C8 Going back in time

Darren's Pov

Light green veins popped out of my pale fist as I clutched the steering wheel. I was conscious of every single thing that went on. The light breeze that played with the thick strands of my hair, mild rays of sunlight that permeated the clouds, the road which was devoid of cars or people, visibly confined space in between the

driver's seat where I sat and the shotgun where Sloane sat.

The day where I was supposed to reveal myself to Sloane's parents, especially her dad as the perfect boyfriend had finally come. After today, I would fulfill my part of the deal I made with Sloane and also, hope

never to cross paths with her again.

I felt a burning sensation go down from my throat to my stomach and my eyes rolled in their sockets. I felt an intense mixture of anxiety, impatience, frustration,

need and above all, rage. Sloane who sat next to me was oblivious to what I went through as she was thoroughly

self absorbed. She threw some comments my way as I drove but didn't bother to see how I took them in.

Her self-centeredness which was unknown to no one else but me, didn't ebb my heigtened emotions. I couldn't wait to get to Sloane's dad's house; which was

our final destination so I jammed my feet on the accelerator and felt Sloane jolt beside me as the car sped up.

"Jesus, Darren! We aren't running from anyone, are we?"

She asked, still in shock. I didn't reply her, instead, I applied pressure on the foot on the gas pedal and the car speed went up to ninety meters per hour. Sloane let

out a shriek and immediately grabbed the car grab handle.

"I-I want to get to...my parents house in one

piece...would that...be possible?" She forced out as the swift, harsh breeze came on her face, sending the strands of her hair to all directions. I kept it up, ignoring

her protests and faux concerns until a traffic light emerged on the road which was previously devoid of cars or pedestrians. Cars appeared alongside the glaringly visible traffic light. And so did pedestrians.

I cursed under my breath as I was finally made to slow down and wait in a line of cars for the light to turn green.

"Darren!" Sloane had just seemed to recover her breath.

"For the umpteenth time, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you want to kill me?"

My mind screamed a loud 'of course, I want to kill you!'

I was on the edge, my emotions were frenzied, all over the place. The burning sensation intensified. This was

close to how I felt when I first met her and my self restraint began to wear thin.

All I could think of was how to reach my destination and get out of the car because being in a confined space with the one who could satiate my hunger and not being able to touch her was a feeling too difficult to

bear.

The traffic light turned green and I tramped on the gas pedal again, cutting past cars in my front. I could swear I saw Sloane's mouth form a large 'o' from the corner of

my eye.

"Darren!" She screamed in terror as she held on the car grab handle with both hands, ignoring the harsh breeze

that ruined her hair.

My throat burned and I saw red, literally. The road ahead, the atmosphere, the buildings, huge billboards,

cars. They were all red. I knew it was a phase, a side effect of the inescapable

hunger that threatened to swallow me whole. I shook clarity into my vision and the red color disappeared. It was just for now though, it won't be long before it resurfaced; stubborn and unyielding than ever.

"Darren..." Sloane's voice shook. "Please..stop the car..."

"Please..." her left hand released the car grab handle and held my forearm in a tight grip.

"Get your hand off of me" I hissed. Right at that moment, there was a quick and potent flash of intrusive visions. They came like a flood. Visions of Sloane in her

pajamas, running into a large bathroom, containing a huge, round bathtub, a long towel rack adjacent to it. In stood Sloane, in front of a mirror, her frightened sight

staring back at her. Sloane sitting in what seemed like a dinning room, food untouched, eyes blazing at a mid fifty year old man.... "Being a ceo is better than being a slut under the guise of modeling..." the man's sardonic voice rang out.

More visions of Sloane's recent activities, conversations, outings flashed through my mind with an overwhelming intensity. Sloane's grip remained firm on my arm as her pleas became deafening.

It felt as if I was sucked into a quicksand. Except in my case, it wasn't sand. It felt like a mixture of liquefied coal and raven black ink. The visions came all together

with Sloane's cries and my edgy emotions, pulling me past my knees into this dark, sticky hole.

It was a distraction that I needed to get past. I knew I could. I had to!

"Get your hand off of me Sloane!" My harsh growl boomed through the car, making her jolt in her seat and quickly retract her hand.

The visions abruptly stopped. But then it was too late...

"Darren, watch out!" Her scream was simultaneous with the body that smashed the windscreen of my car. I hit the brakes and turned off the engine as I watched the body slowly roll down the windscreen and bonnet, leaving a thick trail of blood.

