Master

Chapter 28

Lincoln's P.O.V

"Go," 

Not a millisecond after Wequie says the word, I send a wave of energy to my lower body and break off into the woods to my left.

Somewhere in my mind, I register Malcolm going the opposite way, but keep my focus on nature's littered obstacles and avoiding them. 

Running was never a strain for me and it certainly wasn't now, I was barely going at fifty per cent, however, running with a clan of vampires tracking my every move in unfamiliar terrain was admittedly... a strenuous task in itself.

Placing my hands out before me, I jump over a fallen log and push myself forth from my hands, retaking my former sprint the second my feet touch the ground.

The night had fallen quickly and quietly, leaving every inch of this wilderness covered in a thick coat of darkness.

Moonlight was my only guide, scattering in wherever it could through the thick trees and numerous leaves.

But relying on the moonlight wouldn't keep me for long so I unlock my mental strains on my dormant power.

I let a sliver of it escape to attach itself to every vampire in the area. A light buzz fills my veins as I connect to them all, scraping against their minds softly and the power their bodies held as well. The sensation, of being so close to my kind, had always been overwhelming, but I'd forgotten that it could be pleasuring too, calming. 

It was like sharing this invisible link to them all centred me somehow.

Pushing away those thoughts for later examination, I focus my mind and fix my attention on the ones who were following after me and not Malcolm.
With my spreading power, I snag on them each like a tether that allowed my mind to mentally place where each of them was in relation to me.

More than half of the clan was on my ass, the newborns and the older ones, following me like a swarm of bees that saw me as their favourite nectar. I couldn't see in the night, but my faint attachment to them allowed me to feel them as they moved all around me.

The newborns were directly behind me, mirroring my every move as they pushed and shoved at each other, trying to take the lead to attempt to close in on me.

The older ones seemed to be thinking more, moving slightly further behind as they slowly eased out with the intention to surround me.

A buzz of electricity shoots up my spine, adrenaline kicking in and making a tempting offer to go even faster, but I didn't want to outrun them all.

After all, this game was meant for us to have some fun, and that's exactly what I intended to do.

Glancing quickly from side to side, I take a sharp right turn, sending myself directly into the path of those who were still running straight ahead as I had been. Before their outstretched hands can touch me, I shift my footing suddenly and twist my entire body towards the opposite direction. Inhaling deeply, I focus my energy and push myself off the ground, casting myself running again as I shoot off to my right. 

The ground shakes momentarily beneath my feet as several of the newborns go crashing into one another, the sound truly rewarding. 

The ones that had followed my feign effectively colliding head first with the ones who'd thought they could catch me. Angered curses and groans fill the air along with some screams of pain, but I couldn't find it in myself to feel particularly guilty.

I'd just cleared at least a quarter of them with a fake alone, and besides, if anything was broken it would heal... with time.

Running with no particular plan, I feel a smile tugging on my lips as I carried on. I'd thought I wouldn't find any aspect of this game enjoyable, but it wasn't nearly as horrid as I imagined it to me.