Falling Into Darkness: The Under Series Book 1 (31 page)

I didn't think it was a good idea to stay here any longer so I walked a little way into the forest but
not too far I didn't want to get lost. From this distance I could faintly make out the vans lights
through the trees.
A branch snapped close by, I spun around but all I could see was darkness. Suddenly I heard
footsteps close by crunching through the leaves, I held my breath and crouched down behind a tree
trying to stay as quiet as possible. The footsteps got closer and closer, I closed my eyes praying they
wouldn't walk this way. I slid my cellphone out, maybe now was a good time to call the police.
Why was it so quiet? The woods had suddenly become eerily quiet. All I could hear was my own
heartbeat thudding in my ears.
Someone grabbed the back of my hoodie and lifted me up to my feet.
“Got you,” said a deep male voice.
I tried to pull away but their hold on me was too strong. My cellphone started to ring but before I
got a look at the caller I.D he had snatched it away from me and thrown it into the forest.
He started walking back towards the road, I tried my best to get away from him but he made me feel
like a rag doll in his arms, my feet barely touching the floor as he pulled me along.
“Let go, I'll scream,”
“It will make no difference, there's no one out here to hear you so please be my guest, scream
away,” he said laughing.
I didn't scream he was right there wasn't anyone else out here, I was stupid for running away from
Mack and now I was in even more danger.
The headlights from the van caught the mans face. I recognised him from the club he had been the
big tattooed man that had been with Cole.
He took me round the side of the van where another man was waiting.
“What took you so long?” the other man asked.
“She wanted to play hide and seek.” he said setting me down on the floor, but he still had a firm
grip on my arm.
“Well those glow in the dark laces are a dead give away,” the other one said smiling showing a front
row of perfectly white teeth with a false gold.
I looked down at my feet and silently cursed myself for my choice of shoes today, high tops with
glow in the dark turquoise laces.
“Kids these days wear the strangest things. So did we get the right one this time?” he asked pulling
my hood down to get a better look at me.
“Yeah I thinks so, hold on a minute,” the other one said retrieving his cell from his pocket that was
ringing.
“It's Cole, do I answer it?”
“No he'll only shout at us for taking too long, just ignore it we'll be back there soon. He can wait.”
The man put his cell back in his pocket and slid the van door open.
This was not good, they were planning on putting me in the van.
I frantically tried to pull away, kicking and scratching the man that was holding onto me.
A loud squawk from above made us all look up. The raven flew down and attacked the other man. I
carried on kicking and scratching, I even bit him but he still didn't let go of me.
“Marcus a little help, she's got nails like daggers,”
“I'm a little busy, what is with this bird? Put the girl in the van and lets get out of here,”
The man holding onto me lifted me off the floor like I was as light as a feather, he then threw me
into the van. I hit the floor and slid across to the other side of the van.
I quickly tried to get back up but I was too late as the other one had already closed the door.
I heard both the doors at the front of the van slam.
“I'm not sure I like this Marcus, that looked like a death tracker,”
“Leron how would you even know what a death tracker looks like? You've never seen one.”
“Neither have you, but I've heard things you know. That was definitely a raven, Marcus.”
“Why would a death tracker be interested in her. For a start she's not dead or dying from what I
could tell,”
“What if it wasn't here for her what if it was coming for us?”
“Don't be stupid, it's probably just lost or has rabies?”
“I don't think birds can get rabies? I've got a bad feeling about this Marcus, I don't think we should
take her back, that bird was trying to stop us. I'm telling you it was a death tracker, which means its
owners might not be far behind.”
“Enough with the death tracker stuff, the next time you say the words death tracker you can get out
and walk and there's no way I'm leaving her here I do want to get paid this week.”
The engine started and the van started moving forward, it turned a corner quickly and I slid across
the floor.
I looked around for anything I could use as a weapon. The only thing I saw was a shovel and a
bundle of blankets and there looked to be dried blood on the floor. I didn't like to imagine what this
van had been used, what kind of people had I just run into.
The van came to a sudden halt and I slid into the side.
“Is that...?”
“A death tracker. I told you that bird was a death tracker,”
“Calm down he has no business here. Let me speak to him.”
“Speak to him are you insane you don't talk to death trackers. I've heard they can kill you with one
touch, suck the life right out of you,”
“Will you shut up Leron, stay here,”
I heard the van door open and close. I didn't know what he meant by death tracker so I held off from
screaming for help, these men seemed scared of whatever was outside the van, even I felt scared
and I couldn't see it.
There was a loud thud on the roof above and I let out a small scream and backed myself into the
wall.
“Marcus,” the man in the front of the van called.
I heard the van door opening slowly, it creaked loudly then stopped, then it creaked again, then
again as if he was inching the door open.
“Marcus, where are you?” he whispered loudly.
I knelt down with my ear up against the side of the van trying to hear what was going on.
Something thudded against the van side door, then I heard the man screaming but it was so high it
could have easily been mistaken for a woman screaming. Then there was silence. I stayed still not
wanting to create any noise to draw attention to myself, hopefully what ever was outside the van
would leave.
A tapping sound started at the back of the van and made its way slowly round to the side door. I
reached for the shovel and quietly pulled it onto my lap, not sure what I was going to do with it, I
had no idea what was on the other side of the door.
I gripped the shovel and held it up in front of me as the side door slid open.
“If you're interested in taking up gardening I wouldn't recommend that shovel, it's probably used for
digging graves.” Cam said crossing his arms.
He was dressed in black wearing what looked like a black cape with the hood up.
I chucked the shovel to the other side of the van.
“You know you seem to attract trouble wherever you go, like a moth to a flame and right now
there's another van of ugly fallen on their way so hurry up we're leaving.” he said stepping back
from the door.
