Power Of The Moons.

She fell asleep after she had something to eat. She was running out of food, but still had enough for a few days. I added some sticks to the fire and stood up. The moons rays bore down upon me and I shuddered. I glared at them. “They are beautiful aren’t they?” The words echoed through my mind. I stormed away from the fire and broke a branch that just happened to be hanging to low. Beautiful? They were anything but, it was there energy that cursed me. Well…most of me. I argued with myself and walked for an hour before I realized I was getting hungry. I would have to find another deer or some animal.

I let out a sigh and started running. I caught a scent and followed it for a mile. Lucky for me they were close. I killed a deer and decided to make use of the meat. I used my knife and started to cut slabs of it and wrapped them in the large leaves of a nearby tree until I got back to cook them. I left the carcass in the woods for the scavengers.

I ran back to find Rory still asleep. We still had hours before the sun rose, and I didn’t ever sleep. I found eight long sticks with a V at the end and stuck four on either side of the fire then took other sticks and placed them in the grooves of the V’s. I used the makeshift grill to cook the meat.

The sun was just in the horizon when all the meat was done. It was tender but still eatable. Like jerky I guess. I climbed the tree silently until the branches were too thin to hold my weight and I waited for the sun. Soon the rays hit my skin and I felt instant relief. I let out a deep breath and relaxed my muscles. The dawn of each new day, was a dawn of relief and every rising of the moons, was the rising of another torment. I lived life day by day. No plans of a future, though I often dreamed of one.

I looked down to the ground, Rory was still sleeping soundlessly. Her short brown hair was in her face. I thought about what she said last night. Damien. I sat Indian style on the branch, soaking in the sunlight thinking about it. I had never been named before, not really. Maybe it was time that I had a name, maybe it was time for a change…

~ ~ ~

The fire popped loudly and I woke away from my dreams on the hard earth. I stretched and yawned but didn’t get up. I just looked around me a thought about random things. I looked up into the tree and saw him sitting up at the top Indian style in the sun. I sat up and shook my head. I combed my fingers through my hair until it was somewhat normal. I fished a can of soup from my bag, stuck it in the hot coals, and put a few more sticks in. I notice there was meat wrapped up in some large leaves by his pack, but I stuck with the soup.

“Are you hungry?” I called up to him.
“No I already…ate…” He shook his head. I nodded my head.
“Do you ever sleep?” I asked. I heard rustling as he quickly jumped from branch to branch until he landed on the ground on the other side of the fire.
“No. We don’t need sleep.” He sat down on the ground.
“Oh.” I said, “What’s it like being one of them?”
He shrugged, “I don’t remember the life I had before being a ‘super’ human so I don’t really know the difference. But if you would like I can explain what I can do.” He offered and I nodded eagerly.

“I can hear a person talking miles away which helps when an enemy may be trying to sneak up on you.” He smiled mischievously at me, “I can see further than I can hear, even at night. I can lift cars easily enough. We look like humans, but as you can see we aren’t hard to pick out of a crowd.” He grinned and I smiled weakly, “We are the strongest at night, but that’s also when…well when day rolls around let’s just say we or I welcome the relief. We may be weaker but we are still far stronger than anyone else.”

“Why are you stronger at night?” I asked.
He shrugged, “I really don’t know. It has to do with the moons, or at least I think it does. I remember vaguely that before I was different a scientist had explained some of it to me. I think I remember him talking about the moons. I’m not really sure how it works exactly. Radiation or something…” He ran his hand through his hair.
“So I see you went hunting last night…” I nodded to the meat.
“Yes, I figured you would be running out of food soon. It will be a little tuff, but just pretend its beef jerky.” He smiled. I nodded and pulled my knees close to my chest and rested my chin.

“I’ve decided to accept your name.” He said after a minute. I looked up.
“Really?” I asked.
He nodded his head, “Sure. It’s about time I had a name, besides you’ll need to be able to call me something, after all its only fair since I call say your name and you can’t say mine.” He smiled and I nodded, “I have a question for you though.”

“What’s that?” I asked curiously.
“Four years ago, why didn’t run right away?” He asked seriously.
I let out a sigh, “I don’t know…” I shrugged, “I was…” I shook my head, I couldn’t think of the right words.
“Huh.” He grunted, “Shocked, frightened, horrified, stunned, disgusted?” He offered.
I shook my head, “No. It was different, I was…transfixed.” I settled on the word that could best describe my feelings.
“Oh. Well why didn’t you leave the house?” he asked. Another hard question, I bit my lip trying to think.
“I guess…” I paused to think again, “I guess it’s because I owe you for saving my life…twice.” I smiled sheepishly.
“Owe me?” He asked, “No other person would care, they would have run, especially if they knew who and what I was.” He pointed out.

I shrugged, “I guess I’m not like other people?”
“I guess not.” He shook his head amused. The fire died out and he stood up, “We better get going.” He stretched and cracked his back and neck.
“Go where? Are we just going to keep running?” I asked.
He shook his head, “No we are going to find a safe place for a time.” He took off his jacket, stuffed it into a backpack, packed the meat, and gave me a bag than knelt down again. I let out a sigh and clung onto his back tightly and he took off running. “You said you were weaker during the day?” I asked.

“Yes.” He said simply.
“Then why are you still so strong?” I asked.
He laughed, “We may be weaker, but that’s still strong to your standards, not in ours.”
“Oh.” We were quiet for a few hours. He jumped over a few rivers without warning me, and I was surprised how easily he jumped with me on his back. He was so graceful in his movements.

