Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Through the streets, everyone was running to get out of the mess, St. Pierre was not destroyed and they felt relieved for that. Addair could sense that panic was high, confusion was great but most were relieved to be finding their loved ones safe. Horses were gagging on the dust, choking on it in their lungs, somewhere collapsed on the road, still tied to carriages. People were not concerned with the animals when there were people struggling to breath themselves. Everything was like a symphony to him. He hadn’t seen this level of panic in a long time. It made him crave the flesh covered in dirt. The women and men that barely made it in the doors of their homes, only found them to be covered in it as well. It was an instant dump of heavy snow in the bright caribbean town and no one knew what to do but run around.

The shouts were becoming less as people learned to keep their mouths shut. He turned back to Gaston who struggled to follow behind him. He wouldn’t lose him, but he didn’t feel like having to search for him, so he grabbed his arm and pulled him. Gaston’s face was of wondering, presumably because he had no idea how Addair was managing without having to cover his face and how he knew where to go. Addair so did like confusing people, he didn’t like talking or explaining things to people, he kept his full thoughts to himself. He keened at the thought of confusing poor Gaston. The man was delicious and he would hate to see anything happen to him, but he liked making him question. Question he did too, entering his mind, it was a flurry of them. Too many to make sense of. Gaston also kept a lot to himself, too much in fact. His questions are what drew him in in the first place.

They reached the Lycee, Gaston walked up to front door, eyes squinting, hoping it was the right one. It was closed but not locked. They rushed inside and was greeted with more people frantically moving around. The dust and ash was everywhere they went. It was insidious.

“I need to find Marcus.” Gaston went up a flight of stairs and down a hall into a small room, filled with the ash of course.

“Oh! Gaston, thank you, you’re here! What happened?” Marcus’ voice rang out and Gaston went towards him.

“What a bloody mess.” Addair’s voice was deadpan. Ignored by the other two.

They went to the corner and discussed things. Apparently the mess was recorded on the seismoscope there were still tiny tremors being recorded.

“Hopefully that was it. It covered everything. When things clear up, we need to go and inspect for ourselves. For now, we need to clean things up and I need to record this.” Gaston commanded Marcus and they got to work.

Addair attempted to dust off a chair at a table along the wall. It was futile and he was already messy, but the action was mostly out of a boredom. He wished things would just move along and he could leave with her.

“So do you really think this is it Gaston?”

“Well, look around you. It’s not at all what we expected, I can’t say. This isn’t slow lava flow, so I don’t know. I, just. Don’t know.”

“You two go up and take a look yourselves.”

They turned to him, “Of course.” Gaston answered.

“I will be going too, but not with you, I need to look for someone dear to me.”

“I didn’t know you came with anyone to Martinique Addair.”

Marcus’ look on his face was clearly of wonder, where did this guy come from?

“Marcus, I am Addair, Landes here helped settled some of my worries and has been very kind, aside from a friend I am waiting on, he is the only person I know here.” Addair said.

“Ahh, ok, I see.” Marcus dropped his gaze and turned around the room bewildered, unsure of where to start.

“Addair, also helped me reach the Lycee safely. I don’t know how he did it, but here I am. Very grateful as well.”

“You’re very welcome Landes. To answer your question, I didn’t come with her, she was already here for a long time.”

“Oh, perhaps I know her, what is her name?”

“You wouldn’t know her, she is a recluse and has been holed up her entire visit. Now if you would excuse me, I am going to go check on her.”

Addair stood up and walked towards the door, confidant that Gaston would continue his work, hopefully with the idea that that was eruption they were waiting on. He was concerned that they wouldn’t understand what was happening, a modern eruption of this type wasn’t within their scope and a mystery still to be discovered. Gaston was a smart man, he will wonder yes, but something won't settle right. He just needed everyone to stay in St. Pierre.

“Addair, thank you again. I hope you find your friend safe and intact. Please come to me if you need anything.” Gaston shook his hand shut the door behind Addair.

