by T. L. Martin
“Let him burn, for all I care,” she seethed, absentmindedly stacking the dishes. “Give him a taste of his own medicine.”
Abruptly stopping what she was doing, she closed her eyes and inhaled sharply before disappearing behind the bathroom door.
Pixie glanced at me with mixed expressions on her face. “He’ll be okay,” she finally stated. “I’m pretty sure this is kind of, like, his thing.”
I nodded my head toward the bathroom. “And Quinn?”
“She’s a tough girl,” Pixie answered, though I thought I saw uncertainty in her eyes.
Seconds later, Quinn reappeared. Her shoulders were pulled back and fresh determination was on her face. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Go?” I repeated, sneaking a quick look outside for Desmond.
Quinn didn’t seem to notice, or care for, my hesitation. She tossed a ring full of keys to Pixie, who beamed in understanding. “Go ahead and lock up. I want both of us with her until Desmond gets back, just in case.” She paused and glanced over at me. “Mind if we walk you home?”
“Um, no,” I answered, shaking my head at myself for my hesitation. I must have grown more used to Desmond’s company than I had realized. “Of course not.”
“Good.”
Pixie had finished counting down the register and retrieved her purse and jacket from the closet. We all exited together, with Pixie last to lock the door, and they placed themselves on either side of me. I took a step forward to lead the way to my house when Quinn’s arm held me back.
“Wait,” she whispered. “I don’t see them.”
I scanned the street, relieved to see the suspicious vampires’ absence. Desmond must have scared them off. “That’s good, right? They left?”
“Not necessarily,” she muttered.
“We can always take the back alleys to stay out of sight, just to be safe,” Pixie suggested. “At least until we need to use the main roads.”
Quinn nodded in agreement, and we all changed course, crossing the street and sliding through a narrow path that hid between the shops. We had barely made it five steps before we spotted them, and Quinn yanked me and Pixie both down for cover behind a dumpster. I took advantage of the small gap between the wall and the dumpster, peeking in between to observe the turmoil.
Desmond’s back was to us, and he had one of the vampires, the male, pinned to the wall with one hand. His foot dug into the female’s neck who laid helplessly on the ground.
Surprising me further, they were not alone. A young guy dressed entirely in black was kneeled beside Desmond with his hands thrown up in surrender, and a fair-haired girl was sprawled out, apparently unconscious, beside him. Humans. I recognized the girl from the group of tourists the male vampire had been eying. A spiked collar was snapped around the kneeling guy’s neck, and his face appeared to be powdered with enough makeup to match the others’ pale complexions.
Pixie’s body was shaking slightly beside me, and I placed a hand over hers in an effort to help calm her. Quinn, on the other hand, looked furious, like it was taking every ounce of her willpower to refrain from interfering.
I couldn’t make out what Desmond was saying, but he appeared to be interrogating the vampires. The male, who was groaning profanities between his teeth, yelped as Desmond crushed him further with a simple gesture of his hand, and the female looked like she was about to lose consciousness. The crunch of a bone breaking from Desmond’s touch on the male vampire made me look away, and my attention strayed back to the guy kneeling down.
Something wasn’t right.
I squinted. The guy’s eyes, they were wild, and his lips were crimson, the color of...oh, God. I glanced back down at the motionless human girl laying on the ground, and I could see the blood streaming down her neck. I felt something in my stomach rise up to my throat and clutched my mouth shut with a hand, silently praying it was, somehow, not as it looked.
Suddenly, the human withdrew a wooden stake from his coat pocket, and he lunged forcibly toward Desmond’s side. I was just about to shout a warning, when Desmond swiftly snapped around and stole the weapon from the guy’s sweaty palms, crushing it beneath his foot.
The male vampire fell to the ground at his unexpected release, grasping at his freed neck before abandoning the others all together and scurrying away down the alley. I didn’t doubt Desmond was aware of the creature escaping, but his attention had now been effectively diverted to the human. He let out a low, simmering growl, and the guy stumbled, falling onto his back.
