RUSH: A Vampire, A Witch, A Secret, A Rush. (4 page)

The sound of a truck horn jolts me awake. Then a deer runs off the road behind me and disappears into the forest.

The wound on my arm is wrapped in small shreds of my own shirt and Hallam’s jacket is draped over me like a blanket. But he’s gone.

I fish my last bread roll out of my pocket, though it’s a bit squashed now, and stare off into the forest. Yep he’s gone.

With the bread roll poised at my lips the urge to throw up overtakes me and I dive onto all fours so I don’t make a mess of myself.

“Now, that’s not right,” I mutter.

I’ll throw up if something upsets my stomach, or after having a gut full of drugs, but not usually after having a nap.

Perhaps there are still drugs in my system? Two weeks later, not likely.

I inspect the cut under the bandages, it’s still healing. Not helped by my depleted system. I’ll need to sort that out soon.

My shoulder’s sore, and tender. I hope we didn’t break anything. The problem with healing quickly is that unset breaks always tend to heal wrong. My ribs hurt, my, ahem, legs hurt. My stomach is tender and generally I ache all over. I don’t have a mirror to inspect my face, but it doesn’t feel too bad.

I stumble to my feet and put Hallam’s jacket on.

Back to square one. No food and no shelter.

On the highway it takes about five minutes for a truck to come along and offer me a lift.

“Where you heading?” he asks.

“Into town,” I say. “Got any food?”

He tosses me a chocolate bar and I bite into it. My stomach turns and vomit paints his dash.

“Hey!” he shouts. “Don’t do that!”

The truck screeches to a halt and I climb down before he has a chance to push me out of the vehicle.

With him still shouting from his cab I run off in the other direction. I don’t have the energy to
rush
but I can run... all day.

I keep walking through the night, with no town in sight, and my legs keep moving for another day.

Heaving and panting I come up to a big wooden sign. A town, at last. Storm clouds open up, and it’ll be dark and very wet soon.

Where in the hell am I? And what in hell am I going to do about this throwing up. I couldn’t be… no. It’s not possible. Witches can only conceive with other witches not humans. Then Hallam wasn’t human.

Shit balls. I’d better find a doctor, and someone who’ll accept cash and no ID. Damn, I’d better find some cash first.

The sign above me reads, ‘forks’ and as the rain pelts down I walk through the cities outer limits.

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