"Are we there yet?" 

Dawn had finally broken along the horizon, and both women were sitting in quiet agitation. They had been driving for hours, with very few vehicles in sight. Visena had to assume Yrsa was taking every back route she possibly could to get to her destination.

"Are we there yet?"

Cold hard metal pressed against Visena's temple. "Shut up," Yrsa growled, her hands quivering slightly.

Visena rolled her eyes. It was the fourth time the Alderman had used the threat. She was bluffing.

"I'm hungry."

"I don't care. And if you don't stop talking, I'm going to cut out your tongue."

The car ride was quiet for a time while Visena stared out the window. Her head bumped against the glass as Yrsa managed to hit every pothole. Every single one.

The landscape didn't look familiar to Visena at all. The grass hills rolled far beyond the horizon, meeting the orange-hued sky with a gentle caress.

A low hum drew Visena's attention to the rearview mirror, where she saw a lone motorcycle appear a few hundred metres behind them. Yrsa noticed too. The Mercedes engine revved as they picked up speed.

"Fuck."

"What? Why are you speeding up? It's just a motorbike."

Yrsa stayed quiet, and Visena let herself hope. Could it be her salvation?

The motorcycle had no issue catching up despite the Mercedes driving at maximum speed. Visena's heart seemed to travel into her throat. Then, the car suddenly swerved under Yrsa's shaking hands, and the cyclist pulled back.

"Watch out! You can't just kill random people on the road!"

"This is the last time I'm telling you bitch...." The motorcyclist tried to overtake them again. "Shut up!"

Yrsa swerved hard towards the bike, but Visena gripped the wheel and forced her back. The car lost control on the loose gravel road, and Yrsa grunted under the strain. The brief gap in concentration allowed the bike to pass. 

Visena tried to see who was underneath the helmet, but there was nothing. No remarkable features. The cyclist was clad in a full leather suit and thigh-high boots. They nodded at Visena before speeding past, leaving her confused.

"What?" she whispered. Her attention quickly drew back to the swerving Mercedes. A vein throbbed in Yrsa's forehead. Things were not going to plan, and Visena was lapping it up. She wondered if she would die if the car rolled a few times. The thought was interrupted by the loud pop of the front tyres bursting. 

Yrsa shrieked as the car pulled hard right towards a deep embankment. Visena, however, was overcome by giggles. Her companion braked hard, and the vehicle spun dizzyingly fast. "Woohoo!" Visena screamed with delight. 

Maybe this would be the end, but it sure was fun. It had to have only lasted a minute, but Yrsa looked greener than the hills. When the car came to an abrupt stop, her head flew out of the door to vomit.

The leather-clad biker opened Visena's door, and she beamed up at them. "Who are you?"

The person pulled off their helmet, and Visena gasped. "Thana?" Visena clambered out and grasped the Vampires hand. She smiled briefly until a bullet ripped through her abdomen, and she fell back. Fingers ripped from the Fae's grasp. "Thana!" Visena rounded on Yrsa. "Stop! Don't hurt her."

Yrsa shoved Visena back and unloaded the whole clip into Thana's torso. Blood spilt past her lips as she smiled up at the Fae. "It... okay." She tried to speak through the bubbling fluid.

"No!" Visena screamed and punched Yrsa with all her might. The woman staggered back and dropped the weapon. Visena ducked into a crouch to retrieve the gun when Yrsa shifted into a giant grey wolf. Visena aimed for the head only to hear a hollow click. Empty.

"Shit." She dove into the car as the grey wolf charged, only missing her by a hair. Her hands flew to her neck, tearing and clawing at the collar. It wouldn't budge. "Fuck." Yrsa's salivating maw appeared through the open door and snapped at Visena's feet. She kicked furiously at the wolf's face until it backed off, eye dripping blood. Visena tried the iron cuffs next. The first one came away with ease, and the second she had to smash against the car's aluminium siding. Now she could use her powers. The problem was, she didn't know how to.

Yrsa had rounded the car again with blood dripping off her muzzle. Right before she pounced on Thana and tore her throat out, Visena shouted. Low and enraged. "Shift!"

