“Well, this is private property, and you ain’t supposed to be here.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I must have walked further than I thought.”
“Well, it’s okay, I guess,” he looked at me for a second then pointed down the beach. “Just don’t go any further south, it ain’t safe.”
“I’m not trying to be a pain,” I said looking in the direction he had pointed. “But may I ask what’s so bad about going south?”
“It just ain’t safe, is all,” he replied staring at me for a few seconds. “A few folks have come up missing in the past few years. Pa says they have some kind of devil cult.”
So, south it is, I told myself.
“Well, thanks for the information,” I said with a closed smile. “Lucky you were here to let me know.”
“You’re mighty welcome, but you better be moving on, ma’am,” he said with a bow of his head.
I thanked the young man again, and then headed north. He watched me for several feet, then turned and walked back the way he came. When I was certain he was out of sight, I jetted back down to the water, and began to swim in the opposite direction. I stayed just far enough offshore to remain unseen, but close enough where I could see the land clearly. I swam a few miles before anything came into view, but suddenly there it was. The house looked just as it had in August. All the lights were on, and I could see movement inside.
“Great, now what am I supposed to do?” I asked myself aloud.
I swam as close to the bank as I dared, to get a closer look. I couldn’t make much out, as I was swept further and further up on the beach with each wave that hit me. Before long, I laid half in the sand, and half in the water, hoping like mad that if anyone saw me, they would just think I was a giant piece of driftwood.
I lay there a few more minutes, just to make sure that the only movement I could see was inside the house, and not out here. When I was as sure as I was going to get, I made my way, in an awkward style of a combat-crawl, to the small embankment where the wooden steps led up to the house. I stayed close to the steps, climbing up the sandy earth, slipping more than once on the long, thick patches of grass that poked through here and there.
I listened closely, and just when I thought it was safe to peek over the steps, someone that I hadn’t even known was there coughed. I threw myself as far under the stairs as possible, praying silently that I hadn’t been seen. My heart had jumped into my throat, and it took me several swallows to coax it back down. I wasn’t sure how many had come out of the house, or how many of them there were period. The only thing I was positive about was that they were normals, because I could smell it.
“Come on Ernie, give me a hand, and hurry it up, will ya? The sooner we’re out of here, the better,” I heard a man yell from somewhere close to the house.
“Yeah, yeah,” said the man that stood not five feet from me.
He flicked a cigarette over the railing, and it landed mere inches from where I lie. I heard his footsteps fade as he got farther from me. When I was pretty certain he was gone, I continued the rest of the way up the side of the steps. I reached the top of the slope, and cautiously raised my head to search the area.
The front door was open, and there was an old truck parked in front of the house, loaded down with boxes. Two men stepped out the front door, carrying a large wooden box between them.
“This is the last one,” one said to the other. “Couldn’t be soon enough, either, this place creeps me out.”
“This place? Man, I’m just glad those people didn’t stay the whole time. They scared me pea green,” the other man said with a shudder.
“Yeah, me too, least they ain’t coming back til the summer.”
“Makes no difference to me if they come back next summer, or tomorrow, ‘cause I ain’t never stepping foot back in these parts again.”
The other man laughed a little, but it was obvious that he had the same thoughts himself. They heaved the box into the back of the truck, and when finished, the larger of the two patted the smaller man on the back.
“Well, that’s that,” he said with a smile. “Now, go on and fetch Ernie. Be sure and lock up on yer way out. I’ll start the truck.”
The little man didn’t seem too happy about it, but he did as he was told. He disappeared into the house, and after a few minutes, reappeared with Ernie trailing close behind. They locked the door, piled themselves into the pickup, and drove away.
I stood slowly, still unsure of what to do. I walked up to the side of the house, and opened every sense I had. I strained my ears, but couldn’t make out anything other than the sounds of the ocean. I sniffed the air, much like a bloodhound would do when following a trail, and still nothing but the lingering smell of normals. My eyes played along the house, searching windows for any possible stragglers, but I saw nothing. I knew that no one was around, none of my kind, nor my previous breed. Yet I couldn’t convince my feet to move. The fear that welled up inside me kept me from trusting even my own senses.
Could it really be this easy? The house being empty until summer just seemed too good to be true. As far as I could tell, I was safe, but nevertheless, I was scared out of my wits. It didn’t stop me from standing there coming up with several different forms of what ifs.
What if they found out that I was missing? What if Rebecca and her goons are in there right now, waiting to surprise me when I go in?
“What will I do if they are?” I said aloud. Either way, I had to find shelter. The sun was going to rise, and I could take my chances inside, or stand out here and fry. “I have my knife, and if I can kill with it once, I can do it again,” I tried to convince myself. I thought back to the look of horror on Capie’s face, the way he stared in disbelief at what stood at his back. I took a man’s life tonight, and I didn’t feel one ounce of guilt. In my book, he was just as responsible for what has been happening in Cuba, as the people that orchestrated it. It was people like Capie that has kept their sick little business going for the past few hundred years, and anyone involved, our kind or not, needed to die for what they’ve done.
