Bloodlines

Chapter 17: The Bunker

"So, you gonna tell me what that was all about?" Darian huffed, as Sylvia let his sleeve go under the cover of the forest. Sylvia paced ahead, stomping on rocks and twigs as she walked further into the leafy shroud of the forest. She wanted to scream, at the top of her lungs into the abyss of the forest. But she didn't.

"I just needed to get out of there," she replied, not once hesitating in her stride. She needed to clear her head, sort things out. However, it surprised both her and Darian that she had dragged him along for the ride.

"You're too harsh on him," Darian said, earning a scowl from Sylvia as she spun around.

"Too harsh? You have no clue what I had to go through because of him!" Her fists were at her side, clenched so hard her nails drew blood from the palm of her hand. Darian walked up to her slowly, then placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You got close to someone, that's what happened," Darian said. Sylvia watched him tentatively. The rage inside of her was coming to a boil, all the emotions inside her head tossing and turning making a confused mess.

"You got close to someone and got scared. You did the same with me, remember?" Darian said quietly, a level look on his face. Sylvia huffed.

"It's not the same and you know it," she didn't understand the comparison. Aliyah had held her prisoner, using his persuasion on her to gain information about hunters. He used her as a toy, and was now here to collect her and take her back to be a prisoner again.

Darian and Sylvia locked eyes for a long time, their breath coming out as frost against the setting sun. He then pulled her in a tight embrace, arms folding around her back as he leaned into her. Sylvia was shocked at his response, hesitating in returning his embrace.

"Sylvia..." Darian said, his voice just above a whisper, "you've been alone for so long, that the moment you express a vulnerable side you clamp back up." Sylvia felt the prickling of tears behind her eyes, and tightly returned Darian's hug. She buried her face into the warmth of his jacket, leaving the cold world outside as they stood there for a moment. Sylvia wept silently, dampening Darian's shirt. It was the first time she had cried this hard in a long time, the sensation so foreign to her it almost felt wrong. But at the same time, it felt right.

"I've lost everyone I cared about," she sobbed into his jacket. Darian patted her head, letting her release all the pent up emotions she had stored over the years.

"They're gone, but not forgotten Sylvia. As hunters it is not only our duty to protect the innocent, but also each other. And so I'm going to protect you, be it from evil monsters or boy troubles," Darian said.

When they pulled away, Darian smiled sweetly at Sylvia, wiping a tear from her eye with his thumb. She felt better, like a balloon that was inflated so much it had to burst. She now felt light, but still could sense the darkness around her.

"How do you always know what to say?" She asked with a sniffle.

"Because I'm awesome that's why, shall we?" He asked, pointing towards the forest. The tall dense trees stretched upwards into the slowly darkening sky, like hands reaching for a sun that was about to set. It was quiet, welcoming. Without speaking, they both agreed to the travel further into the calm woods. Sylvia nodded enthusiastically, relishing in the idea of taking a walk. Sylvia doesn't remember the last time she went for a walk. It's always been running from danger, walking to a job. She had rarely ever just walked for the sake of walking.

"You really think I'm being harsh on him?" Sylvia asked, pulling aside a branch for Darian to slip past. He chuckled.

"He's opened up to me about what happened you know, and I think if you got to know him a bit better you'd understand his point of view," Sylvia huffed. She was slightly annoyed Aliyah seemed under the impression he could just go around sharing such sensitive topics, but she suspected Darian would have found out one way or another.