The Dark Rider

CHAPTER Twelve



Nicola called out to Paul, but he was already gone from the open doorway. She pulled the duvet around her and went to the door, but all that met her was an empty corridor.

How could he have done this to her? Abandoned her, just like Stefan had done a few nights ago, but this was worse, far worse. Something was happening to her and Paul was the only one who had the answers. Now he was gone and she was alone again. This time she could not escape the darkness that threatened to consume her.

Nicola stumbled back into the room almost falling over the sheets wrapped tightly around her. She sat on the bed feeling unable to breathe, her heart pounding in her chest. A paralysis held her and she could not move. Her mind was a chaotic torrent, while the noise rang in her ears, the life force raging through her. She fell back onto the bed and squeezed her eyes tightly closed, trying to shut everything out, but the noise was so bad she could not and she wanted to scream.

Slowly the noise lessened, the life force calming her. She felt it now as a presence, raw and wild, alien to her in its thoughts and emotions, yet with a consciousness she could recognize. It was gently probing her mind and soul, searching for something she did not know how to give, but at the same time it gave her respite from herself. The presence was pulling at her, urging her to follow its guide and she found her body responding again, muscles pulling limbs into movement.

More urgently now it called to her, and she rose from the bed, the duvet falling away. For a moment she saw herself in the mirror, the wild beauty of her slender body, and she did not recognize herself. She moved to the patio door of her room as if in a trance. She slid open the door and stepped out into the darkness. Rain was falling gently and, as she walked out, part of her felt it on her skin, felt her hair beginning to dampen and stick to her face, felt the wet earth on the soles of her feet, and all the time the presence was controlling her, gently but firmly, and all she could do was follow. Part of her mind recoiled in shock, unable to comprehend yet unable to act.

She began to shiver as the rain covered her body and cooled her in the summer night, and deep down she knew she had to go back to the hotel, to warmth and safety, but she could not. Her remembering mind was a sludge-like treacle, seeing through a thick mist, while the presence saw everything through her, fields and hedgerows, the cliffs, the sea moving restlessly in a deep swell, the rocks glistening with moisture.

Nicola wanted to sleep, drowsiness filling her, yet all she could do was walk away into the night, further and further from the hotel, from people, from life. She was shivering uncontrollably now, and heather was scratching her legs as the presence pulled her up onto the downs that sat above the cliffs. She did not know how far she had walked or where she was, only that there was nothing around her, no lights or signs of life where she could call for help.

Fear began to creep through the numbness in her mind and she tried to pull away, to stop walking and turn around, but the presence would not let her. She wanted to run, to call out, but it was as if a clamp held her mouth and rope was coiled around each leg, pulling her onwards. The rain began falling heavier now while in the distance thunder rumbled ominously. She suffered intense bouts of shivering as her body tried to keep its temperature, her hands and feet, arms and legs becoming leaden and numb, yet still she was not allowed to stop.

Nicola stumbled and fell. Mud was cool and clammy against her skin, heather pricking her back and face. She curled into a ball hugging herself for warmth. The presence was angry now, a cool alien emotion that she recoiled from, and as each second passed, the anger filled every pore of her being until she could stand it no longer. Nicola pushed herself up and stood with the rain pouring down on her, mud running in streaks down her body. The urgency to move, the pulling of the presence was strong and she forced herself to begin walking again. It was pitch black now, the darkness of the rain too much even for the eyes of an owl. All she could see was a faint horizon stretching around her on all sides, where one darkness ended and another began.

Nicola took another step forward, her feet resting heavily on prickles of heather, and she fell to the ground in pain and exhaustion. Part of her knew she had to carry on, to keep walking until she found life, for if she gave up to the endless sleep that now so seductively tried to take her, she may never wake up. She tried to push herself up but her hands slipped and slid on the mud and she fell back to the ground. Closing her eyes, she tried to shut out the pain and there she lay, her shivering body a pale glimmer in the night.


*****


Paul felt her, a tight burning in his chest. He gasped out aloud and stumbled forwards, grabbing a banister for support. Aunt Gwen’s house mocked him with a heavy silence, while rain lashed against the windows and wind howled against the walls.

The image of Nicola burned brightly in his mind. Her outstretched hand shielding her from the light of the hallway, her whole being pleading with him to stay, and all he had done was run away. Guilt and shame racked him. How could he have done this? How could he have left her?

He stumbled down the stairs towards the door, his heavy rucksack swinging from side to side on his back almost causing him to fall over. He reached the foot of the stairs and stopped, leaning against a doorway. The burning in his chest had lessened but the tightness gripped him until he thought he could not breathe. He tried to calm himself, to steady himself, and slowly he raised his head to look outside to where he saw the rain coming down like stair rods and hammering the roofs of the house opposite, yet he knew he had to go back out, to get back to Nicola.

He took a step forward, reaching out towards the front door, and suddenly he saw movement through the glass, a figure looming menacingly out of the darkness towards him. Paul stepped backwards, the door handle twisting slowly in front of his eyes. He looked up in fear as the door swung inwards and for a moment he thought that she had come for him, for a girl stood before him in the doorway, light falling across her face. For a moment neither recognized the other until with a deep exhortation of breath his sister murmured “Paul” and reached forward to take his head in her hands, to look him in the eyes, and he stared back, seeing his sister.

“Alex,” he whispered, tears running down his face to mingle with the moisture on her hands.

“Paul,” emotion ran deep in her voice as she looked down at her brother. “Your eyes.”

He looked up at her.

“They’re so blue.”

“Alex,” he said drawing her nearer to him.

“Nothing happened.”

She looked back at him.

“There was no awakening.” He pulled her even nearer, his voice rising. “Nothing has happened.”

He released her.

Alex leaned back against the wall breathing heavily.

