The Demon Within III

Beginning of the End.

(quick A/N: I still have practically zero inspiration and nobody really even reads this book anymore anyway, so there may only be one to two more additions to this story.)

Katie

I screamed. I screamed until I thought my throat would bleed, and then screamed more. The pain... It's too much...

"Well, dear? Have you made your choice?" Sean asks as he holds his hand out to my daughter. Natalie, whose golden eyes are still clouded and blank, nods and mindlessly places her hand in Sean's. Her shirt is dotted with blood and her hair is matted against her forehead as rain pounds against the earth below.
Sean smirks. "Excellent. Stan, let's go. I get the feeling we won't be followed for a long time after this." And just like that, the heavy body-weight is lifted off of my back and the trio of wolves disappear into the foggy air of the early morning sky. Their conversation didn't reach my ears. All I could see, or hear, or think about, was Harry. Slowly bleeding out, waiting for the pain to stop, waiting for warmth to return to his body, waiting for... anything.

My muscles twitched. I need to get to him. He needs help. My hands pushed against the wet pavement and made my body rise ever so slightly up off of the ground, much to my surprise. Adrenaline was coursing through me in waves and I shoved the heavy feeling of dread off of me, stumbling towards the man laying limp on the ground.

This can't be happening... Not again...

He should come back any second now. It's already been nearly five minutes.

He's so close. I'm almost there..

Cool crimson blood touches the tips of my fingers when I reach his side. "Harry..." I whisper as my trembling fingers run through the matted mess that is his hair. The underside of his locks are drenched in rainwater and blood. "Wake up. Please, wake up.." His skin is clammy and almost paper white. Tears pour one after the other down my cheeks as I brush his tangled locks out of his eyes, my fingertips ghosting over the icy feeling of his skin. Oh God no...

                        "Harry, I'm not kidding! You've played dead long enough! This isn't funny! It's time to wake up."
Please.." Tears roll down my paled cheeks, mixing with the rain drops that fall from the hair plastered against my head.
Harry's body suddenly twitches under my touch and makes me jump back slightly.

"Harry..."

My trembling hands move through his soaked locks. Everything around me seems to be spinning, as though I'm dizzy with relief. Honestly, I don't know why I was worried; we're immortal after all. The chances of us dying are extremely low.
Harry's eyes are wide, his lips parted as breathy gasps escape his lungs. The shock of coming back from the dead is always hard to deal with. It's hard to get the rhythm of your breathing back under control, your heart feels like a rock as it pounds against your ribs, and the feeling of utter confusion you get after becoming almost fully aware of where you are and what exactly happened is utterly bewildering.

A clammy hand gripping my wrist catches my attention, jolting me from my thoughts.

"Katie... Did he... Did Sean..?" Harry's words come out labored, breathy, as if he's struggling to breathe. I squeeze his hand in my own.

"Yeah," I murmur, "He did... He did something, but I-- I'm not sure why she followed him." I dig my teeth into my bottom lip, trying to stop the trembling, but no matter how hard I clench my jaw the chattering won't stop.
Harry lets out a loud breath, leaning back on his elbows. "She followed him?"
I nod.

"Yeah," The breath in my lungs catches in my throat. The reality of the situation hasn't really kicked in until now; now that I know Harry is all right and Nathan is safe with a friend, my brain hadn't fully registered the fact that my seventeen year old daughter was just whisked away by some fifty-something year old trapped in an nineteen year old's body.
My eyes widen.

Sean has my daughter.

How far have they gotten in the time I've been stuck here waiting for Harry to wake up? For all we know they could be miles away, in the middle of nowhere. And who knows what he's planning to do with her once they're safely hidden in his relocated fortress?

I scramble to my feet, gazing heatedly at Harry who is still lying below me. "Can you stand?" I ask. Harry looks up at me with big, furious eyes, emerald green turned dark with determination. "Yeah," he growls as he pushes himself to his feet. "Let's go get our daughter back."

Determined, I nod and start sprinting full speed in the direction Sean went with Natalie, trusting that Harry is following close behind. The absolute fury and disgust I feel in my chest pushes my legs to go faster than I ever thought possible, even after my transformation. It truly is amazing what emotions can do to the body; dead or alive.

The farther we get into the forest surrounding our neighborhood, the more disoriented I become. Trees trees and more trees surround the two of as we run, and each one is difficult to see in the gathered darkness of a stormy night. Navigating our way through this forest becomes more challenging when the lightning grows more violent; white flashes blinding me every other second. It's like a strobe light.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Harry shouts over the thunderous downpour. "All there is here is forestry!"

"I saw him walking in this direction, this has to be the way! These trees must end somewhere, and once find out where I bet we'll find our target." I call back, dodging a rather thinly trunked tree that popped up in my path. That would've be quite the hindrance...

But that tree was much smaller than any we've encountered so far. That must mean we're getting close to the end.

I subconsciously suck in a sharp breath, and suddenly my feet stop in their tracks. This scent... It's Natalie's!
The strong yet sweet smell of strawberry and cream invades my nostrils with each breath I take, and I'm assuming Harry can smell it, too, if the look of hope in his eyes is anything to go by.

"This way!" Now it's Harry leading the way, his speed almost overlapping mine earlier. We both break out of the prison of trees simultaneously, panting, and are met with the shadowed silhouette of a large mansion a few yards in the distance. Without even saying another word the two of us speed to the front door, busting through the thick slab of wood making up the door, and step inside cautiously. God knows how many goonies Sean's collected over the past few years.

"The hell was that?!" "Investigate at once!"
A distant shout moves through the dimly lit entry way. Adrenaline courses through my body, lighting my eyes with a burning fire of determination and confidence. Fighting always did this for me. It's exhilarating feeling as if the blood in my body is pumping ferociously through my veins.

I move my eyes towards Harry. "It's been a while since we've gotten to fight together, hasn't it?"
A small smirk quirks on his mouth at my excited tone and he breathes a light chuckle, readying himself for combat.

"You're right,"

Natalie... Hang on.