Blood of the Chosen

The moonlight shining in from the window illuminated the side of his face. He was sweating and had a panicked look on his face. His dark eyes were full of concern and anxiety. What the hell was he doing here?

“P-Patrick?” I asked breathing heavily.

“Are you hurt?” He asked me as his eyes trailed over me in search for injuries.

My brain was still trying to process everything I’d just seen. Blinking a few times, I slowly shook my head. Patrick looked over to the chair where my father was sitting and I heard him curse before he turned his gaze back to me.

“Were you in the house when this happened?” He asked.

“No, I was at the ice rink.” I replied shakily.

“We have to go, it isn’t safe here,” he said “pack a bag as quickly as you can.”

My eyebrows knitted together in a frown “Go? Go where?”

He didn’t answer my question, instead he pulled me out of the room and into my bedroom. I opened my mouth to speak but was silenced when I noticed the mess my room was in. My clothes were spread out across the floor as well as the books from my bookcase. My bed had been turned upside down and the drawers from my dresser were lying broken on the floor. Someone had been in here. I stepped over the mess and grabbed my bag. As I quickly packed essentials my eyes never left Patrick. Something didn’t feel right.

“Why are you here?” I found myself asking before I could stop myself.

“There are a lot of things you don’t know and the answer to that question isn’t important right now.” He answered.

My eyes narrowed as I stopped packing “How do I know you didn’t do this?”

“If I’d have done this I would have killed you too by now.” He said.

“I’m not going anywhere until you give me some answers. My parents have been murdered for Christ sake!” I yelled.

He sighed “The people who done this came here for a reason. It’s clear they didn’t get what they came for.”

My stomach dropped and my eyes widened. It was in that moment I realised they were here for me. The bag slipped from my hands and landed on the floor with a thud. The walls felt like they were closing in, my lungs weren’t getting enough oxygen. I stumbled back hitting my vanity table. Patrick’s hand made its way to my shoulder.

“Breathe Harper.” He said gently.

I closed my eyes, tears falling down my face as my breathing slowed. Each deep breath in and out hurt. My body was trembling and I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be able to stand. My eyes found his. He looked like he was trying to hold it together for my sake.

“Please Patrick.” I whispered, my voice breaking.

“Once we get out of here I will tell you everything I promise but we have to go.” He said, his eyes pleading with me.

I had to face the facts. It wasn’t safe here. I couldn’t stay here. Patrick was my only hope right now. As much as I didn’t want to leave, I had to. I picked up my bag and began packing again as quickly as I could. Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I rushed out of my room and down the stairs with him.

Patrick helped me into my coat before I pulled on my scarf. I didn’t dare turn round. The living room door was still open and I couldn’t bear to see my mother again. Patrick put his hand on my arm gently and I looked up at him.

“Everything is going to be alright, I swear.” He said softly.

How could things be alright? How could things go back to the way they were? My parents had been murdered in our family home. I had no family left, nothing.

As soon as we stepped out the front door the cold night air hit me. It felt good against my warm skin. I quickly followed Patrick down the path. Once we walked through the gate he guided me to the right and round the corner where his car was parked. He drove a black Mustang. He opened the passenger’s side door for me and helped me in. I put my bag down at my feet and pulled on my seat belt. Patrick was soon in the driver’s seat and the engine roared to life. He wasted no time and we were soon racing down the road.

“I know you’re scared,” He said softly “But I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I slowly looked over to him “I don’t understand. Where are we going? Shouldn’t we call the police?”

“The police can’t help.” He said

Why couldn’t the police help? I looked at him confused.

“You’ll get all the answers you need but for now I need you to just trust me.” He told me.

He turned on the radio as I sank back into the seat. None of this made sense or even felt real. My head hurt, my heart hurt. I turned to look behind us. The road was dark and empty. My eyes then moved to a bag on the back seat. It was my bag with my ice skates in it. My eyes softened, Patrick had grabbed them when we were leaving. Not that I thought I would ever get the chance to skate again but it was nice to have them with me. They gave me a part of my life before all this happened that I could cling to. I settled back into the seat and gazed out of the window watching as the trees and lamp posts whizzed by. What was going to happen now?

~*~

I hadn’t even noticed that I’d fallen asleep until I felt Patrick shaking me gently. Blinking a few times as I sat up I looked around. We were in the middle of nowhere by the looks of it. We were surrounded by trees but that’s when I saw it. In front of us stood a beautiful grey Victorian mansion with a black roof. It was perfectly hidden by the surrounding trees.

“Where are we?” I asked him quietly.

“Somewhere safe.” Was his answer.

He opened the door and got out of the car and I did the same. The first thing I noticed as I closed the car door was how quiet it was. I pulled my bag over my shoulder as Patrick grabbed my other bag from the back. He made his way around the car towards me.

“Let’s get you inside out of the cold.” He said.

The stairs leading up to the front door creaked and groaned as we stepped on them. There was a rocking chair to the left and a porch swing to the right which was swaying gently in the cold breeze. Patrick took hold of the handle and pushed open the front door before stepping inside. I couldn’t move. The voice in my head was telling me to turn and run until I couldn’t run anymore. I didn’t know this house, didn’t know who could be inside. Patrick watched me for a moment. Taking a deep breath I stepped forward and inside.

The floor boards were dark oak which complimented the deep blue walls nicely. A huge silver framed mirror hung on the wall to the left of me. The warmth of the house seeped into my bones as if engulfing me in a welcoming hug. Patrick helped me out of my coat and hung it up along with my scarf.

“Is this your home?” I asked him.

He nodded “It’s been in my family for centuries. It’s a little away from town but I can’t part with it. It holds generations of memories and history.”

The sick feeling returned to my stomach. I’d never be able to go back to the place I once called home. The place that held my memories.
“I think some tea would be good right now.” He said encouraging me to follow him.

The kitchen was surprisingly modern and it was stunning. He guided me to the dining table and I sat down. Whilst he went and put the kettle on I sat there going over everything in my head. What had happened, what the future held, but that was the thing I couldn’t get past. What did my future hold?

The warm mug felt good against my skin when I took it from Patrick. I slowly sipped it as he sat down opposite me. I felt his eyes on me causing me to gaze over to him. He had a concerned look on his face as he took in the sight of me. It was like he was battling with himself trying to find the right words. His lips parted as he prepared to speak but the next voice I heard wasn’t his.

“Patrick, what’s going on?”

Both of us looked over to where the voice came from. Standing in the doorway was a man with black hair and the most gorgeous blue eyes I’d ever seen.