The Last of the Twenty: Broken Pawns

Chapter 7

Ethan tore through the woods and roads as fast his legs could carry him, dodging trees and jumping boulders with practiced ease, all while avoiding early morning cars and joggers. The images of burned footprints and smells of scorched flesh were seared into his mind like a brand. Ethan had seen a lot of unexplainable things, but never in his life had he seen anything like those footprints, burned deep into solid wood, or trees frozen to the point of splitting and icy ground, all so close to fire that the very attempt at freezing anything would be rendered impossible.

Questions burned in his mind as he ran, creating an unsolvable puzzle of thoughts of which he was desperate to find answers. Was it some kind of dark magic? He knew magic, or what people called magic, existed at some point long ago, but the very sparks that had given magic life had supposedly been extinguished long before even he was born. But if this was indeed dark magic, then what could have summoned it into existence? More importantly, if someone was indeed capable of such power, how would he possibly fight it?

 With the steady stream of distracting thoughts flowing throughout his mind, Ethan paid little attention to his surroundings, instead relying on centuries of experience and heightened instincts to warn of any impending danger. His instincts had always been flawless, his skill at fast travel through heavy cover was so effortless it bordered on arrogance. All coming together at that moment, blinding Ethan and inviting disaster.

As Ethan leapt across a fallen tree a dark form crashed into his side with the force of a gun blast. Ethan heard the sound of his ribs crack before he felt the pain as the world around him came to a split second stop before he was thrown backwards by the raw power of the impact. Twisting in the air, Ethan slammed into a large pine with enough force to tear a chunk of wood out of its base, tearing his coat like paper and breaking his collar bone. Dirt and pine needles filled his eyes as he rolled on the ground, temporarily blinding him. The instant Ethan's movement stopped instinct took over, reaching blindly across his body Ethan pulled a large chunk of wood out of his shoulder, throwing it roughly to the side as he twisted his body on the ground, trying to get to his feet and face his attacker. His eyes cleared just in time to see the form coming towards him once more, slamming once again into his chest with enough power to break more ribs and pin Ethan against the ground. The weight lifted off his body as fast as it had hit him, leaving Ethan to look up at the familiar silhouette that now stood over him.

"Hello, Ethan." A voice said calmly above him.

Ethan wiped the dirt and needles out of his eyes with his good arm, biting in more pain as the form lifted his leg and brought his foot down painfully on Ethan's chest. A second later Ethan's eyes cleared enough to see Alex standing over him, a subtle white light pulsing in the centers of his eyes.

"Alex..." Ethan choked out, "What do you..."

The words had barely passed Ethan's lips when Alex bent down and slammed his fist onto Ethan's broken collarbone. Although the stab wound from the wood had nearly healed the broken bone was still in the process, the sharp pain shot through Ethan's body unexpectedly, making him hiss in pain. A second later Alex's hand clamped around Ethan's throat, pinning his head to the ground. Alex brought his face close to Ethan's, putting even more pressure on Ethan's ribs as the weight of Alex's body pressed down mercilessly.  Even for a vampire the pain was starting to get unbearable.

"Where is she?" Alex asked, "I know you have her, you and the rest of your filth..."

Ethan struggled under Alex's weight and grip, unable to break free from Alex's surprisingly strong grip. Finally the pain of struggling became too much and Ethan gave up his efforts, forcing himself to look into Alex's glowing eyes.

"I don't know who you're talking about." Ethan hissed.

With an infuriated intake of breath Alex jumped off Ethan and lifted him off the ground by his throat in one swift motion. Ethan had no chance to try to escape Alex's grip before he was thrown violently against the same tree he had hit moments before. The tree cracked loudly at the impact, buckling on its own weight and threatening to fall on top of Ethan. Ethan landed on the ground with a dull thud, yelling out in pain and frustration as he realized the bones in his right arm were broken. Forcing himself to a sitting position, Ethan spat dirt out of his mouth and faced Alex, biting down pain in an attempt to hide his fear. Whatever Alex had become, he was suddenly stronger than any vampire or werewolf Ethan had ever fought, and obviously more than a match for him.