Page 88 of Marked for Execution
She nodded, staring where her daughter disappeared behind the bush until she came back, rubbing her hands down her pants.
“I’m done.”
“That’s good. I’ll be right behind you. This is Fitri; she’s going to stand next to you, okay?”
Watching their interaction, my heart panged with a longing for my own mother. Though, she wasn’t really my mother, was she? She loved me though, enough to make up for my father’s disappointments. If Maverick survived everything that happened, I wondered if there was a chance my parents did.
Emma came around the bush, fixing her pants, when my ears twitched with the sound of a light rustle of leaves.
“Ahhh!”
“Momma!”
Emma was pulled into the bush, her screams echoing between the trees.
“Go to Samuel. Now!” I yelled at Remi. She sobbed, and I was stuck between finding Emma and pushing her towards someone who could guard her.
“Fitri! What the fuck happened?” Samuel’s voice didn’t sound far. Good. My adrenaline was rushing through me as I grabbed the girl and threw her in the air toward Sam. He caught her with a grunt, and I ran after the direction I last saw Emma.
A trail of her blood was left on some of the leaves and the bush. Using my heightened sense of smell, I followed her trail, the bolts on my back making a racket as they jostled.
Something slammed into the tree trunk next to me, making me stop. Rolling toward my foot was Emma’s decapitated head, her eye sockets dark and empty with streaks of crimson running down like tears. Her mouth was gaped open, her jaw broken off its hinge.
Growling, I yelled out, “Show your fucking self!”
The sun had already gone down by this point, just a hint of it left over the horizon. The bushes shook beside me, and I pulled my crossbow from my back, securing a bolt. My hair bristled when a dark figure walked out, dragging the rest of Emma behind him. Her neck was still spurting blood as he dropped her like a rag doll and sucked his stained finger into his mouth.
He was covered in something that camouflaged him, his presence large and domineering.He couldn’t be the guy we ran over, right?Crazy Otis talked about clones and Clan Cor…
The stranger threw off his cloak when the rest of the sun went down, his face scraping the inside of my mind with images of torture in a military compound.
“You!” I growled with hate as my bolt went off.
He twisted and moved with super speed, dodging it and landing on top of me, disarming my crossbow. His hands circled around my neck and tightened as he leaned in and sniffed. “Just as sweet as I remember, hybrid. I see Disaris blood runs strong in you. How did you survive?”
Eliseo leaped over me in an attempt to tackle him but missed as the vampire almost disappeared from moving so quickly, landing beside me.
“Fucking bloodsucker!” Gunner screamed out a distance away from us and I gasped, fearing for Remi. Jumping up, I grabbed my crossbow and scrambled to get back toward the direction of camp.
Gunner and Samuel were in hand-to-hand combat with him while Remi crouched beside the RV with her hand over her ears, crying and rocking.
The smell of blood increased the moment Samuel growled and landed on the ground. Darius, my torturer from clan Corrus so long ago, smiled menacingly as he circled around Gunner, who had a blade out in front of his face.
Eliseo caught up to me right as I locked in another bolt and aimed. Darius lunged, but Gunner dodged, slamming his knife down only to miss the killing blow when Darius twisted, slicing his arm in the process, and threw Gunner against the camper with a loud crash, almost tipping it onto its side, leaving a dent behind.
Remi screamed again, which made Samuel growl and pull his gun from his waistband, letting off a few shots that missed and hit the trees.
My ears rang as Eliseo fired from behind me, hitting Darius in the leg, but it didn't stop him from still coming forward with the intent to kill and feed. His eyes were wild; his fangs glistened with saliva. Gunner was missing from the last spot and Samuel grabbed the vampire from behind. Eliseo was still aiming his gun, but with so much movement, we both couldn't get a good shot.
Darius threw Samuel over his shoulder and slammed him onto the ground. Eliseo let off a shot but missed again when Darius twisted, stood up, and brought his booted foot down on Samuel’s left thigh, breaking it with a loud snap.
Gunner came in from behind a tree with one of the blades we acquired from Bellmore. It looked almost like a short sword as he brought it down across Darius’ back, taking him to his knees.
Reed crept up behind Gunner who ducked and pulled the blade sideways, cutting Darius’ hamstring as Reed jumped over him and slammed his own knife into Darius’ neck from behind.
I finally let off a bolt at the same time Eliseo let off a shot. It hit the target, twisting his body and taking him to the ground on his back. I didn’t even see Samuel move as he grabbed the pot with his shirt and poured animal fat onto Darius’ face, making him cry out in agony as his flesh began to melt and peel away from the bone.
The combined smell of burnt flesh and animal fat actually made my mouth water as I watched him unable to roll around in his pain since my bolt was lodged in his shoulder.