Hello! A lot of you must be either confused or suspicious of how seriously I take my education. In the last chapter, I gave a short author's note, which said that I have an exam coming and that I have to study. Not to mention this chapter is pretty long and I have updated pretty fast this time. Well, I will tell you all the reason. I wrote this very chapter, before I did the previous one. The reason was simply because I was getting too fidgety and wanted to progress with the storyline and create some sort of vision for it. So, this is the result and currently I am tired, sitting on my chair, the rest of my family is sleeping, and I am the only one up… Good for me.
Anyway, I hope that this chapter is a very good surprise and will bring you all delight to this day. Though, some of the context in this chapter (spoiler alert) is pretty dark. But, it will have a new character in it and if you read the previous chapter you know what I am talking about. :)
Now, I have a question for all of you regarding my story. I already have my own firm ideas (which are written on a stone) and plans for it, but I love reviews and such. So, I am giving this to those who haven't got much to say.
The question is this: "Do you think that Momo should be having more than a one love interest?" And I am not talking about her starting to struggle with her own feelings between two men. No! I never want to write a story like that! I mean that should someone else be interested in her in this story's future chapters? Anyone who likes these kind of things (triple dramas, as I call them) can tell who it can be. It can be a character who hasn't even shown up yet.
Even if you don't want to answer to this question, please, do review.
Alalaes: I am sorry to hear about your school life as well. But, at least when it is over it will be over. And if you liked the appearance of this "mysterious vampire" that much in the previous chapter, then I am sure you will be thrilled to read my Oc's and his further interaction in this chapter. Have fun and enjoy. I wish you the best of luck for your studies!
93BNMill: Hey! Thank you for your comment and your praise on this chapter. Actually, I am a follower of one of your stories, if you haven't noticed. And I must say I love the story "A Song Of Storm And Fire"! And you also like my Naruto fanfiction!? You have no idea how much that means to me! Since I started writing in here, it has been my dream to have one of my favorite writers to even give a small praise on one of my stories. Your username sounded so familiar, when I read your comment… I can only say that I almost had a heart attack, once I realized who you are. And, I must recommend you, watch the Seraph of the End anime. (I love both manga and the anime. They are both really good. Colored characters are the best, though.) Thank you for also understanding my pain with the school and I sincerely hope that you will like this chapter. Once again, I love your Naruto fanfiction.
He is still standing before her, so this isn't a nightmare. The air is certainly still cold – something that makes Momo's fingers numb and serves as a reminder of the reality. She is still shaking, but honestly doesn't almost notice it the whole time she stares up at the pair of red eyes. Of course, anyone would have started running by now, but the young woman constantly reminds herself that that isn't a good course of action. He will come after me – she keeps on standing and feeling cold sweat going down her rigid back. Terror is too weak of a word to describe what Momo is feeling.
She has a reason to be here – in this dark city without any sign of life or help to guard a human from a vampire – and stare at this creature, which is basically one of the worst and stupid decisions of her years. However, that reason is slipping away. Momo starts to lose her train of thoughts to her frightened body that is reacting to this encounter quite naturally. She can't breathe, and her muscles are close to being noodles.
The scars on her arm and torso throb what feels like the hundredth time. The young woman's throat tightens from it and flashes of gruesome memories start to come back. It's funny. Considering how quiet and empty her head was just a second ago. Her limbs tremble and the dark alley she is standing on is becoming too eerie and quiet to be safe and reassuring enough. Though, it became dangerous the very second the vampire showed up.
That is right. Momo feels colder and struggles to hold an eye contact that she would rather break right away. He is the one who… The memories scatter without order, flashing and turning and making the human want to throw up again. The experiences of the trauma are coming back. N-no… Not again.
The red eyes aren't even blinking and the lack of action on their part make Momo have another flashback. The vampire had looked at her this way two years ago, without hesitation, without a blink and without mercy. He hadn't hesitated even a little bit, when he slaughtered that soldier that had tried to save her and had even tried to do the same for her. Although, when it had come to Momo, the vampire had played with her terror. These stab wounds on her body are the prove of that.
The dark-haired human had expected to have an overflowing amount of emotions coursing through her at this very moment. But, now she realizes it is so bad that she can't truly move, and her mind is in chaos.
My heartbeat… It is so loud that she could just fine mistake it for the sound of drums. H-he can p-probably h-hear it. She bites down on her tongue again.
"Of course, I can hear it."
Loudly, Momo lets out a choked noise in the back of her throat. It is full of shock and fright. Her eyes widen and the muscles in her legs work faster than her brain – she takes a step back.
Once again, there is somehow enough light for the few parts of the vampire's features to be visible. His eyes and his teeth that shape two sharp ends on each side of the mouth.
"I can hear it and your thoughts reaaaally well~"
Cold has a whole new meaning in Momo's vocabulary. Her world literally starts spinning and any kind of airway is blocked by an invisible force. It is ridiculous, because she is outside where there is all the air she could ever need, yet, she can't take it in.
The vampire takes a step forward, resulting in Momo taking another one back. Her steps are shaky, though, and she almost ends up falling down to her butt.
"Don't worry," he says lightly, but it sounds anything but to her ears. "I won't kill you. Now, why don't you come with me-"
Momo visibly cringes and looks up at him with horrified expression. Does he expect her to follow him just like that?
"And we can go and see your friend."
Momo is still trembling, but she does dare to open her mouth a little from the mention of her former colleague. "I-is s-she alright?" Her voice sounds so weak and quiet that it could be downed out by a small breeze.
