Face-down.
The petite silhouette was ragged, soaked object. An ever-growing black puddle seemed to seep from the being. Its face could not be distinguish, not with the black hoodie concealing the head. Legs apart, one arms above its body the other by its side. It did not stir.
The car was dented in at the grill, smoke rising from the hood, and glass scattered everywhere yet repelled by the small figure. Not a fragment close to the body, but one was imbedding deep into Otis's leg. He didn't even register the pain emitting from his calf. With disbelief and a side of hunger, he gazed around him. The vehicle's headlights were dangling like loose ropes from the front, the windshield cracked in half.
His gaze flickered from the vehicle to the body to his own. Mere bruises throbbed over his vampiric body that could be easily healed with a thought. But his mouth throbbed worse of all. His fangs were biting deeper into his lower lip. No longer could the hunger be restrained.
"Gng," slowly the petite woman raised their head from the steering wheel. Blinking her eyes into focus she stared around her car. Thickly she swallowed something in her throat it tasted like copper. Something was spinning around her head like her brain was melting and dripping out the side of her head. Her head tilt back resting on the head rest. With a heavy sigh slowly she gripped the steering wheel tightly, using it as a leverage to bring her head back down.
At first she thought she was hallucinating. Squinting through the foggy hazy she could make a shadowy figure. With glowing eyes and white gleaming fangs moving stealthy through the dark. Her mind must be playing tricks on her. This reminded her so much of…she swallowed again. This time the swallow as thicker than before.
Tasteless.
Wetness filled her eyes and her grip tightened so that her knuckles whiten.
Her mind was surely being cruel, tormenting not just her mind but her heart as well. The damn figure wouldn't fade, wouldn't dissipate, just go away.
If the figure wouldn't leave she would force it. Fiddling for the door handle, her hands brushed over the chrome handle. Yet the door wouldn't budge. Why wouldn't it move? Frantic she yanked and struggled. Dealing with her life, trying to move on, and this pops up. No! Not now.
As yanked and pulled till her muscles wore out, something caught in her peripheral vision. That foggy haze wasn't a haze at all but smoke. Smoke emitting from a car. Her car!
Finally the situation came rushing back to her. The rushing of the car, the screeching of tires, the tearing of metal, and then nothingness.
Oh god. Did I…
Tear was already streaking down her face. Hallucination aside she had to get out of this vehicle. She had to see if anyone needed help, if she hit…
She didn't let the thought finish. Using all of the force of body she pushed out the door, stumbling as her shoes hit the pavement.
Like the predator he was he stalked the face-down figure. Circled it his eyes raking over the blood that was flowing, dripping into the cracks of the pavement. He licked his lips, running a tongues over his fangs. He paused, just at the head of the silhouette.
Crouching in predator style, he aimed to sink in fangs deep into the hoodie and skin and all. He would rip through the fabric and flesh, and get his reward.
"Oh my god!" Otis barely registered the woman's voice. All focus on the hunt.
The woman footing was off, half running half walking toward the figure. She had to reach out once to steady herself but regained her balance regardless. Ignoring Otis she kneels down, "what happened?"
It takes a moment for Otis to compose himself. His breathing ceasing. This woman's…scent was more delectable than the one at his feet.
The woman was breathing funny, like more or less ran a mile than couple feet. She repeated herself, "what happened?" Her body was shaky, "did I…" Tears were running through her blood caked face. Blood that was oozing from her forehead. Otis licked his lips once more.
Then he breathes once more. His breathing leaving him in a rush. His eyes were slowly analyzing this woman till he saw her eyes. He was breathing faster, faster than ever before. Life was filling his lung, passion and longing and love.
"Nelly?"
He wasn't sure if he spoke loud enough. With all hunger forgotten he couldn't not bring himself to harm this beautiful, exquisite creature.
But Nelly wasn't aware of his presence, shaking and tentative hands reached out ignoring the blood that was soaking her nurse shoes.
Strong hands wrapped around her's, "Nelly."
She looked at him than back at the figure, "please, tell me what happen? Did I do this?" Her words almost slurred together.
Otis frowned, his hands cupping her face so that the she would look at him, "Nelly. It's me. Nelly?"
