by Bera, Ilia
“I do rent an apartment.”
“A three thousand dollar apartment?”
“I was just helping someone out.”
“So you’re an altruistic tramp.”
Kane laughed. “I guess I am… Kane Patrick, the altruistic tramp.”
“It’s got a good ring to it.”
“I agree.”
Brittany stopped walking. They’d reached her little cookie-cutter house.
“You live here?” Kane asked, looking across the street at Connor’s house.
“Yeah.”
“Nice place?”
“It does the trick.”
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kane said as he turned to leave.
“Kane…” Brittany said, stopping the long haired misfit.
Kane turned around. “Yeah?” Kane asked.
Brittany awkwardly looked around.
“What is it?” Kane asked.
“I don’t want you to go,” Brittany said in a matter-of-fact voice. “I don’t.”
“I’m not going tonight—or tomorrow.”
“But when?”
“I don’t know yet. It’s hard to say.”
“This week? This month? This year? This decade? What?”
“Brittany—I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
“What are you even looking for—in all of these small towns? What are you trying to find out here?”
Kane was silent as he stared at Brittany, afraid to tell her the truth. There was a burning desire in his gut to just tell her—tell her that he hunts and kills vampires.
But no matter how hard he tried to say it, he couldn’t. She wouldn’t believe him. She would think that he was crazy.
“Did you ever think that maybe you’ve already found it? That, whatever it is that you’re looking for is standing right in front of you?” Brittany asked.
“It’s complicated,” Kane said.
“Life is complicated. Sometimes we make bad decisions, and we have to live with the consequences—believe me, I know. But if you never make any decisions, then you’ll end up wandering around aimlessly for your whole life—like some sad lost soul.
“And then one day, you’ll die. And it doesn’t matter which afterlife you find yourself stuck in, you’ll end up the wandering nomad for eternity, and an eternity is a long time, Kane.”
Kane stepped towards Brittany and looked into her eyes. Brittany was obviously upset. Gently, he pushed a strand of fallen hair off of her face and placed it behind her ear. “You’re too good for me, Brittany. You deserve someone who won’t end up in prison.”
“You don’t have to end up in prison.”
“I’ll be lucky to end up in prison,” Kane said.
“Under that long hair and black coat, you’re a good person, Kane. You aren’t a criminal.”
Kane ran his fingers down the edge of Brittany’s cheeks, and under her chin. “I would just end up hurting you.” He let his hand fall down to his side.
“That’s up to you,” Brittany said. “That’s a decision you have to make.”
“I wish you were right.”
“I am right.”
Kane looked down at his feet. Suddenly, Brittany moved in. She inched forward and leaned her head in. Her soft lips pushed firmly against Kane’s as her gloved hands gently landed on his sides. Kane froze for a moment, surprised by the move, but he quickly relaxed.
His muscles released their tension, and he kissed Brittany back.
His muscular arms wrapped gently around Brittany and pulled her in tightly against his hard warm body.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
SECRETS NEVER REMAIN SO
Brittany knew that she was taking a risk—She knew that she was playing with fire—at least, she thought she knew.
But she couldn’t resist.
Her heart had made its decision, and her body was acting on impulse.
The two continued to kiss on the cold winter street, early on that dark snowy morning. Brittany’s fingers grasped tightly against Kane’s soft jacket, feeling the thick, hard muscles of his back flexing with her fingertips. A strong burst of energy buzzed through her body and lingered in the base of her spine. She felt light—weightless. Her whole body felt as though it was lifting off of the ground as the passionate kiss continued.
Kane leaned back slowly and looked down at Brittany’s soft lips as he took a deep, cool breath in. Brittany looked up into his mysterious dark brown eyes. A cool gust blew, making the hairs on the back of Brittany’s neck stand up straight, eliciting a shiver out of the pretty dark-skinned girl.
“Are you cold?” Kane asked.
“Yeah,” Brittany replied.
“Do you want to go inside?”
Brittany was about to turn towards her house when she realized that she couldn’t bring Kane inside. There were things that she couldn’t have Kane see inside—condemning things.
“We can’t,” Brittany said.
“Why not?” Kane asked.
“It’s—It’s messy.”
“So?”
Brittany wasn’t exactly lying. She hadn’t had time to clean her bloodied clothes up from the night with Thomas—not to mention all of the garbage bags covering the windows, or all of the charms and trinkets that helped to calm her thirst. Any sane person would assume that she was a psychopath.
“Your place. Let’s go to your place,” Brittany insisted.
“My place? It’s not close.”
“That’s fine.”
“What’s wrong?” Kane asked. “Are your parents home or something?”
A light went off in Brittany’s brain. She laughed, pretending like she had been too embarrassed to admit it. “Yeah—My mom would kill me if she heard a boy in the house,” Brittany lied.
Kane smiled. “I understand. Come on,” Kane said, taking Brittany by the hand.
The two began to playfully run down the icy streets of Snowbrooke. They held hands tightly as they ran across empty streets and through desolate parks.
Snowbrooke was their own personal playground—A town frozen in time.
There wasn’t another soul in the snowy town that morning—no passing tail light on the street—no glow in a distant window.
