Mermaids and Vampires

32: Breakaway

~~~~~DYLAN'S POV~~~~~

"We've got to get out of here." I breath.

The floor numbers are climbing up and up.

"Dylan, I'm sorry. I don't want you to die." Lauren says, tears threatening again.

"I won't. I promise." I say softly, kneeling down, wrapping her in my arms and pulling her close to my chest.

I place my hands on her shoulders. "When we make it to our floor we'll run. We'll get ourselves as far from this building as possible."

"They'll be faster." She interrupts.

I stare her in the eyes. She looks so, so scared. And I desperately want to comfort her.

"All we can do is try, right?" I murmur.

She nods knowingly.

The elevator dings and the doors slide open.

"You ready?" I ask.

"Let's go." She says, taking my hand and running out of the elevator.

We rush down the hallway. At the very end there's a stairwell.  

When we reach the bottom floor we exit quietly through the back doors. It's a dimly lit section of the parking lot, backed with chain link fence.

"Now what?" Lauren asks in dismay.

"Shh, be quiet. Just follow me. It'll be okay." I order.

We sneak along the fence, dodging for those darker areas.

I don't know what we're up against but in my mind it's something horrible, heartless and incredibly powerful. My heart is in my throat as we race towards the exit of the parking lot - in the bright light of the streetlamps.

Part of me wants to look around as I run, to scan for the image of my father and the demons attacking him. But I keep my eyes fixed ahead. I can't let anything slow me down. Not with Lauren's life on the line.

"Dill!" Lauren's voice shrieks.

A figure lunges out at me.

Something grabs my shoulders and we tumble onto the pavement, rolling to a halt.

"Dylan. No!" Lauren cries.

"Let me go!"

I stare up into a pair of harsh black eyes.

The guy's eyebrows furrow. He pulls back, his stare unbreaking. "What are you?" He asks, confounded.

I tilt my head, entirely confused by the situation.

"Human." I state, almost as a question.

He backs up off of me, head shaking ever so slightly. We both stand.

"Olivia," He calls into the darkness, "Let's get out of here."

He backs away slowly, then begins to run.

I turn my head to look at Lauren. "What was that about?" I ask.

She stares at me wide eyed.

"He's the one that bit me." She says quietly.