Awakening The Storm

KASSIDY

__________

Six months after Kassidy's death. . .

"This is it, Sugar Plum." Noah breathed out. His hand grasped mine as we both sighed as we stared at the dark cave. I looked closer at it and seen that there was a fluorescent moving force field around it.

"Noah, look." I pointed with my free hand up at the force field.

"Do you see what I'm seeing?" Noah asked with a distracted voice. His mouth dropped open and his cigarette dropped to the ground.

The force field wiggles and flipped as we took closer steps to it. My hand reached out to touch the force but a larger hand slapped it before I could touch it.

"Ow!" I yelped holding my abused hand to my chest. His face was hard and cold as he stared deeply at the force field covered cave.

"Why did you do that for?" I shriek and smack his shoulder. He barely budged as he stared ahead at the cave.

I turned my head from him and looked closer at the cave. It seemed like there was something further in the cave that I couldn't quite see.

"Are you sure that you wanna see him, Kassidy?" Noah's eyes flicked over to mine. His hazel eyes were hard with concern and determination.

I nodded and stepped forward, my hand reached out again to be accompanied by Noah's hands too. I look over at him to see that cold stare on his face still as he reaches forward. As soon as our fingertips brush against the forcefield, we're sucked in.

It's like being pulled through the plains, the same dizziness, out of body feeling, it's all the same.

Just in a new place.

We warped through the cave. Noah appeared a couple moments after I did. He looked as shaken up as I felt after he came through.

"You okay, Noah?" I ask genuinely concerned for my friend. He shook his head and pulled a cigarette from his pocket.

"More than I'll ever be." He grumbled as he put the stick between his lips and lit it up. I turned my back to him and continued through the cave.

His loud booted footsteps echoed through the cave walls. I squinted and looked further down the cave to see there was another exit. I closed my eyes and used some of my visual powers. When I opened them, I seen what was on the other side.

"Noah?" I stopped walking. His footsteps stop too.

"What's going on?" He asked. In a second he was standing by my side with his fangs hanging from his lips.

"Any danger?" He snarls. His shoulders tensed up as his eyes searched for something that wasn't there.

Well, not yet at least.

"There's something on the other side." I looked further and seen that it was night time. A small cabin sat in the center of the woods. A light was on above the entrance post, a rocking chair was stilled on the porch as light streamed out from the windows.

"What is it?" He puffed out smoke into the air.

"It's a cabin." I turned towards him.

"And it looks like someone's home."

"Okay," he nodded.

"Let's go." He grabbed my wrist and began pulling me through the cave. The moonlight filtered in as we traveled through.

I really want to go home. Go hame back to them.

To him...

"Kassidy." Noah called.

We were on the edge of the cave.

The moonlight was still shining onto the wooded area. The trees were naked of their leaves and the animals weren't there anymore or went into hiding.

"Yeah?" I turned to him. His shoulders were tense again and his fangs elongated as his nose flared up.

"You smell that?" He growled. My senses kicked into play when the wafting smell of blood filtered through my nose.

"Blood. And it's a lot of it." I dashed out of the cave.

Noah, not too far behind me scanned the area. The only thing within sight, beside the Forrest, was the small, rundown cabin. The smell of magic was also thick in the air. It wasn't normal magic, it was erratic, uncontrolled magic that was ready to pop any second.

"Where is the blood coming from, Kassidy? Your nose is stronger than mine." Noah pointed out.

I turned my head over my shoulder for a split second to answer.

"It's coming from that cabin. And so is the magic that's floating around us." I informed. He nodded as I turned forward again. I increased my speed and made it to the cabin within seconds. Noah zipped up behind me a second after me.

"When did you get so fast?" I ask surprised. He shrugged.

"I've been here for two years, Kassidy. All I did was train, smoke, and breath." He nodded to himself.

"Without me being full fledged vampire yet, I was able to survive this place without feeding." He added. I nodded and looked at the small cabin.

