Page 2 of Tortured Soul
And that heat? No way people were actually living here. I could barely breathe and was sweating my ass off in my riding leathers.
What a stupid idea to set up a camp in the deserted state of Arizona. That place had been abandoned for a reason after the war.
Through the tinted visor of my helmet, I squinted at my phone and the GPS again.
It should be here.
I started the heavy bike again, its sound loud in the overwhelming silence surrounding me, and searched farther, riding in circles, but the only visible things were small human cabins scattered at the edge of the creepy forest.
I should have kept my traveling appearance, or at least shortened my long blonde hair, as it was currently uncomfortably tucked in my helmet, but my energy was depleting and I wasn’t sure when I'd be able to lure a new unfortunate soul into my bed. I’d rather not be stuck in an unfamiliar form after I got so used to my current one.
And because of that, I was literally being boiled alive.
And that damned camp was nowhere to be found.
What if Lucifer deliberately sent me on a wrong path? After all, I did decide to leave and these kinds of petty reactions wouldn’t be surprising for our kind.
I stopped again after a few minutes, unbuckling my helmet with frustration, only to let it fall to the ground as I got off the too-large bike. I automatically started pacing.
There was no way I’d done all this for nothing. I’d been traveling for a whole week, fought off two separate attacks, taking the long way around to make sure I wasn’t followed, sleeping in crappy motels, barely eating any food.
I could kill for a fucking coffee.
My hands fumbled with the zipper of my leather jacket before I finally took it off and threw it on the floor, leaving me in my white tank top and leather pants. I brought my hands to my head, fingers pulling at the strands of hair. I couldn’t go back now, it would take too long to return to the nearest town. If I didn’t find living beings in the next few days, I was going to get weaker and weaker, until I could barely think and function properly, which would push me into a frenzy and likely get me captured.
Finding this sanctuary wasn’t an option anymore.
I kicked my helmet with a frustrated scream, sending it flying forward, bouncing a couple of times off the dry dirt before it—disappeared?
Wait, what?
I frowned, taking a couple of steps toward it but my body froze uncontrollably before I could reach the last bump on the floor, where the helmet last bounced before vanishing.
Something didn’t feel right.I shouldn’t go farther…I didn’t belong here, and I should be headed back wherever I came from. There was…nothing. Nothing for me here.
I turned around and froze again.
What had just happened?Wherewas my helmet? Why was my head buzzing like I’ve been using my powers for a few days but I hadn’t. Like it was…depleting even more, getting drained from me.
Bounces. Once, twice. Disappears.
I turned abruptly to look at the mark on the ground. I kicked my helmet. And it vanished.
A barrier.
Of course, a sanctuary like this one would be hidden behind a barrier. Apparently a Divine one, pushing non-angelic blood away.
I lifted my arm in front of me until the air around my hand felt different. Like plunging in cool water, pebbles and sand floating around, grazing my skin.
With just another step, my whole arm passed through. It was still visible, but my hand was getting blurry.
After a deep breath, I walked through it, ignoring the voices whispering to me to turn away, back where I came from.Nothing here. There’s nothing here. Nothing to see, nothing to hear. I closed my eyes and walked. I walked until the pressure around me changed back to normal air, until the feeling of smooth rocks and dry sand stopped whipping at my face and bare arms, and I collided with something hard.Someone.
There was no time for me to rub my nose from the slight pain or open my eyes before a thick fabric covered my whole head and hands were holding my arms behind my back, restraining me.
“What the—”
“Don’t fight and you might live.”
