The night stretched endlessly as I waited for Autumn to gather herself. The city stirred beneath the black sky; every building, tree, and scrap of asphalt was slowly consumed by an eerie silence as the rest of the world fell asleep... while we monsters prowled in darkness. I watched it advance like a tide, relentless and unfeeling, washing away the signs of life left by civilians.
The quiet stretched out as I leaned over the roof's edge, watching the empty city below. The people, whether they were awake or sleeping in their beds, had no idea what stalked their periphery, no idea how close they were to the things they hoped were myths and legends.
Then her voice broke through. "How did this happen?" Autumn's words were quiet, but their tremor shook something loose inside me. Seeing her face the same terror that gripped me when I realized I was something inhuman.
I turned quickly to see her staring into the ground. Her arms hugged her knees close to her chest, and her body folded into itself like she was trying to disappear... to hide from the truth.
"What do you mean... exactly?" I asked carefully, my voice low.
She didn’t look up, her eyes fixed on the gravel scattered at her feet. “What’s happening to me?”
"What do you remember?" I crouched beside her, studying her torn face. "What's the last thing you remember before you woke up like this?”
Her brow furrowed, her eyes clouding as she tried to sift through her thoughts. “It’s... loud,” she murmured. “Everything’s so loud. Like it’s screaming inside me. I felt... angry. And so hungry.” Her voice broke, trembling. “It’s all a blur… running through the woods, looking for something to fill this... this hole inside me.”
Her words hung heavy in the air, and I let her sit with them a moment before gently prompting, "What about before that? Do you remember anything before the hunger? Before you woke up this way?"
Her face twisted, her hands clutching at her arms like she could hold herself together through sheer force. "I think I do," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But it's... fragmented. None of it makes sense. The only thing I'm sure of... is you. I remember you telling me… about what you are. About Death... and... him." Her gaze met mine, wide and frightened. "The one inside you. I can feel him… that... thing."
I swallowed hard, her words hitting too close to the truth I couldn't escape. I even felt Myoordrakien shift inside me at her words, trying to help me calm her by making himself less apparent. "That's the last clear memory?"
She nodded, her shoulders shaking as she tried to curl even tighter. “What’s happening to me? I’m not me anymore.” Her voice cracked, raw with terror.
“Autumn,” I said softly, reaching out but stopping just short of touching her. “What do you remember about Patrick?”
She blinked rapidly, a flicker of something painful passing through her eyes. “Patrick...” Her voice faltered. “I remember his face, but... not the way I should. I think I… I hurt him. Didn’t I?”
I didn't answer immediately, but the silence was answer enough. Her breath hitched, and a bloody tear slipped down her cheek.
“Just tell me,” she whispered, her voice uneven under the weight of her plea. "Tell me everything you know, because I... I want to know the truth... and I can't put it together myself. I've been trying all night... but it's all mixed up..." Her eyes burned with desperation, her fragile composure cracking. “I know something is different… it’s like I’m in a bad dream I can’t wake up from…”
I wished I had the words that could make this easier. Instead, I braced myself, knowing there was no way to soften the truth. "Okay," I said finally. "I'll tell you what I know."
The rooftop felt impossibly quiet as Autumn adjusted herself against the edge, her trembling hands gripping the cold bricks for stability. I watched her carefully, measuring her fragile composure as I began to tell her the truth; a truth I knew could break her further… but one she needed to hear. Otherwise, she might not ever be able to move forward.
“After we spoke that night, Patrick met with you at some point,” I began, my voice heavy with the weight of the memories. “He’d been… visited by Peter Grimwood. For weeks, apparently. Grimwood promised him things and manipulated him. He gave him something… a green hairbrush from your dorm. It was cursed, Autumn. Your roommate, Lindsey…" I hesitated, swallowing hard in fear of her reaction. "She didn't survive. Peter used her life to fuel the curse. And Patrick brought it straight to you.”
