Winter Thirst

by Ilia Bera

  On the stretched was Wade Fenner. His body was soaked in his own blood, and there was a large bite wound on his neck. He looked dead—completely unconscious. Nothing the frantic medical team could do would bring him back to consciousness.

  “Stay with us, Mr. Fenner!” the doctor yelled. “There’s some serious internal bleeding in the throat. We’re going to need a tracheostomy, stat!”

  Connor watched as the frantic caravan whipped around the corner and out of sight, leaving a trail of the dying teacher’s blood behind.

  Connor stood frozen in shock, unsure of how to react. He felt a heavy lump grow in his throat as his heart sunk into his stomach. “What could Wade have done to deserve this?” Connor wondered.

  “Please!” a female voice cried from the hospital’s reception. “I need to see him! Let me see him!”

  Connor apprehensively began to walk towards the source of the crying woman. He walked around the corner and saw her—

  Laura Fenner was screaming, being held back by two male nurses. She was trying to push past to see her dying husband, who was rushed to the operating room.

  “Mrs. Fenner—Please. You can’t go into the operating ward. The doctors can do their job better without distraction!”

  “Let me see my husband!” she cried.

  The nurses continued to fight the crying wife. Wade’s blood was all over the floor from his frantic entrance.

  Connor looked at Laura, eyes wide. Until now, the whole ‘Vampire Murders’ had just been news headlines. Now, they seemed so real—so close to home. The victims were real people—with families, friends, jobs—lives.

  Laura broke free from the male nurses and began to run down the hallway, screaming and crying. She didn’t get far before she was caught and held back again.

  Connor had completely forgotten why he’d left his chair. He hadn’t even noticed that he’d dropped his handful of change somewhere on the hospital floor.

  He looked around in a tired, shocked and confused state. Standing by the door was a young toddler. She was only three years old, wearing a baggy pyjama onesie. In her hands was a stuffed bunny, which she held tightly to her little body.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  lily

  In the all of the frantic hustle and bustle, the little daughter of Wade and Laura Fenner had become invisible. Nurses rushed past her, her mother was having a breakdown and her father was dead. She was too young to understand what was happening, so instead, she just stood scared, cold and confused.

  Connor too was scared and confused, unsure of what to do. So he did the only thing that made sense to him. He walked over to the innocent young girl..

  “What’s your name?” Connor asked.

  The girl looked up at Connor. Her pupils were dilated and her face was blue with cold.

  “Lily,” the girl replied.

  “That’s a pretty name,” Connor said.

  “Thanks.”

  “Why don’t you step away from that cold door?”

  Connor reached out his hand. Lily took it gently and the two walked away from the screaming and crying madness.

  “Where did they take my daddy?” Lily asked.

  Connor stared into the girl’s eyes. “I’m sorry—I’m not sure.”

  “Oh.”

  “What do you want to be when you grow up, Lily?”

  “I want to be a bunny rabbit.”

  “A bunny rabbit?” Connor asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “You can’t be a bunny rabbit. You’re a human!” Connor said with a forced smile.

  “My dad says that I can be anything I want to be.”

  “Hm,” Connor said. “You like bunnies?”

  “I love bunnies.”

  “Do you like other animals?”

  “Yes.”

  “What other animals do you like?”

  “I like all animals. And turtles.”

  “All animals and turtles?”

  “Yeah,” Lily replied.

  “Maybe you could be a vet.”

  “What’s a vet?”

  “An animal doctor. You would get to save hurt animals.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Or you could start a shelter for homeless bunnies, and other animals and turtles.”

  “I could?”

  “You can do anything, remember?” Connor said.

  Lily smiled. “I like bunnies.”

  “I know you do. Do you have a bunny?” Connor looked over Lily’s shoulder. The doctor was breaking the bad news to Laura, who collapsed onto the floor as her body was overtaken with grief. The nurses tried to comfort her.

  “I have this bunny,” Lily said.

  “That’s a lovely bunny. What is his name?”

  “It’s a girl, and her name is Bunny.”

  “Bunny? That’s a good name for a bunny.”

  Lily smiled. “She likes carrots.”

  The front door of the hospital opened and Michael ran in. His jacket, hands and face were covered in dried blood from the biker party. He looked around frenziedly and then spotted his mother and the bloodied doctor. He ran over.

  “Carrots?” Connor said, looking back down at the little toddler. “Carrots are good.”

  “Yeah. And pizza.”

  “Pizza! Bunnies can’t eat pizza. They’ll get sick.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. Sometimes bunnies like foods that they shouldn’t eat—just like people.”

  Lily looked down at her bunny. “I’m sorry, Bunny.”

  Connor smiled at the ignorant girl’s innocence. Over her shoulder, he could see Michael trying to comfort his crying mother.

  Michael’s face was ridden with rage. He held back his tears for his family’s sake.

  “Why did that girl bite my dad?” Lily asked.

  “What?” Connor asked.

  “Why did that girl bite my dad?”

  “What girl?”

  “The girl in the alley.”

  “You saw this happen?” Connor asked.

