Watch Over You (10 page)

She approached him before her courage smacked her in the head and asked her what she thought she was doing. He didn’t complain or protest when she opened the first button. She went onto the next one, keeping her eyes fixed on the small fastenings instead of his face. He let his arms drop so she could carry on. She opened one after another until they were all done. With only a moment’s pause, she reached up to push the shirt off his shoulders. He shrugged himself out of it to help her. He had a t-shirt on under that. She hesitated, unsure if she should help him with that too. He took her out of her dilemma when he lifted it over his head himself.

She couldn’t help but stare at his chest and then the scar. It was thick and long and bulged out slightly. He stiffened under her gaze, but didn’t say a word. Turning away from her, he kicked off his shoes before starting to unbuckle his belt.

Although afraid to leave him alone, Tara took the hint and left him to finish up on his own nonetheless. She didn’t go very far, though, taking care to leave the bathroom door slightly ajar. Wanting to be able to hear him if he needed anything or, god forbid, he slipped, she went to her bedroom to wait.

She sat on her bed for a few minutes, not really knowing what to do with herself. She got up and started pacing, nervous energy coursing through her. She glimpsed her reflection in the mirror above her dresser. She stopped and stared at her face, scowling at her image.  “Old,” she muttered to herself with disgust, pulling down her cheeks with the flats of her fingers. She settled on going to the window and staring out into the dark. The weather had been odd recently. Volatile. One moment the sun was shining and the next it was
hammering down with rain or hail. It had ceased raining at least, but the clouds in the sky were no doubt ready for another downpour. She stared out as far as she could see across the fields through the darkness. There was a farm just off on the horizon and a couple of lights on, but nothing else.

She pressed her face against the glass to try to see sideways down the street. That was just dark too. The streetlights hadn’t come on again. They were like the weather - unpredictable. She didn’t like to go out when it was so dark. Thankfully, the couple of times she had been out later than she had liked the street lights had been lit when she got home. Most evenings they weren’t, however. Probably some money-saving scheme, she thought.

There was a silhouette of a man just down the path. Not very far - maybe a couple of houses over. He was standing under one of the dark street lamps so she couldn’t see his face. She couldn’t see anything really. She assumed it was a man although it could have been female. She doubted that, though; the shape seemed too broad.  The more she stared, the more unease caused her skin to prickle. Out of the corner of her eye, a movement caught her attention. She jumped and whirled around, but there was nothing there.

Heart thumping, she turned to the window once again. The man was closer. She hadn’t noticed him move, and he didn’t really look like he had actually moved at all; his pose was the exact same one. But she could swear he was now standing under the next light along the empty street. Fear swept through her and though she commanded her suddenly shaky legs to take a step back, she found she couldn’t. She stood there as if mesmerised. All the sounds around her faded to a dull hum. Even the hiss of the shower and Devan banging around dissolved into nothingness. It was just her at the window. Her own breathing could not be heard and the glass no longer fogged up from her breath. Darkness pressed in around the corners of her eyes. The man didn’t move, and although he was faceless, she could feel his gaze intent on her. With great effort, she managed to tear her eyes away from him, only to fall on the shape of another man at the end of the street. He
stood there, identical in every way - same height, same shadow, same clothing, and same stance. Both wore hoods and didn’t move.

“What do you want?” she cried, fear and dread mounting inside her. There was a field that stretched out into the distance and a gate which allowed the farmer with his tractor access. Another dark shadow stood there, and he was just the same as the other two. They all looked like the very same person, and she had no doubt that the three of them were staring right at her. The closest one moved and Tara gasped. He lifted his hand slowly and pointed at her.

She reeled backwards, hand on her chest over her frantic heart. Flashes of things she didn’t understand exploded through her mind – blood, wreckage, her anguished screams. She shook her head to clear it. She could see the three men. They all moved closer to her house, but none of them were actually walking. Terror consumed her.
No, they couldn’t have her.
She didn’t know why they wanted her or why he pointed, but whatever it was, they couldn’t have her.

“Why? What do you want?” she yelled again. She backed away – and walked straight into a hard body behind her. She screamed. A cold hand clamped over her mouth and a heavy weight pushed her down to the floor. She lay immobilised by whomever was holding her down. The hand over her mouth made it impossible for her to scream for Devan.

Devan removed his hand slowly from Tara’s mouth, staring down at her beneath him He raised his finger to his lips and signalled for her not to make a sound. Glancing around the room, he looked for any shadows. Anything. Anyone. But there was only him and Tara. She didn’t move as she stared up at his face, terror drawn all over her features. Her heart pounded against his chest, her slim form trembling under his. She’d scared him more than she would ever know. He thought she had been sleeping; that’s why there had been such quiet. His own pulse hadn’t yet recovered from when he had knocked on her bedroom door and found her fading. He’d almost lost her. The fear was too much. Each time he turned his back, they were going to try to take her.

After convincing himself that Tara was okay, he slid off her and crawled along the floor to the window. With the help of the ledge, he pulled himself up, but only far enough so that he could peek out into the darkness. The streetlights illuminated a little of the road. He
counted six shadow walkers. Shadow walkers - that was what he called them. He didn’t know what they were really, but that’s how they appeared. Hungry rats that hid in the shadows waiting to pounce. Six. What did they want? He had two days left. Two days.

God damn them,
he cursed silently. He and Tara couldn’t stay there. He glanced at the bedside table. The clock indicated just after one. Sunrise was late this time or year, and that meant more hours of darkness. How many more would appear in the night? They had to leave. It was his only chance of getting her away.

He crawled back to her but faltered. She had rolled onto her side to watch him, eyes bright. Her long hair was tucked behind her ears and her soft lips parted. The sight of her made his body hunger. He yearned to touch her. If he could have stayed there and just drunk in the sight of her forever, he would have been content.