She wasn't listening, pursing her lips so that they were a tight thin line, brow thick with sweat and tears falling onto Otis's hand. "Please, just go away. You're not here…not anymore."
"But I 'am. I'm really here."
"No," she moaned.
"Please believe me." Then, he pushed his vampire lips firm and hard on her's. "It is me."
He pulled away slowly rubbing his thumb along her cheeks wiping away blood.
Swallowing she nodded, "what happened?"
They both looked at the figure laying on the ground. Before turning him over, Nelly with fluttering fingers felt for any broken bones. Running her hands along her person's sides, shoulders, and neck…strange. Nothing was broken everything intact.
As she made her 'scan', Otis gripped the glass in calf and yanked it out. He winced and threw the chunk of glass in the darkness. He closed his eyes letting his cells and tissues connect and heal itself.
When he glanced back at the person, it was already turned over. Blood spilled over its face, matting it's hair with blood streaking all over the individual's face. The hood covered the majority of his scalp, but wet blackness stuck to his foraged. Nelly was checking is pulsing, while Otis filled her in of the incident. He noticed her flinch when he mentioned the crash, but didn't comment.
She withdrew a sharp tool from her nurse coat, cutting away the fabric. Underneath the real damage was revealed. Soaked from the chest down as a something wet and thick.
Otis's nostrils flared, "I better…"
Nelly quickly shot him a glance, "have you not been feeding well?" She took notice to his near-skeletal frame.
She resumed her working removing more tools from her pocket. "Yes." With his nose plugged he also looked away. The sight was worse than smell.
"Why?"He didn't answer that one. It was obvious. Wasn't?
She sighed, was she any better, "guess we both fared the-"
The figure beneath her began to stir, "gnh." Eyes movement behind eyelids and fingertips twitching, but he shouldn't be able to move, not yet.
This was beyond any medical reasoning she has witness. She should be calling an ambulance…now! But the boy, yes it was a boy a teenage boy was moving as if nothing has happened. His head shaking to the side, "mmf nice."
"Son?" Otis was demanding yet soothingly, "Can you hear me? Are you all right?"
Nelly was astounded, her eyes flickering from the boy to the car. That dent…should have killed him. Her eyes narrowed, "Otis?"
He looked up her raising an eyebrow, "Tell me again, how the accident happened?" She was running her hands over the bloodied-neck, checking for broken bones, lacerations, any sign of damage. Tears were mixing with blood, blood mixing with dirt, some bleeding onto her finger and underneath her nails. Jutting her trembling lip, she sucked in a breath, "did you c-c-call…anyone?"
Irrational. Otis leafed through her thoughts, thoughts that were frantic. One after another would come replace the next thought process. She wasn't even rash enough to hear him calling her name. "Nelly, Nelly."
Her eyes were sunken, tired obviously she just got out of work. "Did you call anyone? Did you? Because I cant! I can't deal with anymore death right now!" Her hands blood-soaked trembling above the body, her lashes soaked with tears. "I killed him. Oh god I killed him."
Otis was gripping her trembling; her body was doing violent spasms. "Shh, no Nelly you didn't. Look he's breathing-"
"I killed Vlad!" She moaned, wounded even as if she was the in pain on the ground, not the boy. Her eyes darting hysterically to the night sky looking for answers, with palms open. More tears stained her shirt and hung from her cheek. Otis was now beginning to see the consequences of leaving this woman behind. Almost to the brink of losing her sanity, in one slick movement he grasped her shoulders embracing her tightly. Much too tightly than needed cutting off her air. She gasped.
"Not your's. Mine. My fault, my doing. Mine." Whispering words into her into her neck.
Hiccupping a sob she opened her mouth when the figure below her groaned again.
"Gnn." Otis quickly kissed Nelly and attended to the boy. No human, bleeding this much should be alive. Nor he should be getting up and he was getting up. He shook his head once, burying in his face into the palms of his hands. "Ah" he hissed, he gently poked his where blood like a waterfall was gushing out. "That's not good," he moreover muttered to himself neglecting the audience he had.
"Son? How are you...? Are you ok?" He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Couldn't conjure a single explanation…unless he wasn't human.
But the boy wasn't listening like he was alone. "Father will be furious," muttered again gripping his side.