He stops moving. "Of course. We are not allowed to drink from humans, when we aren't in a battlefield. I can't go on breaking a law."
She continues staring at him, obviously having large doubts about his claims. Even if he wasn't allowed to drink someone dry, that certainly wouldn't stop any vampire from piercing someone with a sword. The thought of the weapon makes Momo carefully slide her eyes down and to the side where she thinks his weapon is. Her fears become reality, when she notices the gleam of the handle.
The vampire lets out a dramatic sigh, shoulders clearly dropping. "It seems you do not trust me. Oh well."
Her heart literally crashes against the ribcage, when he reaches a hand towards her. This time, Momo can't stop – nor does she want to – her body's reaction to this movement. She backs away more and a loud scream comes out of her throat. It sounds like a pathetic whimper of a cornered animal. Her knees give up under the weight, and she falls with her arms shielding her face from view. "D-don't touch me!"
She knows that her pitiful defense could do nothing to stop the vampire from simply ripping her arms off. But, she also doesn't like the idea of him touching her. The mere thought makes goosebumps appear on her entire body.
When she had taken a hold of that train's cart metal handle and hang onto it, when she had walked through the wall without hesitation and when she ran through the rain to Kotaro's place to ask for help, Momo hadn't hesitated too much. In fact, it must have been because of the adrenaline and the lack of time to think straight that has kept her going. Not to mention she allowed herself to grow emotionally and physically stressed out by everything that has happened so far – Kikyo, the bully nurses, the corpses, the therapy sessions, new job, nightmares and her own medication.
But, here and now all those worries, and burdens are forgotten. They have sunk somewhere deep and been banished by mere instincts. Momo isn't feeling like a brave hero from a story book, more like a cowardly peasant begging for her life.
She waits. She stays absolutely still and trembles, while waiting for an end to come. However, when nothing happens, Momo raises her brown, wet eyes up and peeks between her two arms at the vampire. His hand doesn't move, nor does he himself. The vampire looks like a frozen statue.
The human stares up at him with puzzlement, but not lowering her guard. Instead, she becomes suspicious and nervous of what he might be planning right now.
Momo doesn't have to wait for a long time, because the very second, she blinks, the unmoving hand shoots forward and wraps around her neck. She doesn't get another second to process her terror, when the air supply is cut off and she is lifted into the air with trashing limbs. N-no!
She is being hanged above the ground, the tips of the shoes barely reaching the steady surface and continue kicking in desperation. Her fingernails try scratching the arm holding her, but it is entirely covered by fabric and a glove, so it doesn't do much damage. Though, according to what she remembers from the times in the research facility, a kitchen knife couldn't hurt a vampire, much less a human nail. Still, Momo keeps on scratching and squeezing to get the choking hold away.
Through her blurred vision – which is becoming even more blurred and darker from the lack of oxygen – Momo sees the vampire watching her but he doesn't loosen his hold.
She trembles, the fear of her life not caring for the lack of air and keeps her body moving. She wants to scream, but that proves to be impossible with someone's hand around your neck.
"A-agh!" She chokes, when the hold tightens, and she feels like she is being lifted up even higher. She is not looking at the vampire anymore – with the kind of angle her head and neck are in, it is impossible.
Stop! Please, stop! Her eyes close tightly as the blood packs into her head. Her face's skin starts to become flushed and warm, revealing that it is turning outright red. Tears come out between the closed eyelids. No, no, no! I don't want to die! Stop! Please!
The world is already dark, and Momo can barely hold onto her consciousness anymore. Her hands holding the much larger one around her aching neck start to slacken and her struggling diminishes. It is funny – in a morbid way – because Momo had always thought she would be seeing a white light at the end of a tunnel during the moment of her death. But all she is seeing are stars dancing across her vision.
No…
Suddenly, the excruciating pressure all around her neck disappears and gravity takes a hold of Momo. She falls – feet making the first contact with the ground and knees following after the situation settles in. Violent coughs rock her body and she inhales the precious air supply greedily between each rough cough.
However, almost as soon as she gets couple breaths in, Momo scrambles up and what she thinks is a few feet away from the vampire. The cold and rough ground scratches against her trembling legs and palms.
"Hmm…" the vampire's deep hum makes the hairs on her body stand up again. "This is certainly interesting."
Without hesitating, Momo makes a run for it. She tries to recall the route she had taken to come here. Although, in the midst of panic, it is quite impossible to think. She merely lets her muscles do the work for now. Get away! Get away! Get away! Her inner mind continues screaming, while her throat throbs and shapes the outlines of a hand that had been there a few seconds ago.
"Where are you going?"
A second later that question comes out, Momo is grabbed from the back of her jacket. Of course, she starts struggling, feeling how the fabric is in danger-zone for tearing down. She does start screaming, but the actions have a very small – nonexistent – effect on the vampire.
He pulls her back without much effort and doesn't let go.
Momo is hearing her loud heartbeat again and it literally rings in her ears like a siren. She is crying both mentally and physically. And there is a psychopathic vampire standing now less than a foot away and holding her in place like a child. Though, her appearance is the last of her worries. She is downright terrified.
Even if he isn't choking her any longer, it is hard for the young human woman to breathe. So, she can only continue squirming and screaming like her life depends on it – in this situation, it does.
The fear is too much. And in the end, Momo faints.
