his shoulder hard. They flew open with a crash.
She followed close behind, this time not waiting. She heard the sound of stone moving behind her, and knew that the mob was close.
They were outside, finally, and the cold, night air struck her in the face. She was so grateful to be out from underground.
She tried to get her bearings. They were definitely in New York. But where? Her surroundings seemed vaguely familiar. She saw a city street, a passing taxi. She turned to look back, and saw the structure they had just left. City Hall. The coven had been beneath City Hall.
They ran down the steps and across the courtyard, heading for the street. They hadn’t gotten far when there came the noise of doors opening behind him, and a mob of vampires.
They headed right for a large, iron gate. As they got close, two security officers. They turned around, and saw them running right for the gate. Their eyes opened wide in shock, and they reached for their guns.
“Don’t move!” they yelled.
Before they could react, he grabbed her tight, took three long bounds, and leapt for all he was worth. She felt them flying through the air, 10 feet, 20, clearing the metal gate and landing on the other side with grace.
They hit the ground running. She looked at her protector in shock, wondering what the extent of his power was. Wondering why he cared about her. And wondering, why she felt so good beside him.
Before she could think much longer, there was the crash of metal behind them, followed by gunshots. The other vampires had broken through, taking the police officers down with them. They were already close behind.
They ran and ran but it was not working. The mob was fast closing in.
He suddenly grabbed her hand and turned the corner, taking them down a side street. It ended in a wall.
“It’s a dead-end!” she yelled. But he kept running, dragging her with him.
He reached the end of the alley, dropped to a knee, and with a single finger reached in and yanked up a huge, iron manhole.
She turned, and saw the huge group of vampires heading right towards them, not more than 20 feet away
“Go!” he yelled, and before she could react, he grabbed her and shoved her into the hole.
She grabbed hold of the ladder, and as she looked up, she saw him get on his hands and knees, bracing himself. He raised the manhole cover as a shield.
He was descended upon by the mob. He swung wildly, and she heard the impact as he knocked vampire after vampire away with the heavy iron. He was trying to join her, to get into the hole, too, but he couldn’t make it. He was surrounded.
She was about to climb up and help him, when suddenly, one of the vampires parted from the mob and slipped into the hole. He spotted Caitlin, hissed, and came right for her.
She scrambled down the ladder, taking them two rings of the time, but it wasn’t fast enough. He landed on top of her, and they both started falling.
As she fell through the air, she braced herself for the impact. Luckily, they landed in water.
As she rose, she saw she was in up to her waist in filthy, sewage water.
She had barely time to think when the vampire landed beside her with a splash. With one motion, he wound back and backhanded her across the face, sending her flying several feet.
She landed on her back in the water, and looked up to see him pouncing again, right for her throat. She rolled out of the way just in time, springing back on her feet. He was fast, but so was she.
He fell flat on his face. He got up and spun around and squared off in a rage. He clawed his right hand right for her face. She dodged it, and his hand barely missed her, the wind of it passing right by her cheek. His hand hit the wall with such force that it lodged into the stone.
Caitlin was mad now. She felt the red-hot rage pulse in her veins. She walked over to the stuck vampire and wound back her leg and planted a strong kick right in his gut. He keeled over.
She then grabbed him from behind and threw him right into the wall, face first. His head hit the stone hard. She was proud of herself, figuring she had finished him off.
But she was shocked by a sudden pain in her face, and found herself backhanded once again. This vampire had recovered quickly—much more quickly than she had thought possible. Before she knew it, he was on top of her. He landed on her with a crash and brought her down. She had underestimated him.
His hand was on her throat, and on it for real. She was strong, but he was stronger. He had an ancient strength that ran through his body. His hand was cold and clammy. She tried to resist, but it was just too much. She dropped to one knee, and he kept squeezing. Before she knew it, he was pushing her head towards the water. At the last second, she managed a scream: “Help!”
A second later, her head was submerged.
*
Caitlin felt the disruption in the water, the waves rushing, and knew that someone else had landed in the water. She was losing oxygen fast, unable to fight back.
Caitlin felt strong arms under her, and felt herself being hoisted up and out of the water.
She jumped up and gasped for breath, sucking it in deeper than she ever had. She breathed again and again, hyperventilating.
“Are you okay?” he asked, holding her shoulders.
She nodded. That was all she could manage. She looked over and saw that her attacker lay there, floating in the water, on his back. Blood was oozing out of his neck. He was dead.
She looked up at him, his brown eyes looking down at her. He had saved her. Again.
“We’ve got to move,” he said, grabbing her arm and leading her, sloshing, through the waist-high water. “That manhole won’t hold very long.”
As if on cue, the manhole above them was suddenly torn out.
They ran. They turned down tunnel after tunnel, and heard the sound of water sloshing behind them.
He made a sharp turn and the water level dropped down to their ankles. They picked up real speed.
They entered yet another tunnel, and found themselves in the midst of major New York City infrastructure. There were massive steam pipes here, letting off huge clouds of steam. The heat was unbearable.
He took her down yet another tunnel, and suddenly picked her up and placed her on his back, wrapping her arms around his chest, and ascended a ladder, taking three rungs at a time. They were rising, and as he reached the top, he punched a manhole and sent it flying out before them.
They were back above ground, on New York City streets. Where, she had no idea.
“Hold on tight,” he said, and she tightened her grip around his chest, clasping her hands into each other. He ran, and ran, and it turned into a sprint, at a speed beyond which she had never experienced. She had a memory of riding on the back of a motorcycle once, years ago, and the feeling of the wind whipping through her hair