"Son?" The boy started at the man's voice. "Are you ok?" A rough hand was gripping his shoulder.
Slowly the boy raked his eyes over the man, a small smile splaying across his face. He was safe. And for some reason that brought relief to him, a relief that swept away his paranoia of his father's abuse he predicted when he got home. "I-I think I 'am."
Otis studied him analyzing and memorizing his features. Dark cocoa eyes with long black hair, shoulder length. Pale even for boy who lived in bathory. The image of him brought a horrible reminder that he looked away. Without looking he asked, "How is it that you alive?"
This time the boy looked away, "I-I-I don't know," then he groaned or feigning groaning Otis noticed. As he gripped his sides through clenched teeth, "god this stings." Some of Otis's embrace must have rationalized Nelly for she quickly prodded the boy's side. A side bloody and covered almost what looked like deep blank ink blotches. "We should get you to a hospital, I don't think I can save you even if you are ok."
"No please no hos'pil," he moaned.
"Look kid you losing blood too fast for me, you can't just walk away." She was all professional now. Nurse Nelly making a diagnosis, "now just hold tight for a bit. I'm gonna directly call the-"
"Already on it" Otis had Nelly's phones in his ear, informing of the place and their location. "You're hurt too." He caressed her forehead.
"NO!" The boy wailed. Otis closed the phone. "Please! I can't go!"
"Regardless there're on their way."
"No I can't!"
"Why honey?" Nelly was stroking his hair with affection trying to calm the boy. His chest was heaving like he was the corned rabbit facing a coyote.
"I just can't!" The two adults exchanged a look. When Otis tried to penetrate his mind all he got was a brick wall. What is he?
Nelly sighed, exhausted mentally and physically. "You have to, we all do. Just in case." She said with soothingly.
The boy looked at her liking the way she spoke. It was more enduring that his mother's high, screeching voice. It was more compassionate than his mother's strict and inconsiderate tone. And the man was the most considerate of them all. He noticed the way the man intensely looked at him as if he was precious.
His father never saw him as much. Or as anything at all but a tool. And now his tool was damaged. Shredded, unusable, unwanted. He shuddered at the thought. Where would he go if…?
The woman next to him sighed, a slight pang of guilt washed through the boy. Guilt for the burden he's cause such a kind, compassionate woman. Someone who shouldn't deal with the likes him.
"Look," she said coaxingly yet her voice did not shield the exhaustion that laid underneath. "We'll take you to the hospital." Before the boy began to protest she quickly spoke, "only me and Otis will attend your wounds. But please," she's begging now either for sleep or for this night to end, "we need better and efficient equipment, if not…" Her lids lowered fearing the worse for this child.
"I vow no one will know of this." Otis squeezed the boy's leg reassuringly. He hoped to end this night quickly for both Nelly and the boy. Her head didn't look so good either and his thirst…And this boy, this boy was something foreign.
"Thank you, Otis." Her hands cupped her own; as she smiled it revealed the only life in the fatigued woman's face. She looked better when she was staring into eyes or touching his hand. Healthier, alive…healed even.
The boy's eye flickered between the two. He could not ignore these kind-hearted people who were so determined to save his life, as if it held any value. The something he's never witnessed before. "All right, just you two. No one else." The boy very much enjoyed the couple's help. He saw something deeper in their bond than he's seen in his own parents. It wouldn't leave their side even if he wanted to. He felt a deep protectiveness; if they wanted I would be their tool. They were worth protecting not like…Longing filled him he owed these people what they wanted. He would give it to them.
And at last return to the shadows. People like these two shouldn't witness the shadows he's bears. Despite his longing, he didn't belong not with them not with his parents, nowhere. He wondered if he ever will.
In the distance the wailing of red and blue echoed into the moonless night.
Sorry it took soo long to write. Vlad says hi to all his adoring and loving fanfic fans!
Vlad: hmph
ME: he just shy
Vlad: yea that's it, 'I'm shy'
ME: touchy
Vlad: *rolls eyes*
ME: *tickles*
Vlad: *laughs uncontrollably* p-please s-stop haha
ME: Now say the magic word
Vlad: p-p-p-please s-stop hahaha
ME: nuuuu
Vlad: please, please review !
ME: *nodding* that's right, reviewing pretty please (we both love it)!