I was knocked out of my thoughts by the sound of laughter. It was the sound of children, or at the very oldest, teens, echoing through the silence. They were walking toward the house, coming up the road from the south.
“That one looks empty,” a young man said. “We could sleep there, maybe find some food. What ya think, huh, Brandon?”
“Yeah, I’m cold and I’m tired. Please, Brandon, we need to stop,” this coming from a young woman.
Poor things, I thought to myself. Probably orphans, maybe runaways. Then an idea came to me. Maybe I could trick them into going into the house first. That way, if someone was in there waiting for me, the kids would find out first then just run off, then I would be able to get away and find another form of shelter.
I crept quietly beside the house, and stopped at the edge to peek around the corner. There they were, not twenty feet from the house, three boys, and one girl. They’re just a bunch of ragged youngens, I thought to myself.
“I know ya’ll are tired, so am I, but what if they’re just gone for a few hours?” this coming from the boy they called Brandon. He was the smallest of the bunch, but he had an air about him of being the one in control. “Look, we can’t get caught. They’ll send us to different places, Ashley.” He walked around the other two boys and put his hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be okay. We’ll make camp soon, I promise.”
They continued walking, and I knew that if I was going to get their help, now was my chance.
Chapter 21
I smoothed down the front of my shirt, pulled my hair back, and stepped out around the house. “Holy moly,” I yelped, doing my best impression of someone that had been startled. “Y’all scared me so bad I almost peed myself.” I started laughing, in hopes that they wouldn’t run off. Almost simultaneously, they turned and started back down the way they came. “Wait,” I hollered. “I mean, I need some help. I locked myself out.” I
t was no use, they continued on without as much as a backward glance. “Please… I’ll pay ya.” That stopped them dead in their tracks. I let out a sigh of relief.
Slowly they turned, and started back my way.
“Oh, hey, thank you, I didn’t mean to step out like that,” I said, hoping that my acting looked better than it sounded. “I’m sorry if I scared y’all.”
As they got closer, I noticed that the tallest boy had something in his hand. It was some type of blade, like that of an army sword, but I pretended not to notice.
“You said you’d pay us?” the tall one asked, “To do what?”
“Well, don’t laugh, but I went out for a walk on the beach, and forgot my house key, so now I’m locked out,” I told him.
“So, you want us to break into your house, and you’ll pay us for it?” Bo asked looking at the boy next to Ashley. They looked at each other, and began to laugh, so I joined in.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I could really use the help. I’ll understand if y’all are in a hurry...”
“No, we can help,” Ashley interrupted. “But if we do, can we sleep, maybe in your garage or something, just for a day, maybe two?”
My heart fell to pieces looking into her hazel eyes. She was a very beautiful young girl, with almond skin, and dark brown, single-length hair that fell just below her shoulders. She had a small frame like me and just a bit shorter.
“No, you can’t sleep in my garage, but you can take a room in the house,” I said walking closer. “I’m Renee... Lebrun.” The name exited my lips without too much thought. After all, Renee Crocker was dead, and what better name to take than that of my maker. “What do you say, want to help?”
I knew it would be best if I made it seem like they held all the cards. Little did they know that I needed them as bait. Who knows? I thought to myself. I may need them later as well. After a few minutes of talking amongst themselves, they agreed.
“Sure, we’ll help you,” said the tall one with the blade. “If you let us sleep here, are you still gonna pay us?”
“Of course,” I said. “Can I ask your names?”
“I’m Bo,” he said, then motioned to the other three. “That’s Ashley and Derek, and that’s Brandon.”
“It’s a pleasure,” I said. I turned and started walking to the front door. “What do you say we get out of this chilly night air?”
Derek was the first to join me at the front door. “I may be the youngest, but at least I’m taller than my brother,” he said, gesturing toward Brandon with a grin on his face.
“Yes, you’re even taller than me,” I said, smiling back.
“I’m strong, too, and I fish better than the rest.” I could already tell he was going to be my handful, but it was great, he reminded me a lot of my own brothers and it felt good to see smiling faces for a change.
When the others got to the door, Bo took out a small wire and a little blade. I must have been staring, because he looked at me and smirked, “Don’t look surprised, I’ve done this before.”
“I can see that,” I said, with a little smirk of my own.
He squatted in front of the door, and began working on the lock. Within seconds, it popped open.
“Very nice,” I said. “You’re going to have to teach me that one day.”
“One day?” he asked. “Are you saying we get to stay longer than a night?”
“Sure... if you want to that is.”
They all looked at each other, then at Brandon, as if for approval. “Why would you do something like that, you don’t even know us,” he said.
“That’s true, but you helped me. Besides, where else do you have to go?” I waited, and then said, “Well, want to come in?”
“Oh yeah, a soft bed,” Derek quickly replied. “I ain’t passing it up.” Then he started walking through the door.
The rest followed one by one. I trailed behind, because in the back of my mind, I was still expecting Rebecca and her goons to pop out at any second. I hung back while the four children darted in to start exploring the dark house. The one place that I needed them look was the basement, because that was the one place that I was really worried about. I would have no choice but to go in the basement at daybreak and the others of my kind knew that. Suddenly, I had an idea that just might work.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving,” I said. “I have some supplies in the basement.”
