Chapter 6

Tereth had left his human companions behind, trailing him by a good half hour, in his effort to keep up with the five he was pursuing. It was almost as if the closer they came to their master, it increased their powers and added their urgency. Looking for the cause, he found a life line of energy connecting them to their master; that at this proximity to its source was a clear as day. Not wanting to waste time as he continued to fall behind, Tereth struck immediately, using the connection to attack Louie, and pouring everything he had into the strike for good measure. Exhausted, he waited until he felt the tell-tale sign of whether it had killed Louie or not. While he felt the strike hit home, what he did not expect was the force of the instant backlash. Funneled into the narrow line of power, it struck him with a force ten times the amount he had produced. Hurled into the air he felt every bone in his body breaking, as pure energy arced from point to point, bouncing and burning through him. Crashing through the trees, his now weakened body was jarred by every impact, and he fell limply to the earth. Fractures of every kind, from compound to spinal, turned his very bones to pools of suffering, if that were not enough, he felt like his flesh was burning, and the scent of cooked meat and hair filled his very nostrils.

Never in the entirety of his existence had Tereth wished for death, but in those horrific moments of agony he prayed for it. As his vampire nature clung to life, it became a curse, not a blessing. While it tried to heal itself, it lacked the energy to do more than prolong his nightmare, and made him wish that he died in a coma so long ago, when his sire had found him. His mind delirious, Tereth could not tell fantasy from reality. After a time hands attempted to pick him up, and he cried out and whimpered: his words unintelligible, as he lack the mental or physical capacity to form them. He tried to move to get them to stop; for they were hurting him, but his body wouldn't obey as the hands carried him away.

On the other side of the backlash was Louie; who had been unprepared for the attack. Louie's overconfidence in his own abilities proved his inexperience, and he paid the price for his arrogance. Tereth's attack had taken him unawares as he opened up his mind to register the arrival of the five that had returned to him. Shorting his brain, Louie's instincts saved him from total destruction as his mind was twisted and warped. What had been once an incoming attack from an overzealous attacker, now was a response wave of energy that burst forth from deep inside him, to purge Louie of the energy caused by the chain reaction.

To the people in the streets of the small town, a powerful blue energy wave was surging outward, enveloping everything in its path. The psychic wave changed the very nature of matter itself, causing it to disappear from this world right before the terrified populace's eyes. Pedestrians and drivers screamed as they tried to outrun it, but it was coming too fast. All were caught in it, and the town itself disappeared from view.