Chapter 27: Obligatory Chase scene

We got a bit of a head start, but it's amazing how fast those things can glide. Still, you can rollerblade faster than you can run. We seemed to be maintaining our lead. The only problem was we didn't have anywhere to go.
It was dark, and hard to see. Tree branches poking out of the trail seemed to appear just in time for us to dodge them. I ran over a tree branch and stumbled, almost falling down, but I managed to get upright again. I glanced behind me. The vampires were gaining. The non-vampire who was with them was running, but he was falling behind. I couldn't get a good enough look at him to figure out who he was. While I was trying to, I nearly slammed into another tree branch. Zhong called out to me just in time for me to dodge it.
It looked like a straightaway ahead, so I bent low to gain speed. I glanced behind me- they were still gaining.
The straightaway was on a downhill, and at the bottom of the hill the path widened. I was glad - there would be less to dodge - but Zhong had another idea.
"This way!" she yelled, turning into a narrow side passage. It was brilliant- the vampires wouldn't be able to fit through the slim opening in the brambles. I glanced back as we entered to see what they'd do, and for a moment I thought they we'd lost them. Then I spotted them -there were two fearsome black bats flying after us.
My attention was brought sharply forward as my arm slammed against a tree branch. The canopy over the path made it even harder to see, and the twig-strewn ground made roller-blading even harder. I looked back - the bats were almost on us. I looked up just in time to see a branch poking out from the woods next to me. I got an idea. I grabbed the branch as I past, pulling it forward with me. It snapped back and hit one of the bats, knocking it forcefully into the woods.
The other one was now dangerously close to me. As we left the narrow passage for another wider one, I bent down and grabbed a stick. Swinging it around like a baseball bat, I nailed the second bat, and Zhong and I sped down the trail leaving them in the dust.
We slowed down after a while - we were exhausted, when they suddenly appeared from around a curve. We sped up again, heading determinedly back towards the trail.
We passed a figure trudging along the road. As I turned back to see him, I realized it was the same one who had been with the vampires originally - we were going in a circle.
I snapped back to attention as I heard a cry. Zhong had hit a snag and fallen over, an easy thing to do on rollerblades in the dark. I had kept going and I was now ahead of her. As I swerved around to to help her up, I saw the two vampires glide toward us. We had lost our lead.
I turned to face them. There was know point in running. I bent towards the woods and grabbed two sticks, holding them out in front of me like a cross.
The lead vampire reached me. He grabbed the two sticks and pulled them apart, tossing them aside. Then he grabbed me.
Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light. For a few seconds I could see nothing and all I could hear was two horrible, tortured screams. When the light faded and the sunspots finally cleared from my eyes, the Vampires were gone. At my feet was a pile of dust. I turned around. Another pile of dust was in front of Zhong, who was lying motionless on the ground.