I sat still, rocking inside the van where the four of us were cramped.
Two seats had been welded onto the sides. That's where Valen and Cynthia sat. Valen kept his blood-red eyes on us but I tried to ignore him. He held my silver tubes loosely. Cynthia pulled out her phone and started playing it.
I silently struggled against my bonds but they were too tight and caused rope burn on my wrists.
My mind was trying to figure everything out at once. Why were we ambushed? What do they want with us? Why did they have to tear Kiryu up like that?!
Tears threatened to well up in my eyes. I couldn't get the image out of my head. His leg gone, stomach sliced open and blood pooling around him. I shook my head, unable to process what happened. I tried clearing my thoughts.
"Where are you taking us?" I asked.
Cynthia looked up from her phone.
"You're useful to us, so Leona wants you alive. Shoulda just killed you on the spot and save us the trouble of questions."
"You still haven't answered mine."
She glared at me. "Do you really think you're in a position to be asking the questions? I'd rethink your options in a situation like this."
I had no response ready, so I stayed quiet. It was worth a try. I glanced at Seb. He was just watching them with vigilant eyes.
Cynthia's phone suddenly turned off, igniting a grunt of annoyance. She picked up our bags and started rummaging through it, looking for anything interesting to play with.
I hung my head, suddenly very tired. I was drained, mentally and physically. Soon, my eyes drifted closed and my mind wandered.
••••••••••••••••
I was jerked awake by a loud crash and the pain of hitting my head on the side of the van. For a few moments, I was dazed and confused. It wasn't until Seb had freed me that I was able to comprehend that the van had been tipped over. Valen and Cynthia were gone and I heard the sounds of fighting coming from outside. I gathered my thoughts and began to crawl towards the open doors.
Seb grabbed my shoulder and put a finger to his lips. He handed my backpack to me and I realised he must have grabbed them when he had the chance. I checked that my silver blades were still inside and I sighed in relief when I saw them. Sebastian slowly poked his head out the van and looked around. He signalled me to go and I crawled on hands and knees. I tried to avoid shards of glass and metal but one stuck into my palm. I held in a scream.
Seb leaned his whole torso out the van doors. He quickly ducked back in and whispered to me.
"On the count of three, we gotta run." He saw tears about to stream down my face and looked at the hand I was clutching. "Oh god..."
He took my hand gently and examined it. He tore off a piece of his jumper and rolled it up.
"Put this in your mouth and bite down hard when I pull it out."
I took it and put it between my teeth.
"Ready?" He asked.
I nodded and he grabbed the shard. I was already biting it and a small groan escaped when he yanked it out.
Tears were rolling down my cheeks and blood started to ooze from the wound. Sebastian took the cloth from my mouth and wrapped it around my hand.
"Ok, we gotta go right now. On three, ready?" He asked once he tied it off.
I nodded.
"One....two...THREE!!"
I leapt out of the van and started to bolt. My feet hit the road hard. Heart pounding, I managed a glance backwards. What I saw made me stumble.
Cynthia was knocked back against the underside of the van with tremendous force. Valen had a dagger out, ready to attack the thing wrestling with Ryan.
It was a man. Or, more specifically, a teenager. He looked around fourteen or fifteen years old. What caught my eye was the two white and gold wings springing from his back and a reptilian tail from his backside. His wings glittered ethereally and seemed to shift. Once solid, then ghost-like and transparent then solid again. They were leathery, like a bats, except for the scales that dotted its surface. Golden veins webbed their way across them.
He was locked in combat with the big lizard man. Although he was much, much smaller than him, he was holding his own. No, he was winning!
That was all I saw as I sprinted and ducked into an alley after Sebastian. I turned around and peeked past the brick wall.
The strange teen slammed Ryan into the ground, causing the pavement to crack. As he turned to face Valen the Vampire, I saw his face clearly.
He was easy on the eyes with short, golden-brown hair and angled face. His eyes were golden and intense. As he moved, they flicked to me before focusing on Valen.
"Run!!" He screamed before Valen tackled him. "Go now!"
I was frozen to the spot but Seb pulled at my arm to get me away. I finally snapped out of my trance and stumbled down the alleyway, heading towards a bustling street. As we turned, I could've sworn I heard an explosion.