Autumn’s face paled, her body stiffening like she’d been struck. “No,” she whispered, barely audible.
"The curse," I pressed on, voice faltering but resolute, "it changed you. Twisted your thoughts, your feelings. It made you obsessed with him.” I recalled everything Alex had told me in the darkness of her apartment. “You didn't see it then, but it wasn't you anymore, Autumn... not the real you. It was the curse, it walked around in your body. You pushed everyone away and threatened anyone who got between you and Patrick. Even turning on Patrick himself. You and Patrick were bound... in more ways than one. Your lives were tied together. Whatever happened to one of you, would happen to the other."
Her breath hitched, her shoulders shaking as if she was fighting to keep herself together. "What are you saying?" Her voice was low, and trembling. “What… what did I do?” She knew already… she was just hoping for a different answer.
"You killed him." The words left my mouth like lead, sharp and unforgiving. "You killed Patrick, Autumn. And when he died…" I hesitated, watching her face twist in terror, "you died, too."
The air between us felt suffocating, the rooftop spinning with the magnitude of what I’d just said. Her wide, tear-streaked eyes snapped to mine, her voice barely holding together. “I… I’m dead?” she stammered, her chest heaving. “How am I here? How am I still here?”
I stepped closer, reaching out instinctively, but she recoiled, clawing at her chest like she could somehow make sense of the impossible. “What happened to me?” she demanded, voice rising into a desperate scream. “What am I?”
“It’s Alex.” Her name felt like a lifeline and a condemnation all at once. “She made a choice… a desperate, worst-case scenario effort to save you. She injected you with her blood, Autumn. Gave you a second chance if the worst happened. It's the only reason you're here now."
Autumn stared at me, her red-rimmed eyes growing wide with the dawning horror. “Alex?” she whispered. “Martin’s friend? She did this to me? She made me… a vampire?” Her voice wavered more like a plea than an accusation.
“Not… exactly,” I admitted, my own voice shaking under the weight of what I had to explain. “Alex isn’t just a vampire anymore. There’s something inside her, something old… and very powerful. She’s changed with that power. When she turned you, it wasn’t like what happens with other vampires. You’re… something else. I don’t know all the answers yet, but I promise we’ll figure it out.”
She didn't respond. For a long moment, she just sat there, staring blankly at her bloodied hands as they trembled. Then she began to examine herself… running her hands up and down her arms feverishly, pressing against her ribs, lifting her shirt to inspect her skin like she'd find fatal wounds. I saw the faint shimmer of power in her eyes, a pulse of red that flickered like a warning light before she forced it back, her irises returning to their soft, human brown. She was instinctively pushing against the edges of what she’d become.
Finally, her voice broke the silence, coated with fear. "Where am I supposed to go?" Her voice cracked, and tears of blood welled in her eyes, spilling silently down her face again. "What am I supposed to do now? I can’t go home… not like this… not anymore. What will Mom and Dad think?" She was starting to spiral.
I knelt beside her, my voice softer now but no less firm. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll figure it all out together. Your mom and dad… they’ll be relieved to see you alive... safe. It won't matter to them what's happened. They just want you back.” My words hung in the air, filled with the hope I carried, the hope I’d cling to when I eventually made my way back to Texas.
Her shoulders shook, and she shook her head intensely, her voice splintering into panic. “But I’m not me anymore! I don’t even know who I am… what I am! What if they look at me and see… this?” She looked at her bloody arms, the crimson sheen not her own. Her breaths came ragged and sharp, the weight of her fears carving jagged lines into her expression.
"They won't," I said, gripping her shoulders gently but firmly, grounding her. "You're still their daughter. And you've got me." I solidified my tone, meeting her wild, terrified eyes. "I know what it's like to live with the darkness, to fight urges you can't stop. I'll help you. I'll teach you how to survive. You don't have to do it alone like I did."
