The lights flashed along the boardwalk as the Friday night mobs crowded around the attractions and stalls. Archie pushed through the throngs. She wasn't here. No matter how hard he looked there was no trace of her. The wind was dragging up from the sea and out into the mainland. Santa Carla was a pit, if she wasn't at the beach she had to be back at the house. There was nowhere else. Archie turned looking up, past the whirring sounds and lights of the boardwalk, past the quite streets of houses to the wooded tops above which sheltered Clarissa's home from the unwelcome sin below. Smoke billowed in the air and an almighty bang rippled through the night.
"Our girl ain't here." Marco sauntered up behind Archie, scanning the area out to the sea.
"No." The word seeped out before Archie could stop it. The house, his sister.
"Archie, where you going?" Marco called after him as Archie pelted through the crowds, all staring up into the night's sky, the stars blocked out by all that deadly black smoke.
O O - O O
I dropped the body at the same time as the blast went off. The deep pulsing had stopped but I still didn't feel whole. I needed more. I look down at the crumpled corpse in disgust. There wasn't the neat, small puncture wholes that decorated my neck. In fact there was no neck at all. That the head was still attached to the body was a mere miracle itself, as most of the flesh covered my mouth and shirt. It soaked down to my skin. I moved it round my face, down my chest and between my fingers. His life's essence was all over me. But I needed more.
I guess this is what madness must feel like.
My body shook, and I wrung my hands together. The rational part of my brain knew I should leave. While the police in this town seemed to do their best at overlooking the numerous deaths I'm guessing it wold be harder to do if both victim and culprit were found together.
But I needed MORE. I wanted to feel it course through me, to awaken me. I was burning up as I left the car park. I licked the sticky residue from my fingers. I moved quicker than I'd ever moved before, lighter, like hot ash floating through the air. I wanted to find human, perhaps a reflection of my former self. I wanted to feel them drift away from this mortal coil. I needed to feel their blood flow from their fragile veins.
And I needed him. I stopped mid swirl. His cool skin would quieten my burning senses and I would fall into this eyes forever. It truly must be madness. To wait in my high tower for the visitations of my knight in leather armour, for him to whisk me away into the forever night.
Was this how Archie had felt. The rapture, being reborn into the dark where everything hummed? Where was he, where was I? I looked around the street I stood in. Nowhere felt familiar. The yellow beam from the street lamp scorched my eyes as I watched a man cross the road ahead of me, keeping his head down and hurrying his pace. He was terrified, the adrenaline rolled off him as he hurried on his way.
Bad choice.
I followed him. The road began to feel more familiar as we climbed. The trees became denser and the light dimmed. He knew I was following him. I could hear his breath each time it caught in his throat. He should enjoy it, because he wouldn't be an experience he would partake in much longer. I quickened my step as he did his, but mine were much faster. The thrill of the chase. The hunt for prey. I knew what was to come, and I eagerly awaited it. The closer I got to the body in front of me the more little parts of my previous life began to slip away. I wasn't me anymore.
I faltered. For just a moment I stopped.
A taxi skidded to halt just ahead of me. The woman that got out grabbed the prey his arm gently. She whispered to him. I couldn't concentrate on the words.
I'm lost.
The car took off again. I tried to shake myself out of my reverie and looked up to the figure ahead. The all too familiar outline.
Clarissa stood motionless as I walked over to her. She had been the only one who had truly acted like family since we got to this hell hole. I felt like crying. She opened her arms for a hug as I got up close. I accepted and rested my cheek on her shoulder, as she kissed the top of my head.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered into my hair. I looked round.
"What?"
"I should have kept better care of you. I shouldn't have left..."
"You knew?" I was still holding on to her. She looked so sad.
"I tried to keep you safe. I'm so sorry. I…" She didn't get to finish her sentence. Her head suddenly hung unnaturally to the side, the only thing supporting it was a pair of cold, grey fingers.