“Damien?”
“Ya?” He smiled at me using his name.
“Why are you being tracked my others of your kind?” I asked.
He let out a sigh, “That’s a long story.”
“It’s a long run.” I pointed out.
“I don’t remember everything.”
“I wouldn’t know the difference.” I retorted. He let out a sigh.
“Some other time.”
“Fine.” I let the subject drop, for the time being.

I wonder where we are…I’ve never been this far out before. I watched the scenery change over each mile the forest was becoming denser, and wilder. The trees seemed larger and thicker if that was even possible. I remembered going on vacations with my family, but never in the wilderness. Not a lot of people went to the wilderness, it was wild and untamed so the government highly dissuaded people. I grew up in the city. The forest was new to me.

My arms started to fall asleep so Damien held me up with his arms so I could rest for a while. Instead, I held lightly onto his backpack and stuck my legs out straight to stretch for a little while. The constant rhythm and pounding was beginning to grow on me. My head had started to ache so we stopped for a late lunch and he let me take a nap.

When I woke up Damien was gone. I stayed where I was and just curled up with my blanket. It was getting colder each day, though the sun was out a lot now it never seemed to reach under the shade of the trees. The birds were wild with their songs and the wind moved the tops of the trees. The blue sky was just beyond. I took a deep breath of the clean cool air.

“Oh you’re awake.” Damien ran out of the trees then. I nodded my head and stretched. We headed off again. The sun went down and the moons were visible. We had decided to go further than normal. Damien suddenly stopped running. His pupils were dilated and he wasn’t blinking.

“What is it?” I asked.
“SHH.” He said letting my off his back. He looked to the right and left, then backed me up against a tree so my back was against the tree and his back was in my face.
“Damien what is it?” I asked at a whisper nervously. He didn’t need to answer me. I heard a branch brake from somewhere among the trees. I felt like I shrunk a little and clung onto Damien’s shirt like a coward. “Don’t move and stay silent.” He said so quietly I barely heard him.

A man spoke in front of us, but I couldn’t see him and I didn’t move to get a look at him, Damien didn’t need to tell me twice, I was too afraid to move. “What are you doing out here Vampire?”

Vampire? I looked at Damien’s face; his mouth was pressed in a straight line and he stared forward at the man. A movement caught my eye and I looked to my right. There was another man standing there with his arms folded staring at Damien and another one to my left. I gulped silently.

“Nothing important let me pass.” Damien spoke firmly without emotion; showing no fear.
“Ha. You bloodsuckers are always up to something.” The man said, “Maybe we should just kill you and be on our way to save anyone else the trouble.” I let out a light gasp and the man to my right suddenly pulled his gaze away from Damien to me.

He reached out quickly and snatched me away, “Look what we have here.” He said to the man that had been talking. I looked at him now. He had black shaggy hair and a strong chin. It was too dark to make out any details, like his eye color. But I could see his clothes. He had on old jeans and an old shirt.

“You really are a sick monster.” The man looked away from me to Damien, “What are you up too? You bring a human out here, you’re alone…if I didn’t know any better I’d say you were trying to….change her.” The man looked at me again.

Damien’s jaw locked and his fists balled up, “Release her.” The man smiled and slowly walked to me Damien didn’t take his eyes off of him.
“So she means something to you does she?” He asked darkly. Damien let of a low growl and spread his feet further apart when the man touched my face. I recoiled from the touch.
The man on the other side responded with a growl of his own. They were like animals fighting over a piece of meat…and I was that meat. “Calm down. We don’t harm humans like you do.” The man mocked. I looked at Damien curiously.

“Oh don’t you know my dear?” The man noticed my look, “He kills humans like you for sport…for…food.” He emphasized ‘food’. My eyes widened and I looked at Damien. He looked away from me. It was true? Vampire? I’ve never heard a super human be called a Vampire before; those were myths from old stories.

“So seeing how we have you out numbered perhaps we will just kill you now. Like I suggested earlier.” He said turning his back to me. The man holding my arms pulled me back a few steps tightening his grip when I pulled away from him.

“Wait a minute. Don’t you recognize him?” Another man appeared out of the woods.
“I told you to stay back Harvey.” The man said.
“I know. But he’s the one that they are after. Can’t you see that? They want him for some reason, the girl too.” He pointed at me. The man turned around and looked at me again.
“Can you be sure?” He asked.

The man named Harvey nodded his head, “Yes, why else would they be out here? No one comes out here alone…and they fit the descriptions.” The man let out a sigh.
“So do we kill you or keep you alive?” The man asked Damien.
“Do what you like with me, just don’t touch the girl.”
“Oh heroic.” The man said sarcastically, “Fine we will kill you then.”
“NO!” I yelled out then bit my lip. What are you doing?! I ignored myself, “Don’t please, he’s saved my life twice. I owe him.” I begged pulling against the grip of the man holding me but he was stronger.

“You owe him?” He asked.
“Yes. If you kill him…” I tried to think of a threat, but I didn’t have one.
“Harvey.” The man stared at Damien but addressed Harvey.
“Sir?” He stepped forward.
“Take the girl.” Harvey nodded and came over to me and took my arms and started to lead me away.

“Damien!” I yelled back.
“Go.” He looked me in the eyes. “Go.” He repeated. My feet followed with Harvey away until the trees blocked him from my view. Harvey only held one of my arms as he dragged me through the forest. I wiped a single tear that had fallen from my check. Harvey stopped walking.

A large wolf appeared out from behind a tree. I let out a gasp. It was snowy white, and about the size of a small horse. Its massive paws were the size of my head. Harvey pulled towards it, but I dug my feet into the ground stubbornly. There was no way I was getting near that thing.