Olivia bared her fang at Damien in equal fury. "So you're saying that her beliefs and her choice don't matter? You're just going to shove that blood down her throat when she can't even make the decision for herself? You make me sick," Olivia spat.
"Where are you going to find someone to get your blood from then? Tell me that!" Damien shouted. "Where are you going to find a recently deceased person to draw blood from? Her convictions aren't worth shit if she's dead."
Olivia looked like she'd been struck across the face, and she retaliated as such. She reared back and went to punch Damien in the stomach. He grabbed her arm to stop her.
Olivia wrenched her arm away, and then went back over to Kara. She picked her up in her arms. "C'mon Raymond, I don't trust leaving Kara here."
Raymond followed Olivia without question, and they left the apartment. They placed Kara in the back seat of Raymond's car before getting in the front themselves.
"So, what are we going to do?"
Olivia let out an angry sigh and leaned back in the car seat. "I don't know." She sat there with her eyes closed for a moment. "If we give Kara blood we took from the living she'll never forgive us, but right now we're sitting ducks dragging her around. If only Kara had some blood on her."
"You checked her pockets?" Raymond asked.
"Yeah, I just checked when I put her in the car."
"Well, what about her home? She must have a stash there, even if it's for emergencies."
Olivia opened her eyes and sat up straight. "You might be right. Let's go there first, and we can worry later if we don't find anything."
Raymond drove to Kara's, and parked on the side of the street next to the brick building.
"Alright, you stay here and I'll search for the blood."
Raymond raised his brow. "Wouldn't it be better if we both searched and brought Kara with us?"
"I don't want to deal with questions from her roommate."
"She has a roommate?" Raymond asked.
"Yeah, an old human."
"A human?"
Olivia laughed. "She met him after seeing his death in a vision, but it never came true, no matter how many times she felt it. She somehow ended up becoming his caretaker after that."
Raymond looked at Kara and smiled. "That seems like something she would do."
Olivia chuckled. "Yeah, it does." For another moment, Olivia lingered and stared at her friend. I hope you have something here, Kara, otherwise I don't know what we're going to do.
"I'll be back soon."
Olivia left the car and went inside the apartment building. She went to Kara's apartment and knocked on the door. There was no answer, so she knocked again.
"Just a minute, just a minute. Hold your horses, God damn it."
Olivia rolled her eyes. After another moment and a lot of shuffling, the door opened, and Magnus Montgomery was standing in front of Olivia.
Magnus, pale-faced with greying hair and holding a cane in one hand, gave Olivia a stern look. "What do you want? Kara ain't here."
Olivia forced a smile. "Hello Mr. Montgomery. I'm here to get something for Kara. May I come in?" she said while motioning towards the door.
Magnus looked confused, but nodded and moved aside so Olivia could enter. "Why didn't she come get it herself?"
"Oh, she's at our friends' place already, and I was on the way so I said I would pick it up for her." Olivia made her way towards Kara's bedroom.
"You're lying," Magnus' stern voice announced.
Olivia turned around and smiled. "Sorry?"
Magnus gave her a stare to rival that of Vasha, and it sent a chill down Olivia's spine. "I used to be a detective, you know. It was my job to tell when people were lying."
Olivia could feel her face flushing, but she knew her vampire complexion would hide it. She kept her smile as best she could. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Montgomery. If you want I can show you the texts."
Magnus snorted. "Yeah, sure you can. Get what you came for and get out," he commanded as he shuffled over to his recliner.
Olivia felt an urge to tell him what was going on, as it was clear he was concerned, but a normal human wouldn't understand. She let out a breath she had been holding in and turned around to go to Kara's bedroom.
Kara's room held a bed, computer, television, and the usual things one would find. Then, littered on the floor, were dirty clothes and papers and flyers. It wasn't as bad as James Moore's place, but it was a stark difference with the rest of the apartment, which Kara no doubt cleaned as Magnus couldn't.
