Blood Relatives

5. Out of the Frying Pan

Carmine stood in the forest, alone. The moon barely penetrated through the thick leaves. Up ahead was the road at the edge of town. The fog started to roll in, and her heart started to pound. It was happening again.

This time, Carmine didn't waste any time. She knew what was going to happen, and she wasn't going to wait around another minute. She turned down the hill and started to run like her life depended on it. Which, of course, it did.

She heard the thundering of hooves on the pavement behind her, but Carmine didn't dare look. She just kept running. She heard that familiar laugh behind her, and a raspy voice screeched out at her.

"Run!"

And Carmine did. She sprinted as hard as she could, but she knew it still wasn't enough. How could she ever hope to outrun a demonic horse? But she had to try. She ran past tree after tree, straining to hear the sound of hooves closing in on her. She didn't hear anything, but that didn't mean she was safe.

Finally, when she couldn't take it anymore, Carmine turned around. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, and she couldn't imagine taking another step. What was the point, anyway? She knew she was done for. She leaned wearily against a tree, trying her best to brace herself for the inevitable attack.

The horse hadn't moved from the road. The horseman just stood there, his slimy green-white head leering at her. It was as if he enjoyed watching her run away, trying pathetically to avoid him. Carmine closed her eyes, waiting for him to charge down on her like he always did.

"Come on – hurry." someone said beside her. Carmine opened her eyes in surprise as whoever it was grabbed her hand.

A boy Carmine had never seen before was staring at her with the most intense blue eyes she'd ever seen. He pulled her up out of the dirt and they ran.

Carmine had never run so fast in her life. But with this boy by her side, it seemed so effortless. And for once, running didn't seem futile. Hand in hand they hurried through the darkness, never looking back.

They kept running, dodging between trees and jumping over rocks that littered the forest floor. Even the creek that ran through the middle of the forest didn't stop them. Carmine could hear the pounding of hoof beats and the dried-up laughter from that horrible head in the rider's hand. But instead of making her stop, it only inspired her to run faster. They hit the bank of the creek and Carmine could feel the horse's breath hot on the back of her neck.

In one smooth motion, Carmine and the boy jumped over the water and landed safely on the other side. The horse neighed angrily and the head made a kind of shrieking howl. Carmine had expected the horseman to follow them, but he didn't. She stared, transfixed at the sight. The horse stalked back and forth on the other side of the creek, reminding Carmine of a lion. Its nostrils flared as the horseman sneered wickedly. Still, they didn't cross the creek. Why not?

"Let's go." the boy told her with finality, putting his arm around her shoulder. He led her farther into the woods, away from the creek and the demon lurking on the other side.

"Thank you." Carmine said as the rider's shrieks finally started to fade away. She couldn't even begin to explain how glad she was that he'd been there – he'd saved her life. The boy smiled warmly at her.

"You're safe now." he said, and his conviction was so strong that for once Carmine actually believed it.

"But why didn't he follow us?" Carmine asked. She didn't want to seem ungrateful or anything, but she was pretty sure a Dullahan could jump a little creek like that.

"Because you didn't want him to." the boy said simply, as if that explained everything.

"What?" she asked, confused.