“Except I’ve found someone,” he said in a whisper.

“Gwen sent me,” said Alex.

“I’ve found someone,” Paul said again, his eyes unfocused, staring elsewhere.

“Paul,” said Alex reaching forward and grabbing her brother’s shoulders.

“Don’t you understand?”

She shook him until his head lifted upwards and his eyes, so deep, so blue, looked into hers.

“Gwen sent me.”

His gaze met hers, unflinching.

“Gwen sent me,” her voice softer now, soothing him.

“She said she could no longer see you, that something was wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” said Paul. He broke free from his sister’s embrace, pushing her away as he stood. Losing her balance, Alex fell backwards onto the floor. Paul twisted round and reached out, opening the front door. Wind and rain filled the hallway. Paul stepped forward, towards the storm that lashed the sky outside. Alex struggled upwards, reaching out with one hand to try and stop him from going. She grabbed his left calf pulling him back. A tremendous crash of thunder rolled around the courtyard outside. He turned to face her, his eyes burning with hatred.

“Let go!” he shouted over the noise, rage contorting his face. Alex held on, unable to let him go. He kicked down at her with his foot, bruising her shoulder. Cold gripped Alex’s heart and she froze. Paul pulled his leg out of her grip. He looked down at her.

“Gwen knew nothing,” he raged. “She was wrong.”

He turned away, stepping outside into the storm, into a blackness that swallowed him. Alex stared after him, and for an instant lighting flickered and she saw him running down the steps into the lane. Rain hammered at the windows, splashing in the doorway. Alex pulled open the door and stepped out into the torrent.

“Paul,” she shouted, her voice drowned out by thunder. “Paul.”

She tried to follow him, running across the front patio and down the steep steps onto the lane becoming quickly soaked by the driving rain. Several meters in front of her she saw her brother pass under a streetlamp as he crossed the road and climbed over a style and onto the cliff path. Before she could move he had disappeared into the blackness beyond.

“Paul,” she screamed after him but he did not come back. She followed, cursing her sneakers as she slipped on the wet cobbles of the lane. She crossed the street and climbed over the style, dropping down on the other side into pools of mud and, as she did so, a great roll of thunder crashed around her making her scream in shock. Lightning forked across the sky, lighting the path, and she saw him now, a lone figure a long way ahead.

Alex pushed on but kept slipping and sliding, the wind tugging at her in great gusts, and soon she was too scared to move forward anymore. More thunder rolled around her and lightning flashed and she gasped in shock for the edge of the cliff was barely a meter away. She froze, knowing that to stay out here was madness, yet to return meant abandoning her brother. She also knew she had no choice, for it was now a matter of her own survival.

Alex turned and began to slip and slide her way desperately back up the path towards the faint lights of the town, and with each step she fought down the sobs that threatened to engulf her. She made it to the style and climbed over, a car passing slowly as she did so, and she caught sight of a child’s surprised face in the safe, steamed up windows, and then it was gone.


*****


Paul stumbled along the path as the rain hammered down and the storm rolled around him. The going was slow, and the weight of his rucksack and soaked clothes, and his desire to get back to Nicola, made him keep slipping on the treacherous mud, and he had to check himself from falling off the edge of the cliffs and down onto the wet rocks far below. A desperate hope forced him onwards for he did not know what else was left for him.

Paul jumped as a cracking peal of thunder rolled around him, lightning flickering instantaneously across the sky in a jagged finger that stretched across black clouds contorted with the storm. The countryside around him was lit up, and ahead of him on the path stood the horse and rider. Paul froze, his heart in his mouth, his churning stomach making him want to vomit. It had come for him, as he had always known it would. He was not ready. There was so much more he wanted to do but now it was over.

The lightning spent itself, plunging everything into darkness. Paul turned and tried to run but his feet slipped and slid on the mud and he fell onto his knees. He scrambled forward, blind to the black dirt sticking to his clothes, only knowing the animal instinct to get away from the heavy thud of hooves almost on top of him. He heard a loud, chilling whinnying, felt the heat of breath fill the air, and he looked round in terror to see a massive shadow bearing down on him.

Paul pushed himself up and stumbled blindly forward, the driving rain hiding the horizon. He slipped, stumbled forward and then felt only air under his foot. He flailed his arms out trying to catch something but before he could grab a hold he was falling, tumbling down over and over, his rucksack ripping away and then gone, rocks tearing clothes, bruising and bleeding him and then, just as sudden, a stillness.

For a moment he thought he was dead, but the pain that then racked his body told him he was alive. He opened his eyes slowly. Lightning lit the sky and he saw that he had fallen down a low cliff onto rocks that were only a few meters from the roaring sea. He also saw the horse and rider walking their way down the slope towards him and then again darkness. He tried to move, to roll over, to push himself up and carry on fleeing, but the pain stopped him and he fell back. Terror gripped him, sinking in his bowels as he waited for the rider to reach him.

The rain fell away and ceased its falling from the darkness. The sea calmed, as if a hand had moved across the land sweeping the fury of the storm before it. Quiet descended and all he could hear, faintly at first, was the snorting of breath through the horse’s nose, and the slow and steady thump of massive hooves picking their way down the slippery cliff side. The darkness accentuated the sound as it grew nearer, terrifying visions flashing in his mind.

Paul tried to get up again but the pain was still too great. He felt the ground vibrate beneath him as each juddering hoof came nearer, the air filled with monstrous whinnying and snorting. His bowels wanted to empty themselves with each great thud, and then he felt it, the heat of the stallion’s breath on his face, slime dripping onto his chest. Leather and metal creaked and clanked as the rider dismounted. Metal sang against metal as a sword was slowly but smoothly unsheathed. Frozen by terror, Paul screamed as the white hot fire of the blade pierced his body.