Page 107 of Scars Like Wings

Crystal Burst

The scream was one I would never forget.

There was no cry for help, no words were said. The voice of it was distinctly feminine and young. There was so much pain in it that when it stopped, I still felt her agony linger and echo, never stopping. When it did end, I could feel the permanence of its finality.

We had heard someone’s last sounds.

I clutched Quinn’s hand hard while my other hand had a death-grip around the safety harness. There was something agonizingly familiar in hearing that. I had never heard someone die before.Why did this feel like deja vu?

“Wait here, girls!” The attendant directed. Then he ran off toward where the scream came from.

When he rounded the corner and disappeared, we heard another scream. This one just as bloodcurdling as the last.

And it was closer.

“Okay, fuck this.” Quinn let go of my hand to push the safety harness up and over her shoulders and head. She jumped from her seat and softly landed on the platform. She turned to help me do the same.

“Oh, my little rulebreaker,” I teased to distract from a growing panic gnawing at my stomach. Quinn grinned before lifting the harness and gripping my waist to lift me out of the ride’s seat with an incredible amount of ease, despite my size. I liked the feeling of her rough hands on my soft curves. Where her fingers met the exposed skin between my tank and shorts, I felt enough electricity to charge my phone at least twice over. I wish I had enough time to savor it. Still, the moment felt much longer than it actually was.

Quinn placed me on the ground. Looking down at the catwalk, I noticed a flicker. It made me freeze. I almost thought that my changing vision was playing tricks on me. But I followed it. I stared at my shadow on the floor, standing still next to Quinn. Then my shadow warped for a moment before snapping back to normal.

I immediately knew what was happening and what was causing it.

An energy vampire.

Averystrong one.

Vampires were far from the worst supernaturals out there. They were not like what a human would see on TV or in YA novels. At least, not exactly. They were bloodthirsty, immortal and never aging, and super strong, of course. They were turned by ingesting another vampire’s blood and then being drained of their human blood. Real vampires could go into the sunlight without exploding into flames or being a lyric in a Rihanna song. Daylight just made them weaker and super grumpy. More than not, they were real Karens when it was daytime. There often was little that could calm them down. At night, their powers flourished. In the darkness, they could control the shadows, and the most powerful among them could use your worst fears and nightmares against you. While their powers were impressive, regular vampires were mostly just annoying more than anythingbecause they were pretentious, old people at heart with massive god complexes.

Energy vampires were particularly annoying because of their variety. The vampire aspect was a misnomer in some ways. Energy vampires could be a type of fae, witch, vampire, or even a shifter. They could steal life force, emotions, or both. They looked normal enough, able to blend in with humans seamlessly. It made them hard to identify or locate. But energy vampires were often manipulative and greedy. Usually, energy vampires lurked close to their hunting grounds. Many worked at the DMV or at customer service call centers if they fed off annoyance. Others worked at funeral homes or hospitals if misery was more their thing. But the strong ones could be anywhere. They could feed off of anything, and they could manipulate energy, including shadows. They could be some temperamental bastards. And according to Everett and the books I had read, they were hard as fuck to take out.

There had to be an energy vampire on this ride, feeding on riders. They were able to take energy as folks rode on throughout the day, taking a little at a time to get their fill. Unfortunately, there weren’t many patrons today. The being was probably starving and irritable.

And Quinn and I were the first on the ride.

And the menu.

“Um, Quinn?”

“What’s up, baby girl?” Quinn asked, her hands still on my waist.

“How much do you know about energy vampires?” I whispered.

Quinn lowered her voice’s volume while I kept my eyes on the shadows around us. “Enough.”

“I think there’s one here. I think they are the reason for the screams.”

Quinn stiffened, her grip tightening on me. I glanced at her, watching her eyes scan the shadows in the distance behind the animatronics and scenery. There was a shift in her demeanor. Gone was the snark and flirty nature I had become accustomed to. Now, she was… different.

The shadows around us were starting to waver more. The energy vampire was closing in.

Quinn’s voice was deep and commanding when she spoke again. “Okay, here’s my plan: there’s an exit over there. We just have to get to the door before that creature gets to us. It isn’t far, so it shouldn’t be too hard. But just in case…”

Quinn bent down and pulled her jogger pants up to reveal two large sheaths strapped to her ankles. She took out two long obsidian daggers. Despite the relatively dim lighting around us, they shimmered with an aura of colors like a moonstone opal. They hummed with a soft radiance of energy. They were magicked. My eyes widened. Something tugged at the back of my brain, but I was more focused on the questions I had at the sight. Where had Quinn gotten magical swords? I knew she said she did contract work, but even Everett, who did mercenary work, didn’t get issued weapons to carry all the time. What kind of work did her family do exactly for her to carry weapons with her? Why did seeing her with them do something for me?

Miss Puss, now is not the time for that. Do you have any survival instinct, bitch?

“Um, do you always carry knives with you?” I asked as she straightened her pants.

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