It wasn’t until that moment that I saw Desmond’s teeth, fangs and all. The terrifyingly perilous look in his eyes matched that of the night of my attack, but it had been different then, glimpsing it in the darkness through my blurred vision. Now, with me fully aware, and him with his vampiric state utterly bared before sundown...I shuddered, slinking back a step.
Desmond yanked the guy by his arm, hard enough for the human to cry out in pain, and shoved his face in front of the bloody girl.
“Look at her!” Desmond snarled.
I expected for the guy to try and look away or at least show some small sign of remorse. But instead, his thin lips turned up in a slow and slimy grin. I wanted to beat him myself, but Desmond was first to react.
The guy’s neck was caught between Desmond’s teeth before anyone had time to think, and the miscreant clawed at him in painful desperation. But it was no use. Desmond’s stance didn’t waver in the slightest, his actions vividly fueled by an anger of the fiercest nature. It wasn’t long before the human’s arms began to drop, falling limply at his sides. But Desmond didn’t stop there. He had lost it, ravaging into the dangling body with everything he had, and I watched as the excess blood trickled slowly to the ground.
I didn’t notice the shocked sound that had escaped through my lips until Desmond froze, forcing himself to stop. His eyes shifted past the slight opening in our hiding spot and straight to me. Pixie wasn’t the only one shaking now, and I held my breath as his ever-hungry eyes stayed locked on mine between the shadows.
Suddenly, he was gone, the guy’s body dropping lifelessly to the ground with a soft thud.
CHAPTER EIGHT: CLEVER TRICKS
I waited a moment for my heart to slow down before finally looking at the others. Pixie’s face was white, and her eyes were glazed as she stared distantly at the bodies sprawled out before us.
“Should we...move them...or something?” she stammered.
Quinn, her face stoic, shook her head. “It’s not up to us to clean up after him.” She stood up, brushing herself off. She was trying to steady her hands, but I saw the quiver before she succeeded. “Besides, he’ll come back. He only left ‘cause he saw us.”
I stood next, offering Pixie my hand. She took it, pulling herself up, but didn’t let go. We departed from the alley the way we came and walked in silence the entire way home. The rain had begun to fall from the dark sky by the time we’d arrived, and I ushered them inside before me so they could dry off. I made sure to lock both bolts on the door.
“Hey,” Pixie said suddenly, turning back to face me. “Would it be totally out of place for me to ask to stay over tonight? It’s just, it’s getting late already and–”
“Of course you can stay,” I answered, and her shoulders relaxed. I glanced over at Quinn, who had instantly noticed my kickboxing equipment and picked up one of my gloves for inspection. “Both of you, if you want.”
Quinn looked over at me, nodding her head. “I think we’re going to have to,” she murmured.
I furrowed my brow, and she shrugged, wandering over to my collection of fantasy novels below the coffee table.
Though I knew he wasn’t there, I peered outside through the window. I couldn’t feel him at all. Would he come back? Did I even want him to come back after that? The image of his deadly fangs and haunting eyes still burned into my mind. Then again, if I was being honest with myself, what was I expecting? Butterflies and rainbows? He was a vampire, after all.
“What was that?” I
asked suddenly. “That guy—he was human…but what he did...the girl…”
Pixie and Quinn exchanged glances, and it was Quinn who answered.
“There are humans who call themselves ‘real-life vampires’ who feed only on willing donors. And then there are humans like that guy. They know actual vampires exist, and they want more. They think if they can prove themselves ‘worthy’,” she rolled her eyes in disgust before continuing, “then a vampire will turn them.”
I suppressed another upheaval, unable to believe my ears.
“Most vampires love it, of course,” Quinn added. “Even egg them on. They never turn them, though.”
Pixie squinted her eyes as though in thought. “He kinda seemed to know that, too...bringing a stake just in case.”
“Sick bastards like him make me hope there really is a hell,” Quinn seethed before wandering over to the photo display.
I stood there numbly for a moment until the sound of Quinn shaking off her wet jacket brought me back.