  “Yeah. Dad was standing and a girl came and bitted him right on the neck.”

  Connor’s heart skipped a beat as his hands began to tremble.

  “Is my dad okay?” Lily asked.

  Connor’s head was spinning. He slowly looked down at the young girl. “Huh?” he said sluggishly.

  “Where’s my daddy?”

  Connor looked up, unsure of how to answer the girl. Michael stepped up and lowered himself down to his knee. “Lily,” he said.

  Lily turned around. “Michael!” she said excitedly.

  Michael hugged his little sister.

  “Where’s daddy?” Lily asked.

  Michael sighed and bit down on his tongue to suppress his emotions.

  “He had to go, Lily.”

  “Go where?”

  “I’ll explain it later, okay? Now isn’t a good time.”

  “Why are you all red?” Lily asked.

  “It’s a long story, Lily.”

  “Are we still going to build snowmen this weekend?” Lily asked.

  “I can still help you build a snowman, okay? But I have to go see mommy now, so that’s enough questions for now—alright?”

  “Okay.”

  Michael looked up at Connor, whose eyes were still wide—in shock.

  “Thanks,” Michael said.

  “No worries,” Connor replied. “Can—Can I do anything?” Connor asked.

  “Can you watch her for a minute?” Michael asked, looking back at his crying mother.

  “Sure—absolutely.”

  “Thanks, Connor,” Michael said, forcing a smile through his pain.

  Michael turned and walked back over to his mother. He was displaying an incredible amount of courage for the sake of his family.

  “Hey Lily—Why don’t you tell me more about your bunny?” Connor said, dropping back down to his knee.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  mistakes

  Brittany sat anxiously in the corner of a little caf�
� at the centre of town. The little establishment was completely desolate, except for Brittany and the young barista who was in the back, cleaning old coffee pots to make time go by quicker.

  Brittany nervously tapped her foot as she stared out the window, praying that Kane would pull up at any moment. The image of Wade’s dying body wouldn’t leave her mind. The sound of Lily’s cries continuously reverberated through her brain. She tried her best to think of anything else, but she simply could not.

  Wheeeeooooo!

  Flashing red and blue lights sped past the café window, making the whole street glow momentarily as the thick falling snowflakes illuminated against the pitch black sky.

  Brittany clenched her hand tight and began to tap her foot faster. The police were almost certainly on the hunt for Wade’s killer.

  Ring! Ring!

  Brittany quickly pulled out her phone and checked the Caller id. Her heart froze in her chest as she had to read the id a second time.

  ‘Snowbrooke Police Department’

  Brittany took a deep staggered breath as she ignored the call and placed her phone back into her pocket. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to collect herself.

  Slowly, Kane’s black Mustang rolled up against the curb outside of the café. Kane stepped out of the car and then looked towards the café, scanning the windows for Brittany. After a short moment, Kane and Brittany made eye contact, and Kane entered.

  “Hey,” Kane said as he approached Brittany’s table.

  Brittany stood up from her chair and walked towards Kane. Without warning, she opened her arms and embraced the vampire hunter.

  Kane stood confused for a moment before reciprocating. He wrapped his arms around Brittany.

  “What’s going on?” Kane asked.

  “I just don’t want to be alone tonight,” Brittany replied.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s—I don’t know. I just can’t be alone right now.”

  “It’s okay,” Kane said, moving one of his hands up to the top of Brittany’s head. Gently, he ran his fingertips through her hair.

  Brittany released her tight hug and returned to her seat. Kane pulled a chair up to her little window-side table.

  “You know that you can trust me with anything, right?”

  “I know—It’s just complicated.”

  “You aren’t in danger, are you? Did somebody do something to you?”

  “No—It’s nothing like that.”

  Kane stared into Brittany’s watering eyes.

  “I just want to help,” Kane said.

  “I know you do—and I appreciate it.”

  “It’s hard to help when I don’t know anything.”

  “I know it is. Just by being here you’re already helping.”

  Kane smiled. “This town is no good. You should move down to the city—somewhere warm. Somewhere that isn’t Snowbrooke.”

  Brittany chuckled as she wiped away her tears. “That would be nice.”

  “Why don’t you?”

  “It isn’t that easy.”

  “It never seems easy until you do it.”

  “Maybe one day,” Brittany said.

  “You would love it in the city. There’s an endless number of things to do and the beaches are amazing in the summers.”

  “Trust me when I say that I don’t need any convincing. I would love to leave this place behind forever.”

  “Why don’t you? Your family wants you to stay?”

  “No.”

  Kane thought for a moment. “Don’t want to leave behind friends?”

  “No—nothing like that.”

  “Well, it’s not school. The city has a thousand different upgrading options. Best of all, none of them are taught by Mr. Fenner,” Kane laughed.

  The image of Wade’s bleeding throat flashed through her mind once again.

  “Are you okay?” Kane asked.

  “Huh?” Brittany said, looking up at her long-haired classmate.

  “You seem spacey. Are you sure you don’t want to tell me what’s going on? I’m a great secret keeper.”

