登陆注册
9120200000008

第8章

Scarlet Paine felt herself floating through the air, the fluttering of a million small wings in her ear as she felt herself being raised up, higher and higher. She looked out to see she was being hoisted by a flock of bats, a million bats, surrounding her, clinging to the back of her shirt, carrying her through the air.

Scarlet was carried up through the clouds, through the most beautiful breaking dawn she'd ever seen, the clouds scattering and breaking up, the whole burnt-orange sky on fire. She did not understand what was happening, but somehow, she was unafraid.She sensed they were taking her somewhere, and as they screeched and fluttered all around her, as they hoisted her into the sky, she felt as if she were one of them.

Before Scarlet could process what was happening, the bats set her down, gently, before the biggest castle she'd ever seen. It had ancient stone walls, and she stood before an immense arched door.The bats flew off, disappearing, their fluttering fading.

Scarlet stood facing the door, and slowly, it opened. An amber light spilled out, and Scarlet felt drawn to enter.

Scarlet crossed the threshold of the door, passed through the light, and entered the largest chamber she had ever seen. Inside, lined up at perfect attention, facing her, stood an army of vampires, dressed in all black.She hovered above them, looking down upon them as if she were their leader.

As one, they all raised their palms and slapped them against their chests.

“You have given birth to a nation,”they boomed, their voice as one, echoing off the walls.“You have given birth to a nation!”

The vampires let out a great shout, and as they did, Scarlet took it all in, feeling as if, finally, she had found her people.

Scarlet's eyes flew open as she woke to the sound of breaking glass. She found herself lying face-down on the cement, her cheeks pushed up against it, cold and wet and damp.She saw ants crawling toward her, and placed her palms on the rough cement, sat up, and brushed them away.

Scarlet was cold, achy, her neck and back twisted from having slept in this uncomfortable position. Most of all, she was disoriented, freaked out at not recognizing her surroundings.She was underneath a small local bridge, lying on the cement slope beneath it, as dawn broke above her.It stank of urine and stale beer down here, and Scarlet saw the cement was all marked up with graffiti, and as she studied the ground, she saw empty beer cans, refuse, used needles.She realized she was in a bad place.She looked around, blinking, and had no idea where she was, or how she got here.

There came again the sound of breaking glass, accompanied by shuffling feet, and Scarlet turned quickly, her senses on alert.

About ten feet away stood four bums dressed in rags, looking either drunk or on drugs—or just out for violence. Unshaven older men, they stared at her as if she were their play-thing, lecherous smiles on their faces, revealing rotting yellow teeth.But they were strong, she could tell, broad and tall, and by the way they approached, one of them throwing a beer bottle and smashing it under the bridge, she knew their intentions were not kind.

Scarlet tried to remember how she had gotten herself to this place. It was a place she never would have willingly gone.Had she been brought here?Her first thought was that maybe she had been raped;but she looked down and saw herself fully clothed, and knew that wasn't it.She thought back, trying to remember the night before.

But it was all a painful blur. Scarlet remembered in flashes:a bar at the side of Route 9……an altercation……But it was all so hazy.She couldn't quite recall the details.

“You know you're under our bridge, right?”one of the bums said as they all approached, getting ever closer. Scarlet scurried back on her hands and knees, then rose to her feet, facing them, shaking inside but not wanting to appear scared.

“No one comes here without paying the toll,”another said.

“I'm sorry,”she said.“I don't know how I got here.”

“That was your mistake,”another said, in a deep guttural voice, smiling back at her.

“Please,”Scarlet said, trying to sound tough, but her voice shaky, as she stepped back,“I don't want any trouble. I'm going to leave now.I'm sorry.”

Scarlet turned to leave, her heart pounding in her chest, when suddenly, she heard footsteps running, and then felt an arm wrap around her throat, holding a knife to her throat, his awful beer breath in her face.

“No you're not, honey,”he said.“We haven't even begun to get acquainted.”

Scarlet struggled, but the man was too strong for her, his stubble scraping her cheek as he rubbed his face against hers.

Soon the other three appeared before her, and Scarlet cried out as she struggled to no avail, and then felt their awful hands running down her stomach. One of them reached her belt line.

Scarlet bucked and twisted, trying to get away—but they were too strong. One of them reached down, yanked off her belt, and threw it, and she heard the clang of metal on the cement.

“Please, let me go!”Scarlet screamed, as she squirmed.

The fourth bum reached down and grabbed her jeans by the waist and started to pull on them, trying to yank them off of her. Scarlet knew that, in moments, if she didn't do something, she would be hurt.

Something inside her snapped. She didn't understand what it was, but it completely overwhelmed her, an energy flooding through her, rising up through her feet, up through her legs, her torso.She felt it like a searing heat, shooting through her shoulders, her arms, all the way to her fingertips.Her face flushed, the hair stood on end all over her body, and she felt a fire burning inside.She felt a strength she didn't understand, felt herself to be stronger than all these men, stronger than the universe.