My hair and clothes were still damp and uncomfortable, and I realized theirs must be, too. “You guys can borrow my clothes if you want. My room is just upstairs, and there’s a shower up there too.”
“Ugh,” Pixie groaned. She had ventured into the kitchen and was squeezing the excess water from her tendrils, leaning over the sink. “That would be awesome. Thank you.”
She trotted up the stairs, disappearing into the narrow hall. Quinn, who had been flipping through the pages of a novel I couldn’t see the title of, rose to her feet.
“Hey,” she muttered, shifting her gaze awkwardly before she spoke. “I know I’m not always...I don’t know. Miss Suzy Sunshine, or whatever,” she continued, “but I also know that all of this, everything, has to be a lot to take in. Especially after tonight.” I shuddered at the recollection alone. “So if you need someone to talk to...” Her voice trailed off, her expression still shielded.
“Okay,” I replied. “Thanks.”
She turned and headed slowly up the stairs, while I stayed in place, still in shock over everything that had happened this past week.
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t yet lost what little sanity I had left. I closed my eyes, breathing in through my nose, out through my mouth. I couldn’t think about it all. For if I did, if I allowed all the details to trickle back into my thoughts, I was afraid I might break completely.
“You coming up to change, Charlie?” Pixie’s voice echoed down the stairs, and I opened my eyes.
“Yeah, be right there.” I headed toward her, robotically placing one foot in front of the other.
I could hear the water running from my bathroom’s shower when I approached them. Pixie appeared to have already showered, and she sat on my bed with the remote control, flipping through channels on the old TV that I never used. The shorts she had selected fit her just right, but the tank top was a lot more revealing on her full chest than it was on my smaller frame.
“Aha,” she announced, setting the remote aside as the theme song for The Office softly filled the room. “Jim and Michael always know how to lighten the mood.”
I smiled faintly, despite having no grasp of the reference, with a rush of emotion hitting me as I realized how grateful I was to not have to be alone tonight. For the first time in my life, I had actual company. Maybe even friends. And now was a time where I so desperately needed them. I stepped into my closet and selected a comfortable pair of pants and a t-shirt, glad to be parting with my damp clothes. Rummaging through my stuff, I found an extra blanket and a couple of pillows just as I heard the bathroom faucet shut off.
“It’s in the jello, Dwight!” Pixie shouted at the TV.
I chuckled, and Pixie glanced over at me with a proud grin stretched across her face. “I’m still not sure if it’s impressive or sad that I know this show so well.”
“Definitely sad,” Quinn piped in as she exited from the steaming bathroom. She had already dressed in loose pants and a top and was towel drying her black hair. “So did they show the damn stapler in the jello yet?” she asked, her eyes turning serious as she inspected the screen for an answer.
I didn’t bother to hide my surprise at her own knowledge of the show, and Quinn spotted my expression immediately.
“So I’m sad, too,” she offered with an innocent shrug.
She settled in beside Pixie, and I spread the additional comforter over the floor in front of them before sitting myself onto it, leaning back against the extra pillows I’d pushed against the foot of the bed. I heard a plop beside me, and Pixie was quickly situating herself to my left. Seconds later, Quinn had snuck in on my right, tucking me into the middle. They said nothing, resting their heads back comfortably. And I relaxed a little.
I knew what they were doing. Acting as though we hadn’t just witnessed something gruesome and petrifying, if for nothing more than my sake—or, maybe, their own. But I didn’t mind. In fact, I was glad for it. Their occasional banter faded into the background, drowned out by my endless thoughts as my eyes drifted into the darkness.
I awoke to find Pixie snoring softly beside me. Quinn’s spot was empty, and I stumbled into a standing position. What time was it? I found my way to the cell phone on my nightstand. One in the morning. I felt like I had been sleeping for hours. I must have passed out super early.
Tiptoeing out of the bedroom, I was careful not to wake Pixie. The staircase was dark, and I was careful in following the dim light coming from the living room. Quinn was standing by the small lit lamp by the front window, staring at the midnight stars.
