Author's Note: Please forgive my late continuation. I had a bit of writer's block. I'm still not very pleased with how a few paragraphs came out - they seem awkward to me - but they're written. Don't you just hate that? Thank you for the feedback and the votes - heh, I finally figured out what those numbers in front of my story mean. You've been a spectacular audience. And to the one or two people who emailed me complaining about the lack of sex thus far: it is coming, I promise - but I won't be rushed. So there. Neener. ;)
Now then, on with the show.
Ginnnnnnnnna!
8.
She felt Andi clutch at her from behind and begin to shake. Anya closed her eyes briefly, nodded, and began to lead her sister out the ruined front door and into the unknown.
She shifted the pack on her shoulders and squinted into the wind, trying to get her bearings. She knew the general direction to the trail into town; but she didn't trust her senses in this weather. She'd probably get them lost in minutes, and then what would the two brothers do to them?
She briefly considered leading them on a wild goose chase but quickly dismissed that idea. Kirik seemed for the most part to be intelligent. Very intelligent. She'd be willing to bet he'd catch onto her ruse before long. And again, what would be her punishment if that happened? Or, even worse, what would be Andi's?
"Well?" Kirik snapped, impatient to get going. "What are you waiting for?"
Anya gave him a cool stare, "do you want me to lead you in the right direction? If so, then I suggest you let my eyesight adjust to the darkness."
"You cannot see in dim light? You must be jok-"
"Halt! Stay as you are!"
All four pairs of eyes instantly turned to the direction of the barked command. A lone deputy stood at the far end of the walk way, pistol drawn and trained on the two creatures he saw before him. He tried to hold as steady as he could, but his heart was pounding in combined fear and disbelief. The tip of the gun wavered slightly as adrenaline whipped through his body.
Anya remembered Andi's skeptical remark earlier; something about the creature she'd seen being able to take down a police man. She began to realize why Andi hadn't been put at ease by the sheriff's visit.
The deputy looked young, scared and unsure of how to handle this. He had probably just figured on checking in on the two girls and returning home without incident. The trembling way in which he brandished his firearm didn't help to reassure her much, either.
Kirik was startled at first, having not heard the man's approaching footfalls above the storm. Annoyed at being caught off guard, he studied this new threat quickly but carefully, scanning for weaknesses.
He took in the male human's unsure posture, shaking weapon and fearful expression. He relaxed; this would be easy. He muttered something to Kael whose face brightened in eager anticipation as he nodded in agreement, snickering slightly.
"No talking! Hands in the air! Both of you," the cop ordered.
"Certainly," Kirik said politely, raising his hands to either side of his head.
Kael had imitated his brother's action, seemingly unconcerned with the unexpected turn of events.
Hesitantly, the deputy inched his way closer; failing to remember proper protocol. He kept shifting the pistol to aim at first Kirik, then Kael, then back to Kirik, and so on. He knew he was outnumbered and he had no clue of what he was dealing with.
Closer and closer he came until Anya could almost make him out completely, despite the darkness. She despaired. He was very young. Probably fresh out of training. She watched as Kirik and Kael seemed to cooperate; but something was off. Both of their faces were relaxed, amused even. The deputy was almost within arm's reach now. This wasn't right. She opened her mouth to cry out a warning.
Too late. Kirik lunged forward and snatched the barrel of the gun, yanking it out of the man's grasp. He glanced at it, curled a lip in contempt and threw it aside.
The cop paled and blinked at his now empty hands. It had happened so fast-
Kael charged forward at the instant Kirik had grabbed the gun; silently, sword drawn. Before the man could even drop his arms to react, Kael had swung his weapon down in a swift diagonal arc. The deputy didn't move for a moment, unsure of what had just happened. Then both of his hands fell to the ground, completely severed.
His shriek of pain and horror was high-pitched and strangled. Andi screamed right along with him, hands clasped over her eyes. Anya's mouth dropped open and she swayed on her feet, the world going fuzzy briefly.
Kirik watched as his sibling circled the wounded man, assessing his attack form. His brother was improving immensely at his sword-play. Pride swelled in the elder's chest. Soon he'd be able to give Kirik a real run for his money. However, his expression remained neutral as he observed Kael's next move; revealing nothing of his thoughts.
