Page 18 of Blood Bond

Payton.

Frustration and terror for Payton’s safety consume him. He lets out a raspy call to his wings, willing them to work, but they refuse to obey. Breaking into a flat-out run, he heads to the wall, scrambling. Fatigue and pain are cloaked by the adrenaline coursing through his body.

Seth haulshimself up the wall with a desperate urgency, his wings providing just enough lift to prevent a fall but not enough for full flight. He lunges from balcony to balcony until he reaches the one where Payton should be. Spotting a thirsty trying to climb over the railing, he grabs it and throws it back down. Another one is already there, which he dispatches in the same manner.

“Payton?” Seth shouts as he bursts through the door. The room, flooded with light, shows Layla still lifeless on her back, but neither Payton nor Tasha are there. One thirsty lies on the floor, its head split open. The door he had locked is now shattered. Panic surges through him, but deep down, he knows she can't be dead; he would feel it.

Racing out into the corridor, he finds it well-lit, with blood marks along the walls. “Payton,” he calls, trying to mentally reach her, but his thoughts are muddled, his body uncoordinated.

“Seth …” A voice, filled with panic and pain. He hones in on it, following the bloody handprints along the wall. He reaches another stairwell where more thirsty are ascending, their movements oddly controlled.

Seth leaps upward, relieved as his wings propel him powerfully through the floors. He finds Payton a couple of floors up, fending off the thirsty with a makeshift weapon.

They're not attacking her outright but stalking her, watching, waiting for the right moment to strike. She's backing up the steps, one hand on the railing for support, narrowly avoiding a trip.

He flaps his wings, attempting to push through the thirsty, who surprisingly try to push him away rather than attack. They seem fixated on her. Seth backs away to gain momentum, then launches into a brief flight, landing on a railing close to Payton. A thirsty, its face rotten and hands mangled, strikes at him, hissing through broken teeth.

One of them manages to hit Seth squarely in the chest, sending him tumbling backward through the stairwell railings. He falls several floors before catching himself on a rail. The fall doesn't deter him but fuels his resolve. He must reach Payton, no matter what.

With swift agility,Seth pulls himself to his feet and scrambles up the stairs. He lunges at the thirsty that pushed him, his hands reaching for its head in a frenzy of determination. In a brutal move, he tears the head from its neck, ending its threat. Another thirsty swipes at him, intent on getting him out of the way.

Amidst his formidable power, Seth is haunted by a memory – a day long ago when he couldn't reach Payton in time, her cries and screams echoing in his head. The memory fuels a desperate panic in his chest; he can't let that happen again. He can't endure losing her twice. He was human and powerless then, but now, he is a force to be reckoned with.

Letting out a roar, Seth throws himself towards the thirsty nearest to Payton. He attacks with ferocity, using his teeth and strength, lifting them and tossing them down the stairs. But still, they come, their focus undeterred.

Seth's presence, rather than scaring them off, drives them into madness, making them more desperate for Payton. She screams, fighting to keep them at bay. The elevator doors ping open, and Killian and Eve burst out. Killian swings his blade at one of the creatures, but they seem to come from every direction. One lunges at Payton, knocking her back.

She scrambles on her hands, trying to create distance between her and the creature. It relentlessly crawls towards her, unfazed by her kicks and shoves. Seth battles through the swarm of hands pulling him away, trying to reach her, but they overpower him, trying to toss him down as he had done to so many of them.

The creature is over her, and she desperately pushes its head back, her hand under its chin, fighting with every ounce of her strength. The situation is dire, with Seth struggling to get to her side, and the thirsty unrelentingly advancing. The room is a chaotic battleground, each of them fighting for survival against the overwhelming odds.

Payton screams at the thirsty,the wooden leg falling from her grasp as she tries to fend off the creature. She slaps her hand against its chest, holding it at bay as it snaps and snarls, inches from her face. Then, there's a sudden blast of air and an electric sensation that makes every hair stand on end, followed by a pop that resonates inside their heads.

Seth flinches, automatically covering his ears.

In an instant, the thirsty no longer bears its grotesque appearance but transforms into a young girl with deep red hair and perfect green eyes. She collapses onto the stairs, a heavy exhale escaping her lips. A tear rolls down her cheek before she closes her eyes and takes a final breath.

This unexpected event gives the group a moment of reprieve. Many of the thirsty are already dead, cut down by Naneve and Killian's blades or torn apart by Seth, their bodies thrown down the stairs. The few that remain put their hands up and shield themselves as if warding off some unseen light. They scramble away, now fighting each other for the doors in their desperate escape.

Naneve stands close to Payton, her own blade in hand, her breathing laboured from the exertion. She voices the question that lingers on all of their lips: “What the hell did you do?”

ChapterTwelve

All eyes are fixed on me, their gazes locking onto mine with a judgement that feels like an accusation of the gravest sin imaginable. Naneve’s words echo in my mind, a relentless taunt.What have you done?

What have I done? I'm left grappling for answers, feeling overwhelmed. It's reminiscent of the time with Nico, when that Nostro attacked us and we were cornered. I had glimpsed inside him, seen the twisted path that turned him into a monster – his father's betrayal, his lost lover, his death.…

“I saw her,” I say, the words tumbling out, barely coherent but undeniable. I did see her – her life, her essence.

I step back, distancing myself from the bodies of the thirsty they've killed, strewn around me. My eyes settle on the lifeless form of the woman before me, no longer the snarling creature that had lunged at me. She looks about my age, her attractiveness accentuated by the blonde hair framing her face.

“You saw her?” Naneve’s voice loses its usual sharp edge. This isn’t a moment for disdain but for urgent conversation. “Explain. What do you mean you saw her?”

Finding my voice, I start to unravel the vision that had enveloped me. “In my mind, when I touched her …” I pause, frowning, my hand lifting to my face as if to focus on the image. “She was a nurse. Dressed in dark blue hospital attire, a tunic and pants, tight around the waist, ending just below her knees. She was walking through a car park to her car, checking her phone. A little boy appears on the screen, maybe four or five years old. His joy at seeing her is clear. ‘When are you coming home, mummy?’ he asks, and they share a moment of laughter. She heads to her car and realises her keys are missing from her pocket. Fumbling in her bag, she finds them, clicks, and the car's lights flash, signalling it's unlocked.”

My voice carries the heavy weight of this haunting revelation and the dread of what's to come.

“She slides into her car,tossing her bag onto the seat beside her. After ending the call with her son, she leans her head back, closing her eyes for a moment of respite after an exhausting day. What she doesn’t know is that he’s been lurking in the shadows, waiting by her car. Before she has a chance to react, he emerges …”

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