Shadow School Ch. 09

Yuck.

No movie could prepare her for a moment like that.

She sat, staring at the dead man's open, stunned eyes until William grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet.

"Melanie, I need you to focus on me."

She shook her head and shuttered.

"Mel, please, just keep your head until we get out of this and you can scream all you want. I promise. Are you with me?"

A blonde man landed beside them, jumping from the remaining floor above with too much grace to be human. William saw her shock and spun to take on his next opponent.

Elias Arison stared at Melanie then William in silence, his stern face appraising the situation as he took in the dead body at their feet and the blood soaking their clothes.

"Are there more?" Elias asked.

"One," William answered. "The one Gavin chose. He's with her now."

"Devin," Melanie added.

Elias eyed her, his eyes narrowing before nodding and turning toward the chaos just a few steps outside the hallway. He looked back. "I'll clear a path. John is at Station 2 with his team. They're waiting for word from Virginia." He took a few steps then spoke over his shoulder. "Follow me."

William picked Melanie up once more before jumping up to the unstable ground of the huge room. Melanie closed her eyes after that, preferring to just panic quietly instead of hyperventilate, which she knew she would do if she had to watch whatever was going to get them out of the warzone.

She felt William's body duck and dodge various obstacles and she felt the pull of gravity the few times he jumped to higher ground. Elias shouted out only a few orders while they moved and soon the sound of gunshots dimmed. It wasn't long before the temperature and feel of the air changed and they came to a stop.

Melanie took the opportunity to gulp down the fresh air as quietly as possible while she prayed thanks to God for allowing her to leave that building alive. William too, she added, then offered a hopeful prayer for Devin.

"Last dash," Elias said, crouching down beside them. "They have snipers there and there."

Melanie didn't bother looking.

"You will have to use speed for this," Elias said before he left them to duck back inside.

"Melanie, do you have your eyes closed?" William asked softly.

She nodded.

"This will feel rather strange."

And with that, her body became weightless as it pressed harder to William's chest, then jerked to a halt moments later, her head braced in one of William's hands and her lower back held in place by the other. The air in her lungs had whooshed out with the sudden movement, leaving her gasping when they came to a stop. Her ears rang as her brain adjusted to the jolt.

There was a squawk of a radio then a voice reported, "Harvard team. One obtained. Out."

Melanie began trembling as William laid her on the grass of what looked like a football field. She could see the yellow goal post stretching high above her.

"It'll stop soon," William said, sitting down beside her. She saw others start to crowd around. They were faces she didn't know

William waved them away as he scooped her up and cradled her, rocking her back and forth like a child. She had a hard time coming up with a comment about it, so she let it happen. Her body jerked in his arms as the trembling continued.

"Your body isn't supposed to move like that. Enertia tampers with your stability but it's something you can get over quickly as opposed to gunshot." William spoke soothingly, to her, probably appealing to her scientific side to calm her worries about what she'd just experienced.

"It's not like the movies. Lois Lane wouldn't walk easily away from Superman if he took her up into the atmosphere or flew too quickly. Humans can't take extremes." He nuzzled his nose into her hair. "Even we can't move that fast for too long."

William took her shaky hand and pressed it to his inner thigh. At first she was shocked but when she jerked her hand away it wasn't because of where he put it. It was hot.

"Friction." He said simply. "Clothing doesn't hold up well to such momentum. It would be nice if we could run as fast as our bodies allow, but unless we want out clothing to burst into flames, it's not advised."

Melanie giggled. It was more of a weak grunt, but the noise seemed to ease William's worries. He touched her cheek, his finger drawing a circle around a tender spot she didn't even know was there. Melanie figured she must look a mess. And probably smelled bad too. Who knew how long she was down there. Her cheeks flushed.

"Two, maybe three days. We'll have more information soon," William said, as someone approached and handed him a bottle of water. "Take a sip of this for me?"

He lifted Melanie up and pressed the bottle to her mouth. She swallowed a few gulps before he pulled it away.

"Not too much or you'll be sick. You can have more in a minute."

"I'm feeling better," she said, testing her ability to speak. Other than being a little shaky, she was fine.

Bullets rang out from the bleachers on her left and Melanie felt William's warm body leave hers. He actually stood over her and growled as those around him either fell back from the impact of the bullets or shot forward toward the shooters.

Melanie watched in horror as a bullet hit his shoulder. He didn't hunch over though, or show any signs of pain, just kept his stance in front of her. She was oblivious to what was happening, her entire focus centered on the young man standing guard in front of her.

