He’s Coming for Us

*Ainslee*

Above us, at the far end of the structure, I hear the door open. It’s not quietly nudged the way I had pushed it out of the way when I came in. No, this is a sudden fling that has what’s left of the door creaking on its hinges before it slams into the wall. I gasp, sucking in air, holding it tight. I have no idea where the crypt is, though I imagine it’s closer to this part of the church. Our temples back home, ones no one really frequents anymore since the Moon Goddess clearly quit listening, are situated at the front of the church and down a little stairwell. Maybe that’s where my friends are hiding.

In my head, I hear Nelson’s voice. He’s trying to sound calm, but he’s on the edge of panic. “No one freak out. They’re probably just going to do a sweep and then leave.”

My breath is shallow but it seems so loud that every exhale must be like a siren going off in the vampire’s mind.

If it’s only one. What if it’s an entire clan of them?

Next to me, I feel a slight movement before fingers find mine in the dark. John’s hand is cold, but then, mine probably is, too. He says nothing, thank the Goddess. Only grips my fingers tight.

Above us, footsteps shake the weak floorboards. I bite my bottom lip. The scent of aluminum permeates the air.

“I’m coming for you, little wolfies,” a familiar voice growls. I hold my breath, praying he just leaves. If there’s one vampire I do not want to encounter on this night, it’s the one standing almost directly above me.

Kris.

I want to turn to look at John. I can almost feel his eyes on the side of my face, but I’m too scared to move even an inch. I squeeze my eyes shut, praying that if the Moon Goddess is ever going to hear my prayers, it’ll be tonight.

Kris’s footsteps creep forward. I hear him climb the small step on the edge of the dais where the altar stands. Clouds of dust trickle down on my face from the movement of the old boards. He’s almost here. If he knows this hiding spot exists, he’ll be ripping the loose board off in a moment and yanking me out, probably by my hair.

Another set off footsteps sounds from near the door, and fear ripples through me again. There are more of them now?

“Kris, come on.” It’s Zeke. I recognize his voice. “Sid’s got a whole pack of them nearing the edge of the forest. Let’s go help him round them up.”

“I smell them here.” Kris sounds undeterred by Zeke’s promise of certain wolf prisoners.

“Yeah, I did a sweep earlier and scared a couple of them out of the crypt. Daniel picked them up a few minutes later over by the creek. Come on.” Zeke’s words have my eyes widening. Could that be true? I suppose someone might’ve made it to the crypt before Travis, but I find it unlikely. Why is he lying?

A wave of calm suddenly washes over me, just for a moment, as realization sets in. Not only does Zeke know there are wolf shifters hiding here—he knows it’s me. He’s trying to protect me. Why, I’m not sure, but I am certain that the prince’s advisor is doing his best to lead Kris away from here.

“More must’ve come back in later because this place is ripe with their stench.” Kris seems not to be persuaded by Zeke’s words after all, and fear replaces the calm. I wonder who outranks who here. Can Zeke order him to leave or let me go if he does catch me? Can Zeke escort me out of these woods?

I somehow doubt it. After all, Prince Rafe is the bastard that arranged for me to be here. I picture his handsome face—and then me slapping him. It would probably just break my hand since vampires are like marble, but I’d enjoy it before the pain sets in.

Footsteps creak above me again. Kris is standing right over my head. I can feel it.

“You heard that order, right?” Zeke is asking. “That was the prince. He just told both of us to go help Daniel. Let’s go, Kris.”

“Fuck.” Kris doesn’t want to leave. “I’ll tell Rafe that I’m onto something here. He’ll understand. It’s like you don’t even want to catch them, Zeke.”

“It’s like I don’t even want to waste another fucking moment checking a place I’ve already been. Sam’s been in the woods between here and the ravine since the word go. He would’ve seen if anyone else snuck through. Now, come on before Rafe comes unhinged on your ass.”

A loud booming noise reverberates through the entire church, and more debris flutters down on us from the thin cracks in the floorboards.

“Nice. Splinter the whole fucking altar.” I hear what sounds like pieces of wood being kicked around and imagine that would be Zeke pushing them off the opening above my head so I’ll be able to get out. “Let’s go.”

Kris’s footsteps are heavy with anger as he pounds away. Once he is gone, I want to say something to Zeke, to thank him, but I’m too afraid. I might be wrong and this is all just an answer to my prayer to the Moon Goddess. Maybe if I speak, Zeke will be the one to yank me out of here.

I hear him turn around, and as if he’s talking to himself, he says, “Three hours and fourteen minutes until sun up.” Then, he walks away.

A good five minutes pass before anyone says a word, even on the mind-link. I slowly release my breath, afraid to suck in another lungful in case it’s too loud. By the time I ease more oxygen into my lungs, the mind-link is going crazy with discussion from my townsfolk.

“Holy shit, that was a close one,” Nelson is saying.

“I thought he had us for sure,” Travis agrees.

Other people echo the same sentiment, no one saying what I think has to be the case. I whisper aloud to John, whose fingers are still wound around mine. “That wasn’t an accident. Zeke did that on purpose.”

John doesn’t speak at first, and I think he must be too afraid to say anything, but when he does, he asks, “Why would you say that?”

I take a deep breath and blow it out, not afraid of vampires anymore, at least not for the moment. I can still smell them, but they were just here. I imagine Kris will come back if he gets a chance, but I also think Zeke will find a way to occupy him for the next three hours and change.

“Because Zeke is kind,” I whisper. “He’s not like the others.”

“The other vampires are all bad, you think?”

I’m not sure why John cares what I think about the other vampires, so the question catches me off guard. I turn my head to look at him, but I still see absolutely nothing but black. There have to be cracks above us because we are covered with tiny specks of dust, but they’re so narrow that not enough light squeaks in for me to be able to see even an outline of the man next to me.

“I don’t know if they’re bad or not,” I admit. “But all of this is so wrong. This is a Moon Goddess temple. This used to be our land. All of it, I think. Or most of it anyway.”

His grip on my hand loosens, and I think he’s going to let me go, but he doesn’t. “It’s probably more complicated than you know—than we know.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I don’t want to talk at all anymore. I realize I haven’t truly slept in a couple of days. I didn’t sleep after the mayor’s announcement. I’d laid in bed with the littles for a while before sneaking out to leave before my mother could wake up. I’d left her a note that I loved her too much to see her cry and that I’d be back soon.

That was almost twenty-four hours ago, and I haven’t slept since. Now, I am beginning to feel it.

With John here to keep me safe and Zeke out there keeping Kris away from the temple, I find myself letting go. My head lulls to the side, and I don’t even have to close my eyes to fade into the darkness.