Sloane's terrified screams morphed into ragged sobs.

"I-I told you...I warned you...I warned you-you to stop the damn car!...." she resumed sobbing. "Now you've killed a

person..."

I rolled my eyes. This wasn't the first person I'd killed-but there was a more pressing issue than my body count!

Darn it! Darn it! Darn it! I was tempted to let out a loud scream filled with pent up frustration and indignation but I couldn't because of the literal fire I felt in my throat, down to my chest. I clutched my chest, as I let out an agonized groan instead. I couldn't deal with this problem right now. I just couldn't! I looked around me.

Luckily, the road was desolate and so I doubted if I had been seen by anyone. The sun had begun to set.

Turning on the engine, I stared at Sloane who looked back at me with tear filled eyes. "What are you going to

do about this...what are you going to do about the body?" She asked, shuddering in a way that made her look pathetic. If I wasn't going through a worse

situation, I would have felt pity for her.

"Nothing!" I grunted my response, made a small turn and drove past the body.

"Darren-Darren, don't tell me you're doing what I think you're doing" She gasped

I remained silent as I kept on driving. I needed to focus as the hunger I felt threatened to push me to the edge.

But Sloane wasn't helping.

"Who in God's name runs somebody over and leaves them on the road to die..." She continued

It was on the tip of my tongue to say; me but I remained silent as talking would only worsen my situation.

But then again, Sloane wasn't helping.

"Darren, this is a hit and run case, the cops would find us!" She shrieked

In response to that, I turned on the windscreen wiper and it began to wipe down the trail of blood the body

left on my windscreen.

"That-" she pointed to the windscreen. "Is not going to change the fact that you murdered a person Darren!"

I held my breath in as I applied more pressure on the accelerator and the car sped up. Sloane's deafening cries resumed.

I wasn't seeing her memories but I still felt sucked into that quicksand. I felt the coal and inky blackness on my skin as a dark, suffocating atmosphere engulfed me. The

fire I felt in my throat was hot enough to consume anything. It lingered, making me feel more pain than ever before, clouding my sanity. Right now I couldn't bear no more. I swerved and the car came to a halt by the side of a dreary, desolate road.

I quickly got down from the car as though seat stung and I forced air through my almost scalded lungs.

Sloane got down too. She stared at me in silence but her eyes said it all. She was shocked, confused, and above

all, terrified...of me.

I suddenly felt an additional emotion...it was bizarre. As I stared at the dumbstruck Sloane, I felt remorseful...I mean, she didn't deserve all that I had put her through today.

Wait--what? She deserved every bit of it! Everything happened all because of her! She came into my peaceful non-life and shook it beyond serenity. I was content

with the mortals I came across--I fed on their blood but I never killed them, then I hypnotized them to forget everything about me.

I was meticulous--I never slipped so my true nature didn't get revealed to the mortals. Until Sloane emerged, possessing the sweetest blood I had ever

tasted since Ava's death. I hadn't drank her blood but I could tell it was all I desired, just by the scent of it.

I tried to stay away from her as my self restraint came to play but she just couldn't have it. She succeeded in

forcing herself into my life by blackmail.

Everything I felt right now was all because of her.

I mean I just couldn't understand why she'd remain unscathed after stirring up my once content non-life.

I needed her blood and I didn't know what was going to happen to me if I starved myself some more, I didn't want to find out.

I snarled, exposing my fangs and I lurched towards her appalled figure.

******************

ZOYSIA

The goddess of creation

I immediately stopped time. For I knew what would have happened if I hadn't done so.

Darren would have killed Sloane by consuming all her blood. I had already watched him kill someone earlier and I couldn't allow two deaths in a day by

just one person. For the consequences would be too much to handle.

I ordained Darren and Sloane's first meeting and obviously I'd foreseen the attraction but what I didn't expect was the speeed in which Darren began to crave Sloane's blood.

The curse I'd placed on Darren was supposed to kick in at a particular time which was not now. It was way too

early for Darren to get controlled by the hunger in which Sloane's blood made him feel.

Now I was left with an alternative. Resume time and also the inevitable or delay everything.

Sloane was part of my creation, I didn't want her to die this early, for she'd barely lived her life.

I knew the solution to this problem and it was something I hadn't done in the past four thousand years.

I'd have to rewind the time. Take it all back to before Darren and Sloane's first meeting. I'd orchestrate it so they'd meet under different circumstances and they'd be left with a choice.

A choice I hope they'd make wisely.