Safe and intact indeed. He brushed the dirt out of his hair as much as he could and pulled out another cigar. He enjoyed just having them in his mouth and the smell pleased him. He walked leisurely out of the building and onto the street. Most people were inside now, with just a few mothers outside looking for their children. How he enjoyed it all. The scrambling and screaming. Children crying. It made him excited, taking his time walking, he took it all in. The air was still messy and the few scragglers had their faces covered. He struggled not to grab them and take one them as his own. No, he had to leave every soul he could.

Instead he breathed in their smell, getting as close to them as he could, feeding on their current fear. Drinking it and savoring the feel of it. He feigned rudeness and confusion when they noticed him near. He walked forward and eventually found himself leaving St. Pierre. By then things were calming down and cloud settled over Pelee. While unsure of what to do about the mess, people brought out their brooms and went to work. Martinique was never short of hard working people, white and colored alike. He liked the island and all of its uniqueness and society, but he longed to go home. Longed to take her back to where she belonged, to fix everything her absence created.

He wanted to feel her bare arms around him, grinning wildly, heady with desire and blood. He sat down in a chair at outskirts of St. Pierre. He needed a moment to revel in his memories, the people around him took over his senses. Addair leaned forward and set his face in his hands, closing his eyes.

She was joyous and happy. A wild creature that captured your being. Her hair always a tangled mess and in the way. Falling into his face when she straddled him. Her hips circling around on him. Dark fingernails breaking the skin on his chest. Her small, pert mouth sucking the blood out of his body. He struggling against her, pain radiating throughout and pulling his desire out of him, trying to force him to do something. She challenged him, but he didn’t want to fight back, he just wanted to give her everything in that moment. She was everything right then. Their time together was soon at a close, even if they didn’t know it. It wasn’t until then that he realized what she meant to him, a human emotion that reached him too late.

“What’s wrong?” She stopped her ministrations on his chest and he hadn’t noticed.

“Nothing.”

Her face twisted, she was good at figuring things out, even if he didn’t vocalize them. He wouldn’t be able to hide it if he tried.

“I love you.” He spoke evenly, but looked away from her, not being able to meet her eyes. He didn’t want to know her reaction.

“I know.”

Her hair dropped around his face and she turned him to look at her. She smiled softly. Something rare and beautiful, not many had been able to see this side of her. Did she love him back? She didn’t say so. Emotions that weren’t anger, passion, or psychotic joy were the only ones she ever expressed. He let himself be vulnerable in that moment and decided that no matter what, he would be by her side. The sweetness he was looking at was the closest he was going to get to her loving him back.

Lips touched his and he grabbed her head roughly, pushing his tongue into her mouth and flipping her over. The wound she placed on him was already healing but blood smeared on her bare skin, he could smell it. It drove him as he placed his hips between her legs and shoved his dick inside of her hard. She let go of his mouth and a cry escaped, eyes rolling from side to side. She was desperate to kiss him, to lick, bite, anything. He thrust into her purposefully and hard. Taking everything he felt for her and showing what she was to him. His hands grabbed at her hair and he pulled her chin up. Teeth sank into her neck and blood flowed into his mouth. There, there it was. She couldn’t say to him what she felt, it was something that was absent and out of her control. Something close is what she felt, it was enough for him. He had more from her than anyone else had been given. He was content in that.

The daydream faded and Addair came out for breath, so close. She was right here, just a little longer and she would be his to hold again, to serve; to follow. If it were up to him, he’d rip her out of the godforsaken thing. No, Azazel made it difficult. For all of his invincibility, he wasn’t strong enough to dig and pull her out. Azazel made sure of it. Made sure she was weak and wounded, burned and dry. He reveled in small deaths, but death on a massive scale as was necessary, he wasn’t particularly fond of. It was too much of a mess and it weakened him. It took too much to control himself during those times. Afterwards when people were cleaning the mess, that’s what he liked. The desperation and emptiness people felt. Women who lost their husbands, agony ripping their hearts apart, that’s when he leapt and took them.

