by Melody Adams
Terrible cramps woke me up. I was sweating. My head was humming and my skin itched like crazy. What the hell was wrong with me? I groaned and curled into a ball. Something stirred next to me. I blinked. A woman in my bed? Then I remembered. Miriam! And we were not in my bed. I looked at the clock. It was almost nine. Usually I got up at five o'clock.
"What's going on?" Miriam asked worriedly and sat up. She felt my forehead. "You have cold sweat. What else is wrong?"
"Cramps. A headache. Itching," I managed with difficulty.
Miriam frowned.
"You said that you usually take a medicine. Because of your supposed tumor!"
"Yes."
"That was not a medication for a tumor, Ice. They hooked you on drugs, probably to suppress your emotions. You are on withdrawal! Your body needs its drug and because it doesn’t get it, you have withdrawal symptoms!"
I looked at her questioningly. What was she talking about? Drugs? Me? Why?
"What for?" Was all I could say. I began to shiver and the itching became almost unbearable.
"I suppose the drug was given to numb your feelings. You said you have no feelings."
"But now ... I have ...", I argued.
"Yes, but that does not have to mean anything. Maybe the effect will decrease a bit during the day and the feelings for me might have been so strong that they counteracted the drug. You are an Alien Breed. I read that Alien Breeds take a mate for life. And when an Alien Breed meets his mate, it can lead to very strong feelings. May ... maybe I am your ...?"
"Mate?" I added.
She nodded. Yes, she could be right. It was indisputable that I had wanted her from the first moment. That had never happened to me before and I had already seen many beautiful women. No! Never had a woman inspired any emotion in me apart from lust. But then I had seen her and since then I couldn’t get her out of my head. The urge to make her MINE. Without me really knowing what that meant. It had just been there. This need! This connection to her!
A wave of nausea suddenly seized me and I had to gag.
"Are you ill?"
I nodded.
"Wait! Hold on! I'll be only a minute!"
She jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. A little later, she returned with a large bowl and towels. She sat down next to me and stroked my forehead with concern. I tasted bitter bile and gagged again.
"Don’t fight it!" Miriam said softly. She put the bowl under my head. "Here. Let it out! After that you’ll feel better!"
I groaned. I wanted to stop it, but it was too late. I vomited into the bowl and I felt like I was dying. I had never been ill. I felt weak and that annoyed me. I couldn’t be weak now! I had to take care of Miriam and not the other way around! Damn it. I gagged and again came a gush of bitter stomach contents out of me.
"I'm here, baby! It's OK!"
I vomited more, until nothing came except a little bitter bile. Miriam set the bowl on the floor and wiped my mouth and face with a wet towel.
"Better?"
"Yes," I croaked weakly. "For the moment."
"I'll just take the bowl away! I'll be right back."
She disappeared into the bathroom and I heard her empty the contents of the bowl into the toilet. Then the toilet flushed and a little later I heard water rushing as she cleaned the bowl. I felt bad and useless. What if I really died? Then Miriam was alone! Could one die of withdrawal? I didn’t know anything about drugs. Of course, I’d seen junkies. In the rundown neighborhoods, at the train station or in the subway. But I never thought that I too could be one of them. If only I knew what kind of drug I had been given. I took the same drugs since the age of ten. Anger rose in my mind as I thought about what X had done to me. What he had made me into!
Miriam
I was worried. Ice seemed to be getting worse by the hour. He could not keep any fluids down and he complained of a headache. He lay curled up on the bed and moaned, plagued by cramps. What should I do? Get a doctor? It was risky and we didn’t even know what kind of drug they had given Ice. In my distress, I called Teddy.
"Sugar! Everything alright with you? Is the accommodation okay?"
"The apartment is great, thanks. Teddy?! I have another problem!"
"What? Does that guy give you trouble?"
"No! That's not it. Teddy! Do you know anything about withdrawal?"
"Withdrawal? What the hell ...?"