The words didn't feel like enough, but I pushed forward, clinging to the truth she once gave me. "It's not your existence that makes you a monster, Autumn… it's your actions. You told me that, remember?"
She swallowed hard, tears oozing crimson down her cheeks. Her lips parted as if to speak, but all that came was a trembling breath in the darkness of the roof. Finally, she nodded, her movement tentative, as though she were testing the waters of her belief in me and my words.
Then, something shifted.
Her trembling steadied as she rose to her feet. Her gaze darted to the edge of the rooftop, a flicker of something primal sparking in her eyes. It looked like she was sensing something far away. Her voice came soft, almost inaudible. "
I sense them..."
I turned my head, "Who?"
As the words left my mouth, she took a step back.
Her eyes surged a bloody red as black veins griped her gaze. Her lips curled into the faintest, bitter smile, her voice trembling with an undercurrent of defiance. "I have to protect them," she spoke to herself in a tone of realization... or admittance.
“Autumn, wait…”
Before I could reach her, she bolted to the side of the building. I lunged forward, but I was a breath too late. Her silhouette blurred, a streak of movement as she leaped effortlessly into the night. The last thing I saw was the cascade of her dark hair disappearing over the ledge, swallowed by the void of the night sky.
"Autumn!" I roared, my voice echoing against the concrete jungle around me. Then silence.
I raced to the edge, peering down, but she was gone.
The air buzzed with her presence… her scent, her alien power... but the black sky offered no answers.
I cursed under my breath, "Fuck!"
The helplessness clawing at my chest. I needed help. If I couldn't convince her… I needed someone else to help bring her back down. Maybe I wasn't enough right now. She needed something more than I could give. She needed people that meant more to her. She needed a family.
She had vanished from sight, moving through the night sky high above the city. It wasn’t fast, but quick enough to put quite a bit of distance between us already.
I had no wings to follow her, no skill to chase her into the freedom of the clouds… unfortunately. I had the tools, I just didn’t know how to use them. But I had something else.
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to focus, to pull inward... and then push my senses out. The world became a map of vibrations, pulsing in rhythm with my mind and the blood of the city. My pulse sense expanded outward, a sonar-like awareness painting the streets, buildings, and alleys in shades of movement and resonance.
There… her heartbeat. Erratic, desperate, retreating fast.
I pivoted, vaulting down from the earth and impacting the street with the force of ten stories. My feet hit the pavement with a jarring thud as I crouched to arrest the force. My knees impacted my chest as I took the brunt of the landing. My hands slapped the ground beside me to help distribute some of the built momentum. The ground beneath me was decimated, cracked into chunks of debris. I bolted into the labyrinth of shadows.
My ragged clothes clung to me like wisps of spider’s web that I had walked through; stringy remnants of shredded cloth from my transformation. The chase was on.
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I tore through the streets, my pulse sense locked onto Autumn’s erratic rhythm. The city vibrated around me in waves of motion and sound, each flicker of energy sharp against the backdrop of my focus. My claws dug into my palms as I forced myself to slow whenever pedestrians drew too near, their startled glances lingering on the edges of my awareness.
Autumn’s path was a dagger straight toward the University of St. Louis. Her presence glided above the streets in a direct line, a blur of black ethereal motion. She moved like something caught between realms… hovering, floating, then darting forward as though the world around her was an afterthought.
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I weaved between clusters of people, the façade of my human form shrouded in the shadows of towering buildings. Every delay gnawed at me. The sense of urgency thrummed in my bones, my pulse echoing with the fragile rhythm of Autumn’s heartbeat. Then I realized where she was headed. Her dorm room. The single place she had as her own. The place where she could escape her family and anyone else for a little solitude. She wanted to isolate herself… to feel safe somewhere and keep her family safe from her... I thought. There was just one problem with that. Kayla was still there. I could sense Kayla's heart beating within the walls of the small apartment. She was there in the dorm… no doubt about it. Autumn was hurtling toward her... Kyla had no idea. She was vulnerable… and pregnant.
