocket before everything went black.

*** A/N...Hello again! Hope you enjoyed chapter 3, please bear with me, I know it's a slow starter but it is taking me a few chapters to explain the background and introduce the main characters. The action is really going to step up in the next few chapters. I hope the cliffhanger I left you with keeps you coming back for chapter 4. Don't forget to comment and vote :) Thank you for reading. ***