Crowley watches as the human becomes limp and falls down. He doesn't bother catching her and merely let's go of the hand he is holding. She meets the ground with a small 'thud' but doesn't seem to react to it. She is really unconscious, and he keeps on staring at her limp form with little interest.
He could recognize her immediately. Right at the very moment that her scent had hit his nostrils in the wind and even before, when he had seen her pale face with his reflection in the mirrors. That is where his curiosity had piqued up and resulted into this meeting. But, now that he has seen her reaction, he feels a tad bit disappointed. She truly is like any other human he has ever met. A livestock pleading for their own life to be spared.
The vampire tilts his head to the side and crouches down. Well, she hadn't truly begged him out loud to not kill her, but he could still hear her thoughts screaming inside his skull to stop. Frankly, that had really shocked him the very second, he had appeared behind her. Even without making an eye contact, he could clearly hear all of her frantic and worried thoughts. It had become even more amusing, when she had noticed his presence – her frightened thoughts intensified from that point on.
He reaches a gloved hand and turns the body around. The human does not react and stays limp. For a second, he thinks she had been so scared that her heart had stopped – that wouldn't come as a surprise from a weak human. But he takes a note of how her chest is rising and falling and how he can hear the sound of her breathing and heartbeat. She is alive, then.
As if bored, Crowley sits down and places his head on his palm, eyes continuing to analyze the livestock. He is trying to find something peculiar about this woman, something that might tell him about this irregular link the two of them have. Honestly, it is laughable, how he, a noble vampire, has even a connection with a mere human to begin with. Although, he doesn't feel angry or too ashamed of it. In fact, Crowley is very curious about this new discover that could kill his boredom in some way. At least, he hopes so, because otherwise there is no reason to keep this woman alive even for a second longer. He is not that hungry, though, nor does she smell that appealing.
He hums, and his eyes move down to the woman's neck. It already has a large red mark forming around it like a rope. He reaches out to his own neck and feels how his tender flesh reacts unpleasantly with the leather of his gloves. It seems like the thoughts of a human and a vampire are not the only things that are connected. Even he had almost cringed, when the sensation of being squeezed had surrounded his neck. Not to mention he also got dizzy and could feel his own limbs tremble. The very moment she had hit the ground and crawled away, he could feel every scratch and dull throb.
Red eyes look down at the human woman again and rise to see a wet face. It's ridiculous, but Crowley is certain that what he had felt was her fear. Curious. It is an emotion that he has forgotten but had just a few seconds ago regained. Though, now he feels nothing, again. The flow of emotions had washed away as soon as this very human had lost consciousness. Very curious, indeed.
Getting a bit bored of her nonreacting face, he calls out: "Hey, livestock. Are you awake?" When he gets no response, he sighs and places his head back into his palm. "This is going nowhere."
Truthfully, this situation should be worrying. If causing damage to a simple human will damage him, then she is dangerous.
Crowley moves a little closer and raises her left hand. It is incredible body to the touch and he thinks for a second how easy it would be to crush it in his grip. But, instead, he moves the sleeve down to see couple thin lines on the wrist area. They aren't fresh and are obviously scars that are almost invisible to the eye considering how well they melt into the equally pale skin. He blinks from the sight of them and lowers the hand and pulls down his own left hand's sleeve to see matching scars on them. Because his own skin is slightly tanner, though, they are more noticeable. So, if she were injured, my healing process would lower to that of a human's… huh.
The situation is getting less and less amusing. This human makes one mistake and he could end up being filled with wounds that would take too long to heal.
Things certainly have taken an interesting turn for him. Though, it is starting to make him even more curious. What exactly had triggered this two years ago? During that very day that he was close to killing this woman?
Not exactly liking to simply continue sitting on a dirty ground with limp human next to him, Crowley stands up and grabs the livestock. He throws her over his shoulder rather easily and then takes off.
I have enough time to ask questions.
It is dark, but that doesn't stop Kotaro from walking calmly between the buildings and looking around without a care in the world. He isn't showing an expression of distress, anxiety or tiredness whatsoever. Though, he probably should be having one of those things forming on his facial muscles right now. Walking around the half-dead city in the middle of the night isn't the safest or wisest option anyone could have.
So, here he is now. After escorting his only patient – with some past mental health issues and traumas – into a very dangerous and risky territory over the walls, Kotaro had started to head straight towards his apartment like nothing was wrong. Nothing is still wrong, in his eyes at least. There is no sense of guilt, worry or regret in him, and that is exactly why he is able to keep on that simple smile on his face, just like the one he usually wears.
Now, he only needs to go back to his house and finish the rest of his stuff. Then he can have the long waited 'rest'. That does sound delightful to him and makes his smile widen a little. And some snacks, a drink, a book and bubbles. The twitch of the corners of his lips is very small and nearly unnoticeable, but still there. He hasn't felt this light for a long, long time. It is very liberating, if he could call it that. Even the very air he is inhaling is so much cleaner than he remembered. There is no tiredness or strain on his muscles either nor tiredness on his eyelids. All thanks to Momo-san.
Though, he knows that this happiness is very short live – No, no. I am not going to think about it. He shakes his head and continues on.
There is a bar nearby. The sound of the drunk people there laughing reaches every corner of the streets near it. It wouldn't be too surprising, if one were only a few feet away from the door and could smell the alcohol in the cool night air. There weren't any recent great events or celebrations held, so the folk in the bar are probably only having fun without a reason. But unlike them, Kotaro has a reason to be happy at this very moment.