Azazel placed her here long ago, underestimating the will of human beings. Their ignorance of nature. He could have never guessed that he entombed her in the best place for escape. Addair laughed knowing they were going to get him this time. He wondered if she lay there awake and knowing all that was going on around her, or if she was unconscious dreaming of who knows what. Would she be coherent and remember everything? He suspected that she would be wild with a need for revenge. To watch her become more beautiful with it, more powerful, to be what she was once before, long ago.

Looking around there was no one. It was eery and quiet. He still had a long ways up the mountain to go. Not bothering with getting a horse,doubting any would be available, he was happy just walking. Not even wanting to use any of his abilities to reach the top either. Considering the coming possibilities, and feeling Gaston down in the Lycee busy away with interpreting the readings, recording them and studying the outcomes. His blood he gave him and subsequently had taken back had been a good idea, he was drawn to the man for reasons unknown, not bothering to think about them, just letting them be.

He planned in his mind what she and him were going to do. Take Azazel down, and recover everything. Her, his queen, him, the faithful.

Something alerted him. Up. Leisurely walking no longer an option he moved faster. It called to him for answers. When running was no longer enough, he willed himself forward yards towards the pull. It was her, she was stirring, waking up. at the very bottom of the now large crater. He could see the heat, distorting his vision. There was burning on his skin, it cracked and popped, in the middle of a large leap he fell straight down hitting a large rock and rough brush along the way. The pain was unbearable and he yelled loudly, breaking his own eardrums. The distortion and agony raked through him and he wasn’t sure what had happened. He couldn’t breath and never had he felt this before, there was nothing he could do and he was healing. No, he was healing, but it just burned him again. Over and over repeating it. Healing and burning, it wasn’t stopping.

No longer able to open his eyes he willed himself to calm. He pushed towards sanity even as it was breaking. His body lay on the side of the mountain, writhing against sharp rocks and the dust that had fallen earlier that day. Dirt, debris and vegatation being smashed into the ground as he rolled around in it. He attempted to do anything to take control of what was happening. Beginning with moving his legs with his own will, then his feet. They did as they asked, the more he moved them around on his own, the more the exhausting pain subsided there. But it seemed to move up into his chest twofold. Screaming again and thrusting his body in the air hips on the ground, then rolling again face down choking on the dirt and rocks. Time was not a concept in all of this and he wasn’t aware of it either.

If he could take control of himself, he could be rid of it all. Once again, he settled himself and began thinking about moving his arms, on his own. Again the pain moved to his chest, a voiceless sob anchored out of his mouth and in went more ash and rocks. Giving up wasn’t an option, getting rid of the pain was, and he had to endure. He decided to free his head and neck from it all next. Repeating what occurred before, but tripling this time. Tingling crawled across his scalp, relief hitting every follicle, he could feel lifting on his ears. Finally he could open his eyes.

Looking at his shoulders and arms in front of him, he realized that there were no burns. There were only lacerations from his fall. They were already healing. Panic spread across his face as even the realization that what he thought happened, didn’t.  The pain in his chest felt very real however, and getting a hold of it became a priority now. Must have cracked something, he thought, surprised he could finally think of anything at all again. The small victory gave him enough hope to bend at the waist and on all fours. Leaves, grass, dirt and rocks fell off of him and clung to his front side. Gradually he pushed himself back onto his feet with his hands and arms. Kneeling sent the pain directly from his torso and into his ribs, then up some more towards his shoulders. Panting through it, and heavy breathing kept him still through the duration. He rolled himself down and then back up, shoulders rolled back stretching the muscles. Finally the pain was subsiding. There was a large gash across his upper back and it was already healing.

He stayed like this for a long while. Focusing on what had just happened to him. He saw the burns, the cracked skin, black and dry. He felt it on every inch of his body. It had forced him to lose control and fall several feet down onto rocks. Nothing like this had happened to him for a long time. Not since.. since their fight with Azazel, when they lost. Was he reliving those memories? No, he hadn’t burnt then. Only her.