Olivia went straight for Kara's closet, the most likely place she would stash something like human blood. Hanging on the racks there were several different hoodies, sweaters, and long-sleeved shirts in Kara's style. Below the racks, there were piles of jeans and other shirts all in a mess on the floor. Olivia couldn't tell which were dirty and which were clean.
She moved the clothes around and searched for some hidden compartment or cooler that might hold blood, but she couldn't find anything. After a thorough hunt, Olivia moved to the rest of the room. She looked inside DVD cases, books, cabinets and drawers, everywhere she thought one might hide something, and the most she could find was Kara's stash of weed.
Damn it, Kara. Don't you plan ahead?
Olivia let out a sigh and left the room. She made her way towards the door, pensively looking at the floor as she moved forward.
"Whatever's going on," Magnus said over his shoulder, bringing Olivia out of her stupor, "you'd better make sure Kara is safe."
Olivia stared at Magnus, but all she could do was give him a nod. He returned the nod, and then turned back in his chair.
That's right. I have to make sure she's all right. She saved my life, now it's my turn to save hers.
Olivia steeled herself, and left the apartment. She got back into the car in the passenger seat and glanced back at Kara. She was still asleep, but her breathing seemed steady now.
"Did you find anything?"
Olivia shook her head. "No."
Raymond looked downcast. "What will we do then?"
"Do you know if a vampire can suck the blood of another vampire?" Olivia asked, squinting her eyes.
Raymond looked taken aback. "Uhh, I'm not exactly sure. I'm fairly certain the reason why we have to drink blood is because of the nutrients found in it. I don't know the science behind it though, so I could be wrong."
"So our blood doesn't have those nutrients?"
"Not normally, no. When we eat food, our bodies don't get the same nutrients humans do through digestion. That's why we need the blood, because our bodies developed the ability to absorb the nutrients from it instead."
"Damn," Olivia swore, biting her lip.
Raymond pushed up his glasses and fiddled with his hair. "But, I mean, the bloodstream is how those nutrients are transferred throughout our bodies, so it stands to reason that if we have recently fed ourselves, then our bloodstream will then contain those nutrients."
Olivia stared at Raymond. "You think so?"
Raymond shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe."
"I hope this works. Take us somewhere where there aren't any people."
Raymond turned on the car, and proceeded to head to a parking garage.
"I thought you said it's wrong to force the blood of the living down Kara's throat?"
Olivia frowned. "I know, I'm being a little hypocritical, but Kara is against taking blood from living humans. Besides, I'm sure if someone was willing to offer their blood to her she wouldn't refuse."
"Let's hope you're right."
Raymond found a parking garage after a few minutes, and they parked in a secluded location with little traffic. Olivia and Raymond got in the back seat and Raymond cradled Kara's head in his lap.
He opened Kara's mouth, and Olivia pulled up her sleeve. "Ready?" Raymond asked.
"I hope this works." Olivia took out a pocket knife, cleaned it with sanitizing gel and then used a lighter to burn the bacteria away—just
in case. Then she cut her arm.
She winced as the blade pushed its way through layers of skin just below her wrist. She cut deep to ensure enough blood would drain, and that meant it would leave a scar, but it would be one she would wear with pride. It would hopefully serve as a reminder of her helping her friend.
The blood dripped from Olivia's arm into Kara's mouth. The red, viscous, life-giving liquid transferred to Kara, and she had no choice but to accept the drink.
Olivia pressed on her arm to push the blood out faster. After what they thought was a decent amount fell into Kara's mouth, Raymond handed Olivia gauze from a first aid kit. Raymond then helped wrap a bandage around Olivia's arm.
"Now we wait," Raymond said.
Olivia and Raymond waited in the back seat of the car with Kara's body lying on top of them. The two switched off taking naps for a few hours. Olivia was leaning against the door of the car, her eyes closed, when a familiar voice met her ears.