When the bullets quieted, William stood and listened for a moment longer then turned. He seemed to realize they were more exposed now that their "station two" or whatever this was had been discovered.

"We're moving."

"Orders are to stay put," said a female voice from a few yards away.

Melanie scooted her legs under her and tried to kneel as William approached. He helped her to her feet but she could barely lean against the goalpost.

"Damn your orders. We're wide open here and she can't heal like the rest of us. Send a Roanoke team to her house. I'm taking her home."

"Just give her some blood. She'll be fine." The woman approached from behind William and Melanie saw that she was a very pretty blonde in her early twenties. She was dressed like the rest, all black ensemble with various pouches and buckles, but she had removed her headgear to reveal a glossy shoulder-length ponytail.

William checked his shoulder, and glanced at Melanie to see her reaction to the blood statement. He must have picked up on Melanie's thoughts as well but said nothing as the woman approached. He ripped at the hole in his t-shirt to expose the wound then removed his jacket.

Melanie blanched at the blood oozing from the small hold in William's left shoulder. She watched as the blonde woman reached out to help William out of his jacket before raising his shirt to check his back. Melanie watched intently. Was it just her, or was the blonde enjoying the inspection a little too much?

The woman made eye contact with Melanie, and narrowed her eyes. Melanie's own eyes widened at the gesture and within a blink William was causally standing between the two, shrugging back into his shirt.

"I think she's seen enough blood for now," he said. He winced as he eased back into his jacket.

"That bullet didn't go through," the blonde said. "You'll have to dig it out. Stay here and I'll get my kit."

"We're going, Alicia. Melanie can handle it."

"She looks a little squeamish to me."

"I don't care about the blood," Melanie said, "I care that he got hit with a bullet while protecting me." She knew she could have thought it but she was fine saying it so anyone could hear.

William grinned. "How good were you at 'Operation' when you were a child?"

"Unbeatable," Melanie said, with a pointed look at Alicia.

"And how about fast rides on motorcycles?"

Melanie's eyebrows rose as she faced William, taken off guard. Alicia snorted and turned to meet up with a few others that were coming in from the bleachers.

William studied Melanie's face, tilting her chin up to look her over. "We travel easier on two wheels, for speed and to take shortcuts. I could take a car but I can't get you home as fast. Do you think you could cling to me for the ride?"

Seeing Alicia turn to look at her, Melanie's chin rose and she nodded strongly to William. He let a small smile play across his lips before he scooped her up once more to take her to wherever he parked his bike.

They walked in silence for a while and Melanie took the time to close her eyes for a minute. When she opened them, she was surprised to see three others surrounding them, keeping watch. Alicia, thankfully, wasn't one of them.

William sat her down near a blue motorcycle with black scrollwork painted down the sides for decoration. Melanie's eyes went straight to the logo.

"You drive a Harley?"

William grinned wickedly at her, the same flirtatious curve to his lips that he offered her the night she met him. As he straddled the seat he said, "I've been a loyal customer since before the Great Depression." He handed her a helmet.

She stared at him, taking the helmet slowly and holding it in place as she eyed the motorcycle. It was stupid really, since she knew he was born in the 1600s, but she had a hard time adjusting to the idea that the eighteen-year-old in front of her was almost four hundred years old.

William pulled her to him by hooking a finger over her waistband. When she was close enough, he wrapped his hand around her and placed his fingers on the small of her back. She looked down at him, a little bemused.

"Melanie, I will answer any questions you may have about me or my kind. And I will answer honestly. But for now, I would prefer it if you wouldn't mind playing doctor, because if we wait any longer you will have to cut me open to remove the bullet in my shoulder."

That brought her out of her stupor. "Right," she said, blinking. She put her helmet on and reached up to balance herself before swinging up, only to gasp William's injured shoulder and making him wince. "Sorry!" she said, letting go of him and balancing awkwardly in an attempt to straddle the seat.

By the time Melanie was settled, William had already started the engine. She clung to his waist as tight as her weary muscles would let her and leaned her head on his good shoulder as he pulled away from the other parked motocycles.

Vampires liked motorcycles. Who would have guessed.

*

Thanks so much for reading this series! Sorry for the delay, I got involved in a local theatre production and it took all my time. I'm done for the summer though so expect a few more chapters to head this way soon.

As always, if you like what you've read, please drop me a comment and/or take time to rate this chapter so my ADD brain will be encouraged to continue on. I've enjoyed all the feedback so far and look forward to whatever you may have to say.