"Ice has probably been given drugs for years. He took medications every morning supposedly to help with a tumor. Ice wakes up this morning with sweats, nausea, cramps, headaches and itching all over, and it keeps getting worse. He cannot keep anything down and I'm really worried. I don’t know what to do."
"Okay, okay! Calm down, Miri. I know a man who can help you. I'm trying to reach him now. Stay put! I'll contact you again if I have something."
"Thanks, Teddy!"
"No prob. Speak to you soon!"
Teddy had hung up and I sat next to Ice, who was sweating all over. I had wanted to cover him, but the touch of the blanket obviously hurt him, so I took the blanket off again.
"I called Teddy. He knows someone who might be able to help you. He will call me back. Hold on, Ice. Please baby!"
He groaned. It had been a while since he had spoken the last word and I didn’t know if he didn’t want to speak or couldn’t. Minutes elapsed like hours, then my mobile rang. I immediately answered it.
"Yes?"
"It's me! My friend will be at the apartment in about half an hour. His name is Dimitri. You can trust him. Do you have money on you?"
"Yes. I have money here."
"Good! He wants fifty bucks."
"No problem. He gets the money. I'll do it all, if only Ice is getting better!"
"You love that guy, Sugar?!"
"Yes. I think so!"
"I hope he is worth it."
"He is. I'm not wrong!"
"Take care of yourself. As long as your Ice is out of action, you have no one to protect you. That's the main reason why I help you get him back on his feet. I know he can protect you. Probably better than the police. You need him!"
"Thanks, Teddy. You are the best friend I have."
"Call me when Ice is better!"
"I will! See you."
"See you!"
After I ended the call, I sighed in relief.
"Someone will come in half an hour to help you," I told Ice, but I was not sure he would hear me. He seemed delirious.
When it knocked on the door, my pulse quickened. I jumped up from the bed and ran to the door to open. A tall guy in tattered jeans and leather jacket stood in front of me. A large birthmark graced the left side of his face.
"Hi! Are you Dimitri?" I asked carefully.
He nodded.
"Where is he?" He wanted to know.
I stepped aside and let the scowling man in. If Teddy said I could trust him, then I could! I led Dimitri into the bedroom. He went straight to the bed and examined Ice.
"You don’t have the stuff that he's taking here?" Dimitri asked, looking at me. I shook my head.
"No. No idea. He can’t go back to his apartment. A ... a killer is after us! That's why we're here."
Dimitri nodded.
"I have something that helps with most drugs as a replacement drug. It is brand new and is currently the best I have. But it can increase his aggressiveness. He is quite a hulk. If he gets out of control, then you are history, girlie. Do you trust him to keep himself under control and not hurt you?"
"Yes!" I said firmly. "He would never hurt me!"
Dimitri took a small bottle out of his jacket pocket and handed it to me.
"Every morning and every night a pill. For now I’ll give him a shot because he is unable to swallow the pill. I was afraid he might be out cold, so I came prepared. I give it to him now. It will take about half an hour before the stuff takes effect. He will probably complain of rapid heartbeat. This is normal and will pass. The shot is stronger than the pills. A real wake-up-from-the-dead drug
. He will be agitated for a few hours. Get ready!"
I nodded and Dimitri took the syringe from his jacket, prepared it and shot Ice in the shoulder. Ice hardly seemed to notice anything. He continued to groan, occasionally writhing, but his eyes were glassy and empty. I was glad of Dimitri's presence. As dark as the guy looked, he radiated a certain amount of competence. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing. I fumbled my wallet out of my jeans and pulled out a few banknotes to give it to Dimitri.
"Fifty dollars, Teddy said?"
Dimitri nodded and took the money.
"That's just the material value. I owed Teddy a favor, so he asked me to give you the stuff for the material price."
"What ... what does it normally cost?" I asked.