As if to prove his very point, the therapist skips over a fallen lamppost. It is a very lighthearted act – a grown up man looking like a child. And he starts to hum under his breath after.
He crouches down for a second and rips a piece of grass off the ground. He twirls it around his fingers, allowing his humming to grow louder. "Dun da-da-daaah!"
His apartment is at sight and he can see at least one resident awake from the lights being on. There is more than one shadow moving quickly across the closed curtains, obviously telling that Kotaro's neighbor has friends to be with.
Lucky him. He seems like a nice guy. Maybe I should… Nah. He shakes his head from his thoughts and then starts to pull out his keys. Like I would have time for that. The key to his apartment is silver and he tosses the piece of grass aside to twirl the metal instead.
He passes many doors with every step he takes. His apartment is on the fifth floor and the one with the lights on is only a floor below. Behind its wall, you can hear the very faint sound of laughing and snorting along with drunken talk. For a second, Kotaro considers knocking onto the door with the number one-hundred-twenty-seven on it but shakes his head again and continues going up the stairs. He really has no time for this.
The moment he steps into his house, the warmer air consumes him. He hadn't really noticed this before, but his fingers are freezing and almost completely numb. The night air hadn't really felt that cold.
Huh. Kotaro closes the door and breathes warmly against his digits. I guess I simply didn't notice it.
Compared to the apartment on the fourth floor, his is completely dark. No lights are on and no curtains are drawn together to cover the windows. Also, compared to the jolly atmosphere the neighbors have even with doors closed, Kotaro can only feel melancholy and chilliness from his own. Though, that fact doesn't bother him for too long.
Without missing a beat, he tosses his jacket and boots to the ground. Not caring about the messy state. Then, he walks into his kitchen, crouches down in front of his fridge and pulls out a bottle of alcohol. He can already taste it without even opening the bottle. It's party time~.
Ring! Ring!
His hand is just in the middle of pulling off the cork, when the phone on the couch starts vibrating. Kotaro pauses on what he is doing and stares at the direction where the noise is coming from. It pierces the thick silence.
He returns his attention back to the task at hand. The caller will definitely give up, if he doesn't answer in a while. It doesn't matter anymore, who it is calling to him. This night should be all about him.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
The wine is poured into a glass. It is dark red and swirls around the container. Kotaro watches its movements, almost transfixed entirely on the liquid. His mouth suddenly feels a little too dry and the slight bitter scent of alcohol does nothing to lessen it. Tonight… I will…
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!
Kotaro takes a small sip at first, but then couldn't care less about looking dignified and gulps the whole thing down. The young man does not hesitate to pour himself a second one, or a third, or following it a fourth cup. He just lets the frenzy of drinking take completely over and slumps down on a chair with a whole bottle in his hands.
He is a responsible drinker. He has always been. Getting drunk and causing trouble for himself or for someone else would only land more trouble and responsibilities on him. And as a bonus, Kotaro doesn't get that drunk too easily. However, right now, he feels like becoming completely obvious to the rest of the world…
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!
Which is becoming very difficult to accomplish.
The therapist sighs gruffly and sets the bottle aside. He can't believe what he was thinking, when he bought that bloody thing. It is the latest technology, so almost nobody pretty much knows about it and of course it was expensive. Useful? To some extent. Annoying? Definitely.
He stands up with a huff and walks to the couch. The screen is bright, but he doesn't take his time to look who it is calling. The ringing sound is so piercing that he would rather have it muted immediately. Not to mention he has to get back into drinking.
He presses a button and brings the device to his ear. "Hello?"
The whole apartment is silent. So much so that you can cut through the thick atmosphere with a knife again. Though, the very faint sound of loud wind through the window does break it at some point. But the silence continues for about thirty seconds or a minute after.
Kotaro stays still. He doesn't say anything, but his lower lip does drop for a second, before it goes back up. The young man leans his weight against a wall and looks forward but is clearly listening with intensity that he didn't have a little while ago. The silence continues for a while, but because you can't hear the voice of the caller in the apartment, it is a mystery, if the silence is mutual on both sides.
Silver eyes blink once, then twice, before closing gently. Kotaro's mouth moves again, but not to form words. Instead, the corners of his lips lift up.
What comes out next is a loud: "Pft! Hahahahaha!" He laughs loudly, not caring or worrying over the fact that someone on the other side of the wall could hear him. When he opens his eyes, there is only sheer force of amusement in them. "W-what!? Y-you can't be serious! You a-actually thought that I wouldn't do it!? Hahahaha! Oh, my! I didn't think that – hahaha – you had so much faith in me!"
He continues on laughing, finding what he has heard very amusing. His stomach starts to hurt, and he crashes down to the ground while throwing his head back. It collides with the wall loudly, but he is obvious to the pain. His eyes remain open, shining with something twisted and sinister. This is an expression he has not let anyone ever see on him. Otherwise they would run away, without a doubt.
Kotaro does calm down at one point, but it feels like ages have passed, when that happens. He has managed to kick a small table with a decoration bowl on it. And as a result, the fragile object has shattered.
Taking in few, calming breaths, the young man starts talking with shoulders shaking. "Seriously, though. What made you think that I would pass this opportunity? After what you have put me through no less?"
His smile drops and a sneer morphs across his features. For the first time in forever, Kotaro is showing anger, detest and scorn on his face. His silver eyes darken more than one shade from the swirl of emotions in them.