She then felt something else:a primordial rage. It was a new feeling.No longer did she have a desire to get away—but now she wanted to stay right here and make these men pay.To tear them apart, limb by limb.

And finally, she felt one more thing:hunger. A deep gnawing hunger that made her need to feed.

Scarlet leaned back and snarled, a sound that was scary even to her;her fangs extended from her teeth as she leaned back and kicked the man reaching for her jeans. The kick was so vicious, it sent the man flying through the air a good twenty feet, until he smacked his head against the concrete wall.He slumped down, unconscious.

The others stepped back, releasing their grip, mouths open in shock and fear as they stared back at Scarlet. They looked as if they realized they'd just made a very big mistake.

Before they could react, Scarlet wheeled around and elbowed the man holding her, cracking him across the jaw so hard, he spun around twice and collapsed, unconscious.

Scarlet turned, snarling, and faced the other two, like a beast looking down at its prey. The two bums stood there, eyes wide with fear, and Scarlet heard a noise and looked down to see one of them pee in his pants.

Scarlet reached down, picked her belt up off the floor, and walked forward casually.

The man stumbled backwards, petrified.

“No!”he whimpered.“Please!I didn't mean it!”

Scarlet lunged forward and wrapped the belt around the man's throat. She then lifted him with one hand, his feet dangling off the ground, the man gasping, clutching at the belt.She held him there, high overhead, until finally he stopped moving and slumped down, dead.

Scarlet turned and faced the final bum, who was crying, too scared to run. Fangs extended, she stepped forward and sank them into the man's throat.He shook in her arms, then in moments, he lay there in a pool of blood, limp.

Scarlet heard a distant scurrying, and she looked over to see the first bum rising, moaning, slowly getting to his feet. He looked at her, eyes wide in fear, and scurried to his hands and knees, trying to get away.

She bore down on him.

“Please don't hurt me,”he whimpered, crying.“I didn't mean it. I don't know what you are, but I didn't mean it.”

“I'm sure you didn't,”she answered, her voice dark, inhuman.“Just like I don't mean what I'm about to do to you.”

Scarlet picked him up by the back of the shirt, spun around, and threw him with all her might—straight up.

The bum went flying like a missile, up underneath the bridge, his head and shoulders smashing through the cement and popping out the other side, the sound of rubble falling everywhere as she sent him halfway through the bridge. He hung there, lodged in it, his legs dangling underneath.

Scarlet ran up to the top of the bridge in a single bound, and she saw him, his upper torso stuck in the concrete, as he shrieked, his head and shoulders exposed, unable to move. He wiggled, trying to break free.

But he could not. He was a sitting target for whatever car happened to come along.

“Get me out of here!”he demanded.

Scarlet smiled.

“Maybe next time,”she said.“Enjoy the traffic.”

Scarlet turned and leapt and flew off into the sky, the sound of the man's cries growing dimmer and dimmer as she flew higher and higher, away from this place, having no idea where she was and no longer caring. Only one person loomed in her mind:Sage.His face hovered before her in her mind's eye, his perfectly chiseled chin and lips, his soulful eyes.She could sense his love for her.And she felt it back.

She did not know where her home was in this world anymore, but she didn't care, as long as she was with him.

Sage, she thought. Wait for me.I'm coming for you.

同类推荐
  • Who Killed Palomino Molero?
  • Homecoming

    Homecoming

    'An exultant night - a man in total command of his talent.' Observer'The most intense expression of compressed violence to be found anywhere in Pinter's plays.' The TimesWhen Teddy, a professor in an American university, brings his wife Ruth to visit his old home in London, he finds his family still living in the house. In the conflict that follows, it is Ruth who becomes the focus of the family's struggle for supremacy.
  • Death in the Andes
  • Winter Kills

    Winter Kills

    President Timothy Kegan is assassinated while riding in a motorcade in Philadelphia; a single shooter is caught and convicted. Fourteen years later, the slain President's brother, Nick, hears a deathbed confession that upends everything he thought he knew about his brother's death. In a desperate rush to find the real killer, Nick must navigate the murky waters of a conspiracy that involves the CIA, oil barons, the police force, movie stars, and people at the highest level of government.A gripping political thriller, this book contains disturbing echoes of the Kennedy Assassination. Rife with political intrigue, it addresses many mysteries that remain unsolved in the real life JFK case--and it's sure to keep you turning pages.
  • Once Forsaken (A Riley Paige Mystery—Book 7)

    Once Forsaken (A Riley Paige Mystery—Book 7)

    "A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page."--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)ONCE FORSAKEN is book #7 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 700 five star reviews!
热门推荐
  • 卫生法学

