Authors: Melanie Tomlin
“Typical,” I mumbled. “And what about the others of the nine? If you proved earth-bound angels exist, how would they react?”
“Some would be angry, but none would question His wisdom.”
“Are you sure of that? I mean, He’s had trouble with angels before,” I pointed out.
The devotion Danny displayed was getting old fast.
Is he blind or has he been brainwashed into truly believing it?
A benevolent God, one who cared for His creations, wouldn’t allow war, disease and famine. There would be no cancer, no AIDS and no one would be unloved. I crossed my arms and debated whether I should speak my mind. As usual, my mouth opened before I could finish arguing the pros and cons in my head.
“I think you give Him far too much credit. You say He’s never at fault, but it’s His creations that make the mistakes. Surely they were flawed to begin with? There is
no
mistake in perfection and we’re
not
perfect!” With each word I spoke I was getting louder and louder, until I was practically yelling. “
He
should start taking responsibility for His creations!”
Before I could calm down and apologise, Danny was out of the chair. He grabbed my arm and pulled me along, taking four steps. At the fifth step — I noticed there was a flash of colour after the fourth step — he pushed me to the ground and continued walking without me. I climbed to my feet and began to tell him I was sorry. It was too late. He was gone and I was alone, in the middle of a forest. There was no sign of the little cottage, no identifying landmarks. I had no idea whatsoever where I was. I could be in any forest, in any state, in any country.
Beyond doubt, I was being punished for my transgression. For questioning
God
. I sat with my back against a tree, hugging my legs to my chest. So be it, I’d take my punishment, although if Danny wasn’t back by morning I’d need to start the trek back to civilisation — wherever that might be — on my own.
My stomach rumbled. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to last without
feeding.
Perhaps heading back to civilisation wasn’t such a good idea. One way or another I’d need to make some sort of a decision about what to do if Danny didn’t return for me.
When first light filtered through the trees and there was still no sign of Danny, I knew I was on my own once more. This was going to be my burden to bear.
Why would an angel want to help a monster like me anyway?
Apparently he’d come to his senses about helping someone —
something
— that was an enemy of angels and mortals alike. A creature inherently evil.
5.
Chance Encounter
I stood up and turned around slowly until I’d completed a three-sixty, then sighed.
“Which way do I go?”
I had no idea what direction I was facing, and where it would take me. There did seem to be a slight incline in one direction, which would be the safest bet for steering clear of civilisation, but possibly not the best choice for finding water. I’d need water. That was the deciding factor for me. I would head in the opposite direction to the incline until I found water. Hopefully I’d find something edible along the way as well.
I set off on my chosen path. Thank goodness I’d had the sense to put on the new running shoes Danny had left for me before I’d offended his sensibilities. They weren’t the best type of footwear for this terrain, but they were a vast improvement on the sandals I’d been wearing the night I’d been
changed
.
Has it really only been two days since I thought I was a goner?
Apart from my fingertips — the red was starting to fade — and the vomiting, which could have been attributed to severe food poisoning, nothing had
really
changed for me. Yes, I still felt incredibly hungry, yet who wouldn’t if they hadn’t eaten properly in days. Yes, I had been able to throw Danny off me, but that could have been due to an adrenaline rush. So how was it that Danny was so sure I was some sort of monster? Why had I been duped into believing him?
Because you’re scared it’s true!
The forest was very quiet, although I did catch a glimpse of some small animals scurrying in the opposite direction to where I was headed. Forests were not something I’d spent much time in, being a city girl, and I didn’t know if the silence was normal or not. Perhaps if the atmosphere had
felt
peaceful and tranquil, the silence would have seemed more natural. Instead there was a palpable tension in the air, as if the trees were holding their breath, if such a thing was possible. I shivered.
The silence was eerie. There should have been
some
forest sounds. After all, what was a forest, but a city for animals? Could they — the animals — sense I was different? Is that why they hurried elsewhere, remaining as quiet as possible? Were they afraid of attracting my attention? I was more afraid of them, and of running into a wild animal that might attack me.
I still had so many questions going through my mind about what I was, what I’d become, and my only source of information had cast me out. The reaction of the animals now posed another question.
Danny casting me out of the cottage is just like Michael casting out Satan. That was who it was, wasn’t it, who cast out Satan?
I was sure I’d heard it was Michael.
Perhaps I deserved this. Sin was in my nature, saintliness was not. Maybe as a sinner I’d got what I deserved. If my circumstances had been different — if I hadn’t been abandoned at an early age — it’s feasible I may have turned out different. So was it nurture rather than nature? Possibly. I couldn’t turn back the clock, couldn’t change the past. I could only make the best of a bad situation.
I kept walking in as straight a line as possible, taking into account all the trees I had to navigate around and the fallen branches I had to climb over. There were no tracks to indicate hikers came this way. That was a good sign. It meant I was on the right track, so to speak. My main priorities were to find food, water and shelter. Doubt began to creep in. What the heck was I doing? Danny had me so confused.
Forget about Danny and focus, Helena. Find a water source. The other two can wait for a while.
Yep, water was essential.
I stopped to listen. If there was a river, creek or waterfall nearby I should be able to hear it — nothing. Maybe I could smell water instead, like being able to smell when it’s about to rain. I sniffed the air and the scents of the forest assailed my nostrils. I could
smell
the vitality of the trees, the cleanness of the air, the decomposing leaves under my feet and the animals’ droppings. There were others smells as well, many of which I couldn’t identify — a few sickly-sweet — bombarding me from all directions, but water was not one of them.