"I don't care what you will do to me. Whatever will happen to her from now on, is none of my business," he hisses, but then a wide smile, that splits his face almost in half, blooms on his lips. "How does it feel, to have your own pawn stabbing you in the back, bastard? I bet she is dead already. Won't you go on and take a look of her corpse, when you have time? I am sure you want that tracking chip back from her!"
This is it… This sensation going through his body – it is better than any alcohol could ever give him. Kotaro chuckles darkly and starts to stand up with wobbling feet. He can't believe how easily he has gotten to this point and takes support from the wall. Finally! It is over now!
But, after less than a minute passes, his smile drops, and his eyes widen. He freezes. There isn't any trace of the previous amusement anywhere on his face. And, if it is possible, his already light skin turns lighter as his eyes widen even further. For the second time during this night, his lower lip drops, but nothing comes out. This pattern continues for a while.
"What?" Kotaro finally manages to choke out and then stands up straight. "What do you mean – No. What are you saying? Why would she…" he trails off, obviously at loss, but then he frowns. "You aren't telling me something. What is it?"
A few seconds pass.
Kotaro raises his hand, clenches it into a tight fist and then slams it against the wall. It trembles under the pressure and breaks from the impact spot. Crumbles of white, chalk-like cover come down against the solid surface down to the ground next to Kotaro's feet.
"TELL ME!" He roars, his grip on the phone becoming so tight that the thing could break at any given moment. "WHY!? WHY IS SHE STILL ALIVE!?"
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Kotaro freezes and whirls around to face the door. He is sure that he heard knocking through the ringing in his ears. His wide and sharp grey eyes look down at the phone, only to narrow in disbelief, when he sees that the call has ended. He is left almost completely alone in his apartment. The situation settles in, and Kotaro lets the phone fall and listens as it slams against the ground. He keeps on staring ahead and the dull sound echoes in his ears.
Very slowly, he stands up and looks towards the door. The knocking has not stopped but grows more frantic and impatient. Kotaro merely blinks once more from the sound and then looks down at the fallen phone. It's probably that person… They have come to get me.
He shouldn't have tried to try his luck with this. Of course, he isn't allowed to die – or even peacefully – after what he has gone and done. He went against orders, and they found out about it during the very same night it happened. Kotaro usually labels himself as a smart and calculating person, but this time he is really screwed. And he does not mean that lightly. He is actually getting nervous. His hands are sweating.
Knock! Knock!
The young man walks calmly to his bottle of alcohol, despite the inner turmoil he is experiencing. Opening the bottle, Kotaro takes a large gulp and throws his head back. Trails of liquid drip down from his mouth to his chin and then down his neck and under the collar of his shirt. He gasps, when he has had enough and lowers the bottle. With the back of his hand, Kotaro wipes off the trail of wine from his chin and then heads towards the balcony.
I have no regrets, is what he says to himself many times, as he slides the glass door open and lets the cold air slam against his face. The sight is dull, grey and dark with half-standing buildings all over the area. There is nothing worth mentioning about this scenario and Kotaro takes a sip of his drink to calm his wildly beating heart.
He did not fear death. Nor the pain and loneliness that might come from it. He has already experienced those things while being alive, so this day would become the day he finally could rest. And, in fact, he does not regret anything. Not all the dirty deeds he has done, his lying and deceptive nature and he especially does not regret sending a woman towards her doom.
The image of black hair and a pair of brown eyes flash in Kotaro's mind. In his opinion, she hasn't changed as much as she would like to believe. He can still see that naïve, self-pitying and easily breakable girl after all these years. Whatever reason she had to leave the protection of these walls, it is a sign of lunacy.
Kotaro sighs, his breath coming out as a white cloud. He doesn't really have the right to judge and criticize others. He has been worse and is currently planning on doing one of the most idiotic things in his life. Goodbye, Momo-san. I hope your own death will be slower than mine.
With the bottle still in his hand, the therapist climbs on the railing and sits on it, one hand making it possible for him not to fall down into his doom, yet. The world below is full of hard ground covered with small patches of grass. And soon, there will be a body there. Though, because Kotaro doesn't want everything below be his last view, he chooses to raise his gaze forward and up to the sky. It is dark and full of twinkling stars.
The taste of alcohol lingering on his tongue, the young man inhales deeply… before letting go of the railing.
I will never let them take me.
The landlord is not happy. He has not gotten a wink of sleep, because of all the racket going on in his apartments. Not to mention the other residents must feel the same way, because one of them already came to him with a complain. Nobody is cheery or up to walk up more than two floors in the middle of the night, so in the eyes of this building's owner, the whole conversation went with both of them grumbling.
And now, he is in the middle of opening the door to an apartment one-hundred-thirty-five and muttering some irritated words under his breath. Over the last five years, he has been entrusted to take care of this place and the people living here. But, in all of that time, never has there been an incident where he has to use a spare key to get into one of the apartments. So, this situation couldn't get any more absurd in his opinion.
Of course, the landlord had tried knocking, but that didn't have any affect. Whoever was inside screaming his lungs out had stopped almost as soon as he had knocked but hadn't responded otherwise. The silent reaction has worried the landlord a bit. Because, even though he doesn't know the person who lives on this floor very well, he has met the young man few times. A person with calm disposition and polite way of answering and greeting. Other than that, there was nothing else to mention about the guy. However, to hear him scream was shocking. Not to mention there had been a very dull and hard sound shaking the door a minute ago – like something had been thrown or slammed against a wall.
The landlord knows that entering a house with these kinds of noises is not the wisest decision, but he has to make sure that the resident is well. If something were to happen, well, he has already alerted the authorities and they said that they would be arriving soon.
