Breathless pants and the soft crunch of leaves beneath their hurried feet was the only sound audible between the three. Leah clutched tightly to Alex and hoped to God she didn't cry. Alex was too concentrated in running steadily and scanning the right way out. Jay tagged close behind, scouting the area for any sign of movement.
Suddenly, Leah whimpered at the pain from her wounds and that made Alex run faster. Not looking back, he sprinted towards the direction he was sure he came from, hoping Jay was keeping up.
"D-don't run s-so fast... y-you are... you are g-going to get t-tired." Leah said through her pain.
Momentarily, Alex's gaze fell onto her face and he could see how she was trying to endure the pain for both their sake.
"Just keep quiet and hold on."
After what seemed like a lifetime, Alex could see a clearing through the words and he breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally reached the path to home.
"Jay we made-"
He turned back to be met with nothing, no one at all. "Where did he go?" Alex yelled in frustration, still carrying Leah in his arms. He looked around while Leah prayed it wasn't what both of them were thinking, that Jay was still safe.
Her little hope came crashing down when Alex announced the undoubted.
"He got captured."
He put Leah down gently on soft grass and yelled in anger and concern. How could he have lost Jay? Why didn't he pay more attention to him?
Why hadn't he forced Jay to walk ahead?
A surge of urgency passed through Alex's body and he started to jog back, from where they just came.
"Stay here. I will back with him."
Leah looked up, and pleaded with him.
"N-no, I'll g-go... with y-you."
"No Leah you need to rest! Stay here."
"N-no... he is m-my f-friend too."
And the conversation ended with Alex aiding Leah to stand on her feet and try to walk.
It wasn't long they had started walking when voices could be heard clearly. Alex's pace slowed down as he tried to tread carefully to avoid making a sound, motioning Leah to do the same as she held on to his shoulder.
And then, Jay's yell of pain.
In a heartbeat, they found themselves surrounded by vampires, their eyes glinting with bloodlust and their hands itching to tear them apart. They stopped in their tracks, Leah scared but Alex determined, as he bared his own fangs and his eyes turned gold.
Before Alex could give another threatening warning to them, Sebastian came in to view, along with Jay who was tied and was being dragged behind him. The vampires broke their circle to let him in and he set himself right in front of the two, smirking sickeningly.
"I heard this one was trying to be me." His hand pointed at Jay who's face was bloody now.
"Let him go!" Alex roared, to which Sebastian answered with a mere laugh, his green eyes twinkling in the evening light.
"Do you really think I will do that...Alex?" The pause made Leah suspicious, and he looked at Alex to see beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
In a swift motion, Jay was on the ground, Sebastian towering over him and holding a dagger right above his heart, his foot on Jay's chest keeping him in place.
"Instead, surrender yourself...or I will kill him. Right here, right now."
Both their eyes flicked towards Jay who was taking heavy breaths, and shaking his head ever so slightly, a sign for a no.
Alex looked back up and stared at Sebastian, his lips stretched into a tight line and his forehead creasing. It was as if he was asking Sebastian questions by merely looking at him. Questions which only both of them could understand. As if to answer him, Sebastian smiled and shook his head, and fastened his grip on the dagger.
"I give you 10 seconds to fall to the ground. Starting now."
"One."
Leah looked at Alex, her eyes wild in panic.
"Two."
Alex looked back at Jay and then the vampires surrounding him.
"Three."
Jay stared intensely at them, motioning with what little head movement he could manage to run away.
"Four."
No movement.
"Five. Half the time is gone." Sebastian mocked in a sing-song voice.
"Six."
Letting out a shaky breath, Leah took off her arm from Alex's shoulder and slowly lowered herself to the ground, her eyes fixated on the ground beneath her.
"Seven." Alex watched her sink in defeat and he knew had to do the same too.
"Eight."
If he wanted his best friend to live.
"Nine. Last chance."
And Alex was on the ground in an instant, his hands balling into hard fists and his teeth gritted together.
"Ten. I cannot believe it took you ten seconds to decide whether to save your friend or not Alex."
He bit his tongue to stop himself from growling at Sebastian, not wanting to bring more of a threat to Jay's life, who shook his head at seeing both of them kneel, a tear escaping from his eye.
"Is this how strong your friendship is?"
Sebastian scoffed and took his foot off Jay, who broke into hurried pants for air. But he did not put his dagger back and that is what both Alex and Leah feared. Sebastian still had the upper hand.
His white hair glistened in the fading light as he turned away from them and spoke to his army.
"Tie them up, but not her.", he said pointing towards Leah, and smirking, making her quiver in fear and Alex's eyes shine a bright shade of golden as he summoned on to all his strength to stop him from taking Sebastian down.
"And before any one of you boys tries to play smart on me, remember that I hold her leash. I can pull it harshly if you go too far."
Tears fell from her eyes at her warning, and more came spontaneously seeing Alex and Jay being roughly thrown to the ground, and bound by ropes, while they stared helplessly at the ground.
Unfortunately, sadness was what she could not feel at Sebastian's mercy as he grabbed her by her arm tightly and picked her up, and started walking painfully slowly in front of his two other captives, her two friends.
It's fun to have an editor. (Finally)
YOU ARE READING
Colourless Skies
Mystery / Thriller"I will let you go, of course, I will." He strode towards her with large steps. "But not until I have what I need." "And... and w-what is t-that?" she asked, almost dreading the answer. He narrowed his eyes and stared hungrily at her trembling figu...