"Ten bucks per pill. The shot costs twenty. But don’t worry. I stick to my deals! After ten days, the dose goes down to half a pill in the morning and in the evening. After another ten days then only half a pill an hour before going to bed. When the bottle is finished, he should be free from withdrawal symptoms."
After Dimitri left, I scurried quickly into the shower. I had to hurry, because I wanted to be there for Ice when he came to. After the shower, I hurriedly changed my clothes and went back to the bedroom. Ice lay facing me, and his gaze hit me. Apparently the stuff started to work. His eyes were no longer glassy and they followed me. I went to him and sat on the bed.
"We gave you a shot that is starting to work," I informed him, stroking his face. "You will get a rapid heartbeat and be very restless, but that's only temporary. The drug may also lead to increased aggression. It's important to keep you under control, Ice. If you hit me, I'm probably dead. You're too strong for me. I trust you, baby. Do not let me regret that."
"Wou ... would never ..." Ice brought out weakly, his eyes imploring me to believe him. I nodded.
"I know baby! I trust you! Do you still have cramps? Or headache?"
"No."
"Good! The shot starts working. You were completely out. Can you remember Dimitri? He gave you the drug."
"No. Can not..."
"It's okay, Ice. You don’t have to talk."
Over the next ten minutes, Ice's condition improved noticeably. He was able to take my hand and smiled at me. I had explained to him how he had to take the pills and put the box on the bedside table.
"Thanks," he said, squeezing my hand. "I'm sorry that I caused you so many problems. Instead of taking care of you and protecting you, I am just a burden."
"Nonsense!" I resisted decisively. "It's not your fault what they did to you!"
He snorted but said nothing more. It was obvious that he thought he had somehow failed me. Men! Sometimes they were illogical!
"How are you now?"
"Not too bad. I think the heart racing started." He touched his chest and sat up. "Fuck! I feel like I've run a marathon. Only that I feel fit. I ..."
He jumped out of bed and looked at me, and then he ran into the bathroom and closed the door. A little later I heard the flushing, then he came out again.
"Hunger! Do we have something to eat?"
I jumped up from the bed and headed for the kitchen. Ice followed me.
"I feel like I'm exploding!" He said behind me. "I have so much energy and I don’t know what to do with it. I could ... I could hit something. Fuck! What is wrong with me?"
"I told you that would happen," I reminded him.
"Is the food ready?" He snapped. "So instead of talking shit, you could hurry up with the food!"
I knew that the drug made him so restless and aggressive, yet, him treating me like that hurt. I quickly turned away and hurried to finish the sandwich I'd been working on for Ice. I made two and gave it to him. He devoured them in record time and looked at me expectantly.
"More!"
I made two more sandwiches and he devoured them just as fast. At least he seemed to be full afterwards. He turned away without a word and ran circles in the living room. Now and then he cursed or clenched his fists.
"How long is this shit going to last?" He asked angrily, giving me a scowl that scared me.
"A few hours!"
"FUCK!" He shouted and I jumped. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"
I didn’t know what to do or where to go. I stood in the open kitchen and watched as Ice made his rounds and seemed to get more and more agitated. I really hoped he wouldn’t hurt me because I didn’t stand the slightest chance against a man like him.
ICE
This anger I felt was scary. I tried to control myself, but it was very difficult. I felt as if my own skin was too small for me. I felt like I would explode at any moment. The worst thing: I was also horny. I wanted to grab Miriam and fuck her until I ran out of oxygen, but I knew she would never survive it. I was aware that I had already hurt her enough with just my words, but I couldn’t help it. These hateful words just came out of me. I hated myself. That wasn’t me! Cursing, I clenched my fists. I turned my head and saw Miriam standing in the kitchen. She avoided my gaze. One part of me felt guilty for the anxious expression on her face, the other part wanted to go to her and grab her. Fuck her! My cock throbbed painfully. I shook my head and roared. I didn’t want to be like this! I didn’t want to hurt her! I had to get this under control.
