BREATH . OF . LIFE . ~ { ReGenisis Chronicles Book I }

Chapter Three [Part 1/5]:The Scavenger

         -Kate Firethorn-

In the distance behind me I heard loud, ear shattering bangs. The noise made my head ring painfully, seeming to echo. Holding my hands over my ears I collapsed to my knees trying to shut it out. I was trembling, my heart wrenching in my chest as a tear slipped down my cheek.

On the air I could smell something close to disinfectant and copper, it was the same scent Griffin's blood had given off when I'd bitten him earlier. Only it was stronger now than it had been then.

The adrenalin in my system changed from a force that pushed me on, into a substance that as it drained from my body weighed me down.

Wiping my eyes, I had to pull myself together and get up. The end of the trail was in sight and after it there wouldn't be long before I reached the comfort of people, cars, buildings. It would be safer there I hoped.

I heard a twig snap behind me, before I could turn my head to look at the disturbance I was grabbed up roughly by the hair and yanked to my feet.

I gasped, blinking back tears and prying at the hand secured in my hair. I was tugged round to look at a tall, skinny sort of man with deep frown lines, grey eyes and the smell of nicotine and vodka all over him. He held a gun up and pressed it to my cheek threateningly. The gun was a cold shock up against my skin.

"Griffin!" I yelled, regardless of the gun.

"He can't help you now." The man growled low, glancing up towards a street light, the grey in his eyes became more recognisable as his irises constricted about his pupils. "I'm pretty sure the fact his chest is full of lead will slow him up quite a bit." His lip pulled up at the corner as his eyes turned back to me. His pupil became wide again. I realised whatever Griffin was, whatever I'd woken up as, this man was one of us.

"No," I breathed. "What do you want with me? Why were you after him?" I pleaded.

This man's lip pulled up at the corner in lines of wrinkles. His skin was older than he was. "Oh, no, lass, I'm not with the goons who took him down. I'm a scavenger, coming back to the carcass to harvest what I need. Since they'll have him no doubt and fresh blood is better, you'll just have to do."

"M-my blood?" I swallowed, I could smell other things on this man now. The nicotine and alcohol were masking chemicals. I tried to tear at his hand where it was still holding me by the hair, but he would not let go and simply chortled. Amused by the frantic display.

"Yes, you have the finished serum in your system and I'd really like to sort out some bugs." His face came really close to mine, he looked as if he was trying to smell me. His eyes rolled back in their sockets for a second. A lot like a great white shark sometimes exposes the white of its eyes to fool prey directly before it strikes.

I felt sick.

When he pulled back he started yanking me along the path, the gun he was holding pressed to my side instead in case I managed to get free with struggling.

"Where are you taking me!" I yelled, pulling back from him hard, but he wouldn't budge away from his objective. He was stronger than he looked.

"Somewhere we won't be found." He answered in a garble.

"Guess again." Two words that made my heart stop still for a moment then beat even harder.

My scalp screamed at me as it felt the release of the man's hand loosening its grasp and being jerked away. He had been kicked in the back, thrown forward by its force and caught himself against a tree.

He bounced back at the same instant I turned to look at Griffin standing there, alive. He was panting but there was a dangerous calm to his jet eyes. That animal quality that scared me.