“Wh-Where will you go?” I asked, my hand still resting on his arm as I looked up into his face.
“I’m not sure. I have some… things I need to figure out about myself.”
I didn’t want to let go of his arm. I didn’t want our conversation to end. I didn’t want to watch him race off into the darkness of the desert.
But I knew I couldn’t keep him any longer. It was dangerous for him out here. He needed to leave.
So I just said, “Thank you.”
He smiled, showing me his dimples for what would be the last time.
“You’re welcome. And I should thank you too.”
I moved closer to him and slipped my hands around his midriff. Resting my head against his chest, I hugged him tight. His arms wrapped around me and he hugged me back, his strength engulfing me. I felt teary as I looked back up at him. I reached for his neck and pulled his head down to my level so I could plant a kiss on his cheek. And then I stepped away.
“Goodbye, Joseph. It was… nice knowing you. If you ever happen to turn back into a human and like Lebanese food, you’re welcome to visit me in New York any time. I, uh, don’t really have a way to give you my number though…”
He chuckled. “That’s okay. I’d have to track you down somehow… Goodbye, River.”
Chapter 23: Ben
I didn’t miss River’s eyes moistening as I walked away. Truth be told, I was hurting to leave her too. But there was no point in dwelling on it. She had a different life to lead than mine. A very different life.
I still hadn’t told her that she was immortal now, and a part of me felt guilty for it. It would come as a shock to her when it finally hit home. But now hadn’t been the right time to tell her. She’d been too elated at finally escaping for me to drop such a bombshell on her. She would have to realize it on her own.
As I sped up along the sand, my ears picked up on a beeping in the distance, coming from the direction of the tanks. I had to get out of this area fast. The last thing I wanted was to escape The Oasis only to be recaptured by an army of hunters.
I was grateful that at least I didn’t have the burning in my arm to distract me. I was almost too far away to make out the outline of tanks in the distance when a scream pierced the night air.
I skidded to a stop.
I knew that scream by now.
That was River’s scream.
And then there was another sound that chilled me even more: Gunshots.
River. They’re attacking her? But she’s not a vampire. She’s no threat to them.
Doubt upon doubt crowded my mind, but all of them were a waste of time.
I felt a crushing guilt. I’d been the one who had assured her that she would be safe with them.
“Bastards,” I spat, as I began hurtling back toward the area.
As I got closer, I could make out a lone figure darting to and fro among the dunes with supernatural speed. River. Sprays of sand exploded all around her. She was dodging bullets.
“I’m coming, River,” I breathed. “Hold on. I’m coming for you.”
She began moving farther and farther away from the hunters, and I thought that she might be close to escaping their range entirely, when she let out another scream—strangled this time—and collapsed on the sand.
No.
No.
I pushed my legs harder, reaching the area just as tanks began closing in. I was a blur as I whisked past and scooped her off the ground. Another roar of gunshots exploded, spraying the sand all around me. One passed so close to my ear it practically grazed it. I raced away, holding River tight against my chest but not daring to look her over yet. I was scared at what I might see. Right now, I just needed to get her—us—as far away from danger as possible.
The minutes that followed were tense. I managed to escape the range of the hunters without being hit by one of their fatal bullets, but then I needed to find somewhere safe I could lay River down and examine her. The hunters’ technology had clearly been developing rapidly and they had trackers that could detect vampires—it seemed that they could detect a vampire’s presence for miles. I wouldn’t have been surprised if helicopters started surrounding the area soon. And so I kept running until I came across a collection of small mountains that were indented with caves.
I chose the largest cave and carried River inside. I walked right to the back, and, after checking for snakes, placed her down on the ground. I removed her backpack so she could lie more comfortably. My eyes lowered to her right thigh. She was losing blood. Too much blood. A bullet had lodged inside her. I bent down closer to her. She groaned and squirmed as I eased the metal out of her and threw it aside.
It was a wonder that she was still alive at all. If this was one of the hunters’ notorious bullets, it should have burned her up from the inside out. I could only assume that either this bullet hadn’t been fired from one of their UV guns, or such bullets didn’t have the same effect on half-bloods. It appeared to have just penetrated like any regular bullet.
Whatever the case, she wasn’t looking good.
Lowering her shorts slightly, I checked that she was wearing underwear before removing the shorts completely. I needed to have full access to her thigh, and the shorts were getting in the way.
I took off my shirt and cleaned up her wound as best as I could with the cleanest corner of it. Then I cut my palm to feed her some more blood. Her face was still contorted in pain as she sucked my hand. Then she seemed to calm down a little. Although her wound was showing clear signs of healing, it took much longer than I’d expected. Only once it had fully closed did I allow her to attempt to sit up.