Page List


Font:  

I started to wonder if, actually, Mom had been my tether to the world all along. Once the flame of her life was extinguished there was no place for me in the world and fate had to correct the imbalance. If my life was an aberration then perhaps it was time for me to die after all. I just hoped that when it came, it came quickly.

But Matt reacted horribly to me saying that. He gasped in shock and shook his head dramatically, raising his hands in surrender.

“That’s not what’s going on here at all. We don’t want to put you in danger Trish. We don’t want to hurt you.” He seemed genuinely wounded that I would ever think otherwise.

“Then why did you bring me here?” I asked, my voice almost a growl. I glared at Matt and I could see him wilting. He looked to the closed door and he swallowed his nerves.

“I can’t tell you everything. That’s Jack’s place. But I can tell you that you are special. You might not believe, but…” he blinked for a few moments and collected his thoughts. “There is a lot of history in the world and there have been a lot of dynasties. Some of them have purer bloodlines than others. You are the result of one of these bloodlines and we need you to make us strong again…” he trailed off. I looked at him with my head tilted to the side, and then I threw my head back and laughed.

“You think my bloodline is pure? Mine?” I almost collapsed on the couch at the thought. If mine was one of the few pure bloodlines in existence then the human race was in more trouble than I thought. “I think you’ve made a mistake.”

“There can be no mistake,” Matt stated. My laughter died as I noticed the terse way he spoke and how his jaw was clenched. He fully believed in what he was saying and I finally realized that I was in the grip of a cult. The color drained from my face. The talk of making the group strong again…that could mean only one thing…breeding.

My mind caved in on itself when I thought about the ramifications. They wanted to take my body away from me, take away my choice and use me as some kind of vessel for their entire group, to bring forth a new generation of, what, bikers? It seemed too ridiculous to be true, and the way Matt acted made it seem as though it was the most important thing in the world. I thought back to the previous night and to Jack…he was evidently their leader and his mind wasn’t in the right place. He spoke of so many strange things. Oh God…what had I gotten myself into? I had to escape, and as soon as possible. I couldn’t stay there and let them breed me, with this strange talk of a bloodline. What could they possibly know about my bloodline? I was just an ordinary girl who had been a failure in life. There wasn’t anything special about me, and I wasn’t about to let their misunderstanding ruin me. I wasn’t going to be used to breed their children in some kind of weird cult.

I shu

ddered and nausea churned in the pit of my stomach. My skin crawled with revulsion at the thought of being taken and used for this horrid purpose, my body just a tool for one single purpose. My heart sank and the world seemed to blur around me, when I realized that tears had filled my eyes. But now was not the time for sadness. I had to try and make my escape. I had to try and be strong for a little longer. I wiped my eyes and inhaled deeply, in an attempt to keep myself composed.

“That’s…that’s a lot to take in Matt,” I said softly. He relaxed when I stopped laughing. “I’m sorry for laughing. I just didn’t know how to react.”

He walked over to me and took my hand, placing it between his palms. “I’m sorry that I can’t tell you more. I promise that you will understand before too long, you just have to be patient with us. But this isn’t a bad thing Trish. In fact it’s quite wonderful. You’ll see, I promise.”

“I hope you’re right,” I squeezed his palm to try and make more of an impression on him, and then I rose from the couch and pressed my hand against the wall. “I just feel like I’m losing my mind in here. There’s so much to take in. I want to understand all of this, but I can’t concentrate. I dread going back to that cell, Matt,” I turned to him with desperation in my eyes, “please can we go for a walk first? I enjoyed being outside with Jack last night, but it was so dark I didn’t get to appreciate the surroundings properly. I just…it would calm me to be out in nature, to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin and the grass underneath my feet.”

Matt shifted his gaze away, unsure of my request. He stroked his chin. “I don’t know…” he said.

