18. Turning Point

I found myself moving, running at tremendous speed. I was outside, moving along a river. It was night; lights from small villages were speeding by me in soft blurs. I stopped abruptly, and crouched down. I listened, listened for a sound of pursuit, hearing none.

I began to run again, speed increasing, blinding, but knowing exactly where I was going. How did I know, I’d never been here before. Finally, the ocean, I saw it! I was almost there; I could escape to the sea! I slowly began to see phantom shapes in my peripheral vision. No…no…NO! I skidded to a stop. They were in front of me, behind, all around!  “You run well Caius…for one of your years,” Felix leered. 

Caius?! This is Caius?!

            “Who speaks to me?! Is this one of your tricks Felix?”

“I think your mind is failing you Caius.” Felix said sarcastically. “Perhaps your mind is going the way of Marcus? I could feel a deep pain in my…his heart, I knew now that Marcus was dead. “Don’t worry, you will soon join him,” Felix said, flashing ferocious teeth and moving towards me.

I was trying to move but I couldn’t. I tried harder, and I felt movement in my…his legs, but it was like trying to moved legs of lead.

            “What is happening, what are you doing to me?”

“Run, dammit, run!” I screamed.

Caius didn’t move. I concentrate on the lead legs and suddenly we lurched away from Felix, and pushed through a gap in the phantom shapes. I was running pushing, pushing him to run faster.

            “Who are you, how do you do this; forcing me to run?”

“Shut up and run!” I screamed again.

We were almost to the ocean; we could smell it. We were there, we’d made it…suddenly blinding pain hit our back with a crunch! We spun around as we fell to see Felix had caught up with us.

“I’ve no more time for this ancient one!” He motioned to the phantoms, they fell on us and I felt our limbs being pulled away from our body! The searing hot pain, reminded me of when the venom was pumping through my body changing me. Suddenly they took hold of our neck; they ripped at our throat with their teeth….WE SCREAMED!