The realization hit me like a fist. Autumn’s panic, her words about being a monster… it had all taken on a darker edge. What would she do when faced with her cousin and the lives growing inside her?
I reached the edge of campus just as Autumn vanished through an open window of a dorm building. I cursed, my claws scraping the brick as I climbed swiftly, unwilling to lose another precious second. My feet hit the ledge of a random adjacent structure as I surged upward, rocketing toward the dorms. I sprinted as soon as I hit the ground, never breaking stride, racing for the door to Autumn’s apartment. But I knew I was too late. I wouldn't make it. Autumn had already arrived.
The air was charged with Autumn’s presence. The door was closed, sealed shut. Her scent curled like smoke from around the edges. My heart pounded as I pushed it open, breaking through the latches that were supposed to keep people out. My shoulders were tense, my breath shallow with dreadful anticipation.
Inside, the dim glow of a single lamp bathed the room in soft amber light. The space was still, unnervingly quiet, save for the faint sound of Kayla’s breathing… no, crying. She was there, sitting on the couch, her hands resting protectively over her flat stomach; too early to show the pregnancy.
But Autumn was already there too, crying tears of blood as she crumpled to the ground in front of her blonde cousin.
Autumn sat low in front of Kayla, her figure a dark silhouette against the warm lamp glow. Her hands trembled, her posture vibrating with a mix of anguish and something fiercely protective. Kayla's eyes were wide, confusion and fear flickering across her face. Her voice was unsteady as she whispered, "Autumn? Is that you?" She looked like a bomb had just gone off. How quickly Autumn had arrived, and then I exploded into the room. She was overwhelmed and scared.
“Kayla, don’t…” I started, my voice low, straining against the tension crackling in the room.
Autumn turned sharply, her bloody shifting eyes laced with blackening veins locked onto mine, her expression unreadable yet devastating. Bloody tears glistened in her gaze, but beneath the anguish was a different feral intensity I hadn’t seen yet. "Stay back, Sam," she said, her voice edged with both pain and warning, warped with an inhuman tone.
I raised my hands cautiously, hoping to calm her, my steps deliberate. "Autumn, whatever you're thinking, this isn't the way. She's your family. She loves you... you love her."
Autumn didn’t answer. Her gaze flickered down to Kayla’s stomach, wide and unblinking, as if she could see beneath the surface. Her breath hitched audibly, and she whispered, “Are they…” Her voice trailed off as if piecing together a fragile puzzle. “Patrick’s?”
Kayla hesitated, then nodded with quiet courage. “Yeah,” she admitted, her voice steady but filled with something deeper… fear; not for herself, but for Autumn. Her hands reflexively cradled her stomach as she leaned closer. "Autumn… are you okay? Everyone's scared to death. We've all been out looking for you."
Then, to my utter shock, Kayla slid down to the floor with Autumn and pulled her into a hug. They both began crying, holding onto one another like sisters separated for a lifetime.
My chest tightened. I didn’t understand it. How could she be so fearless in the face of Autumn after everything that had happened? The sheer power rolling off Autumn was oppressive, suffocating, and threatening. Yet Kayla embraced her like nothing had changed. Then I realized, Autumn was directing that at me.
Autumn shifted, positioning herself instinctively between Kayla and me, her body tense like a mother bear shielding her cubs.
“Sam,” she said, her voice low and unwavering, “you need to leave.” Her hand shot out in a protective gesture, as though to bar me from taking even a single step closer. “What you carry around with you…” She shook her head, her voice breaking with fear for Kayla. "You can't bring it near them." Her eyes darted to Kayla and her unborn children. "No matter how much you hide it... I can feel it. It can't be near them!"
I froze, confusion flooding me. What did she mean? How had she even known to come here? Was it some kind of connection? A coincidence? Did her senses actually reach this far? I didn't know. What I did know was that Autumn wasn't going to let me any closer to Kayla. Her body language was primal and protective… she wasn't just guarding her cousin; she was guarding the life growing inside her... from me specifically.
