Chapter 15

-Crow's POV-

I wasted no time following the trail. I didn't want it to lead me where it did, as the place itself gave an unbearable aura of fear and dread. The scents of the strangers were unpleasant enough without the addition of mould and death. It was mixed with the thin scent of coffee and mint, Noah. That was the only thing which kept me going as I was brought to the middle of nowhere.

The scent led me down a very bumpy trail, not meant for cars, and to an abandoned hospital. The hospital was one which I'd heard many rumours about, especially the recent murmurs of hearing voices and loud bangs in the middle of the night. I never understood those rumours, as nobody could get close enough to the building to hear anything of the sort.

I stayed on edge the entire way there, expecting someone to jump out at me at any point along the road. Nothing came, which put me even more on edge. There was a heartbeat within the building, but I was hesitant to go in, in case it was a trap. But did I really care if it was a trap?

No, I didn't.

If it was what I had to do in order to get Noah home, safe and sound, then I would do it. The intimidating structure of the building seemed miniscule as opposed to my determination, and the sudden need to look into those hazel eyes.

The heartbeat was weakening as I got closer, causing my steps to quicken. I didn't even know if it was Noah, but I had to find them. The heartbeats were like a timer on a bomb which was about to detonate, except growing less frequent. There were so many open doors it was like a maze.

I came to a halt as blood caught my eye. There were blood stains on the floor. There was blood everywhere in the hospital, but this blood was different. This blood was fresh and wet. It was familiar. The scent brought me right back to that night in the alley, when it drove me crazy and caused me to go insane for a few moments. It was Noah's blood.

I passed rooms full of horrifying medical equipment, which appeared to be abandoned in a hurry, until I reached what appeared to be a dead end. That would've been the case, if it wasn't exactly what I needed to find.

Noah lay on the floor of the cramped room. It looked as though he was bleeding out when I first laid eyes on him. There was a pool of blood on the floor, a dizzying amount. But the amount wasn't the only unnerving thing, it didn't look normal.

"Oh my god," I muttered as I knelt on the bloody floor. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how I could possibly help him survive this. "How the hell are you alive? What on earth am I meant to do?" I looked around for something which could help, or at least give me a hint. I had seen enough movies to know that this was dangerous. I'm a vampire, of course I know that losing this amount of blood is dangerous. This is the time where the hero came in to save the day, but I was no hero.

I lifted his shirt, expecting to find a gaping wound, but there wasn't any sign of so much of a cut there. "Noah, can you hear me?" I asked. My emotions were bashing against the walls which I had built, trying to get loose and flood my mind. I couldn't let that happen, or I wouldn't be able to think at all.

His eyes were shut. He looked dead. There was no sign of life other than his heart beating. I had to keep reminding myself that this was all the sign that I needed. "Noah, I'm sorry," I told him as I leant over his cold body. There was nobody else to blame for this. There was no possibility of finding something useful, as I didn't know what anything was. But the fact that this was entirely my fault was one I couldn't overlook. If he wasn't the one, I targeted that night, then he wouldn't be in this much pain. It was obvious he was in pain.

That wasn't why I was apologising to him though. I was apologising because I was going to try something that I had only seen in movies, but it was my only option. I shifted so that I was kneeling beside him, I was cradling his head close to me, pressing my lips to his hairline. It would be the first time I was consciously doing it for a reason other than maddening hunger.

Noah was holding onto the last strings of his life.

I let my fangs grow, causing my lips to part. I closed my eyes, which were no doubt a crimson red, and tried to compose myself. This should work.

I pierced his neck, immediately knowing that I was doing something correct. His blood tasted revolting. It tasted like ink, not that I was very knowledgeable on what ink tasted like. But that was the closest thing I could compare it to. I had to spit it on the floor, trying to get it as far away from us. The floor was getting covered in black. It may as well have been ink.

His blood began to taste normal after around five or so mouthfuls were scattered on the floor. It didn't taste completely like it had before, but he was losing far more blood than he could possibly recover from at this point, so I had to stop. It was strange, as it was much harder to pull myself from his neck with every mouthful. I ended up with my back against the wall, hand covering my mouth to keep it clamped shut.

His blood tasted clean, but it didn't taste like Noah's blood had. It was cold and sickly sweet. It was as though I was drinking honey. Whatever these people had done, had changed his blood, and that very thought terrified me. Would that change Noah? Did that mean that my efforts were wasted?

I held Noah in my arms and prayed for a second, or third, chance to make things right with Noah. I wouldn't let him out of my sight again. I wouldn't let any harm come to this boy who didn't deserve death. I already owed Noah so much after what I did to him. I was sure he wouldn't want to go back to his home, or his job. I would be more than happy to stay with him to ensure his safety. There was a fight to come, to ensure that, but I would be willing to do anything.