The rocking chair creaked as the wind blew. Lights were on in the hallway and some shuffling could be heard underneath the foundation of the house.

"There's someone in the basement." I say. Noah walks up the stairs to the entrance. The door creaked open, letting some light from inside the house stream out into the darkness of the night.

The pungent smell of blood and magic became ten times stronger than before with the door closed. Noah's nose flared as he tried hard no to break through and drink wherever the blood was coming from.

"Stay calm, Noah. You've lasted this long without it, don't try it now." I tried to coax him.

He snarled and too a long whiff of he bloody air. His tongue darted across his lips as a small growl escaped his throat.

"I'm trying not to do it, Sugar Plum. But it's hard no to give in to the hunger." He growled out through gritted teeth.

I walked up the stairs to him and laid my hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay," I reassured.

"Lets just go in and look around. There has to be something in here giving off the smell." I have him a small smile and he nodded in return.

I walked passed him and opened the door moreover so that we could both see inside. There was older looking furniture inside. Older looking quilts and chairs were thrown across the backs of chairs and loveseats. There was a staircase to the right of us and a short hallway, and to the front of us while all of the living room was to the left of us.

There were three doors in the hallway. Two of said doors were directly across from each other and the same size. As for the third door, it was smaller, like a pantry, but it could easily be something else.

My nose took a deep inhale of everything in the house. From the dust in the corner, to the blood and magic that littered the whole place.

I stepped in first with Noah behind me. Our boots stomped across the floor and went into the hallway first. I went to the first door on the right, Noah went to door on the left and we opened them at the same time.

The door creaked open and displayed a normal looking bedroom. A nicely made bed, curtains, a table side lamp, and dressers. I stepped in further, going over everything about the room with sharp, analytical eyes.

Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary, but having this one cabin in the middle of the Forrest in Purgatory is a bit suspicious.

"Noah," I called out. He grunted out a response.

"Do you have anything?" I asked. I lifted up the blanket of the made bed to find a patch of blood. It was dried and looked like it's been there for some time.

"I got a kid's room." Noah answered.

"It's the same as it's always been too." He whispered.

Now I know where we are.

"It's his house, isn't it?" I ask.

Noah have a small nod.

"We have to find him and get him out." I walked out of the bedroom I was in and went in to the room across from mine. I grabbed Noah's hand and dragged him to the last door in the hall.

"So, how do you know he's here?" I ask him. He inhales and lowers his head.

"It's his blood. I know what it smells like, hell, I was there when it was shed. The smell of someone's blood that I care about will never be unrecognizable to me, ever." He opened the door.

There was a staircase that went down. The smell of blood and magic was the strongest here. The sound of small whimpers and cries reached our ears. Noah was down those stairs in a matter of seconds.

"Noah, wait." I called out, but he wasn't stopping anytime soon. I went down the stairs, they curved to the left and went straight from there.

Noah stood still at the end of the stairs, his body covering my eyes from he was seeing. His shoulders were drawn back, his fists were shaking, and his breathing was rigid.

"Noah," a voice croaked. It sounded so weak and frail.

"You shouldn't have come here, buddy." The voice chuckled dryly and began to heave. Noah moved away from the steps and went to the crumpled body on the ground.

A gasp left my mouth as Noah moved a certain angle, giving a front row seat of the creature on the ground.

His curly black hair went to his shoulders. There were bruises up and down his half naked body. He shook like a leaf in the wind laying on the cement ground. He was shackled at his ankles and wrists, held down to the floor as strings of magic left his body going through the air and out of vents.

Memories flashed through my mind at the speed of light. Memories of so many play dates, science fairs, playing at the Creek just splashing around. Memories of running around this cabin, playing in the leaves from all the Forrest trees.

Just having fun.

The words left my trembling lips with so many emotions and memories on them.

"Stylo?"

__________

Vote. Comment. & Share.