"Go!" I shouted at her. "Go and lock the door from the outside with the lock. Come back in a few hours!"
"Ice?" She looked at me, confused and undecided. "I ... I don’t want to leave you alone."
I snarled and showed her my fangs.
"GO!" I roared and she sobbed.
Panic was written in her eyes and I condemned myself. But I had to make her realize how dangerous I was. She had to lock me up!
"GO!"
She ran from the kitchen to the door, opened the bold and reached for the chain with the lock, which hung on a hook, then threw a last desperate look at me and fled the apartment to slam the door behind her. I heard the rustling of the chain as she locked the door from the outside. I took a relieved breath. She was out of danger!
Chapter 4
Miriam
I sobbed as I locked the chain with the lock. Ice had acted really mean. I knew he couldn’t help it. He’d had enough control to send me away, so he wouldn’t hurt me. Still, to see him like that had scared the shit out of me. What if he did something to himself in this condition? The thought startled me, and I hesitated. Maybe I should go back to him, making sure he was all right. But then I heard him roar and decided against it. At the moment he was unpredictable and dangerous. If he did something to me in this state, he would hate himself when he could think and act clearly again.
It occurred to me that he had nothing to change and decided to use the time to get some things for him. So I turned away from the door and ran down the stairs. The house was quiet. I had no idea if anyone else lived in the other apartments. I left the building and walked the streets. I had an idea where I wanted to go, but first I had to get out of this neighborhood.
After a while I had the feeling that someone was following me. I didn’t dare to turn around, but I kept hearing footsteps behind me no matter where I turned. All the alleys were almost deserted and so it was unusual that I could not get rid of the steps. An uneasy feeling crept up on me.
Damn! I cursed silently. You should have stayed on the main roads. But no! You have to risk your damn life just because you want to take a shortcut! Fuck!
When the footsteps ceased, I gasped in relief. Apparently I was wrong about my stalker. I turned around carefully and could not see anyone following me. I turned into another alley and quickened my pace. I didn’t want to risk my luck, and hurried that I got out of here. When I turned yet into another alley, a big guy suddenly appeared in front of me. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked up at a giant. He was almost as tall as Ice and as wide. His cat eyes were clearly visible, for he wore no sunglasses. Another Alien Breed! He smirked and my heart skipped a beat. This was the other killer! He had to be! I gave a panicked scream and ran back in the direction I had come from. I
heard him come after me and knew that I would not make it.
"Help!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, but had little hope that anyone would help me in this neighborhood.
Big hands grabbed me by my arms, and I was brutally stopped and crushed against a hard body. I screamed, but a big hand stifled my cry for help. Another hand closed around my throat and squeezed. My heart was racing frantically. I tried to fight back, but the iron grip cut of the oxygen and I felt the air getting thinner and thinner. My lungs burned and I felt dizzy. Spots danced before my eyes as the lack of oxygen became more and more serious. I would die! And Ice wouldn’t even know what had happened to me. Where I was. What would he think if I didn’t return to him? What would he do? Then I remembered that he couldn’t even leave the apartment! I had locked it! He was trapped if I didn’t come back. God, no! That couldn’t happen! I fought against the darkness, but I lost!
ICE
The anger and excess energy slowly faded away and felt relieved. I had no idea how long I had been running amok in the little apartment. A little longer, and I would have kicked in the damn door. I couldn’t say if I would have succeeded, but the urge to do it had been strong. I was glad that Miriam was safe, though. When I finally calmed down, I sat down on the couch and waited. Time passed. How long had Miriam been gone? I looked at Miriam's cell phone, which she had forgotten on the table. It was almost half past eight in the evening. It was already getting dark outside. Worried, I got up and started walking back and forth again. What if something happened to her? I had sent her away so that I wouldn’t harm her, and hadn’t thought about the possible danger for her out there. I couldn’t even go looking for her because I was locked up in here.