  Brittany stared at Kane for a moment, trying to build up the courage to just tell him her secret. She gently opened her lips and took a breath in. Kane waited anxiously for the words to come out of Brittany’s mouth.

  But Brittany remained silent—unable to speak.

  “Brittany?” Kane asked.

  Wheeeeooooo!

  A series of cop cars whizzed past, eliciting a sharp glance from both Kane and Brittany.

  “Can we get out of here?” Brittany asked nervously.

  “Sure,” Kane said as he stood up from his seat. “You can sleep at my place tonight—I’ll make you a bed on the couch.”

  “You don’t mind?” Brittany asked.

  “Not at all,” Kane replied. “C’mon.”

  Brittany bundled her coat tightly against her body and then followed Kane out to his Mustang.

  Kane laid the blanket from his bed down on the couch in his cold living room. He carefully straightened it and placed his pillow on the head of the couch.

  “It isn’t much,” Kane said. “But it should be comfortable.”

  “It’s more than enough,” Brittany replied as she removed her coat and hung it up on the old coat rack at the front door. “What are you going to sleep on?”

  “My bed,” Kane said.

  “But with what pillow and blanket?”

  “I don’t need a pillow—I usually end up pushing it aside anyway. And I can just sleep with my coat on. It’s warmer than a blanket.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Seriously—I don’t mind one bit. Are you sure this is enough for you?”

  Brittany smiled. “Hopefully by tomorrow morning, I’ll have pulled myself together and I’ll be out of your hair.”

  “Take your time. You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”

  “Thanks, Kane.”

  “No worries.”

  “I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t show up.”

  “Well—I’m here whenever you need me.”

  Kane smiled at Brittany.

  “But you won’t be once you leave,” Brittany pointed out.

  “No—Not unless you want to come with me,” Kane replied. “The offer is still on the table.”

  Brittany smiled. The two stood in silence for a moment as the old wooden apartment building moaned and groaned in the cold winter air.

  “Well—Good night,” Kane said, turning and walking towards his bedroom.

  “Good night,” Brittany replied.

  Brittany sat down on her temporary bed, and looked out of Kane’s living room window. The snow was beginning to die down to a light flurry. The wind had stopped almost completely, and the falling snowflakes appeared to float motionlessly in the cold early-morning air.

  Brittany checked her phone to see if Andrew had gotten any of her messages. Still, her inbox was blank.

  She tried again to message Andrew.

  “Hey—Give me a call as soon as you get this. I need to talk to you,” she wrote.

  Brittany felt that Andrew would be able to understand her problem. She genuinely believed him when he said that he would be a non-judgemental shoulder to cry on.

  TWENTY-NINE

  blood lust

  Brittany ignorantly watched the minutes pass on her silent phone while she waited to hear from Andrew.

  Red and blue flashing lights lit up the living room for a moment as a patrolling cop car slowly drove past the apartment building.

  On her phone’s call history, there were a number of missed calls from the police department. There was no doubt in Brittany’s ignorant mind that the police were on to her.

  To make matters more complicated, she still had no idea that Andrew was dead—killed in her own backyard.

  Brittany sighed, placing her phone down on the small living room table.

  “What did I do to deserve this life?” Brittany thought
to herself as she prepared to lie her body down.

  The door to Kane’s bedroom down the hallway opened, and Kane walked out. He began to walk towards the kitchenette when he noticed Brittany sitting up—still awake.

  “Sorry,” Kane said. “I was just getting a water.”

  “It’s okay,” Brittany said.

  “Can’t sleep?”

  “I’m okay.”

  Kane took a glass out from his cupboard. He hesitated before filling it. Brittany watched him closely. He seemed peculiarly calm—a master of keeping his emotions hidden. But despite his controlled temperament, he seemed distant, lost in his own busy mind.

  “You okay?” Brittany asked.

  “Yeah,” Kane said. He was struggling to maintain any kind of extended eye contact. He took a breath and looked towards Brittany. “Hey—Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Sure. What is it?” Brittany asked.

  “This whole vampire hunter thing—I know that you think it’s crazy, and I don’t blame you.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Well, I know that it’s hard to believe, and I know that it seems totally ridiculous. Trust me, I know.”

  “I believe you, Kane.”

  Kane looked at Brittany for a moment, and then started to walk over to her. “Really?” he asked.

  “It just scares me, Kane. I’m scared.”

  “They won’t hurt you as long as I’m here.”

  “I’m scared about you, Kane.”

  Kane sighed. “To be honest with you, I think I’m done. I don’t know if I can do it anymore.”

  “Really?” Brittany asked.

  Kane sighed. “Sometimes it just feels like I’m pushing a boulder up an endless hill. Every time I stop to do something for myself, the boulder rolls back to the bottom. I want to help people, but it just seems like a losing battle right now.”

  “I know how you feel.”

  “I wish you did,” Kane said.

  “I do—Trust me.”

  Kane forced a smile. “You’ve got big things that you aren’t telling me.”

  Brittany’s face went blank and her gut turned. “What do you mean?”

  “My dad only ever gave me one piece of good advice as a kid: You can always tell more about someone from what they don’t tell you than what they do.”