"No. NO NO NO NO NO!" I screamed at Max. He stood still, my barrage of hatred did not affect him in the slightest. All I wanted to do was fly at him, rip at his skin and make him feel the pain I felt as I watched her lifeless body unceremoniously dropped to the ground.
"There, there my dear. This fledgling fever will wain shortly and you will see the necessity in my actions."
O O - O O
"What do you mean you didn't find her?" David's voice was dark and low. Archie's fit dangled from the ground as David's vice like grip launched him the air. It took all of his might to push back against the elder vampire.
"You think you're the only one who cares about her." He yelled, nearly shoving David to the ground. "She's my goddamn sister."
"She can't have been in there dude. We'd have seen her. All that was left were blood bag…" Dwayne tried to move towards him, his hands raised. "Now we gotta go, before anyone else arrives."
"We find her…" David's growl cut the night air as another explosion went off behind the house. Paul came dancing round this side, cackling like a hyena.
"Who died?" He couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice.
"Enough to cause me yet more problems." Max's voice made their heads turn. As quiet as they could be their master beat them all. "I believe I tasked you with looking for this," he shoved Rebekah to the ground next to Archie. She was shaking and covered in dried blood. "The list of failures is really racking up boys, I thought I brought you up better than that."
Archie bent down next to his sister. She seemed broken.
"He killed Clarrisa."
O O - O O
My voice was a lot hoarser than I remembered. I spat my words out through the blood, glaring at the man stood at the end of the drive. That murderer, that viscous, loathsome, cold hearted bastard, our master.
Archie rested his forehead on mine as he crouched down before me.
"No my dear, you did that. If you'd just left well enough alone…but that is a lesson for another night." Max turned his head and sniffed the night air. "I think it is time to break up this happy reunion and head home. Morning is nearly upon us." He smiled at all of us and returned to the parked car at the roadside.
I looked beyond Archie. Behind, where Clarissa's house once stood were charred walls, black smoked plumed from the ground floor, out through holes in the remaining roof and upper walls. The flames still licked around the building, lighting up the night sky. I saw Paul and Dwayne stood some way back and just beyond them, silhouetted in the fire was David.
My undead heart skipped a beat. I heard Archie sigh, and I looked back to him. He rolled his eyes and pressed a light kiss onto my forehead and nodded his head back toward David. We stood together just a moment longer.
"Go." His voice was soft as he turned away from me. I watched him glare at David as he, Dwayne and Paul all head for their bikes. I guess as in life, in death brothers are still there to ward away prospective suitors from their precious sisters.
It took all my might not to run towards him as we were left alone. I chewed on my lip as I watched him move closer, the taste of blood that was not my own heightened my senses once again.
"I thought you were dead" His yellow eyes bore into my own.
"I am." I didn't have chance to prepare myself as he grabbed me by the tops of my arms and smashed his lips on mine. His fingers dug into me, I imagined the mark they'd leave. I moaned and pushed back, breaking my arms free I brought my hands up into his hair, pulling him closer, my need matching his. One of my newly formed fangs clashed with his and it sent a ripple of pleasure down through my body. I opened my eyes, just to catch a glimpse of him. To make sure it was all real. I pulled at him, bringing him into me with all my might. I stood on my tiptoes, reaching, stretching. I pressed my face to his, breathing him in as I got lost in his presence, his closeness. I raked my teeth down his neck, ever closer to what lie beneath.
He held me back at arms lengths.
"I think not." His face was unreadable as he stared down at me. I near enough panted, my breath ragged as I tried to pull back in. "Rebekah…" It was a warning.
"No, no no no no no…" I pulled away too, grabbing my head in my hands. I couldn't control myself. "I can't…" Nothing was working in sync. My whole body raged with life that wasn't my own. But I was still so hungry, for things I did not understand. The sob escaped me before I could do anything. I didn't even realise the sound had come from me.
"Rebekah." David had moved closer again, but I saw the wary nature of his gaze. I was a monster.