"Liv, Ray?"
Olivia opened her eyes and looked over to see her friend waking up as well. "Kara!" she yelled as she moved to hug Kara.
The two hugged while she was still on top of Raymond, and he too joined in as much as possible by leaning forward and wrapping his arms around them both. They laughed at his attempt, and Olivia got back up and sat down.
"So, I guess we won?" Kara said with a weak smile.
Olivia chuckled. "Yeah, we won."
3. Return to the Scene of the Crime
"I'm sorry, Kara. If there was any other way, then we would have done it, but we were desperate."
Kara looked away from her friend, thinking on her moral stance, and the question of Olivia's blood being freely offered against it. The leather of the door became her focus, and she could hear her friends shuffling in the front seats.
After a few minutes, Kara let out a sigh. "I guess I never thought of the possibility that someone would offer their blood willingly," she commented.
Olivia's face lit up, but she still seemed wary. "Right? I mean why would it happen? It's probably never happened before," she said, glancing from Kara to Raymond and back.
"I don't blame you, you made your choice. And I guess I don't have a problem with it. I just think I'm going to need some time to let my mind get over it."
Olivia looked like she was about to cry.
"It's alright, Olivia, really. I'm fine with it," Kara said with a smile. "You probably saved my life. Who knows if that doctor was right? He doesn't know anything about psychics."
Olivia nodded and forced a smile.
"Now what do we do?" Raymond asked.
For a moment, the three of them pondered the question in silence. Olivia was the first to speak.
"Well, as I see it we have two choices," she said. "We can run and hide, or we can take the fight to the bastard who attacked us."
"I think we both know which option you want," Kara chuckled. Raymond laughed as well, and Olivia had a devious grin on her face. "So, where should we start if we want to find this assassin, Miss Private Investigator?"
Olivia put her hand up to her chin. "Hmm. I think it would be best to start back at my place, and see if there is anything that he dropped or left behind by accident. If we find anything, I know some of Vasha's contacts who might be able to tell us who it is."
"That sounds as good a place as any. Any other ideas, Raymond?"
"Nothing I can think of," he replied as he started the car.
"Alright, let's go catch this asshole."
Raymond drove them back to Olivia's, and when they entered the apartment the building manager met them in the lobby.
"Olivia, thank God you're safe!" the older gentleman said.
"Thank you for your concern. Luckily we avoided getting injured."
"So you were there when it happened. What exactly did happen, anyway?"
"I'll let you know when I find out, Steven. Has anyone come to my apartment since I left?"
The older man scratched his head. "I'm not sure when you left, but a detective showed up and took a look inside the apartment. He wanted to know where you were, but I didn't know where you went so he left. I offered your phone number but he refused."
The three glanced at each other, and they all wanted to know the same thing. "What was the detective's name?" Olivia asked.
"Detective Simmons. He didn't leave any contact information, so I don't know how you'll contact him."
"Don't worry about it. Could you please hire someone to clean up and repair my apartment? Send the bill to me and I'll have my insurance handle it."
"Sure thing, Olivia." Olivia motioned for the three of them to leave. "Uhh, where are you going?"
She glanced over her shoulder. "I'm going to be staying with some friends until the apartment is repaired. Thanks Steven," she said with a wave.
"You're welcome," he replied.
The three of them exited the apartment building.
"I can't believe Detective Simmons is involved in this again," Kara commented.
"If he's not the person who hired that assassin, then he definitely knows something about it."
Kara had her brows furrowed. "Why would Simmons be after us again?" she asked.
"Why was he after us in the first place?" Olivia countered.
"Should we find him and question him?" Raymond asked.
"No, we could just be giving him an opportunity to attack us himself if he hired the guy, and he doesn't strike me as the type to give in so easily. We'd just be wasting our time."
Kara raised her brow. "So why can't we search the apartment?"
"We can't go back in there for the time being. Simmons might have bugged it."