“Why put kitchen stuff in the basement? Why not just put it in the kitchen?” Bo asked suspiciously.
“I’ve only been back for a few days, and I haven’t had a chance to get things in order,” I replied quickly. “The delivery men were told to put my things in the basement to keep it from being seen by the prying eyes of anyone that might look in the windows.”
He seemed satisfied with the answer, because he really had no more right to ask me the question, than I had lying in the first place. I went to the side of the room, and found the light switch and when I turned around each one of them was staring at me, as if stunned at the light coming on. I cleared my throat. “Most homes have electricity now,” assuming that was why they all looked so surprised. “Didn’t y’all know that?”
No one spoke at first, but then Brandon came walking up a little closer. “It’s not that,” he said, mesmerized. “It’s your face... and your eyes. Your eyes are...are...” It wasn’t so much that I had forgotten that I was different than the four, it just hadn’t crossed my mind that I looked like the walking dead, that much I forgot. How in the Sam hell was I going to get out of this one?
“I know,” I started. “I’m somewhat different...”
“Somewhat?” Derek broke in. “I think it’s cool, I wish I looked like that. I would scare the shit out of people.”
“Derek!” Brandon reprimanded. “Shut up, that’s rude. She can’t help how she looks any more than you can.”
“Hey,” Derek said, furrowing his brow. “What’s wrong with my looks?” At that, everyone started laughing including me.
“Oh my goodness,” Ashley exclaimed staring, wide-eyed, at my mouth. She had just seen my fangs.
“I can explain, please don’t be afraid,” I said, holding my hands out in front of me.
“I’m not scared,” she replied. “I‘ve never seen teeth like yours before, you have a beautiful smile.”
“Were you born with those?” Bo asked.
“Well, dumb ass, of course she was,” Brandon told him.
I was really starting to like this kid. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t fond of them all, but Brandon and Ashley took people as they were, and that was a trait that I admired.
“Let’s get those supplies up here, I’m starving,” said Derek.
“You’re always hungry,” Ashley teased, bumping him with her elbow. “So, where’s the basement door?”
“Down the hall to the right,” I said, pointing in the direction.
“Ain’t you coming with us?” Bo asked with his usual suspicious manner.
“Sure, I’m right behind you,” I said. “Shall we?”
Bo got there first. He reached out and wiggled the knob, but it wouldn’t budge. “Seems to be locked,” he said. “You got the key?”
“Somewhere,” I said, pretending to check my pockets. “But you could probably unlock the door faster than I could find it.”
“Sure, it’s your house.”
He began working on the lock. When I heard it click, my heart jumped into my throat, feeling like it was close to bursting. “Wait, I’ll go first,” I said, stepping up to Bo. I just couldn’t go through with it. These kids had it hard enough without the danger I was offering. This was my problem, and if anyone was waiting down there, I would deal with it. Bo did a little bow, “Ladies first.” I slowly began descending the stairs, reaching out with every sense that I had. To my surprise, I felt absolutely nothing. Could it be true? No traps? When we reached the bottom, I saw that my senses were right. It was empty. I let out a breath that I didn’t even k
now I was holding.
“Where, to now?” Bo asked. It was only then that I realized that I only knew one room down here.
“Well, I’m not real sure,” I said. “I had my supplies delivered before I arrived, and I don’t know exactly where they put them. I guess we’ll just have to search the place.”
“Okay, let’s spread out,” Brandon said. “Ashley, you come with me.”
“Why?” she argued. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Fine have it your way,” he said as he took off for the south hall.
“Wait,” she said, running to catch up. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to be alone down here.” I could hear him chuckle a little as they moved away.
Bo and Derek turned to me. “Guess we’ll be taking care of you,” Bo said. It was a sweet gesture, and I even felt myself blush a bit.
“I would be honored to have you both at my side,” I said with a smile.
“No offense, but I’ll go first,” Bo said.
“And I’ll watch our backs,” said Derek.
I was proud that they were willing to take care of me, despite my looks, and even more than that, I was amazed at their chivalry. What would they think if they found out the truth about me? I wasn’t that anxious to find out, and for now, I was keeping it to myself.
We went from room to room, but all we found were normal bedrooms that lacked one thing: windows. They didn’t seem to notice, so I didn’t bother to mention it. We made our way back the way we came, and ran into Brandon and Ashley.
“Nothing this way except two bathrooms, and four bedrooms,” Brandon said.
“Yeah, some with real nice dresses in ‘em,” Ashley smiled.
“Nothing this way either.” Bo added.
“Well, I just don’t know where else to look,” I said, trying to sound perturbed. “They should have had it here by now.”
I stood there for a few minutes, with my hands on my hips, as if deep in thought as to where my supplies could have gone, while the kids joked and laughed with one another. What I was really thinking was how I was going to handle the approaching dawn. I wasn’t ready to tell these kids my secret, but I knew I had to do something. First things first, I told myself. Just do your best to hurry the little ones back upstairs, and handle it from there.
Living in Darkness (Bloodbreeders) Page 19