Hunted

Chapter 6

       I placed the now empty can in a spare plastic bag before I stood. I needed to get back. My gaze traveled down at my clothes realizing that they were soaked through with blood. The dark crimson liquid was splattered on my shirt and had soaked through the knee's in my jeans. I glanced over at the boxes of clothes that Ezra and Caleb had managed to fill up to the brim with vibrant clothing.

        I strode over to the boxes before getting on my knees beside them. My hands began to dig through the clothing, finding things that would fit. Pulling from the cardboard cube a pair of distressed jeans, they soon hit the floor beside me as I continued my search. I found a jacket and a shirt which soon followed the same fate as the pants. I stood and quickly pulled each article of clothing on. I frowned as the light jeans were baggy but was satisfied with the white v-neck layered under the black, zip up jacket.  I rushed out the door, glancing at the stack of rifles and few shotguns that Caleb had left me; I would be fine without one. He is human after all.

      I rushed out the door, clicking it shut. The frosted air had finally begun to warm up reaching just below freezing point. I flexed my fingers, stretching the cold joints. It seemed like the longer I was outside the more I got used to it. My worn converse seemed to be barely hitting the pavement as I burst into a run to make it around the corner to the shop.

The familiar light ding sounded above me and I stepped inside the bare pharmacist office. Instantly I stopped my steps as an eerie feeling washed over me. Something was wrong.

I strode into the back room, eagerness and suspense filling my being. I threw open the gray metal door with a clang to be faced with an empty room. He was gone. His faint iron stench floated through the room, burning my nostrils at the smell of blood.

When I was cleansing his wounds it was easy to ignore the smell with the peroxide wafting up my nose and burning the scent out but now it stood alone, enticing my blood sucking half. I shook the feeling away. I couldn't convince him I was human if I was trying to drain his body of the crimson fluid.

I became alert, waiting for anything to clue me in on where he was. A faint heart beat rang in my ears followed by his ragged breathing. His shuffled uneven steps rang through the air and I instantly went into action.

The boy’s movements shuffled through air, each reaching my ears in an instant. I took off following his scent through the hollow town. The wind hit my face, attacking my body trying to force it away from my target.

I pushed further, unable to hear the clatter of my shoes against the pavement, the birds gliding through the air or even to register the dark clouds hovering over me threatening to break into a down pour. All I could here was the pounding of his beating heart.

His stumbling, faltering figure emerged before me. His ragged breaths reaching my ears. I pushed myself harder before I finally stopped when I reached a few feet behind him.

The thought suddenly reached my head over what Saxon said.

'Let him believe you are human until we are sure he is not a threat.'

I slowed my pace and picked up my breathing, making it identical to his uneven breaths. I stumbled in my step so I was slowly coming to a stop other than coming to a harsh stable halt. I placed a stretch out arm on his bicep, shocking his alert figure.

His head turned towards me, eyes filled with anger. He wrenched his arm from my grasp and stumbled away from me, his hand clutching his ribs.

"Get away from me!" He shouted, his voice was rough, breaking halfway through the sentence from the lack of speaking.

“I won't hurt you." I said ensuring my voice coming out clear and slow, proving to him I wouldn't cause him any harm. His cerulean eyes suddenly clouded over with confusion.