What the hell? Am I dreaming? She wasn't sure, but the way her heart painfully pounded out of her chest brought her back to reality. Not only that, her bare feet hitting the cement sent searing pain through her legs.
Thank God it was nighttime because maybe they would be able to hide from the beasts. She wondered if the neighbors could hear them. Mason was much faster than she was. He was practically dragging her. As she ran as fast as her feet would allow, she looked over her shoulder to see them closing in.
"Faster," she yelled, but it came out inaudibly since she was out of breath. Wanting to lose them, they turned right, jumped over low bushes, darted through someone's backyard, crossed the street, and then crouched behind some tall bushes.
"We can hide here for now," he said, releasing his grip and trying to catch his breath.
Skylar's legs were extremely sore and her lungs seemed as if they were about to explode. She had never run so fast in her entire life. Slumped over with her hands on her knees, air frantically rushed in and out of her body. Something damp on the bottoms of her feet caught her attention, and she realized she was standing on wet grass. The coolness from the contact eased the burning sensation in the soles of her feet.
Still panting, she snuck a peek through the bushes and dabbed the trickling drops of sweat on her face with her hand before they could fall. Parched and needing water, she smacked her lips and tongue. Finally, when her heart rate was steadier, she spoke, "Did . . . ummm, did you see what I saw?"
Mason arched his brows, giving her a "you can't be serious" look. "Yessss. It was the reason why we were running."
Having him confirm what she had seen validated that she was not going out of her mind, but she didn't like his mocking tone. She turned to him and stuck her finger into his chest. Yup, it was firm all right. Then she dropped her hand. She hadn't meant to touch him. "What were those things? And who are you?"
Mason raised a brow, giving her an incredulous look, and then placed his finger over his lips. "Shhhh! Not so loud. Is this the first time you've ever seen them?"
"Is this the first time?" Straightaway, Skylar's anger went up a notch. "I've never seen what I just saw ever in my entire life. In fact, right now, I'm not even sure if I'm dreaming or if this is real. Things like that don't exist. It's nothing near normal."
"Wait a minute-they were in your house! They're after you, so who the hell are you?" he whispered sharply.
Skylar scoffed, irritated by his apparent accusation that she was to blame for them showing up. "Are you kidding? I was perfectly fine until you showed up. I would've gone home, went straight to bed, and that would have been the end of my night, but noooo! You came along, and now these creatures are following you. So, let me ask you again, who are you?"
Skylar thought about what she'd said. The monsters had been in Kayla's house. Logically speaking, they were after her or Kayla, or perhaps even her aunt, but not him.
Mason placed his hands on her shoulders, as if his touch could pacify her. "Keep it down. You really don't know who you are, do you?" His tone was softer than a second ago.
Skylar peered up at him in mystification. "I know who I am," she stated, giving him attitude, but she couldn't help but notice how close they were. She wanted to melt into him. Focus . . . focus . . . not on him, but on why we're here.
"Then tell me why I couldn't make you forget I was the cop?"
Because you were so darn cute. "What do you mean? How the hell do I know? So you were the cop that pulled me over? Why did you try to make me believe it wasn't you? I don't understand." Skylar placed both palms of her hands on her face, hoping the whole mess would go away or just be a nightmare she could wake up from.
Why was this situation so complicated? Meet a cute guy. He likes you and you like him back. You go out on several dates and fall in love. Sounds so easy. So why-why couldn't that happen, instead of meeting a cute guy and monsters chasing after you, and you have no idea why all the craziness is happening, making you feel like you're insane?
Mason was sweeping the street thoroughly with his eyes. Since there was no sign of the monsters, he turned to Skylar. "Look, I'm sorry but now is not the time to explain. I only dressed up like a cop for that day because I was told those ugly creatures-we call them vultures-were in town. I thought they were in your trunk. I got a strange vibe from your car, so I had to check."
"What? In my trunk?" Skylar finally understood why he had wanted her to pop the trunk. She'd thought it was an odd request, but had done it anyway. "So I was right. You're my Doug. I mean, you were Doug, right?"
"It's not my name. I borrowed a friend's uniform. Obviously, his name is Doug."
"Isn't that illegal?"
"It is, but apparently I got away with it."
"Whatever. Is Mason even your real name?"
"No. I mean, yes. Mason is my name."
"Explain to me why you would think one of THOSE would be inside my trunk. There's no way that-that thing could fit in my trunk."
"It's complicated. They can take on human form. You saw them earlier. A human body can fit in a trunk, and they're not the only kind of vultures. They come in different forms and sizes. I-"
"Wait a minute. If they can take on human form, do they live among us?"
"No, they don't. At least I don't think they do."
"Who told you these vultures were in town? How do you know?"
"I can sense their presence, and they smell worse than anything you've ever smelled before. I'll explain later."
"You've got a lot of explaining to do, but my cousin and aunt are most likely home already. I'm not going to tell them what happened. They'll think I'm crazy."
"Okay, let's wait five minutes and then we can head back."
"Okay," Skylar agreed, looking up at the luminous full moon. Casting the brightest yellow beams, it almost looked like the sun, but not quite, as it brightened the dark sky. Now that was reality. She would hold on to that. It was mesmerizing and peaceful in contrast to how she was really feeling-deathly terrified.
Three police cars were parked in front of the house. Red lights were flashing and neighbors peered out through their windows with curiosity. Skylar saw her aunt standing by the wide-open front door with the cops. When she saw Skylar, she pulled her into a tight hold, turning her back on the officers. "Thank God you're okay." Her tone was urgent. "Why didn't you answer your cell phone? Kayla and I were worried sick about you. We thought you had been kidnapped. I was just about to call your mom." Her eyes went to Mason and then to the shoes Skylar was holding in her hand.
"I'm sorry. I left my phone in the car. We were taking a walk." She didn't know what to say, but she knew she couldn't tell her the truth. Her aunt looked at her with scolding eyes, most likely frowning upon her late-night walk with a guy she'd neither met nor given her approval of.
"At this time of night? You need to be back before I get home. That is the rule here."
"I'm really sorry I worried you. It won't ever happen again." Skylar dropped her eyes, feeling terrible for making her aunt worry. She could only imagine what had gone through her mind.
"I'm just glad you're safe. Please don't ever do that to me again. I'll be telling your mom about the robbery, but I won't tell her you were out late. I don't know what she'll decide to do. She may want you to go home regardless. I'll do my best to convince her to let you stay."
"Thank you," Skylar said softly. She turned her attention to Mason. "This is Mason. He's a friend."
Mason extended his hand to her with a warm smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Mason. Next time make sure to bring her back before midnight, even if you're just a friend."
"Yes. I'm so sorry. I lost track of time. It won't happen again."
"Skylar." Kayla ran toward her, almost knocking her down, she grabbed her so tightly. "Thank God you're okay." She spun around to Mason, releasing her hold. "Oh . . . hi, Mason. I'm glad you were together at least." Kayla gave Skylar a questioning look.
Interrupted by Kayla, she was glad to be out of her aunt's line of fire. Not meaning to ignore Kayla, her eyes were fixated on the living room which was the first place one viewed upon entering the house. The furniture had been turned over and picture frames were shattered. It was shocking to see the mess. It wasn't even her house, but it didn't matter. It was Kayla's house, and though she hadn't caused this, somehow she felt responsible. Her eyes pooled with tears. "I'm so sorry," she muttered to Kayla.
Kayla was trying to hold it together, but lost it when she saw Skylar's tears streaming down her cheeks. Kelly was still talking to the policemen by the porch. Her arms were crossed and she looked tense.