"So if we can't search the apartment, what can we do?" Raymond questioned.
"I'm not sure," Olivia answered.
"What about where he shot the bullet from? I saw the direction the bullet came from, and from the angle there's only one building he could have shot from."
Olivia smiled. "You surprise me sometimes, Kara. Lead the way."
Kara beamed from her friend's praise, and took them all to the only building which could reach the height of Olivia's apartment. The roof was just the right height for someone to be able to shoot from. The three of them went to the roof to search for something the assassin might have left behind.
The roof was spacious, easy to access, and the only people who could see onto it were those in Olivia's building. The perimeter of the roof was blocked with a chest-level wall.
"Look at the wall here, it's the perfect level to place a sniper rifle," Olivia commented.
They all went over to the edge of the building on the side where they could see Olivia's apartment from. Kara moved to the position where she thought the assassin might have shot from judging off the height and where she was sitting.
"This looks like where he might have been standing."
"What do you think we should be looking for, Kara?" Olivia asked.
"Well, he shot the bullet, and then he immediately attacked you, right?" The others answered in the affirmative. "And you injured him before he ran away?" They once again answered yes. "Then he didn't have any time to clean up. Maybe the bullet shell is still here."
Olivia and Raymond nodded and smiled, and then the three of them got started searching the area. The roof was littered with the occasional fast food wrapper and beer bottle, no doubt from residents having parties. The cold air of fall circled against the walls of the roof, increasing the wind chill. As they searched, they had to breathe into their hands to warm them up.
"Found it!" Raymond shouted.
Kara and Olivia ran over to see him pointing beside a beer bottle. Right next to it, sitting cradled between the side of the bottle and the roof was a long metal cylinder. Raymond picked up and chucked the bottle to the side, and it broke as it crashed.
Olivia pulled gloves out and put them on before picking up the metal bullet shell. Kara and Raymond both leaned in, pressing their bodies up against Olivia, as she ex
amined the shell. All along the sides of the shell there was an etched pattern that looked like a Celtic design.
"This design must have been etched by the assassin. Bullets don't come like this," Olivia said as she laughed.
"At least non-decorative ones," Kara added.
"So, the contact you know should be able to identify this?" Raymond asked.
"I think so. Vasha trusts him with finding people she can't, so I imagine if he can't tell us, we won't know anyone else to turn to."
"Let's get going. We don't know if the assassin is still after us or not."
The three left the building, bullet casing in hand, and headed to Olivia's contact.
Olivia guided Raymond to a remote pawn shop called Honest Herman's. It was located across from a small strip mall and a used car dealership, all of which didn't seem to see much traffic, foot or otherwise. The shops and cars all seemed older than all three of them, and in need of some cleaning. The pawn shop in particular had an old sign with lights missing, and a front window showing some dust-covered wares.
When they entered the establishment, a bell tinged against the door and announced their presence. They received no greeting, however, and no one seemed to be manning the register.
The pawn shop itself was lined with shelves filled to the brim with a multitude of different items. On one side there were various musical instruments including guitars and drums and the like, and on another wall there were masks and other artifacts that could have been fakes, but gave the feel of being authentic. The centre of the store was similar in its random assortment of things for sale, from the strange, almost occult-looking, to new electronics.
Kara felt something ancient within the walls of the store, unlike anything she had felt before. It was strange, but neither good nor evil. She pushed the thought out of her mind. Sometimes I hate these powers, she thought.
Olivia went up to the counter and struck a bell on it. The sound resonated throughout the shop, but no one answered its call. She kept dinging the bell for ten seconds straight before someone yelled "I'm coming, I'm coming," from the back.
Before long, a diminutive, pale man walked out from an open door to the back, and when he noticed Olivia and the others his eyes lit up. "Olivia! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes," he said as he rushed over to her.
Psychics Vs. Vampires Episodes 1-4 (Psychics Vs. Vampires Collection) Page 12