It was strange how vivid each of the scents was. Perhaps it was the result of being in fresh, unpolluted air. I found myself taking deeps breaths through my nose, trying to identify every individual scent.
Stop it
.
Use your ears, not your nose
.
I continued walking and allowed my sense of hearing to range outwards. I tried to rely on my nose as little as possible. The sickly-sweet smell was becoming overbearing, almost to the point of making me nauseous.
In the distance I could hear the sounds of a ferocious fight. The snarling and growling, interspersed with yowls of pain, echoed throughout the forest. They sounded like big animals, not the little creatures I’d seen scurrying away from me. I shivered slightly, more so at the images my imagination conjured up for me, to accompany the cacophony. I’d never heard sounds like that before. They were frightening.
I hesitated. There was no way I wanted to end up in the middle of a fight, or worse, as a meal for a pack of wild animals. As I tried to decide which way would be the best direction to take — to give the fight a wide berth — I heard a distressed howl, then silence. Everything was quiet again.
I angled off to the left, not wanting a chance encounter with whatever animals had been involved in the fight. If I was lucky they were busy eating their prey and wouldn’t catch sight or scent of me.
My decision had been a good one. Within half an hour I heard the faint sound of water, and it was this sound I followed, until I reached a grassy clearing divided near enough through the middle by a shallow brook.
I looked around cautiously from the cover of the trees. A number of trees had fallen down at some time, fashioning this small glade. Most of the wood had rotted away and only a few stumps remained.
Not seeing or hearing anything out of the ordinary, I ventured out into the small patch of sunshine. The sun felt good on my face and its warmth made me realise how cold I’d been, travelling in the gloom of the forest.
I knelt by the brook and splashed my face with water. It was icy cold and I gasped involuntarily. I wiped my face on the sleeve of my jumper, closed my eyes and raised my face to the sun again, soaking up the warmth and waiting for feeling to return to my numb nose. It was then I sensed something was watching me.
My heart should have been pounding in my chest with fear, but it wasn’t. My stomach should have been in knots, but it wasn’t. I was strangely calm and serene. For all I knew it was a predatory animal, come to eat or drink — perhaps both. The thought didn’t bother me as it had when I’d heard the growling and snarls earlier on. I
should
be scared, but I wasn’t.
Surely it was Danny who was watching me. It was the only explanation for my lack of fear. On some subconscious level I must have known I wasn’t in any danger.
“You can come out, Danny,” I said.
I cupped my hands and lowered them into the icy water. I heard the sound of soft footsteps behind me. Yes, footsteps — two legs, not four. So it
was
Danny!
I quenched my thirst with the water. It had an odd metallic aftertaste. Perhaps the brook was fed by a mineral spring. I filled my hands twice more before the thirst gave way to pain.
I wrapped my arms around my abdomen and moaned, doubling over in pain.
Not again
.
Danny made no move to assist me and I leaned away from the brook as the heaving began. The pain was not as sharp as it had been when I’d eaten the burger, but it was unpleasant nonetheless. The water must’ve been polluted, and my body, being weak, was reacting to it.
Tears welled up in my eyes, my nose began to run, and my cheeks were aflame. The heaving continued and there was nothing I could do but ride it out, taking quick breaths in-between.
Eventually the heaving subsided and I collapsed on my side, exhausted. Lack of food and good clean water — along with all the exercise trekking through the forest — was taking its toll on me. I needed to rest.
The sun disappeared momentarily as a shadow passed over me. I heard Danny kneel down beside me and felt his icy fingers grip my arm through the jumper. His hands were colder than mine and I shivered. Yesterday — or was it the day before — they had been so warm. Could his mood affect his body temperature? Warm when he was content and happy, cold when he was angry.
“Danny, I’m sorry,” I whispered hoarsely.
I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at him. He was positioned so that the sun was in my eyes and I couldn’t see his face properly. I moved my head so it was in shadow again. I needed to see if there was anger, or worse yet, violence in his face.
The shock of seeing someone else’s face caused me to gasp, and in that sharp intake of breath I smelled something sickly-sweet in the air.
He smiled at me. His teeth were dazzling white and perfectly straight — too perfect. He must have spent a lot of money to get them to look like that.
“Hello,” he said, “what have we here?”
“I’m lost,” I replied. What other explanation could I give for being out here?
“So it would appear. Bad for you,” he grinned devilishly, “good for me.”
I struggled to sit up and tried to shuffle backwards. There must be a sizable rock or piece of wood nearby that I could use as a weapon.
“Not so fast,” he said, grabbing both my arms.
He placed his cheek against mine and took in a deep breath through his nose. He moved his cheek down my jaw line to my neck, continuing to breathe in through his nose. I could feel his breath on my neck as he exhaled, and I had the distinct impression of déjà vu.
“Exquisite,” he said, pulling back to look at me. “But what are you? No mortal
ever
smelled like this. Could you be an ally of the wolf we hunted? Were you sent to distract us?”
He squeezed my arms and shook me roughly, then laughed.
“No matter. You, my pretty, are too late. My companions are taking care of the problem as I speak. So, what to
do
with you? No, that’s not right, I
know
what to do with you,” he laughed. I didn’t like the way he said he knew what to do with me. “What I want, before I do it, is to find out what you are and exactly who sent you.”
The feeling of déjà vu solidified into something more tangible — vampire.