Kayla glanced between us, her expression a cocktail of confusion and concern. Relief washed over her features when her gaze settled on me, as though my presence, despite Autumn’s reaction, was some kind of reassurance.
I didn’t know what else to do. My eyes darted around the room until I spotted Kayla’s cell phone on the counter. I snatched it up, my movements quick but deliberate, and backed away as I scrolled through the contacts.
Autumn's stance stiffened as she watched me carefully. Her hand tightened in a warning; razor-sharp claws extending subconsciously, but she didn't move to stop me. Not yet.
I found the contact I needed. Carter. I pressed the call button and held the phone to my ear, my voice low but urgent when he answered.
“Kayla, what is it?” Carter’s voice rang out, heavy with worry… and also a drop of hope.
“It’s me, Sam,” I said, my words coming fast. Before he could respond, I rushed to explain. “You need to get to Autumn’s dorm room. Kayla is here… and so is Autumn.”
There was a pause, the weight of my words sinking in. Then Carter’s voice returned, tight and sharp. “I’m on my way. Don’t let anything happen, Sam. Keep them safe.”
The line went dead.
I lowered the phone and met Autumn's bloody gaze. Her stance hadn't shifted. She was still standing guard, her expression a storm of pain and resolve. I didn't know what she feared I'd bring, but one thing was certain… whatever was driving her, she believed Kayla and her babies were in danger… from me.
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The calm of the night bit through as I crouched in the shadows, half-hidden behind a cluster of trees across the road. My claws dug unconsciously into the bark beside me as I watched the dorm’s entrance. The air hummed with tension, a low pulse in my ears, but it wasn’t mine. It was Autumn’s warning… the only thing she could do to try and scare me away. It had no real effect on me, but I could tell it would carry weight against something less than a Primeval. I just stayed back to ease the situation, but I monitored Autumn and Kayla very closely from across the street. I just had to wait until Carter got here. They were close.
Then, I saw them. A black SUV barreled into the parking lot, sliding to a stop in two different spaces. The doors were flung open, and people sprinted out. Carter’s steady stride was unmistakable, his broad shoulders stiff with worry but moving forward as if nothing could stop him from getting to his daughter. Eleanor ran beside him, her hands clenched at her sides, her face taut with barely contained emotion. And behind them, a figure that seemed almost too casual in the weight of the moment… Martin. The vampire’s smooth, unhurried steps denied the sharpness in his gaze, his presence as much a shield as a weapon. The dark-haired vampire looked as human as anyone else. He could probably fit in with the younger college professors around here… but that was far from the truth.
They crossed the courtyard quickly, their expressions resolute as they headed toward the dorm’s door. I stayed rooted, my breath shallow, my heart like a drumbeat in my chest.
When the door opened, spilling light onto the damp pavement, I saw her… Autumn. It was the real Autumn, fully human… cleaned up to the best of her and Kayla’s ability. Kayla, the ever-loving cousin to Autumn had helped her feel as much as herself as possible before her parents got there. They came out together... bonded through the devastation.
It was funny… I was trying to help Autumn, in my way. But she didn’t need me. She needed family. There was nothing I could do for her in these moments, no matter how much I wanted to be involved or know the inner details going on between Autumn and Kayla. She could sense a taste of the way I lived this dark life… and I think she didn’t want any part of that. Now that she found Kayla… things seemed better. But none of it was my doing.
She stepped outside, her dark brown hair spilling around her shoulders like an aura, her features sharp and protective but glowing under the bright parking lot light. For a moment, she hesitated, her arms hanging at her sides, her expression an uncertain mixture of fear and hope. I could tell she wanted to explode and get to her parents as fast as possible, but she was afraid. But when Eleanor called her name, all of that melted away.