His gaze turned towards the direction of the peak. There. The signal he felt, it was coming from there. Instantly he got on his feet, wobbly, but he didn’t care. She was alive and calling for her. The bloodlink was still between them. She wanted him with her, she yelled for him. The agonizing pain he felt, it was hers. She was suffering intensely. How long had it been like this for her? He was angry. So very angry and it took him flying forward. He would destroy Azazel, this was the end of it all.

Once again, he was shocked into pain, the burning, had to take hold of it and remember that it was not his own, to not let it take him over. Gathering his strength he neared closer and closer to where he was sensing her. It wasn’t coming from inside the mountain. She was free. She was free and he was there to get her. Getting closer to her, more pain, more suffering. He lost his breath and felt his knees hit the ground. NO! No! too close.

His eyes closed trying to keep himself awake and in the moment. His head split with a headache. Forcing his eyes open a litte, his hands on his head, he saw a wraith. Black, cold as stone, dark black eyes.

“Lil-” he cracked out of his mouth.

She was on him, biting into his shoulder, pinning him down with strength she had never possessed before. If not for the bloodlink, she would be unrecognizable. Unlike before, there was no pleasure in the bite. There was nothing. A deep void that opened up dripping slowly full of the emptiness, a husk. He couldn’t move at all, couldn’t push her away, couldn’t speak to her. She sucked on him, and the only thing he knew was that her skin was not skin but charcoal. Hard and heavy like stone. Her force sprawled over him holding him. He felt the stone cold of her through the tears in his clothes. He tried to speak through his mind and there was not even a wall. The emptiness sucked him forward and he fell, fast hard and it didn’t stop. His spark was fading and she was extinguishing it effectively. Then there was nothing again. He was gone in a dream. Alone. Sobs escaped him, terrified of what had happened. If only he could have spoken to her. No, she wasn’t there.

His love was a demon throughout. A powerful one. An incoherant one. What did he do?

“Dee, wake up, you’re annoying me.”

A familiar voice called out to him. Anger welled up but he didn’t understand.

“Dee, so you freed the screech owl. How’d that work out for you friend?”

Hands and a powerful arm grabbed him by the foot and dragged him, he was helpless. He only wondered who it was.

“Nothing to say then? Fine. Jokes on you. She’s beyond reach. She only wants destruction. Our little bird doesn’t even know who she is. It’s hilarious. That’s what she deserves you know. For betraying me. For taking up with you. Thinking she can be something she isn’t. This is what you get as well. See what happens when you do bad things. We have our order and the both of you messed it all up  long ago. So now, you’re coming with me while she makes her mess.”

He realized he was in the air, being dragged above the trees, hitting branches and getting smacked in the face. No care taken that he was weak. Smoke and ash filled his lungs, then warm clear air. It was thick but no longer choking him.

“I’m going to show you the agony you put me through. I’m going to take you home. Chain you up and make you feel every little thing I felt. Then I’m going to show you what she can do. There’s no power greater than hers. And it’s only been tapped into a small fraction!” He laughed manically.

“Oops.”

Addair dropped back down through the smoke, forcing him to open his eyes, only to get a small glimpse of who it was. His mind snapped. Azazel. His body crashed to the ground breaking everything in him. On his chest, Azazel sat snarling in in his ear. Addair could only barely open his eyes. Azazels eyes were black and he smelled like sulfur.

“You have spent too much time on your throne king, you smell of sulfur and nothing else.” Addair croaked out the words full of malice.

“I would suck you dry, but dirtying myself isn’t worth it. I am going to punish you. You will never see the surface again. I am glad that you remember who is king here. Half my work is done.” Azazel ripped Addair’s throat open and he gurgled a tiny amount, still mostly dried from her attack.

“Dream. Dream of your beloved, but you are going to be what you were meant to be.”

Author's Note

Ignore grammar problems, etc as with the other submission