The wolf's body shuddered and recoiled from the Vampire.

"I said SHIFT Yrsa!" Her words ended with a throaty growl.

Yrsa's wolf fell to the ground and seemed to seize. Too much power? Whoops.

In thirty seconds, the seizure was over, and Yrsa's shivering naked form replaced the grey wolf. She looked harmless enough for the moment as Visena hurried over to Thana, who lay impossibly still in a pool of blood.

Her pale face looked serene under the morning light. Only then did Visena realise Thana, the Vampire, was in the sun and hadn't burst into flames. She wasn't sure if that actually happened, but it seemed logical. Ish.

Thana wasn't breathing, and Visena hopped from foot to foot. "Shit! I'm sorry, Thana. I have to go," she whispered a farewell before darting across the road. Yrsa's feeble shouts chased after her, but the Fae wouldn't stop. Visena was lacking substantially in the fitness department after weeks of borderline starvation, but she would run until her feet fell off if she had to.

With no phone, food or water, Visena was quickly losing hope. As the sun rose higher in the sky, she could feel her skin burning. "Gideon, I don't know how you would hear me, but please find me. Please, please, please." Her voice drifted into a hushed whisper, mouth barely forming words anymore. No saliva coated her tongue, and her abdominals started cramping.

"Somebody?" Her pace slowed to a dawdle along a grassy knoll when an oncoming car nearly made her yelp.

"Hey! Stop! Hey!" The pickup screeched to a halt, music blaring from the old speakers as Visena stumbled across the road, arms waving overhead. Surprise and relief swarmed in her gut as the driver's window rolled down. 

"Are you alright little lady?" A middle-aged, hairy man called out the driver's window, cigarette dangling from his lip.

"Hi, sorry. Do you have anything that can get this off?" She pointed at the glistening collar on her neck.

"Oh. Is that like a sex thing?"

If she hadn't been so exhausted, she would have chuckled. "Uh, does it matter? Do you have a tool or not? And maybe some food or water..."

The truck switched off, and the man climbed out with a small water bottle in hand. He looked about seven feet tall. He rounded the cargo tray and pulled out a screwdriver from a rusted toolbox. 

Visena scoffed. "I don't think-"

"Let me just take a look first." The man interrupted. "If we need it, I've got a bolt cutter in the back too."

Visena nodded and waited for the man to approach. She was awfully trusting towards a giant with a potential weapon.

He moved slowly and smiled down at her warmly. Then, he decided on bending down onto one knee, alleviating the issue of height difference. "Turn your head, little lady." She complied with a huff, accepting the water with a quiet 'thanks'.

"My name is Visena, by the way," she muttered before downing the whole bottle. The warm liquid didn't even touch her thirst. 

"My apologies." The man wiggled the tool between a gap in the collar and clicked his tongue. "I'm Davy, and I need another tool." He got up and brought back what appeared to be a type of pliers.

They probably looked like quite the pair on the side of the road, but Visena didn't care much. Once the collar was off, she would shift and run like hell. She prayed her wolf sense of smell would pick up on something familiar.

"I'm just gonna squeeze this between the collar gaps lit- uh Visena."

"Go ahead."

Davy broke the collar with a look of concentration and pressure that could force one to pass gas.

"Holy shit! You did it! Thank you so much!"

Davy looked rather surprised himself. "You're welcome. Can I ask where you're headin'?"

"Far, far away!" Visena beamed. "You can keep it. It's pure silver," she hollered over her shoulder as she skipped away.

"Well, take care, darlin'!" The giant teddy bear of a man watched her retreating shape sheepishly, unaware of what the hell just happened.

"Don't worry, Davy. I plan to!"

~~~

A/N

Visena, you little escape artist, you. 

She better hope she's close to Invictus, or she's gonna be screwed!

By the way, if there are any silent readers on here, feel free to vote or leave a little comment so I know who you are! It's always a joy for me to see what wonderful people are reading my work. 

Until next time... 

<3