"Autumn!" Eleanor's voice was shaken with tremors.
Eleanor was the first to reach her, and when she did, she pulled her daughter into her arms with a force that spoke of days, weeks, even months of grief and longing; from far before Autumn died. Carter followed, his steps slower, but when he finally reached them, he wrapped them both in a bear hug. His face was unreadable, but I caught the brief tremble in his jaw as he held on tight.
“I thought I lost you,” Eleanor sobbed into Autumn’s shoulder. “I thought… I thought I’d never get to see you again.”
“I’m sorry,” Autumn murmured, her voice low but clear. “I didn’t mean to kill him…”
I saw Kayla wince and her face twist slightly at Autumn's words, but she remained strong at her side.
“None of that matters,” Carter cut her off, his voice gruff but thick with emotion. “You’re here now. You’re safe. None of that was your doing…”
Martin hung back slightly, his hands tucked into his coat pockets, his sharp eyes scanning the shadows. For a moment, I thought he saw me, his gaze lingering on my hiding spot. But he said nothing, only nodding when Autumn finally looked his way.
"Martin," she said softly actually crying at his name. The bloody tears were all too familiar to the vampire.
He stepped forward, his usual smirk replaced by something quieter. "You've got a hell of a family to help you through this." His voice was thankful, but there was sorrow in it. “When you’re ready… I can help. We can figure out this new…” he searched for the right words. “This new aspect… all of us together.”
Autumn smiled faintly, "Thank you.”
Carter glanced between them, his hand moving protectively to his daughter’s back. “We’re not letting you out of our sight again,” he said firmly. “Let’s get you home.”
Autumn nodded, glancing back toward Kayla. She wanted to ensure her cousin was safe before anything else. Without a word, Kayla went with them. Eleanor patted her back and squeezed her equally as happy. Kayla had a lot of mental and emotional weight hanging around her, but she was just happy to have Autumn back. The real Autumn.
I looked at them all and I felt something. For the first time in a long time, it seemed like they were free. Free of burdens and curses. The dead were dead, and life continued. They had each other, and they had no threats or outside worries at the moment. It was a feeling that was hard to put my finger on; a family together… it reminded me of home… before all this. Something deeper stirred within me… a longing for home… my own home.
The group turned to leave, Autumn walking between her parents, their arms tightly wrapped around her shoulders as though afraid she'd vanish again.
I heard a mention of my name from Carter, but I watched Martin wave it off. He could tell something was going on with Autumn, and he sensed me in the area. He must have seen me earlier. A wordless exchange happened between Carter and Martin, a brief motion of his hand pointed in my direction. Then they continued moving. They just needed to get Autumn home. They knew that if I was remaining unseen, it was for a reason. I hated to admit it, as much as I wanted to be deeply involved in their family again, I was thankful they continued on without me for the time being. It hurt me to think this way.
I stayed in the shadows, watching as they moved farther and farther away. A lump formed in my throat that I couldn't swallow down. I should've felt relief. Joy, even. She was safe, loved, and surrounded by people who would protect her… help her with this new life.
But as soon as Kayla crawled into the safety of the SUV, Autumn paused and turned back. Her eyes searched the dark, and my chest tightened. She found me. Even cloaked in the shadows, I knew she could see me. Her sharp, knowing gaze met mine, and for a moment, the world seemed to slow. She smiled… soft, sad, and apologetic. It was a smile that spoke louder than words. She had things driving her now, intertwining with the person she was before and is now, but there was still something between us. Something deep and unshakable... I just wasn't what she needed at this moment.
Soon, her expression promised me. I'll talk to you soon.
For now, she needed to be with them. To reconnect. To protect Kayla and her unborn children… to atone for what she had done to Patrick… to the Wicklow’s, and everyone else. She didn’t have to, but I know she would never accept that.
I nodded, though I wasn’t sure she could see the gesture. My claws finally released the tree bark, and I let the cold shadows seep into my skin as I stayed rooted in place, becoming the darkness as I tried to fade from the world.