“Hey,” I whispered, and she jumped slightly, turning a head over her shoulder toward me.
“Hey,” she mumbled back. “You should be sleeping.”
“So should you.”
She inhaled a deep breath, remaining quiet for a moment as she turned back to face the dark sky once again. “Can’t sleep.”
I walked up beside her, resting my hip on the window ledge. I could see why she was so mesmerized by the transfixing view. It was dark, yes, but subtle streaks of grays and blues seeped through between the blackness, illuminated further by the tiny specks of stars endlessly scattered across the mysterious skies.
“What do you think happens when we die?” Quinn whispered.
Well, I definitely wasn’t expecting that.
I chewed the inside of my lip, thinking vaguely of my parents. “I don’t know. I guess I try not to think about it.”
“Hmm,” Quinn murmured. “I mean, once you get past the in-between, you have to go somewhere, right?” She was speaking to me, but in a way, it sounded as though she was thinking aloud more than anything, and I just happened to be there to hear it. “Or maybe not. Maybe, save for a few lucky witches, the end really is the end...and that’s just it. Poof.”
I wasn’t awake enough for this conversation.
“Oh, I used some of your coffee,” she said suddenly, indicating a mug in her right hand. “Hope you don’t mind.”
“Coffee...” I mumbled. “Good idea.”
I headed into the kitchen and warmed up Quinn’s leftovers, wondering all the while what in the world was bothering her. It couldn’t just be tonight’s events affecting her so; this was the same look I had noticed earlier at Washed Ashore. And surely she wasn’t as distressed as I was over me being the Opal. Then again, maybe she was always like this. It wasn’t like I knew her that well—though I doubted whether anyone truly did.
Making my way into the living room once more, I settled into the recliner beside her. Quinn’s attention had already found its way back to the stars, while mine, to my dismay, returned to Desmond. He was out there, somewhere. Alone, to be sure. It frustrated me, not being able to make sense of him. I had never thought a vampire could be complex, yet this one appeared to define the word. And Quinn. Her severe distaste for him, strong enough to practically feel it erupting through her...a hatred like this could only be personal.
“Can I ask you something?” I whispered into the otherwise sil
ent space.
“Hmm?” she asked distantly, her attention unbroken.
“What happened between you and Desmond?”
Quinn’s body grew rigid. When she turned and looked down at me, her expression was solemn. Her eyes were studying me, as though trying to decide if she should answer or not.
“Please,” I urged quietly, before she could make up her mind. “I’m only going to be around him more, and after what I saw tonight...”
After a moment, she strolled over the sofa and sank heavily into it.
“Do you remember the Grants Pass wildfires back in 2013?” she finally asked.
“Of course. Mostly just from what I saw on the news, though,” I replied, taking a slow sip of my coffee. “One of the worst wildfires since Tillamook, right?”
“That’s the one. Well, while the news would have you believe the fires were caused by the lightning and the drought...I can promise you, they weren’t.”
“What was it, then?”
“Just another childish feud the vampires instigated, of course,” she answered, brusquely. “The temperamental and selfish creatures taunted some witches until things went too far.”
Quinn paused, removing a golden chain I’d never noticed before from around her neck. She opened up the round locket hanging at the bottom and handed it over to me. The picture on the left was of a good-looking boy, maybe around eighteen or nineteen years old. He had smooth copper hair and wore a playful kind of smile. The other picture showed a girl around the same age, her shoulder length, blonde hair blowing in the wind as she peeked over her shoulder and shot a carefree grin at the camera.
“Who are they?” I asked, glancing back up at her.
Quinn smiled sadly. “Gavin Sherman and Imogen Taylor. Two of my best friends since childhood. Gavin was also my boyfriend.”
“Was?” I repeated, glancing down at the ring she traced with a finger.
“Yup. For five years. He gave me this promise ring after only two months, though,” she said, letting out a small laugh that didn’t meet her eyes. She sat there, quiet, staring into the images, and I wondered if she was going to continue or not.