Ayumi (c) Chapter Seven By Fiction Writer #13 (rom, nosex, paranormal, magic, voy, exhib, teen, preteen) ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... The tiny puzzle pieces dance... Black shapes obscure a brilliant blue green light... Orange and red... the colors begin to mix... the black shapes begin to glow and flicker... Silence... deep peaceful silence... Taste. I can taste... something... Earthy... like beets... No... not like beets... It's dirt. I can taste dirt... and... and something else... something metallic... like a penny is in my mouth... No... not a penny... it's... it's more... It's blood... there is blood in my mouth... Why is there blood in my mouth? ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... The puzzle pieces change... They are going from black to orange... flickering... blinking... glowing brighter and brighter... They are so bright that the wispy green and blue behind them is getting harder to see... My nose stings... the tip throbs in time with the beating of my heart... My nostrils sting as well... Scents drifting in... strong and pungent... bringing tears to the corners of my eyes... Smoke... something is burning... the fumes are hurting my nose... What's burning? ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... All that I can hear is my heart... My heart and... and a ringing noise... It's a ringing sound but it's not... I'm not hearing it through my ears... It's in my head... deep inside... like an alarm that only has one note... high and piercing... whining... ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... Pins and needles... all over... My back has things poking into it... lumps and bumps... they dig into my skin... they make me ache... so uncomfortable... it's hard... ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... Suddenly a dark silhouette blocks out the orange puzzle shapes... a figure... a person... a tiny person... is that... is that a girl? She's leaning over me... her face still hidden in darkness... I'm on my back looking up... Why am I lying down? ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... The orange light is growing brighter... Those aren't puzzle pieces... they're leaves... leaves on tree branches high above me... blocking out the sky... ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... The girl is leaning closer... the light begins to illuminate her face... I know her! It's that strange little girl! The one from the accident! What's she doing here? ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... Tears are running down her cheeks... her face is covered in dirt except for where the tears have passed... Her eyes... her eyes are sparkling... they sparkle as if there is a fire roaring behind them... ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... Her mouth moves... it opens and closes in silence... No... not silence... She is yelling something... but I can't hear her... ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... Ayumi! Her name is Ayumi! What's she doing here? ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... She reaches out to me... her hands grip my shirt... she's shaking me... ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... She looks so sad... Why is she crying? ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... Wait... she's not how I remember... she's... she's not naked... ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... She has black straps wrapped around her... like her collar... but all over... "What the hell are you wearing?" I think I said that out loud... My voice sounded so strange... like I was hearing someone speak underwater... But she heard me... a smile explodes across her face brighter than the flash of a nuclear bomb... ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... She's speaking to me again... her lips flutter like a butterfly's wings... and with the same volume... Her words are lost to me, and with them goes her smile... ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... Her hands grab at my shirt again... pulling me... lifting me into a sitting position... The world around me spins and blurs... my stomach moves with it... churning and whirling... ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... My eyes blink out the light over and over, uncontrollably... the darkness fighting to regain its foothold... but I fight it... I hold it back despite the relief that sweeps through me with every slip of my eye lids... "We hafta run" Is that Ayumi? Did she say that or did I think it? "Justin... snap out of it..." The words are soft... barely a whisper... and yet they echo around in my head like thunder rumbling during a storm... "Justin!" Louder now... It's definitely her calling to me... Crying out my name... Pulling me back from the darkness that has slipped over me again without my even noticing it... ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... I can feel her hands again... no longer on my shirt holding me up... but pressed on either side of my head... her palms warm against my cheeks... ... Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump... My eyes flutter open... I'm barely able to keep them that way... Her face is close to mine... So close that I can feel her breath... So close that I can see the fear in her eyes... So close that my heart begins to beat faster... She leans in closer... and then... and then... and then... ... Thump thump... Thump... Her lips press against mine! "Mmmm..." I hum against her lips; it's the only sound my body can seem to produce during this soft, sweet, tender moment. She returns my hum with one of her own. The sound of it melts away something within me, I don't know what exactly, but I can feel it going, flowing out of me in one long gush. My eyes are open the entire time and finally come into focus. What once seemed like a dream now rushes back into crisp, clear detail. Her eyes are closed, but they dance beneath her lids. All the while my heart pumps faster than I can ever remember it beating; more than at the top of a roller coaster; more than the time I almost got hit by a car; more than when I had to stand in front of my class and give an oral report. My first real kiss. Not some peck on the cheek or little gesture of affection, but my first real kiss. There was no tongue action, no exchange of spit as some of my buddies