The door creaks open and the man peeks his head carefully inside. "Hello? Is anyone here? Yamanaka-san?"
There is light coming from the kitchen, but other than that, everything is dark – it makes the atmosphere eerie and the landlord swallows thickly. He hasn't watched horror movies in years but gets that same feeling as if he is watching one now.
Cautiously, he lets the door stay open and steps inside, only to blanch from the sight of a hole on the wall. It is enough to make his jaw drop and gasp for air in disbelief. The hole is the size of a fist, which would explain where the previous dull sound had come from, and some pieces of the white wall still keep on falling down to the floor.
The landlord knows that there are more pressing things to think about – like where is the man who lives in here – but numbers of how much repairing this will cost keep on moving in his head. His blood pressure rises, but then he walks deeper into the apartment. There is a faint scent of alcohol in the air, which is more than enough to tell what has happened – the individual got drunk and started to mess around his apartment. The thought leaves a bad taste to landlord's mouth, because he really hadn't thought Yamanaka to be a drinking type.
Maybe he has had a bad day, is a one thought that could be a possibility. And it escalates, when the owner of the building sees the balcony's door wide open and curtains fluttering in the wind like a pair of ghosts.
"Y-yamanaka-san?" He calls out and looks around the place for a familiar face. He even runs to the bathroom but finds nobody from there. So, he has to go back to the balcony and look at it with wide eyes. His voice is shaky and his face pale, as he mumbles to himself: "He wouldn't have fallen… right?"
Now, panicked and full of worry and terror, the landlord shots forward and grips the cold railing with white knuckles. His eyes look down, but almost soon after her feels dizzy. Still, he keeps on looking at the ground, occasionally thinking that this might become a nightmare to him. Not only is one of the apartments damaged, but its inhabitant could be dead. That certainly wouldn't be good for a public image. The landlord would also need to explain things to police and then people might want to move out because there had been a dead person on the yard.
However, to his confusion and relief, there is no body on the ground below. Only what looks like a broken bottle and a huge splatter of its liquid have left their mark on the terrain. There is no body… he didn't jump… The landlord's shoulders slump, and he lets go of the railing, backing slightly to the apartment. Thank god!
But, that leaves him with an unanswered question: Where on earth did this apartment's resident leave to?
The whole place is empty from Yamanaka Kotaro.
When Momo wakes up, she is laying on a cold hard ground. For a second, there grows a small hope in her that the vampire has left her where they had met, and she has escaped him. That would make her more happy and relieved than anything else in the world. If that simple thing could only be reality, then she could return back to her house safe and sound. She would take her medicine and block the monster from invading her mind and plaguing her for the rest of the night. Momo would be able to relax and feel extreme thankfulness to luck for letting her live another day longer.
She gets up, noticing immediately how groggy she feels. But then, she starts to see her surroundings more and the warm blood flowing in her veins feels like it stops. Her mind also grows blank and it takes a while for it to process the environment more thoroughly. Wh-where am I? Momo inhales, a mossy and dust-like scent enters her nostrils and the hairs on her back stand up. This isn't outside.
It is a room, with four walls, two very small windows nailed with thick boards on the right and a single wooden door opposite from the shaken woman. There is no furniture around, only somewhat dusty and uneven floor and a small hole on the roof where a lamp had been probably a decade ago. All in all, the only thing living or with any kind of color is Momo alone and the very fact makes her stomach drop. This is like a sick joke to her.
"No," the dark-haired woman gasps and stands up to her feet. She heads towards the door, while muttering under her breath in panic: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no! This can't be happening!"
The handle is cold and a bit rusty, but no matter how much Momo tries pulling and twisting it won't budge and the door remains closed. Her heartbeat rises and sweat starts to make her fingers slippery against the metal. Instead of trying to calm down like she should, the young woman gives the door a good kick and continues trying to open it in desperation. The wood doesn't even budge or rattle and continues receiving blows to it. Open! Momo slams her fist on it. Open! She pulls violently on the handle. Open! She kicks the wood with all she has and whimpers from the pain she receives.
The room is not small, but it does start to feel like that the longer the banging continues. Momo's breaths grow louder and she starts to feel lightheaded. It is only because she wants to get out so badly, that she calms her shuddering breaths every now and then. But that is the only thing she does, and her violent outbursts don't stop.
Momo can feel how her fists are throbbing from the constant slamming. She can even feel how the stinging sensation of tears is starting to spread on her eyes and her vision blurs slightly. This is bad. She is trapped in here, without anyone and who knows where this place is at. The memories of that vampire make her shudder and think that this is probably his lair, which makes her panic grow.
"God damnit! Open! Let me out! Somebody!" Now, she slams both of her arms down on the door and pants, letting a small whimper come out from her throat. She notices that it is aching all around but realizes soon that it is because of the choking hold the vampire had used.
The hairs on her back stand up again, when a horrible thought enters her head. Hastily, Momo reaches out and trails her fingers carefully all across her neck. Did he drink from me!? Of course, a person can't be turned into a blood sucking creature from a bite, but that doesn't mean that the idea is a nice one. So, when Momo doesn't feel or find anything unusual or painful, she is relieved for a short while.
I can't stay cooped up in here! The door has already proven to be too tough for her to break, so the windows are the next option. They are covered by planks of wood, but she doesn't think much about it. Instead, she takes action and runs to the nearest one. Its top is high enough from the ground for Momo to reach the planks and her fingers dig into the planks and try how firmly they are attached.