It was as if time stood still. The beautifully thick snowflakes floated seemingly motionlessly in the air around the carefree couple. The soft streetlights lit the town like a stage lights on an empty stage.
No impatient audience. No disparaging critics.
Brittany couldn’t contain her childish laughter. She stumbled as she hopped down from the sidewalk curb, and began to slide on the ice—nearly falling off her heeled feet. Kane was quick to place his hands on her soft sides, keeping her up.
There were no lights in any house windows, and no hums from distant cars. Even the little cafes were closed during that awkward hour between the morning and the night.
Finally, they reached Kane’s apartment building. Brittany and Kane stopped for a moment as they stared up at the crumbling building.
“I thought this building was abandoned,” Brittany said.
Kane laughed. “Come on,” he said, taking Brittany by the hand and guiding her down the shovelled walkway towards the decrepit building.
They playfully ran inside and began to make their through the lobby, and up the stairs.
“This is where you live?” Brittany asked. “It smells like… Indian food.”
“Shh,” Kane whispered. “You’ll wake up my landlord. These walls are kind of thin.” Kane stuck his key into his lock, and he opened the door to his barren apartment. “Home sweet home,” he said.
Suddenly, Kane felt a sense of insecurity wash over him. He too had things that he wanted to keep hidden—things that were suddenly far too close for comfort.
Kane looked towards his closed bedroom door at the end of the small apartment.
Brittany looked around the empty apartment curiously. It was almost painfully empty.
“It’s not a lot—but it�
��s mine,” Kane said. “Can’t complain. The heat works, the oven works—the in-suite laundry usually works.”
A strange wave of nausea temporarily crossed Brittany. She winced as the moment passed. There was something about the apartment that was off-putting—something was wrong. Brittany scanned the room trying to pinpoint the culprit.
Kane’s bedroom door curiously caught her attention.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh?” Brittany said, turning her head back to Kane. The strange sick feeling passed for the moment. “Yeah—I’m okay.”
“It looks worse than it is. I just haven’t had a chance to fill it with anything yet. I tried to find a furnished place.”
“It’s fine—Stuff is just stuff, you know? Sometimes I wish I had no stuff.”
“It’s liberating.”
Brittany turned to Kane and smiled. Kane leaned forward and the two finally resumed their kiss. Kane’s arms wrapped around Brittany as he kicked his apartment door shut with his foot.
Brittany slipped her hand under Kane’s shirt, feeling his hard abs with her soft fingertips. Her sensibilities were quickly being overrun by a strong passionate energy. Brittany’s warm hand continued its way up the stacked torso, onto Kane’s chest, which was as solid as a rock—thick and chiselled.
Then, Brittany’s fingers glistened across an abrasion—an imperfection. She stopped on the spot. Gently, she leaned back and looked down. She began to move her hand along Kane’s skin, feeling more and more of the protrusions.
Kane placed his hand on Brittany’s, pressing it against his chest. With his other hand, he tilted Brittany’s head back up.
Another jolt of powerful sensual energy elicited a grasp from Brittany’s hand. Her hand tightened against Kane’s hard chest, and she looked down at his torso. She was shocked and impressed by his toned physique. She took a deep breath, controlling her overwhelming hormones.
Kane started to guide Brittany towards the apartment couch. Over Kane’s shoulder, Brittany could still see the ostensibly hostile bedroom door, intimidatingly closed on the other side of the small apartment.
“Wait,” Brittany said.
“What?”
“Let’s go to the bedroom,” she suggested.
“The bedroom?” Kane asked as he stared into Brittany’s beautiful eyes for a moment while he tried to formulate an excuse. “Let’s just keep it out here for now.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Brittany’s again. Brittany began to melt into the mysterious boy.
But Brittany hadn’t fully lost sight of her sensibilities. She pulled back and took a breath. “Wait,” she said.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I mean—I think we would be more comfortable on the bed. Let’s just go to the bedroom. Please?”
Kane awkwardly forced a laugh. “Believe it or not, the couch is more comfortable than the bed.”
Brittany stared into Kane’s dark brown eyes. “What’s in there?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“You’re hiding something. What are you hiding? What’s in your bedroom, Kane?”
Kane stood still. He knew that he’d been caught. He knew the only way past this roadblock with Brittany was to come clean.
“What is it, Kane?” Brittany asked. “Just tell me.”
CHAPTER FORTY
THE TRUTH
Kane stood nervously in front of Brittany.
“I don’t want you to think I’m a lunatic, Brittany—because I’m not.”
“Why would I think that? What’s in the bedroom?”
Kane looked at his feet. “This isn’t going to be easy to understand, so I don’t blame you if you run away.”
“Kane...”
“There’s a reason I’m in Snowbrooke—And it’s going to sound… Ridiculous. But it’s serious. Please just let me explain everything before you make any decisions.”
Kane took a breath and looked down at his feet. He couldn’t push the words off of the tip of his tongue.
“Kane—Just tell me!” Brittany demanded.
“You’ve obviously heard of the murders that have been happening in Snowbrooke over the past few months...”
