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her head, as if a nest of hornets had built a hive out of her brain. Hunger gnawed at her belly, a constant, torturing hunger, a desperate need for the slippery, hot taste of meat. Once, she encountered a lone doe in a forest clearing, its eyes silver with moonlight. She tackled the doe and ripped its throat out. In her delirium, she didn t remember or care that vampires couldn t drink animal blood. She lapped at the sticky puddle like a dog on a hot day, then threw up. She staggered through the woods and wondered, through the fog of hunger was this the beginning of madness? Was she going rogue? If that was the case, the best fate she could hope for was to die of starvation in the wilderness. She woke one evening and clawed her way up through the mat of damp earth and leaves. She stood and swayed. Her vision went black for a moment. She leaned one shoulder against a tree and took deep breaths until her head cleared. For the first time in days, she looked down at herself. Her clothes were stiff and caked with dirt. Her jeans were ragged, the knees ripped, and one shirtsleeve dangled by a few threads. There was a hole in the tip of one sneaker, and her toe poked through, pale and dirty. She picked a leaf out of her hair. Her head had stopped buzzing. Her insides were no longer on fire. It was as if a fever had broken. She felt clear-headed and more or less normal, but very, very weak, and cold. Her joints were stiff, almost numb. It hurt to move her fingers. She wanted to lie down and close her eyes right now, the forest floor looked like the world s softest bed but she knew she couldn t afford to waste time. If she didn t feed soon, she would continue to weaken until she could no longer move. Ashley turned in a slow circle, but the forest looked the same in every direction. She brushed the dirt from her clothes and began to walk. Within a few hours, she came to a narrow footpath, almost invisible amidst the dense, green foliage. The path led to a broad, dirt road. She walked alongside the road, stumbling occasionally. As dawn approached, she heard the crunch of gravel under wheels and looked over her shoulder to see a tan car approaching. The words FOREST PRESERVE POLICE were stenciled onto the side in green. The headlights shone into her eyes. She blinked and squinted. The car pulled up beside her and stopped. The driver s side window rolled down, and a man with a sandy brown mustache peered at her through small, round glasses. Excuse me, ma am. May I ask what you re doing alone out here so late? His eyes swept over her dirty, torn clothes, and he raised his eyebrows. Everything all right? I was hiking. I got lost. She was surprised at how calm, how normal, her own voice sounded. That so? Yes. I was wondering if you could help me. She stepped closer and stared into his eyes. He blinked. Well, I could give you a ride back to& He trailed off. His eyes slid out of focus, and his jaw sagged. She leaned toward him, eyes fixed on his thick neck. She slid her teeth into the pulsing artery. The man sat calmly, his face as blank and open as a newborn s, as she fed. Warmth and strength flowed through Ashley s body as his blood filled her stomach. She forced herself to pull back before he passed out, licked the punctures in his neck, and got into the car. Take me to the edge of the nearest town, please. His head turned slowly toward her, and he blinked. His brow furrowed. He touched his forehead and frowned. I& well, sure. Okay. He rubbed his neck absently, then turned his eyes to the road. She leaned back in the seat as they drove. The meal had helped, but not much. Her limbs felt like sandbags. She wanted to go home, take a long, hot bath, then fall asleep in her own bed. After that& well, she d worry about that when she got back. The cop dropped her off at a gas station next to an all-night diner. She cleaned up a little in the gas station bathroom, washed the dirt from her face and hands and scrubbed the worst of the filth from her hair. She reached into her pocket, fingers searching for her cell phone, but it was gone. It had probably fallen out during her night wanderings. God knew where it was now. She went to the pay phone outside, dug a few quarters from her pocket. She started to call Will s cell, then stopped. After what Will had seen her do, would he even want to talk to her? Would he dare face her? Hell, she wouldn t want to talk to her, if she d seen what he had. Ashley took a deep breath. She should at least let him know she was alive. She dialed his number. It rang twice, then went to voicemail. His phone was off. Not surprising, considering the hour. A recorded voice told her to leave a message after the tone. It s me. Her voice emerged hoarse and faint, as if she had a bad cold. Just want to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |