by S.A. Tadej
As I pushed through the doors and into the parking lot, I saw Devin standing there leaning against his truck waiting for me. Talk about déjà vu. I smiled as I walked toward him.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“Do we really have to go back to Starved Rock,” I whined. “I don’t feel like doing much walking tonight.”
“Yes, we really have to go to Starved Rock,” Devin whined back. “But it’s okay. It won’t be a long walk this time. I promise.”
He opened the passenger side door of the truck and I climbed inside. As he drove, I told him all about what I had heard on the news earlier that night.
“Well, maybe they deserved it,” Devin said.
I looked over at him in disbelief trying to read into him, but his face was an unreadable mask. “That’s a shitty thing to say. What was that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” he replied, his voice deceptively innocent.
I demanded to know as I glared at him, my gaze hardening. But he remained mutinously silent as his knuckles whitened around the steering wheel. He let out his breath in a violent rush and dared a look over at me. His eyes seemed different to me now – like they were somehow brighter than they had been in the past.
He was silent for a long time before he spoke again. “All I meant was that we don’t know who those people who died were. Maybe they were bad or something and their deaths will prevent future deaths.”
“Is that what you believe?” I asked.
“Well, it’s a theory. Isn’t there supposed to be a balance between good and evil, or something like that?”
“I suppose.”
Devin parked the truck in a different lot this time. Again, he gave me the can of insect repellent and told me to spray it on any bare skin. Together we walked hand in hand down the dark trails. Soon we were off the trails and walking along huge rock formations. I put my hand out against the rock walls for balance as we walked along. Before long, we were standing before another waterfall. This one wasn’t as tall as the others Devin had shown me, but it was gorgeous nonetheless and the trickle of water was much wider than the others.
Devin and I kept walking along the rocks. The rock path was quite narrow, so he walked in front of me, still holding my hand. He led me to a cave-like area directly behind the waterfall. I reached my hand out and touched the cool water. Devin removed his backpack and squatted down. He unzipped it and pulled out two large candles. He set them further back and lit them. The inside of the cave glowed softly in the candlelight.
Devin grabbed my hand again and sat down, pulling me into his lap. He nestled his chin on top of my head and held me tight as we sat listening to the relaxing sound of the running water. “You’re really special. Do you know that?” Devin whispered.
I twisted my body so that I could look up at him. “I’m just like everybody else, Devin.”
“You’re wrong,” Devin said as he grabbed my hand and lightly traced the scar on my finger with his fingertips. “You don’t know who you are, do you?” he asked as he brought my hand up to his lips and gently kissed my scar.
“Of course I do. I’m Nicole Lambert,” I giggled.
Devin half-laughed. “Naw, you’re so much more than that. You make me want to be a better person.”
“You are a good person.”
Devin frowned. “I’m not who you think I am.”
Here we go with this weird talk again, I thought. “Okay, so if you’re not who I think you are, then who are you?”
“I’m sure that you’ve noticed by now that I’m… different.”
“Yeah, you’re super sweet,” I said as I leaned in to kiss him.
He kissed me back, then abruptly pulled away. He walked over to the candles and put the flames out with his fingertips. Then he dumped the melted wax and put them back in his backpack. “Come on,” he said as he grabbed my arm and pulled me up.
“Where are we going?”
“There’s something I need to show you,” he said as he walked swiftly, pulling me along with him.
My foot caught between two rocks and I fell down hard, twisting my ankle in the process. I cried out in pain. Devin stopped and turned around. “Jesus,” he muttered as he squatted down beside me. He helped me release my foot. “Are you okay?” he asked. “Can you move it?”
I rotated my left foot around in a circular motion. “It hurts, but not too bad.”
“Can you walk on it?”
“I hope so,” I said. He grabbed my hand and slowly pulled me up. I took a step and winced in pain. I looked up at Devin, a look of agony on his own face.
“Great, I probably broke your ankle,” he muttered.
“No, it’s not broken cuz I can still move it. Probably just sprained or bruised. I’ll be okay,” I reassured him. “Besides, I’m the one that got it stuck, so how can it be your fault?”
“We should probably get you some ice.”
“No, really, I’m fine.”
Despite the pain, I forced myself to keep walking, but Devin wasn’t buying into my deceit. Once again he picked me up into his arms. “I need to get you home so you can put some ice on your ankle.”
“No, really, it doesn’t hurt that bad. I don’t want to leave yet. Besides, I thought there was something else you wanted to show me. We might as well see it since we’re here.”
Devin agreed, but still wouldn’t let me walk on my own. He insisted on carrying me the entire way. We walked on for some time before he finally set me down on my feet. “This is Wildcat Canyon,” he said as he looked at the streaming waterfall. “It’s the tallest waterfall in the park.”
I looked up at the fascinating waterfall. It had to have been more than 100 feet tall. Like the one we had seen the previous night, it was surrounded by rock formations. Just as I was remembering how Devin had put me on his back and scaled the rocks to the top of the other waterfall last night, he did it again.
“Devin, please put me down,” I pleaded as he threw me onto his back. I already knew what he was planning to do and I was scared.
He turned his head back to look at me. “Hold on tight,” he grinned.
“Oh God, not again,” I whimpered.
“Here we go,” he said as he started scaling the rocks. Once again, we reached the top in no time at all. And once again, he jumped down with me on his back like it was nothing.
“Okay, how did you do that?” I asked. He just stared at me and smiled guiltily. Then he turned his back on me. I grabbed his arm and spun him around. “Seriously, Devin, I want some answers. Normal people can’t just scale these rocks and jump down.”
“I told you I was different,” he said nonchalantly as he whisked me into his arms again. “I should be getting you back now.”
“Come on, Devin, how did you do that? And what do you mean by different? You got animal blood in you or something?” He ignored me. “Devin!”
He started humming above my voice.
We reached his truck and he set me down on the passenger seat. “So how is your ankle feeling?” he asked on the ride back to the diner. I ignored him. “What, you’re not talking to me now?” he laughed.
I just glanced over at him. “Well, you don’t answer any of my questions, so…”
Devin pulled into the gas station parking lot. “I’ll be right back,” he said as he got out and slammed the door. He returned a few minutes later with a bottle of aspirin and a bag of ice. I watched as he tore a piece of material from his t-shirt. Then he opened the bag of ice and took out a few pieces, wrapping them in the material and tying it closed. Then he ripped another strip from his shirt. “Here, let me see your ankle,” he said as he patted the seat next to him. I put my foot up on the seat. He put the ice on my ankle and fastened it in place with the thin strip of material. Then he reached into his backpack and handed me a water bottle. He took two aspirin out of the bottle and handed it to me. “Here, take
it. It’ll make you feel better.”
I swallowed the aspirin and looked over at him. “Awe, that was so sweet of you. Thank you,” I said as I smiled over at him.
He smiled back. “Oh good, you’re talking to me again,” he teased. I laughed.
Devin pulled into the diner parking lot and leaned over to kiss me goodbye. Then he got out of the truck and came around to the passenger side. He whisked me into his arms again and carried me to my car. “Devin, really, this isn’t necessary. I can walk.”
“I just don’t want you doing more damage to your ankle,” he said. “Maybe you should see a doctor to have it checked out just to make sure you didn’t break something.”
“Naw, it’ll be fine. I think it’s just bruised. I’ll just stay off it tonight and keep the ice on it. I’m sure it’ll be better tomorrow.” I smiled at him. “It’s really cute how concerned you are though.”
He pulled me to him and held me tight. “I love you,” he whispered into my ear. Then he pulled back and kissed me sweetly.
“I love you, too,” I whispered back as I leaned in and kissed him again.
Devin walked back to his truck and watched me pull away. A million thoughts were going through my mind as I drove home. I tried to theorize how Devin could have climbed up the waterfalls and jumped down, but I came up with nothing. It made no logical sense and that bothered me.
When I pulled into the driveway, my mother was sitting on the front porch with Kelly. They both stood up and walked toward my car. I parked and got out just as they had caught up to me.
“She wouldn’t go to sleep until you were home,” my mother said.
I reached down and grabbed my cousin’s hand. “I’m home now, sweetie,” I said as I began limping toward the front door.
“What happened to your ankle?” my mother asked.
I looked down at the big makeshift ice pack attached to my ankle. It looked pretty funny and I laughed at the sight of it. “Oh, it’s nothing really. I just had a little fall.”
“Are you sure it’s not broken?”
“Yeah, I can move it just fine. It’s just a little sore.”
“Well, you should try to keep off of it.”
“Yeah, I will. I promise, mom.” I smiled. “Well, I’m gonna go upstairs with Kelly and go to bed. Goodnight, mom.”
I hobbled up the stairs with my cousin in tow and quickly changed into my nightgown. Then I turned on the nightlight, grabbed a storybook, and put Kelly on the other side of the bed. I read her a quick story and kissed her goodnight.
“Hi,” Kelly whispered. I looked over at her. She was sitting up in bed, smiling, with her little hand up in the air like she was waving, and she was staring at the empty chair in the corner. Then she looked over at me. “He’s back. He’s just making sure we’re safe,” she whispered. Then she flashed me a big smile and closed her eyes.
Um, okay then! What was I supposed to make of that?
I closed my own eyes and soon I was dreaming of plummeting off of huge waterfalls.
Devin reached the house and sat in his truck for a while, not even wanting to go inside. He leaned his head down on top of the steering wheel and just sat there in the silence thinking about what to do next. Then he heard the front door slam. He raised his head to see one of the “new” vampires coming toward him. Devin studied the front windows of the house, then got out of his truck and slowly and quietly closed the door. He glided over to the large trunk of the willow tree and hid behind it. This was way too close to home, but even taking out just one more vampire before tomorrow might help him save me.
Just as the man was passing by, Devin reached out and grabbed him by the throat. This one was strong and was about to get away before Devin delivered a swift kick to his groin, causing the man to topple backwards. He began to cry out and Devin quickly covered his mouth with his hand as he put his other forearm around his neck and pulled hard to the left, cracking his neck. His limp body fell to the ground. Devin didn’t even bother cleaning it up. He just stepped over it and walked toward the house.
Devin opened the front door and walked inside. The first thing he saw was the limp, lifeless body of a young woman lying on the floor. He dropped down to his knees and felt for a pulse. Nothing. He heard laughter and turned his head. Kya and Damien were sitting on the sofa drinking what was clearly blood from wine glasses.
“Hey, bro, want a taste? This one was especially sweet tasting,” Damien grinned.
Devin’s throat burned at the sight of it, a painful reminder of his thirst. Kya extended a glass toward him and he accepted it. The girl was already dead, so where was the harm in having a little drink? I mean it’s not like he had killed her. And it had been a long time since he had had human blood. He was growing weaker and he knew it. This would only make him stronger for the fight he knew lie ahead.
Devin let out a long exhale and brought the glass to his lips. He nearly choked on the first sip. It tasted different to him now – sickeningly sweet. He forced it down and raised his glass toward Damien and Kya. Then he walked toward the basement door.
“Oh, Devin?” Damien called out after him.
Devin turned around to meet Damien’s eyes.
“Remember, you only have until tomorrow night,” he continued. He turned his gaze toward Kya, then back to Devin. “Either you come back here with her or I go and get her.” Then Damien and Kya both laughed.
Devin descended the basement steps and plunged down on his bed. He was still holding the remainder of his drink in his right hand. He eyed it then threw it against the wall. The glass shattered, splattering blood down the wall. Devin lay back and brought his hands to his head. What am I going to do? I have to figure out a way to save her. But how? I could try to fight them off. No, that’ll never work. Damien and Kya are much stronger than me. He sat up the remainder of the night trying to think of something – anything – that he could do. Then it came to him.
Devin lay there for some time devising his plan. Then he got up, knelt down, and put his hands together to do something he hadn’t done in a very, very long time - he prayed.
Dear God, I don’t know if you can even hear me, but I’m hoping that you do. Please forgive me for all the wrong that I have done. I don’t know if there’s any salvation for me, and you probably don’t even want to hear from me, but I need you right now. I know it’s probably too late for my own soul, but please help me save Nicole’s.
Chapter 14
“Higher, Nicole, higher,” Kelly screamed as we sat on the old swing hanging from the big elm tree in my front yard. I pushed my legs harder and harder until our feet were nearly touching the top of the tree.
“Weeee…” Kelly said excitedly.
“Just hang on tight and don’t let go,” I warned. Boy did that sound familiar. I laughed at the thought as I slowed the swing down.
“Higher,” Kelly pleaded.
“No, sweetie, I gotta go to work.”
“Ohhhh,” Kelly whined.
I brought the swing to a halt and picked Kelly up off my lap, placing her feet gently on the ground. “We’ll swing more tomorrow, I promise,” I said as I kissed her cheek.
“All right,” Kelly said softly.
“Besides, Aunt Angela told me she was going to bake cookies with you tonight.”
“Yay!” Kelly exclaimed as she ran toward the house. Boy, it didn’t take her long to forget about me, I laughed.
I followed her inside and got ready for work. Devin called and I promised to meet him in the parking lot after work. When I got off the phone, I realized that I was running really late. I hurriedly grabbed my shoulder bag and threw in a spare outfit and my hairbrush, then ran down the stairs and out the door. I was halfway to work when I realized I forgot to grab my cell phone, which I had sitting on my nightstand charging. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. If I turn back, I’ll be late for sure. With it being Saturd
ay afternoon, Steve would be pissed for sure if I were even one minute late. Friday’s and Saturday’s were always our busiest nights.
I slammed my foot down on the gas to pass several slow moving vehicles. When I arrived at work, the parking lot was completely full. I had to park in the motel lot across the street and run across. I was so busy the rest of the night that I didn’t even have time to think.
When I was finally able to punch out, I slipped into the bathroom and quickly changed clothes and let my hair down. I stuffed my uniform in my shoulder bag and jogged toward the door, knowing that Devin would be waiting for me.
As expected, Devin was standing against his truck when I pushed through the doors. Rather than stand there smiling at me as I walked toward him like he usually did, he began walking briskly toward me.
“Hey,” I said as I smiled at him.
His expression was like stone. “Come on,” he said as he roughly grabbed my arm and began pulling me toward his truck.
“Hey, cut it out. You’re hurting me,” I yelled as I yanked my arm free.
Devin turned to face me, his expression uneasy. “There’s no time for this, we gotta go now,” he said firmly as he grabbed my arm again.
“Stop!” I yelled. “I’m not going anywhere with you until you tell me what the hell is going on. Why are you acting like this?”
“Nicole, please, there’s no time. There’s something going on and you’re in danger. I’ll explain in the truck.”
“No,” I said firmly as I stopped walking and crossed my arms over my chest. “I want you to explain it to me now.”
Devin picked me up and threw me over his shoulder as he walked swiftly toward his truck. “Put me down,” I demanded as I tried to wiggle out of his grasp. My heartbeat accelerated drastically. I didn’t know what was going on, but his behavior was scaring me. In danger! In danger of what? The only thing I seemed to be in danger of at the moment was him.
I dug my fingernails into his side and kicked him in the groin as hard as I could. He dropped me and we both fell to the ground. I started to crawl away and he grabbed my ankle. I wriggled free and kicked my leg behind me, my shoe connecting forcefully with his face. He fell backward and I got up and ran across the street to get to my car. I barely heard all the horns beeping as I ran through traffic to get to the motel parking lot.