“Who are they, Devan?” she asked when he reached her. He didn’t lie back down, not trusting his resolve around her. Instead, he sat himself up and then offered her a hand so that she could do the same.

“Are you okay?” he asked, ignoring her question.

“I don’t think okay is the right word. What do they want? Are they gone?” She attempted to kneel, but Devan grabbed her arm and yanked her back down.

“Don’t look at them.”

“Why?”

“Just trust me.” He couldn’t explain it to her. She would not understand. Not yet anyway. He had to get her out of there first. They needed to leave - and fast. The shadows were close now and they weren’t going to back away. They had touched her already; got a taste for her life. Now they wanted her and they wouldn’t stop until they had her. He had been deceived. They’d tricked him. It had all been a lie? Had they simply wanted him to lead them to her? To help them find a way into her world? They’d made a deal, but they weren’t sticking to it.

He thought back to what he had gone through to get here - the pain, the begging, and the pleading. He had given everything and now it meant nothing. They weren’t going to get her, though. Not even they could keep him away. He recalled that first day, how he couldn’t believe that she was finally sitting right there. He wasn’t going to mess it up this time. They always dragged him right back the moment something went wrong, but each time he had got closer to her, it gave him hope - something to fight for. He had expected them to snatch him up on the bridge as soon as she spoke - a cruel trick. Some part of him knew they couldn’t be trusted when they promised to release him. It didn’t matter to them. He had to get her to the truth. His heart ached for her every day. Something inside him cried out for her. He couldn’t lose her. Not now. The truth was the only thing that would free her from their grasp.

He slid his hand over and clasped his fingers around hers. They tightened in return around his. He wanted to do so much more. The urge to possess her, smother her and make her safe, was almost too much for him. “We have to leave here,” he rasped.

“Why? I don’t understand.”

They both jumped as the sound of the front door rattling suddenly echoed through the house. It rattled like the wind was whipping it, but the air was still outside. Tara clutched at Devan’s hand and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. He pulled her closer, his arm circling her waist and bringing her flush against him. He needed to feel her there. He held her too tight, though, so he loosened his grip a little so that she would be able to stand on her own feet. He was practically lifting her off the floor. Her arms refused to unlatch themselves from around his neck, however. She clung to him, making it hard to move. He kept his legs bent, head down, crouching to avoid being seen.

“Where are we going?” she asked timidly.

“Anywhere. Just away from here.”

“Why? Why are they here?”

He didn’t answer her again. He didn’t know how to tell her that they were there for her and once they had her, she was never going to get away; no matter
how much she pleaded. This was the only chance she had.

Tara let go of Devan as he crept from the room, but he stretched his hand out behind himself for her to grab. He led her out onto the landing just as the door rattled once more. This time it was louder, more desperate, and they both froze until it was over. Something thudded against the glass panel downstairs - a repetitive thump, thump, thump.

When things quieted, they crept out to the top of the stairs. Devan had a view of the front door from there. Even in darkness, he could make out the shapes of two shadows. Only the glass door stood between them and what they wanted.

Still holding onto Tara, he started to descend the steps. Tara resisted, tugging at his hand for him to stop. “I can't,” she whimpered. She wasn’t looking at him. Her gaze was trained on the shadows below, her eyes wide with panic.

“It’s the only way.”

“They’re right there.”

“They’re on the other side. It’s okay. But we don’t have long. We need to go now.” He followed Tara’s gaze. The letter box pushed open. Ominous dark smoke spilled in like the remnants of fire pouring through. “We don’t have much time. We have to go,” he pleaded.

He gripped her hand tighter this time. At that moment, he didn’t care if he hurt her or if he crushed her hand. Getting her out was his priority and if he had to do that with her kicking and screaming, then so be it. He could apologise later. She could be mad at him later, but right now, he needed her out. He yanked her arm hard as he descended a couple more steps.

His arm was jerked backwards as Tara gripped the bannister and refused to move. “Come on,” he growled his command at her. “We have to go.” A sudden buzzing sounded in his ears, like the low hum of a television, only louder. It pressed down on him. He swayed and the darkness in his peripheral vision grew and threatened to steal his sight. His face started to feel like it was melting. He shook his head to try to relieve it, but when he opened his eyes, the world around him was nothing but dark swirls. Tara called his name from a distance.
God damn it! He wasn’t going to go like this
.

He clutched at his head, willing his vision and lucidity back. The swallow began to burn in his palm.

When he opened his eyes, Tara’s terror-stricken face stared back at him. There was more fear on her face now than when he had found her in her room, one of those things looming outside the window. He knew that his eyes had gone black. She shook her head and started to back up the stairs, but he leapt for her. She tried to move out of the way, but he was faster. He seized her hand and didn’t let go. “Don’t be scared,” he said in a voice that wasn’t quite his own. “It’s me. Okay?”

“You’re one of them?” she said, shaking her head and trying to pull away from him and what he was. Her eyes darted across his face. He could feel her fear. It sank into him, creating an anxiety of his own in his chest. “Let me go.”

“No.”

“What do you want?” she was crying now. Her voice choked with sobs. She pulled hard to free her hand from his, but he just held on tighter. He knew if he let her go, she would run - and she would run right into them. “Please. Let me go,” she begged.

She was trembling as she used her other hand to clutch at his wrist and wrench her hand free. Her fear was growing, each second duplicating it. He could hear it inside. The erratic thoughts of her mind as she broached the line to cross over into hysterics. He moved himself up a step so that they were on the same level. He took both of her hands in his and held her still to look her right in the eyes. “Do you trust me?” he asked her.