spoke of, but it was real. Our lips sealed together, our noses brushing one another. It was simple and should have been ordinary, but fireworks were going off between us. Well, at least they were for me anyway. Before I could think to stop her, she pulled away from me. If I had felt alone before meeting her I could not remember, the loss I felt at that moment dwarfed anything I'd felt in the past. The world was empty... I was empty. Her eyes slowly open; the tiny flickers of orange light are still there as she speaks. "Are you okay now?" I realize that I hadn't been breathing during our kiss. My nostrils flare out as my first taste of air in, I don't know how long, fills my lungs to overflowing. The air smells sweet and pungent, for some reason it reminds me of summer camp. "Justin?" She looks at me with concern. "Can you hear me?" I nod stupidly at her, and she cracks a little smile. "I thought you were going to leave me." "Never," The word escapes on my first exhale; I couldn't have stopped it if I tried. Her smile grows to a new level of brightness, as does the light in her eyes. "We have to move, it's dangerous here." I peer into the deep brown of those eyes. I feel as if I could fall into them and drift forever. I want to tell her this, but her mention of danger has me wondering. "Why?" In answer her hands, which were still pressed into my cheeks, gently turn my head to face away from her. Suddenly the world around me comes crashing down like a ton of bricks. The memories of what happened came back in horrific detail; The demons, the hell hounds, the murdered cop, my sister's boyfriend, and the explosion. I've blown up my own house, destroyed everything in it, all to save my life. No... not just mine. Ayumi's as well. "Oh, my god!" I shook my head in disbelief. "Did I do this?" Ayumi nodded her head, and as she did so the fires below reflected in the darkness of her eyes. Through the trees I could see the house burning out of control. The fire had spread to my neighbor's homes. Tall flames stretched upwards and licked the night sky. Burning embers were still falling back to the ground, each one igniting a new blaze where they land. Already small fires had begun moving up the hill toward us. The dry grass and trees caught and burned easily, feeding a new monster that was slowly stalking us. One good gust of wind and we would be engulfed. "We've got to get out of here." "That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Ayumi stood up in the rapidly increasing light of the fires, her outfit once again stealing my attention. It looked like she was wearing some strange S&M costume. Three black leather strips wrapped around her horizontally. One was the collar that I had seen before. Another strip looped around her chest covering her nipples and a third hugged her hips like a belt. From the center of the one around her waist, a strip descended between her thighs, looped upward over her sex, and continued up the cleft of her rear where it rejoined at the waist strip. This one was thinner than the others and barely covered her vagina. In fact it only seemed to cover her slit. Her bald mound peeked out from either side, and around the other end it made for a perfect thong that nearly vanished into her bum. She reached down and took my hand to help me to my feet. That's when I noticed a few other details of her ensemble. Around each of her wrists and ankles were cuffs made of the same black leather. All of this, and yet her feet were still bare. I had to ask her about this, it was too strange to wait. "Ayumi?" She started to turn but her head but suddenly whipped around to look back down at the blazing fire. "Oh no..." GRRRRROOOOOOOWWWWWWLLLLLLL! The howl sends shivers up and down my spine. Down below a whirlwind of glowing embers exploded into the air from the remains of my home. The Zyrogoth were coming. "We have to go... now!" Ayumi yanked me to my feet, nearly pulling my arm out of its socket. "You don't have to tell me twice." I was up and moving again. "Up the hill, come on!" Again she takes the lead, moving up the steep slope as if she were the one who had grown up climbing these hills. I trailed behind her, falling forward at times, my fingers grabbing the dirt and scrub to prevent a downward slide. Up and up we went. The light and the heat of the fire at our backs never diminished, but that's not why we're moving as quickly as we are. GWOOOOOORRRRR! Another roar pierced the night and the crackling of the fires. The light flared up; briefly illuminating the path we were taking as if it were daylight already. "They're coming!" Ayumi shrieked over the deafening noise. I stole a quick look behind us and saw burning trees swaying violently before they cracked and snapped like twigs. The ground shook and rumbled, loose dirt slid down toward the oncoming beasts and still we climbed. "We're not gonna get away!" I cried to her. "We can't out run them!" "We don't hafta! We just need to get to the top!" She moved faster, her legs kicking out, forcing herself up the slope by sheer will alone. GWoooooOOOOORRR! They were closer, not more than a few yards behind. Higher and higher we climbed, my finger nails digging into the earth, my knees burning, sweat dripping, heart pounding. 'Must get higher! Must get higher!' I chant in my mind with each kick of my legs. I looked up in time to see Ayumi's little butt and legs disappear over the top, and for a moment a new panic filled me. 