Then Noah's finger began to twitch.

-Noah's POV-

Blue sparks and lights shone painfully in the dark. The sounds of drums felt like there was construction happening in my skull. The floor rocked and rolled like I was on a boat in the middle of the ocean. The scents were the most confusing thing. Coffee, paint, mint, blood, lavender, and death clogged my nose.

I couldn't move any of my limbs, as they ached like I had done one thousand days of workouts all in the same day. There was something in front of me, breaking the black and blue. It was white, but I didn't know what it was at first. I thought that it was the light at the end of the tunnel. After more contemplation, I even feared it was the stairway to the afterlife. It took me a few more moments to realise that it was neither, it was a dirty wall.

"Noah," came a whisper. It sounded like it had been shouted right in my ear, but it was just a whisper. I winced and tried to raise my hand to cover my ears, maybe that would get rid of the banging too.

Whatever I was lying on wasn't too soft, there were two pole-like things resting against my lower back whilst there was another on my upper-back. It moved slightly, like it was being pushed and pulled by the wind.

Despite my neck's screeching resistance, I moved my head away from staring at the blank wall. My fingers began to twitch, which wasn't a very pleasant experience, but there was no other way I would be able to move my head. It was as though my nervous system had all been tangled together, I couldn't move something without tension somewhere else.

The blackness came again, but it was only in the corner of my left eye. It was a different kind of black though, this black reflected light and was uneven. It tickled my face, which made me want to move away.

The blackness then turned to white again, and the white became facial features after a few blinks. "Oh," escaped my lips. My throat was sore and scratchy, probably from all the screaming I had done.

Crow, who I now realised was holding me, inched forward. His face brightened as though the sun had entered the room. " I'm here," Crow whispered. If I had normal hearing, I wouldn't have been able to notice the utterance at all. I had my head resting on his shoulder, and his cool body pressed against mine.

He held me for one more moment before placing me on the floor. The shock of the sudden movement caused me to whine, and my head hung forwards, because there was no chest for it to be pressed against. The ground, which felt sticky and wet, put pressure against my legs, helping me regain feeling.

"Are you with me?" Crow asked. His words were like an echo now. As I came closer to reality, reality was pulling away from me. The more I could focus on my legs and arms, the less I could focus on my senses.

"Uh-huh," was all I could let out. It took me a while, and it hurt. But my brain didn't want to cooperate with my body. My head was still hung low, muffling my noise, but I knew that Crow would be able to hear me.

Shuffling came from beside me; Crow had somehow moved. "O-okay." He sounded happy, I'm not sure why he sounded happy, it wasn't something I was feeling right now. "You need to work with me Noah, I'm sorry. I need to take you somewhere safe. I'm going to carry you, and I'm going to run with you. I need you to tell me somehow if I need to stop." He stood.

"Uh-huh." I didn't know how exactly he was going to carry me, as I remember us being very different in height, but I didn't argue. Being somewhere safe sounded like a good idea.

The world was taken from me again as I was picked up. My head found Crow's shoulder again, something that I was grateful for, and we moved away from the scent of metal and death. It lingered a little, but it was far less nauseating than it had been.

We had to stop a few times, which helped me gain some of my bearings. I had to keep my eyes shut most of the time though, as the blurred images and strong wind made me shrink back. Each breeze felt like I was being stabbed with an icicle.

I didn't know where we were, but we entered a building which was warm and smelled like Crow. He took me up some stairs, which took a while. I wished that I could've helped him in some way or made it easier. I could barely lift my hands to my shoulders, which I had been trying to do since we began running.

I was put on something soft, a Crow-smelling cocoon of fluff and warmth. It was probably a blanket. Was this his house? Was this his actual room? It felt different to being in his hotel room, it felt a lot more intimate.

"Noah," Crow said, grabbing my attention. He had been my anchoring voice for however-long I had been conscious. He had been talking to me nearly non-stop. "I should change your shirt." It was said more like a question than a statement. His voice was small and unsure, expressing raw emotions.

He was right though. I wanted out of these clothes which smelled like blood, bleach, and chemicals which made me want to lose the contents of my stomach. "I-" I couldn't get any words out as I tried to sit up, but I could only raise my head. I sighed and admitted defeat, closing my eyes. "Please."

Hello lovelies!!

I hope that you're all doing well.

Yesterday was pancake day, so I was inspired for today's question of the chapter. Do you like pancakes? What do you put on them?

Yesterday I just had sugar and lemon, but I think my favourite is strawberry jam when the pancakes are nice and bubbly. I really don't know what mam used to do to her pancakes to make them go like that, but they were the best :D