    卫生法学

    《卫生法学》以服务医学生参加国家医师资格考试为主要目的,涵盖了2012年《国家执业医师资格考试大纲》中“卫生法规”部分的全部考查内容,每章前有“引导案例”、“学习目标”;每章后附“思考案例”、“思考问题”及相关专业网址,有助于提高学习效果。
  • 为你所致

    为你所致

    “好,说话要算话,要带一辈子。”季柯尘一只手牵着宁雯语的手,一只手拴着狗绳,“这不是我们约定的地方,我再带你去个地方。”“哪?”“民政局。”“啊,你是不是早就想好了?再说现在民政局会开门吗?再说没带户口本。”“铛铛铛铛,你的户口本在我这儿。”季柯尘从口袋中掏出两本一模一样的红色的户口本,“我的也在我这。”“我的为什么会在你哪?”“问叔叔阿姨去,他们俩会给你答案的。”“啊?原来如此。我爸妈什么时候知道的?”“很早之前被他们两个偶然看到了,我一直没告诉你。”“你是不是还有什么事瞒着我?”“没有没有,不敢瞒着老婆。”……路灯下两人一狗,在渐行渐远的走着……
  • 骑龙的少女

    骑龙的少女

    因为一个偶然的原因,苏小溪来到了古城的世界。古城世界由历史上著名的古城组成——如,古长安城,古罗马城,古希腊城,古埃及的底比斯城,黄金年代的伦敦城等等,甚至,在人类文明之前,由恐龙创造的古龙帝国的都城——直到今天,它们仍然存在,生机勃勃。只不过,我们的世界里只有很少的人才能前往那里。在这个世界里,苏小溪经历了一系列的冒险,结识了志趣相投的同伴,他们一起学习,一起成长,一起破解藏在历史和神话中的一个个谜题。
  • 进化之途

    进化之途

    在核战后的千年,人类被迫生活在封闭的天幕内,整个社会文明结构倒退,在号称七贤者的巨型生化电脑的控制下,被作为生物母本保存。而在破碎的大陆之外,是由曾经被制造出用于战争的类人统治。一只寄生体,一个人类的少年,一段成长的经历,这其中又隐藏了什么秘密?这就是进化的历程。
  • 家庭生活医学小常识(最实用的居家小书)

    家庭生活医学小常识(最实用的居家小书)

    人一生总会有生病的时候,家庭常备药物是很多人都需要的。但在备药时,要明确自己得的是什么病症,应该选用哪种药,明确后再去药店购买。《家庭生活医学小常识》告诉你用药上的注意事项,更有食物中毒、急救、伤风感冒、呼吸类疾病等日常处理的小常识。
  • 独霸九霄

    独霸九霄

    金丹新书《最强幸运主播》,求收藏,求推荐!神武大陆,妖魔肆虐,诸神混战。少年林峰跨界而来,带领人族争霸万界,横刀问神魔:“什么神?什么魔?先接我一刀再说!”万古神魔谁称雄?九霄之巅我为峰!
  • 打造销售人脉终极技巧

    打造销售人脉终极技巧

    本书从培养自身,做个有魅力的人开始,到重视每一个人,客户无所不在;至管好客户资源,信守承诺,手把手地教你打造销售人脉的终极技巧,让你勇敢亮出自己,找到你的客户,赢得顾客的心,把握成交的信号。
  • 快穿之女神大人棒棒哒

    快穿之女神大人棒棒哒

    【渣更中,入坑需谨慎】【全文免费】【渣坑只求小可爱们多评论】 这是一个喜欢玩的女主到处跑的故事。—— 女主身有bug,系统不靠谱。——月纤萝这辈子最庆幸的就是绑定001到处浪,一个一个位面随意浪,最后把位面浪崩坏了,(微笑脸.JPG) ——月魔头的日常崩位面。—— ——想念今天日份的崩位面—— 月纤萝:“世界那么大,我想去逛逛。”001:“宿主大人,你的职责是被某种动物吃了吗?竟然没有人找你麻烦。”月纤萝:“我优秀。”……(小手指戳进来看看正文呗~)
  • 超神枪炮师

    超神枪炮师

    特殊的职业,怪异的技能。玩爱玩的游戏,做想做的事儿!
  • 失足穿越:相公皆妖娆

    失足穿越:相公皆妖娆

    当都市屌丝女青年穿越异世成为天下第一女王爷会遇上什么?美男子?财宝?天才宝贝?no,是无穷尽的追杀!追杀也就算了,怎么又凭空多出来了个夫君?这老皇帝又是几个意思,要把七皇子赐给自己?天下第一富商?妙手神医?哦,寡人有疾,寡人头痛。…………………………………………有人说:“肖淡淡,若你想为王,我愿手捧玉玺,永世为臣。”有人说:“肖淡淡,你到底有没有心?”原来,曾有人愿意用整个江山来换她一笑。