'Oh god! She's left me behind!' I push myself harder, move faster; my lungs burning with the effort. Just a few more feet to go! "Shit!" My hand grabbed a loose rock and I felt myself starting to fall back. I have one horrible moment of absolute horror as the world around me begins to tumble backwards. Back down the hill; back towards the fire; back into the dripping jaws of the monsters. "Gotcha!" Ayumi's tiny hand reached out of the darkness and grabbed hold of my wrist with a strength that shocked me. She helped to haul me up over the edge as I scrabbled to find purchase. Finally I was on level ground, panting and choking on the dirt. "Thank... thank you." "We're not safe yet." She looked behind her at the thick grove of pines growing around us. "Is there a place up here with less trees?" "Uh..." her question threw me for a loop, I couldn't think straight. GRRRRRRRRR! Just below us now, a few feet at best. So loud I almost pissed myself. "Lightning!" I blurted out as I stumbled to my feet, "A few years ago. Come on!" It was my turn to lead as we picked our way through the trees. A few years ago a lightning strike started a fire up there. If she needed an open place, it was our only option. Hopefully there hadn't been enough time for Mother Nature to reclaim the area. It didn't take us long to find the spot. One second we were in a thick forest of sticky pines, the next we were in a small field of blackened stumps and tall grass. "Is this good?" I asked, still not knowing why she needed the space, but at the moment not really caring so long as we weren't being eaten alive. She looked around wildly, her eyes scanning the tops of the still living trees that surrounded us. "It'll hafta be. We have no choice." She stepped close to me, her arms holding me around the waist. "I have to do this, it's the only way. Please don't be mad," she begged me. My eyes locked on something moving out in the woods, twin red eyes gazing from the darkness. "I don't care! Just do what ever you can!" "Okay," she whispered, and trembled. "But please don't hate me because of what I am..." "I won't..." Another set of eyes appeared to our left. They were stalking us like a pair of lions. "I promise." She held me tighter, her grip almost painful. "Hang on to my neck." I didn't question why, I just did it. My arms looped around her delicate neck and I held on. What happened next nearly stopped my heart for good. Black shapes begin to rise up from behind her, rising high into the air. They towered over us and began to slowly unfold, stretching out, blocking out the stars and the blue green colors of the sky above. 'Wings!' My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. 'She has wings!' Her wings stretched to either side of us, appearing more like bat wings than a bird's. Black leathery skin pulled taut over what appeared to be ribs of bone. They looked heavy, but she hardly seemed to notice. They lifted in unison, then dropped to the ground, sending a wave of wind that billowed up pine needles and blasted them into the air with a 'whomp' sound. The eyes in the woods began to move again. They saw us, saw her. They knew what she was trying to do. Up... down... up... down... her wings swept faster and faster. There was a moment of disorientation as we suddenly lurched upward. My feet left the ground but then settled back to the earth. GRRRRRR! The beasts were charging at us, their red eyes burning so bright they lit up the clearing. They crashed though the underbrush, young trees snapping under their feet. Thirty feet away, Twenty... Ten! My feet left the ground again! Up! Up! The field dropped away! The beasts below slammed into one another in the space we once occupied! Still we rose, higher and higher, her wings beating harder and faster! Whump! Whump! Whump! Ayumi wrapped her legs around my waist tightly, holding me against her so close that I could feel her heart racing. She was breathing hard with the effort of lifting me, tiny grunts escaping her lips with each down beat of her wings. The monsters below growled up at us as we rose higher and higher into the night. They leapt, claws and jaws snapping at the empty air, but we were above the treetops now, and still climbing! My neighborhood spread out under us, revealing the fire continuing to grow and consume everything in its path. It had already climbed the hill that Ayumi and I just left. Still higher we moved. The whole town of Highland Heights was now below our feet. "I... can't... keep... this... up... for... long," she grunted in my ear. I looked around, trying to figure out where we should go. Everywhere was shrouded in darkness because of the blackout, everywhere except for way off in the distance, toward the big city. Just over the horizon there was a red glow. It didn't flicker like the fires below us so it must have been something else. Ayumi spotted it too. "What's... that?" she huffed. "I don't know, but it's coming from the city." It seemed like our only alternative. "It might be safer there. It's full of people." "I... I can't get us... all the... way there." She suddenly heaved really hard. "... but I can get us closer." We shot up another ten feet before she spread her wings wide. For a moment we were falling, faster and faster, then her wings caught hold of the air and we were soaring towards the red glow on the horizon. It was so quiet, with only the rush of the wind and the beating of our hearts. "You don't hate me, do you?" she asked. "Yumi... you just saved my life!" I leaned up and kissed her cheek. "Why would I hate you?" "Because of what I am; because I'm different." "That's for damn sure. I've never met anyone who could fly before, but that doesn't change anything between us." "But... I have wings? And I can do magic stuff. I'm not like you." "Yumi, I think your wings are the fucking coolest things I've ever seen in my entire life! I mean... we're fuckin' flying! How awesome is that? Do you have any idea how much I've dreamed about flying? About being able to soar over these hills? Ayumi, you're a dream come true!" I could feel her tighten her grip around me, hugging me closer. "I was worried. Otho said that people don't like things like me. Things that aren't, you know, human. He said that they want us all dead because we're different; because we scare your kind." "Well, I don't think you should believe everything that Otho told you." I hugged her back. "I don't want you dead." I gave her another peck on her cheek. "In fact, I don't think I've ever been as close to someone as I am with you, Yumi. I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to you." With only the eerie glow of the wispy curtains of light above, I could clearly see my little Yumi grinning at me. I've known her less than a day, and yet, I feel as if I've known her all of my life. Christ... I think I'm seriously falling for her! Continued in Chapter Eight.... You can find more of my stories at: https://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Moments_In_My_Mind/www/Index.html Join my forum and I'll send you an email notification of when I update my stories: http://fw13.suddenlaunch3.com/index.cgi Read what I've been up to on my Blog: http://fictionwriter13.blogspot.com Feedback, Questions or Comments can be sent here: FictionWriter13@msn.comAyumi7