Autumn turned back to her family, her shoulders relaxing as she leaned into her father’s protective hold.
And then, their SUV disappeared into the night, leaving me alone in the shadows. Alone… again.
I stood there for a few minutes, letting the blackness of the trees envelop me, my dark silhouette blending seamlessly into the shadows. The night was alive with its usual murmurs; the distant hum of traffic, the occasional bark of a dog, the low chatter of pedestrians passing by somewhere. But for the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t straining to detect every sound for danger. I just listened.
The city’s pulse, chaotic and constant, carried on around me, but inside me, something unexpected stirred. A calmness… a quiet kind of peace that felt foreign after so much turmoil. It wasn't the absence of danger; I knew threats would always linger. The world was never without its shadows, and mine would remain a part of that darkness. But tonight, there was a reassurance I hadn't felt in a little while.
Autumn was safe. I replayed the scene I'd just witnessed in my mind: her standing tall, surrounded by Carter and Eleanor, their arms wrapped around her as though their embrace alone could keep her grounded. She'd shown control, true control, in the presence of her family. Her hunger hadn't consumed her, it actually pushed me out to protect Kayla. Whatever monstrous power now coursed through her veins had not taken over… it had been tempered by family, by the very thing that tied her to the world she thought she’d lost.
The dangers that led to her transformation… Hunger’s grip, the pits, the elders… were gone, sealed, and scattered like ashes in the wind. For the first time in a long time, a piece of the puzzle felt resolved.
I exhaled slowly, the tension in my muscles easing. My eyes drifted upward to the stars barely visible through the city’s haze. I felt the power within me, dark and incomprehensible, and knew it was something I had only just begun to understand. There was more to this curse than I could grasp. It would take time, patience, and no small amount of pain to master it. But tonight, I let it rest.
I shifted my focus inward, trying to untangle the knot of thoughts that had been coiled in my mind. What now? I had no immediate threats to face, no fires to put out. For the first time in weeks, I wasn’t chasing something or someone. So, what did I want?
I did have half a mind to go to Abel's little ramshackle house and tear him apart, one extremity at a time. But, I quickly discarded that idea. I'd have time for him... and I had a feeling from Myoordrakien, that he wouldn't be a concern right now. Not after another Primeval had just been slain... all the others would probably scatter to the winds. To get as far from me as possible... to try and escape Annihilation.
The real answer came to me with surprising clarity. One face. One name. Alex.
The thought of her brought warmth. She had been the steady force in my life recently, the tether that had kept me from falling too far into the abyss… to keep me constantly looking at myself and what I was doing. To admit what I was. Even when I felt lost and the Primeval taking more and more of my body from me; even when my world turned to chaos, she lingered in the corners of my mind like a beacon. She was the closest thing to a friend… a true friend with shared dark experiences that I had in this life. Plus… with everything that had happened between us so quickly, I couldn't deny the other, deeper things I was beginning to feel about her. Primal things that were tied to both our Primeval natures… it boosted everything between us. But Alex had powerful memories and feelings pushing her mind in directions I had no experience with. She was struggling.
I had to go back to her. Not because she needed me… Alex was strong in ways I couldn’t begin to describe, but because I needed her. I needed to be there… for anything I could remotely do for her… if she would finally ask something of me.
I didn’t know what was waiting for me when I found her back inside her apartment. Whether she'd be angry at herself over Autumn, worried about what I had done with the Chasse family, and if I'd gotten too close to humans again, or indifferent altogether; still caught up in the sheering emotions and longing for the old life that had been brutally stolen from her.
I wanted her to talk shit to me... to be the woman I met in the early days of our relationship. That would give me relief... signify that she was okay.
I had to know if she was all right. I turned and disappeared into the night. The city stretched out before me, its maze of streets winding out before me, but my path was clear. It led to Alex.