I stood up and hopped out the van, completely confused as to what was going on and how Cam had
even found me. I noticed the tattooed man lying on the floor, then I spotted the other one on the roof
of the van, I looked at Cam.
“Don't worry their not dead, takes a lot more to put one of them down. They'll wake up in a few
hours.”
“You said fallen are on their way what do you mean?”
“Come on princess you're a smart girl I thought you would have figured it all out by now,”
“Are you talking about fallen angels?”
“Bingo!” he said grinning.
“Are they fallen angels?” I asked looking at the man lying motionless on the floor. He nodded,
nudging the one on the floor with his boot.
“Do you know what I am?” I asked.
“I think you already know what you are,”
“Well I think I'm different I'm not like other teenagers my age,”
“So what do you think you are?”
“Nephilim.” I said quietly but loud enough for Cam to hear me.
“We need to leave,” he said holding his hand out to me.
“Wait I have more questions,”
“And I can answer all your questions when I get you out of here.”
“Just one more,”
“Fine go,”
“I can hear what people are thinking, is it an ability all Nephilims have?”
“No that's just you, only a few Nephilims have abilities, like you and your brother. That's why they
want you so bad they want to use you for I dunno evil doing or something,”
“My brothers ability, do you know what it is?”
“I think he can put images into other peoples heads, make them see something else for a few
seconds, it's how he always wins at fighting, it doesn't work on fallen though or me.”
He put his arm around me and walked me away from the van.
“Are you fallen?” I asked, remembering I had heard the words 'death tracker'.
He shook his head. “They said a death tracker was here, did they mean you?”
“Maybe?” he replied watching me carefully.
“And what exactly does a death tracker do?” I asked wondering whether I was safe with Cam.
“Death trackers collect dead souls, when a bad person dies their soul wonders around until we
collect it and take it where it's meant to go.”
“And where is it meant to go?” I asked nervously.
“Usually down,” he said pointing towards the ground.
“What's down there?”
“What do you thinks down there?”
“I don't know but I don't think I want to find out....wait are you here to collect my soul?”
“No. But I am here to collect you. But I don't want to hurt you Ruby.”
I heard a squawk and the raven flew over to Cam and landed on his shoulder.
“Does that belong to you?”
“Yes his names Rocky but I think you know that already, he's been keeping an eye on you for me.”
he said stroking it.
I felt something brush past me and spun around to see Emmett standing next to us.
“Is anyone else coming,” Cam asked Emmett.
“There's another van I think there's another five in it?” Emmett replied to Cam then he looked over
at me.
“Hi Ruby,”
“Err hi, so what are you fallen or death tracker? Where did you just come from?”
“Err...,” he looked at Cam then back at me.

“Yeah I kind of had to fill her in on some stuff, she asks a lot of questions, inquisitive little thing.”
Cam said feeding the raven with something from his pocket.
Headlights lit up the road in the distance. “That's them, we need to go. She's not safe here
anymore.” Emmett said looking at the lights approaching.
“You go I'll take her, it will be quicker that way.” Cam said.
“What no you can't fade with her she's not like you, you don't know what it will do to her.” Emmett
said looking at me concerned.
“I'm not letting her out of my sight.” Cam said in a low tone.
Emmett stepped back looking at the both of us.
I still didn't understand what was going on but I didn't think Cam wanted to hurt me but I wasn't
sure about whoever was approaching in the next van.
“Fading is just for death trackers and souls....”
“Emmett enough. I've made my decision, I'm taking her home with me back to the manor, she can't
stay here any longer. Cole will just send more and more until he gets what he wants. Emmett go, get
out of here there's not time for this.”
The raven took off but stayed close circling above our heads.
“Fine but if it goes wrong don't say I didn't try to warn you.”
Emmett stepped back and was gone in the blink of an eye all I saw was a blur of movement, I
blinked and looked around for him.
“The other van pulled up and one, two, three men jumped out and I could see another two sitting in
the front, two were carrying bats.
“Cam,” I whispered. Why were we still standing here and not running the other way?
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“I don't know who I trust anymore?”
“Close your eyes and keep them closed you might get dizzy.”
“What why?” I asked, thinking this wasn't the time for games.
Cam put his arm around me blocking my view of the men approaching.
“Ready?” Cam asked.
I wasn't sure what was about to happen but I closed my eyes and buried my face into his chest.
“Get her,” I heard one of the men shout but it quickly faded into the background.
My ears started to pop and my head felt strange, I suddenly felt like I was getting travel sickness.
My body felt weightless and I couldn't feel the ground under my feet but I didn't dare open my eyes.
“Ruby you can open your eyes now.” I peeked out of one eye and I was no longer outside in the
dark.
I was standing inside some elegant hallway. The walls and floor were made of wood with a strip of
red carpet running along the middle of the floor all the way to the end of the hallway, which looked
to go on forever. There was a table at the side with a beautiful spray of roses in a vase. I saw
someone standing outside one of the doors further down he looked like he was wearing a uniform,
red waist coat with black trousers. What was this place?
“Where am I?” I asked but the words sounded slurred as they came out.
“Home.” Cam said taking a step back to give me space.
I went to take a step but my legs gave out underneath me and I started falling. Cam caught me and
lowered me to the floor.
“Ruby what's wrong?”
I tried to answer but my lips didn't want to move.
“Fetch the doctor. Now!” Cam shouted while cradling me in his arms. My body had gone limp and
my head felt dizzy, the room seemed to be moving. I suddenly felt tired, all I wanted to do was
close my eyes.
“Ruby stay with me,”
My eyelids felt heavy and I couldn't fight it anymore and everything went black........