The younger brother flicked a glance to his elder and saw no approval but no disapproval either. Encouraged, he pondered what the next best move would be. He'd already ensured the man's doom; leaving him incapable of wielding any sort of weapon ever again. But what to do next? Silence his screams, perhaps? Seemed like a logical choice. Couldn't have any more attention drawn their way. It simply wouldn't do.
Kael, expression casual, followed the deputy, who was trying to stumble away still screaming. He whirled, gave the sword a fancy flip to show off a bit, and then ripped it sideways through the air once more.
Sudden quiet.
The sisters watched in horror as the deputy froze in mid-step and then crumpled as the upper half of his body slid off the lower part and fell into the snow. Kael turned back to Kirik, beaming with obvious pride. Kirik gave a curt nod and said something that made the young male's grin grow even wider.
Anya saw that some of Kael's teeth were pointed as well, just a bit shorter than Kirik's. Funny to be noticing teeth at a time like this, but the human brain dealt with trauma in all sorts of ways. She shut her eyes and tried to calm her erratic breathing. Sounds seemed too sharp, everything stood out in poignant detail and sensations were very intense. She supposed she was in a state of shock, but really couldn't be bothered to worry about such trivial things now. Andi had grown silent when the deputy fell apart. Her eyes, huge as saucers, were trained on the corpse. Her hands were clenched into fists and were pressed against her mouth. Her breathing was harsh and ragged.
Anya covered her sister's eyes, "don't look. Just don't look."
Andi swayed a bit but managed to keep her balance. She had never seen anyone be killed before. The image was seared into her memory. The terrible way that his torso had just detached from his middle would never leave her.
Ever.
She focused on Kael, who seemed to be utterly pleased with himself, and felt slightly nauseous. She remembered the dark glares he'd thrown her way earlier; and the way he'd threatened her with that exact sword in her bedroom.
She also recalled when she'd slapped him and wondered if he was still angry about it. She wondered just how close she'd actually come to death at that moment, then decided she didn't really want to know.
Kael, still grinning boyishly, gave the weapon a sharp flick. Dark red droplets flew off the sword and dotted the snow. He drew a gloved hand across the edge, removing the last traces of blood from the shining blade and re-sheathed it carefully. He gave Andi a quick glance and then turned his attention back to Kirik, awaiting further instructions.
Kirik merely looked at Anya, smiled, and inclined his head at her, "only a slight delay. Please procede."
He behaved as if the terrible act of violence had never happened. Anya stood there in disbelief, "you're just going to leave him there?"
Kirik appeared puzzled, "what else would I do with him?"
Anya stared at him. "The dead are meant to be buried and mourned," she said quietly.
Andi broke in bitterly, "you think he cares about that?"
Anya hushed her and stood in front of her as Kirik considered the younger girl once again. "You best tame your mouth as your sister has instructed you. Else I may decide to let Kael play with you after all."
Kael perked up at the sound of his name and glanced curiously at Kirik then again at Andi. Andi needed no further warning as she shut her mouth and took a step back. Anya took her arm and pulled her up the walk, skirting the cooling corpse. She tried not to look at it as she passed, but she couldn't help herself. She struggled against tears and also tried not to wonder if the young deputy had had a family.
Anya led the group across the clearing and towards the town. As she got further and further away from her cabin, her dread grew. She wondered if she would ever see her little house again. No one would know what had happened to them and she rather doubted that anyone in town would even think to check on them.
There was one small hope; when the deputy failed to return, he would be looked for. The last place he would have reported going was to their home; and that's where his body would be found. With any luck, the police would realize something had gone horribly awry at their cottage and there would be a search party sent out after them.
She grasped onto that idea and made a mental note to tell Andi about it as well. If she got the chance to speak to her sister privately, that was. It would give them the strength to go on if they could at least hope for a favorable outcome.
As it was, Andi was dragging her feet with a hanging head. Every now and then she could hear a muffled little sob issue from the girl.
She risked a look back towards her captors. It was still a bit difficult to see much of anything in the darkness save their glowing eyes. Both sets were trained on her, and they were very close. As she watched, Kirik raised his hand and gave her a cheerful wave. Unnerving.
Finally, mostly just to break the silence, she began to speak, "this path will merge with the main road in the village square. It will take us through town and all the way to the falls. From there, we'll have to take a detour around Shadow's Peak-"
"Through town?" Kirik repeated, stopping abruptly.
Anya hesitated and then paused as well. "Ah, y-yes. This is the way I always go-"
"Stupid woman! We cannot cut through town; do you suppose we'll just blend right in with the commoners?"