"NO!" I screamed at him, holding myself tight.
The sirens began from below. Just one at first but soon the noise rose and rose, getting closer and closer. I stood, staring blankly. I heard the bike engine join the cacophony.
"Rebekah, get on the bike." I didn't move. I didn't want to. Let them find, let them know what I had done. "Please." I'd never heard his voice so soft. It seemed alien coming from him. He held his hand out to me as he revved the engine. "Now."
O O - O O
The caves seemed deserted as David dragged me inside. Light was just beginning to break above the horizon and my body ached. I didn't want to be in my body any more. I was tired, my brain was fuggy and all that blood had begun to crust. I really didn't want to look at David. I didn't want him to look back at me and remind me of the way I'd acted. Of what I'd become. I flinched away as he came up to me.
His hands cupped my face, dragging my gaze up to his.
"Nice to see you've calmed down. Although a frenzy really does become you."
"Don't."
"You won't say no to me." His hands left my face and fell down to where my hands hung. He walked backwards, guiding me through the caves. His movements were slow and deliberate, were men considered graceful? I swallowed, mesmerised. "It's too late now to feed you up…" We carried on deeper and deeper, "but I'm sure we can find something to keep your mind off all that blood." I doubted it, it was taking all my might to concentrate on his words, his face, his lips, and not launching myself self at him to taste his borrowed blood. He pulled me close, we were down one of the corridors that lead deep into the cliff where I'd last found David's room. It was dark and I swayed in his arms. "Don't you?" He backed me up against the hollowed out wall. The force may have hurt a day ago but now it felt exquisite. It was primal. His lips bruised mine, his hands held me tight. I growl up against him and flew him through the air to the opposite wall. He grabbed at the backs of my thighs as I wrapped my legs around his hips, trying to get ever closer. I felt his lips curl into a sinister smile against my own.
O O - O O
My eyes flung open. I felt like I could feel the sunlight disappear from the world. The body beside me shifted slightly, tightening his grip round my waist. I lay still, staring through the darkness to the roof above. I had sort of thought when I woke it would all go back to normal. That no one would be dead.
I heard howling from the rooms within the cliff. They must have sensed the night arrive as well.
"Evening." David pressed a kiss on my bare shoulder. An almost tender gesture. I looked down, dried blood still covered my chest and fingers. I pulled up the sheet to try and hide myself. "Don't" He got up and stretched. I wondered if I could still blush. I watched him get dressed, his alabaster skin hidden behind dark denim and white t-shirt. I broke away to look forlornly at what remained of my clothes from last night. Drenched in someone else's blood.
"Spare a t-shirt?" I tried to make a joke but my voice came out so quiet. One landed on the bed next to me. "Thanks." I slipped it over my head and shifted to the side, trying to reach down to yesterday's skirt. It at least had managed to stay relatively clean. All thing considered. Nothing fit properly. I tried to drag my filthy fingers through my hair. It did no good. I tried scraping at my face, reveal some of the make-up I'd so artfully applied before all this happened. David grabbed my wrists from their clawing.
"You're beautiful. Stop it." I rolled my eyes beneath the messed fringe but couldn't stop the flutter in my belly. "Hungry?"
O O - O O
I peered out into the night outside the cave. I could see his figure, a shadow in the moonlight. He stood ridged as I moved towards him and rested my chin on his shoulder.
"Alright?"
"You mean apart from the fact that you're here?"
"Well, you didn't think a little thing like death would get rid of me?"
"I'd hoped."
"Hey, Archie," I took a step back and he turned to face me. "Shut up."
"Dinner time!" Dwayne howled behind us, bouncing from within the dark depths of our new home.
"You guys coming?" Marco revved his bike from above us, Paul joining in the loud rumble.
David swung his leg over his bike and I jumped on behind him, linking my arms around his solid torso. The wind whipped round my face as we descended down to the boardwalk below and my first day of night with my new family.
Who knew?
O O - O O