“Oh my God…” Brittany muttered, assuming the worst. She took a step back, out of Kane’s embrace.
“No, no—That’s not it. I’m not the murderer.”
Brittany took a breath of relief, but remained tense—apprehensive of the whole situation. Kane opened his lips to say it—but again, he was overcome by a sheepish resistance.
“What is it?”
“There are things in the world—you won’t believe me, so please don’t overreact.”
“Just tell me!” Brittany demanded.
Kane closed his eyes. “I hunt vampires.”
Brittany froze as her eyes became wide. Her heart suddenly stopped in her chest, and her head became hot. Suddenly, she was the one who couldn’t speak.
“I know—I know that it sounds absurd. I know that—believe me. But you’ve heard the news reports—of the vampire-like string of murders. It’s not a coincidence, Brittany. They’re real. I’ve killed dozens of them. I’ve been all over the country—I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe.
“The reports are always the same—they suck human blood. They can’t go out during the day—their skin burns as if they fell into hot oil. You can only kill them with a wooden steak to the heart. They have no reflection, but they’re smart. They know to avoid mirrors and windows.” Kane looked Brittany in the eyes.
She hadn’t blinked since the reveal. She was completely speechless. A dreadfully cold shiver ran through her small body. “You—You do what?” she muttered.
“Look—I know this sounds crazy, but I can prove it—they have these teeth that come out before they feed. I have the teeth—I can show you. And I have all of the articles—the police reports, the autopsy reports, pictures, security camera footage—all the stuff the government doesn’t want you to see. Just let me show you. Please.”
Kane took the frozen Brittany by the hand and led her across his apartment to his bedroom. Completely spaced out, Brittany followed like a limp rag doll, stumbling in her tall heeled leather boots. Kane let go of her hand as he opened his bedroom door, revealing all of his weapons and ammunition. A series of garlic strands hung in the doorway.
Brittany winced in disgust as the pungent garlic smell wafted into her sensitive nose. She took a step back into the hallway, nearly vomiting from the sudden nausea.
Not noticing Brittany’s episode of disgust, Kane went into the bedroom. He started to dig through a large cardboard box. After a moment, he pulled out a handful of articles, and a little box. He turned back around and walked over to Brittany, handing her the articles. “Look—Everything is there. The reports are all the same—look where I’ve highlighted: Two puncture wounds to the neck—body drained of blood. And look here…” Kane said as he opened up the box, revealing a number of long, sharp teeth. “They look human—but they’re not. They’re as sharp as a scalpel. But they aren’t from an animal. They’re canines—See the long root? And the enamel has that yellow tinge—the vampire was a smoker.
“These teeth push out when they go to feed. See the little hole on the tip? Like a snake, they release this paralysing venom. Look—You’re a smart girl—look at it,” Kane said, looked up at Brittany and insisting she look at the tooth.
Brittany still hadn’t blinked since Kane’s reveal. Once again, she found her world crumbling beneath her feet. Her eyes were beginning to water and her knees were beginning to buckle and tremble.
Kane could see that she was visibly shaken up. He placed the box of teeth down on the nearby counter and took a step towards Brittany. Gently, he placed his hand on the side of her head. “Are you okay?” he asked.
Brittany’s body turned tense as the vampire hunter’s hands touched her skin. A cold shiver shot up her spine.
“Huh?” Brittany said, looking up at Kane. Her head was spinning out
of control with uncontrollable rapid-fire thoughts. She wanted to run away.
She wanted to cry.
She wanted to kill Kane.
She wanted to kiss Kane.
Her stirring emotions were tugging her heart in different directions, and she didn’t know which way to fall.
“I know this is a shock, and I don’t want you to be freaked out. I like you, Brittany—I don’t want this to ruin that,” Kane said as he ran his fingers down the side of Brittany’s face, towards her neck.
Brittany looked back into Kane’s dark mysterious eyes. She forced a smile. “I’m fine.” She remained tense as little goose bumps formed down her arms and neck.
“Really? You believe me?” Kane waited nervously for a response.
Brittany tried her best to remain composed. “I don’t know what I believe. I like you, Kane. And—And I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I’m good at what I do. I can keep you safe—I’ll never hurt you. I promise.”
A tear fell from Brittany’s eye, trickling down her soft cheek. “You promise?”
“I promise.”
Brittany smiled, desperately wanting to believe Kane. Perhaps he would look the other way on her being a vampire.
“Explain one thing to me,” Brittany said.
“What?”
“Why spend your nights going to night-school? Why go out to the bar with everyone for drinks?”
“I think its Hanna. I’ve been here for a month, following the reports—researching the victims. Vampires tend to have feeding grounds. All of the victims are tied to the university. They’ve all been teachers and students that happen to be around the university at night.
“But vampires aren’t stupid. They aren’t just mindless animals. They try to blend in. They’re usually the ones with the best alibis. After the first few murders, Hanna enrolled in the night class—conveniently the only class still running. A perfect alibi, right? Promise me you’ll stay away from Hanna.”
“H—Hanna?” Brittany asked.
“I haven’t been able to confirm anything yet. I needed a cover too, so I signed up for the class.”
Brittany took another deep breath.