"C'mon, c'mon!" She bites down on her lip and pulls on the planks over and over again, but nothing happens. Frustration makes her growl and if the window wasn't higher than her foot, she would kick it right away. Tears are starting to sting her eyes for the second time and in the end, she slams her forehead against the wood helplessly. She whimpers: "Just let me out already."
Why is she here? Wouldn't it have saved the vampire a lot of trouble, if she was dead? Keeping her alive for amusement or even torture would make sense, but those ideas make Momo even more scared and nervous. She whimpers and the closes her eyes.
All of that aside, it is pretty obvious why Momo is here to begin with. The vampire is also puzzled by the connection they have and wants to probably – no, definitely – know what it is all about. And, truth to be told, despite this situation being the worst and scariest, Momo also wants to understand why it has happened only recently. It's been two years since they last saw each other, but this whole dream-like link formed in less than four months. Either something had happened just recently to cause this – which is highly unlikely – or they have done something to cause the connection.
The young woman bites down harder on her lip. There is no doubt that this place has vampires, but she had gone and yelled and kicked the door anyway. She feels stupid now, for reacting the way she had. Although, nothing can be done to change it. The vampire must have heard her screams and punches even to the other side of the thick door. Their kind is supposed to have excellent sense, after all.
Momo has an idea how to defend herself against a vampire. She had been one of those people who had taken part on researching them. And, even though she had spent a short period of time doing that and being nothing more than an assistant, she had learned few things. Firstly, the vampire's have a device that protects them against sunlight, so removing it would prevent them going out during the daytime. I must forget about it, though. Too risky. That vampire will snap my neck in a second. Then, there are specialized swords that can harm a vampire and stop their quick healing abilities… But the problem Momo has, is that she doesn't have one. The only thing she has as a weapon, is a bloody kitchen knife.
She raises her hand to her pants pocket. The knife is pretty small, but it is a surprise it hasn't been damaged or that it hasn't cut through the fabric yet. Honestly, Momo has gotten so used to it that she almost completely forgot about it. She knows that vampires can't be defeated by this. She knew it the very moment she decided to take it with her. But… she swallows and hesitates to pull it out, if he lets his guard down, I can probably stab him in the eye and create an opening.
Her dark brows knit together. Harming someone or something – a human, an animal or even a vampire – does not sound so appealing. She had felt slight stabs of guilt, when she had watched those vampires as test subjects. The very fact that some of the people working in the science facility had enjoyed the very looks of anguish on the creatures' faces can't be erased. Momo had been able to see it very clearly. Not to mention it had been cruel and unhuman – No. Humans can be naturally cruel. There was nothing unhuman about the experiments.
Also, the very vampire who definitely brought her here, is the same one who had attacked the facility and definitely killed many of Momo's former colleagues. She hadn't been close to any of them – expect Yuki – but having seen the corpses of the very same people she had seen daily had felt terrible.
They also have killed many soldiers. Momo grits her teeth and lowers her hand. She is trembling and has to crouch down so that she will not fall later. All that blood in the hospital. They were all so weak and frightened. None of them wanted to see this war or die because of it. And now, Momo also doesn't want to be part of this vampire/human conflict. If only vampires weren't like this, then she wouldn't be sitting in this awful room all alone.
She is growing restless and tries to calm down. This is not the time to be having an inner monologue. She already has one plan that she can use to escape. But the next few problems would be: Would she be able to pull it off and where exactly would she run to? There is no way that this is the human territory anymore. There are actual dangers out there, and without doubt more vampires would be around a corner and just waiting to take a bite out of her.
Should I try the door again? Momo tries to turn her head, but winces from the painful feeling across her neck. She touches it gently and bites down on her lip for the hundredth time. There must be a bruise there… I really need to get out of here before that vampire comes!
She heads back to the door and tries the knob again. Like previously during her violent outburst, nothing happens. The panic starts to rise for the second time, but Momo tries to stay calm for once. Getting frustrated and scared to the where she will act like a cornered animal will only cause more bruises. But that might happen eventually, considering that there don't seem to be any escape routes for her.
The kitchen knife comes to her mind, but she dismisses the idea. She could try carving her way out through the door's wood, but the blade wouldn't be able to handle such thick surface and would without a doubt snap in half at one point. It isn't made for carving purposes.
Momo looks back towards the window. They do let in some light between the cracks of the planks, so it must be morning or even a day already… She almost wants to slap herself. She can check where she is by looking through those cracks. I am an idiot! There is literally light coming through those things and I only notice it now!? And I scored well in school, bah!
Filled with the smallest bit of hope, the young woman runs back to the window, rises to her toes and looks between the first two planks. She is momentarily blinded by the light but blinks few times and then narrows her two orbs.
But, her hopes are immediately crushed. Like anywhere else in this fallen country, there are abandoned buildings standing emptily across the green terrain. The grass is so tall and thick that it is almost impossible for Momo to see over it. Though, it really wouldn't have mattered, if the wildly grown green things were not there. The use of knife to cut the planks and break the window after could be a plan, but the wood is once again too thick for the blade to last forever.
Momo lowers herself and for the second time lets her forehead meet with the wood. "There is… really no way out," she whispers airily, helplessly.
It is a fact: She is doomed to stay in this place until her death. The latter would definitely be painful, with a monster involved.