“I promise I’ll be good,” I smiled sweetly, “and you’ll be there. I know that nothing will happen while you’re there.” I knew that Matt wouldn’t pull me back like Jack did. Taking advantage of Matt’s kindness was the only weapon I had in my arsenal. “Just for a little while, just so I get a better grip of my sanity. You don’t know what it’s like to go through all this…” I said.

The tug on his heart strings seemed to work.

“Okay, but just for a little while, just so you can get some exercise,” he said. “But don’t stray too far and don’t try anything,” he jabbed a finger towards me and I nodded obediently, but his words did not carry the same hissing threat that Jack’s had. My eyes gleamed as I followed him outside, because I knew I had a chance to escape this awful hell.

Chapter Six

Bathed in sunlight, the world was even more beautiful than it had been at night. The green meadow stretched out all around us, leading to a lush forest. The trees beckoned with their tempting shade and the branches swayed in the breeze, the leaves whispering for us to join them. The blue sky was dotted with wispy clouds, but these weren’t enough to block out the sun, which burned with a radiant light. Beyond the trees were red mountains, their summits jagged and harsh, turning to grey as they rose up, pointing to the heavens. Birds soared above and I envied them their freedom. The long road stretched out with not a soul upon it. The Howlers had chosen a fine spot for their motorcycle club. It was far away from anything and anyone, a forgotten part of the world where secrets could easily be kept.

When I commented on this, Matt looked rueful.

“There was a town a few miles that way,” he pointed to the road that seemed to stretch to nowhere, “that was where the Howlers lived along with the rest of the folk, but over time it’s become a ghost town. People have moved to the city. There wasn’t much left for them out here once the world changed and things got all modern and evolved,” there was evident disdain in his voice. “Now we just all stay in the clubhouse.”

“Sounds like it could get crowded.”

Matt shrugged. “It’s okay. If we ever need alone time we can ride. When we’re on a bike the whole world is open to us,” he said.

“As long as you have a road ahead of you,” I replied, smirking. Matt tilted his head and nodded. The way they lived was far from the way I was used to living. They were a small group, a relic of a time that didn’t fit into the modern way of the world. It was no wonder that their numbers had dwindled since people had moved on to bigger and better things, easier things. A place like this was a place lost to time, and it attracted people with a certain worldview, or people who had nothing waiting for them elsewhere. They were outcasts and, in a way, I thought that, actually, I might fit in quite nicely.

But I wasn’t going to be anyone’s breeding pet.

I suppose I could imagine well how such an idea might take place. Out here, far from the world it was easy to believe that they were above the law and that the normal rules of the world didn’t apply to them. They could come up with their own schemes and their own plans. I imagined there was much frustration from the fact that their numbers had dwindled, and if recruiting didn’t work, then what other way was there to get new members other than having their own? I doubted that I was the last girl they’d try this with. I guessed I was the test run. Maybe they’d overhead me talking to Rachel about my Mom and realized that I had nothing in the world, so I was an easy target. I was so distraught that night I probably didn’t realize that they were close to me, listening and stalking, waiting for that moment to strike. It was a crazed world and it was scary to think that people could be brought to this way of thinking when they were so far removed from anything normal. I’d seen a lot of crazy things in life, and at that point I knew that if I made it out of there alive I’d have a damned good story to tell.

I started walking towards the forest, testing Matt’s reaction.

“Hey, where are you going?” he cried out. I stopped, but I didn’t turn around. I merely twisted my head and tossed a gaze over my shoulder, my eyes barely visible through my veil of hair.

“I was heading to the forest, for a stroll,” I said.

“No, we’d better stay close to the clubhouse. I don’t think it’s a good idea to go too far. You just needed a short walk. There’s plenty of space here.” He gestured around at the meadow and he was right, but there wasn’t enough cover for me to hide in and there weren’t shadows that would allow my escape. I started walking towards the forest, taking small strides to ensure that he didn’t react hastily.


Tags: Lilly Wilder Paranormal