Page 54 of Norah

The sight that I’m met with is worse than anything I could have ever imagined.

My mind wants to deny the horrifying scene in front of me, to refuse this terrible reality. There’s blood splattered all over the alley, on the brick walls, and pools of red shine on the pavement.And Norah… oh God…my Norah is lying motionless on the ground, clothes soaked through with blood.

Her small body is partly blocked, hidden by the large man looming over her. A man who is undoubtedly a vampire. A vampire who had been tearing at the slim column of Norah’s neck until the sound of my cry distracted him.

He turns to face me, blood dripping from his mouth, and grins. Red stained teeth show as his smile grows wider, fangs wet with red. His eyes are triumphant and gloating. As he turns, I can see Norah’s face; her eyes closed, and so still I can’t tell if she’s alive or dead.

My rage is a dragon breathing fire, ready to incinerate anything in its path. Every muscle, every nerve, each cell ignites with the intensity of a white-hot sun. Energy pulses through my entire body, focused by my absolute fury. With an inhuman howl, I leap towards the vampire, smashing into him with enough force to send us both back to the opposite end of the alleyway.

We both crash into the ground with a bone-jarring thud, the pavement cracking where we land. My hands are on his throat, choking, and I try to wrench his neck hard enough to snap it. To tear his head from his body and end it right here. While rage is the furious monster controlling me, the cooler part of my brain knows that I have little time. If Norah’s still alive-oh please, let her be alive- she needs help.Fast.

The other man is injured, too. I can smell the fresh blood all over him, but he’s not giving in. His incredible strength becomes clear when he shoves me away almost effortlessly, and I realize I’m in for a much tougher fight than I’d expected. I hit the wall hard, my head cracking into the bricks with a brain-jarring thud. Everything blurs, and I’m stunned, just long enough to allow the other man to gain the advantage.

He moves in a flurry that’s contrary to his weakened appearance; as he lunges towards me again, I see several serious looking injuries. His wrist looks broken, and there’s a large puncture wound in his chest, still bleeding sluggishly.

Many other cuts and gashes are still leaking, and his breath whistles out in uneven gasps. I notice he walks with an uncomfortable gait, suggesting unseen damage. A flash of pride fills me; she held her own against this beast of a man.

He’s on me again, snarling like a raptor, teeth snapping at my neck. Jolting away, I get my arm between us and punch him below the sternum. A gush of blood jets out, and he grunts in pain.Good. I follow up with another jab to his ribs and I can hear his bones snap.

I try to press my current advantage, continuing a volley of powerful blows; his face, his chest, his gut. He seems to weaken, not fighting back, and my hope swells. But he was only gathering up strength for another lethal attack, as I’m suddenly back on the ground with a forearm cutting off my breath. In one quick move, he hooks my calf with his foot and twists, breaking my leg with an excruciating snap.

The power he has is incredible; to fight off a healthy vampire given all his injuries.And not only fight, but possibly win.Maybe more thanpossibly. For the first time since I started this battle, a sliver of uncertainty slides down my spine.I could lose. We’ve already been at this too long; I haven’t been able to check on Norah to help her.To find out if she’s still alive. If she dies while I’m fighting this monster… I can’t bear it.I can’t lose her. I can’t.

As I struggle against the other vampire, trading blows but making no progress, the calm voice of reason sneaks past my fire-breathing dragon of rage.If you can’t win this fight with brute strength, win it with strategy.What strategy can I use while I’m trapped underneath a creature that has unending wellsprings of strength and energy? Even my enhanced abilities are coming up short, and with a broken leg, I’m at a terrible disadvantage.

Wait.An idea slithers its way into my mind, brilliant in its design.He doesn’t know about my ability.But how to use it? I’ll most likely have only one chance to flip this fight. I need to be smart. But it’s getting tough to concentrate, as the other man keeps up his incessant flurry of attacks. My brief brush of optimism fades. And then… a glimpse of something black above gives me the answer.

I grasp both the vampire’s arms, wrapping my hands around his forearms in an unbreakable grip. Then I focus, andpush, and get ready to move. I teleport us up to the fire escape, turning as I land, so I’m pressing my entire weight on his chest.

His blazing eyes widen with surprise, and I know I have less than a second to act, to do this before he makes sense of what just happened. I send up a silent prayer-oh please, let this work.

Then, in one fluid movement, I reach over to grab the retractable ladder with both hands and yank it down with all my strength onto the other man’s neck. The energy that flows through my muscles is intense; everything focused in that sharp motion.

It all happens at once. The metal step of the ladder lands with such force that it shears his neck in half. His shocked eyes turn dark, empty, as his head separates from his body and falls to the ground with a dull thunk. My brain, catching up, needing a second to register that Iwonthis battle.

Now that the fight has ended, I look at Norah. She’s still lying crumpled and limp on the ground. And with a horrible sinking feeling, I realizeImay not have won, after all. My heart freezes at the terrifying realization that it’s very possible that I’ve lost everything instead. One word squeezes through my swollen throat in a whisper, “Norah…”

I’m at her side in an instant; the sight of her brings me to my knees with a harsh cry of disbelief. Breath stutters out of frozen lungs; blood rushes to my head in a dizzying wave.Oh God. A scream builds in my chest; the pain of what happened to her is too much to bear.Oh, baby. What did he do to you?

Her injuries are too many to take in all at once. Blood iseverywhere. It’s pooled around and under her unmoving body. It’s splashed all across her chin and face, a sharp contrast to her chalk-white skin. Her slender neck is coated in thick red, ragged tears gaping. Small trickles of blood still pulse from the torn skin. How can she have lost so much blood and still survive?

I can see her arm is broken, bent the wrong way in two places, with several bones poking through the cloth of her shirt. One leg is twisted at an impossible angle, and a gash in her thigh has turned the fabric of her jeans a deep red.

There are too many smaller wounds to count, and her shirt is practically shredded; small shards of glass embedded within the threads of the weave. Beneath her ruined shirt, I can see dark bruising all over her abdomen, indicating internal bleeding.

With each discovery of another horrible injury, my heart rips further apart. I don’t even realize I’m crying until I see the droplets splattering across Norah’s colorless face. Leaning closer, I search desperately for some evidence of life. But her chest is quiet, no hint of breath within.

Panic claws ferociously through my body, a vicious predator intent on ripping me from the inside out. Half convinced that she’s already gone, I reach a shaking hand towards her ravaged form, terrified yet determined to find out the truth. I don’t know where to touch her, with every part of Norah so hurt. I wish I could kill that monster a thousand times over for what he’s done.

Heart frozen and fingers trembling in fear and anticipation, I lightly place my palm against her pale cheek. Voice shaking, I whisper, “Norah. Norah, baby. I’m here.” There’s no movement, and her skin feels cool to the touch.Oh God, no. I beg her, “Please, baby. Please, open your eyes. I’m here.Please stay with me.”

Silence drags. One second, five, ten. I keep repeating to her, “Norah, come back to me, please, baby, please.” Defeat and devastation encroach, an empty darkness hovering close by.Don’t leave me, Norah.

Then, one small sound, almost inaudible. A small gasp, nothing more, but enough to keep the tiny flame of hope alive.

NORAH

Oh God, the pain.

---