This time, she lets herself to sink into the pit of depression and let panic to take over. Her knees give up and she lets her tears flow down freely. Brown eyes start to water, and she stares blankly ahead with tears overflowing from them. The young woman doesn't care about the contact of her right eye and wipes it away with the salty liquid. In a way, it is liberating. But then she closes both of her lids and covers her face with her hands. A pathetic whimper of a child comes out and shaking shoulders follow next. This is all the result of what she chose, the consequences were clear to her even before she acted, or so she thought. This feels a lot more horrible, than what Momo had anticipated.
She understood that she would be afraid for her life, would shake and tremble and even cry. The young woman even expected to pee her pants, while facing that red-eyed creature. Instead, she had fainted. It had been a perfectly vulnerable position for her, but the vampire hadn't taken an advantage of that and had brought her here instead. He didn't consider giving her a peaceful death while she couldn't feel or hear a thing. So, it can only implicate his plans to torture her further at some point. Unless he simply left her here to starve.
Momo's lower lip trembles and she hugs herself. All the reason fades, and she collapses to her side in a fetal position. And once again, she doesn't think about Kikyo and in what kind of condition she is in. The only thing going through her head is: I want to go back home! I want to live! Please…
"Somebody," she chokes out between sobs, "help me."
She doesn't care if the vampire can hear her voice or thoughts. In her own view, he can listen all he wants and mock her for it. The young woman is currently too broken to care and keeps on staining the dirty floor with her tears.
The sunlight is still coming through the cracks between the wooden planks on the windows. They shine right past Momo's laying form and only few inches away from her. The tip of her nose does touch the light, but that is just about it. The rest of her feels cold and empty. Like someone has carved her inside out and simply dumped her down to the side carelessly. The dirt has definitely ruined her clothes and hair – she knows there must be some dust on her face as well – but she doesn't care and continues staying still. Her eyes bore up to the ceiling and sometimes slide towards the black spot where a lamp might have been years ago.
Could I turn into a bird and fly through that hole? That is the first thought she has had in a while, but it only brings her closer to her problem. Another tear comes out of her right eye and she closes it, feeling how it and the left one sting, before opening both.
Her mismatching eyes are feeling dry and so do the tear trails on her face. Even snot feels stiff under her nose – which is more than gross – but she acts as if nothing is wrong. She has allowed her mind to stay blank for a while now, and merely continues staring.
Finally, the position she is in starts to be uncomfortable and Momo rolls to her side. Her right shoulder meets with the light coming through the window and it warms her skin through the fabric, although, quite little. But, she takes it as a small comfort and stares at the floor where the light reaches. The shape of her side's shadow has formed on it and she can notice how few strands of her hair are standing up. In fact, the shadow is more of a lump of some kind. It doesn't resemble the outline of a human, more like a monster's. At least, that is how Momo is seeing it as. No, I am not the monster here.
Slowly, she sits up and stares towards the door which continues standing. She would have thought that the vampire would have sensed or somehow known she is awake, but she guesses he doesn't or could care less about her state. Whatever the case is, Momo has decided that she has had enough of this insanity.
Taking in a deep breath, she reaches out into her pocket and pulls out the knife. Her stomach drops, and her heartbeat rises above what is probably normal. Vampires have good sense, they will smell my blood. Even through that door, hopefully. She isn't committing a suicide. Back in her house, she has already tried that. In the end, she had decided that killing yourself like that is not good, and that she doesn't have the resolve to hit the artery. Also, she would be thinking too much of her mother and seeing her face frowning in disappointment – that would be a too painful way to die.
All she needs to do now, is to make sure that the vampire – who has caused her nightly terrors – doesn't win. This is an act of stupidity and recklessness. Momo lets her own frustration out on a deadly creature and hopes that it will have some satisfying results. Whether he has Kikyo held hostage or not – I'm sorry – isn't the main point at this moment. That is the conclusion the dark-haired woman has come to.
Sure, she knows that when the door will open, she will be a trembling and crying mess again. She is not brave while facing a deadly vampire, nor is she smart enough. Her being in this room is just one proof of that. She will merely let her emotions guide the head than other way around. Despite working in a hospital with patience and facing lots of death and emotional situations, Momo hasn't learned yet how to suffocate everything.
Her stomach clenches. It is hurting from both nervousness and from the lack of food. The hunger disappeared some time ago, but the young woman wouldn't mind a snack – a useless dream.
He, or someone else, will come and drink me dry. She has also considered the possibility of her kidnapper talking with her, and if it will come to that point, then it will. And she will inquire about her former colleague, then.
Ba-thump! Ba-thump!
But more than that, Momo just wants that cursed wooden door to open and give her a chance of freedom, before she will grow mad in here. Even now, she is trembling with the knife in her hands.
Ba-thump! Ba-thump!
She brings the blade close to her wrist, but then pauses and places it near the elbow instead. She doesn't see any veins under the skin from there. Less chances of cutting from a wrong place.
Ba-thump!
Mismatching eyes close, before snapping open full of tears and determination. Momo doesn't care right now, if the vampire is going to be upset. She does not think about the moment when he will step into this room and tower over her with those red eyes of his looking down at her. She doesn't even think about the moment she will tremble like a leaf and sob her eyes out. She lets this foolish courage from tiredness and anger consume her.
"I am not a livestock," she hisses and readies the knife. One movement and it would be over.
Ba-thump!
A dark brown and a very light brown eye close together, tightly. Momo feels the sting but has never been more satisfied and terrified.
A cold chill goes down her spine, but it is too late for her to regret this.