“No.” I laugh. “It’ll be really quick, I promise.”
“Hurry,” she grumps, finally letting go of my hand as I run toward the house.
My feet are almost moving faster than my body can carry me and I miss the first step, almost smashing my face into the stairs. I chuckle to myself, slowing down enough to make it into the house and up the stairs. I let out a deep, happy sigh as I walk into the bedroom. The gift is sitting right where I left it, on the desk by the window. My hands smooth over the shiny red wrapping paper and I smile, thinking about the beautiful charm bracelet inside.
“Nice of you to join us,” a voice says from behind me.
I drop the box and turn around, the smile melting off my face.
Three tall men are standing in front of me, dressed in black, their green eyes glimmering in the dark room. I look back and forth between them, hearing the all too familiar growl emanating from their chests. They are Primal, most likely here for Clarissa.
“She left to go to the store,” I shout. “Leave us alone.”
“That’s sweet,” the larger of the three says as he steps forward into the light, whiskers beginning to sprout from his face.
“Protecting your new bride.”
A scream escapes my mouth as I lift my arms in defense, the larger of the two pouncing on me, knocking me to the ground. I swing my arms wildly trying to fend them off, but as the tearing of flesh rings out in my head, I know they have conquered me.
After a few moments though, I can no longer feel the stinging pain of claws and teeth gnawing through my flesh. My body is in shock, shielding me from the rest. My head falls back, and my eyes catch the shine of the moon out the window. Visions of Clarissa in her white dress move through my mind. I don’t want to leave her, not like this.
“At least,” I mumble. “At least I was able to protect you.”
I feel the blood rising up in my throat, and a cough spurts from my chest, splattering the hot sanguine fluid down my chin. My lungs are collapsing, and I strain to live, clinging to my last moments on earth. The large Primal steps in front of the window and his eyes meet mine.
“Too bad we came for you.” He laughs.
Chapter 2
~ Clarissa
Silence.
Silence is what I am hearing. It is a deafening silence, and though everyone around me is talking, crying, whispering even, all I can hear is the silence of my life. Every kiss, ev
ery laugh, every in-depth talk, every exciting discovery was wasted, laying in a casket in front of me, a pile of dirt waiting to bury it as deep as it can go. I want to be angry, or sad, or anything other than what I am. I can feel the stillness in my soul, the kind that takes every joy from your body and crushes it under the weight of a burden that I alone have to face. I am the cause.
Kyle, my sweet husband, my very best friend. I was his cure and ultimately his demise. I should have stayed away like I had originally tried to do, but I thought I was safe, that he was safe, but I was naively wrong.
The weight of the umbrella in my hand feels like too much for me to carry, but as the rain is pouring down over us, standing there in the cemetery, I realize it is also the only thing keeping me on my feet.
My wedding night is burned into my memory. Standing in the barn, smiling, looking up at the sparkling lights, waiting for Kyle to return. I hear his screams the moment those beasts attack, and I will my legs to run faster. I can stop the murderers if I can get there in time. But I’m too late. His body is so mangled he is unrecognizable. His body no longer the image of the man that I love. His corpse is so indistinguishable that the only way I know it is him is the ring on his finger. They left that untouched, not even a drop of blood staining the golden band.
“Why do we lose these beautiful young people so early?” the pastor says, the service almost at a close. “We will never know the answer to that. But to lose him, in such a vicious way, a rabid animal attack, on his wedding night, we struggle to come to terms with it. All we can do is give our faith to the Almighty and pray for the heart of his beautiful wife. Please bow your heads for a moment of silence, in request from his wife.”
Everybody bows their heads but not me, my eyes are frozen, staring at the pine box balancing on two metal poles ready to be lowered into the ground. I feel my heart beating for every lost second, every lost memory that I will never have with him again.
My hand rises to my face, and I wipe a tissue across my nose.
“Thank you,” the pastor says looking up at the crowd. “A gathering is to follow at the Ferguson farm directly after the service.”
The pastor nods at me and I take a deep breath, hoping it will help me lift my feet from where they are standing. With each step forward, I can feel the goodbye. I stand at his side as they lower the casket into the ground, deep beneath our feet. The water is raining down, pounding against smooth, shiny wood. In my hand is a single red rose, the thorns pushing into my skin, my body healing too fast for it to hurt me. One of the ways I am different. As the flower falls from my fingertips, my eyes watch until it lands firmly and comfortably in its eternal resting place.
Immediately I turn and begin to walk toward the car, not wanting to watch everyone say goodbye. I can hear my father’s footsteps hurrying behind me, trying to reach the door before I get there.
My feet come to a stop and I scan over the horizon, seeing the clear blue sky in the distance. This is the story of our relationship, always just a moment too late.
“Here,” my father says, opening the door. “I’ll see you at the house.”