Chapter Fourteen

"Listen," Rose spoke up as the faint rise of an amazing electric guitar echoed off the base of the surrounding cliffs, "It's one my all time favorite song beginnings!" She started to hum with the haunting melody Screaming In the Night performed by Krokus.

The vocals were comparable to that of the raspy singer of AC/DC but with higher reaching and harmoniously beautiful vocals of Marc Storace. Such a mournful song, she thought, but so powerful with its vengeful meaning, avenging a tragic death of an undying love. Why did she love such tragic songs?

Perhaps it was easier to bond with such disheartening lyrics.

His eyes watched her closely as she seemed consumed by, yes, a very powerful ballad. Yes, he noticed the pattern of her loved music that were so many songs that shared the same tragic theme. Songs that contained so much mournful undertones and she loved them with their regret, guilt, or loss by death. Yet, she danced to that heavy metal sadness with a soft smile. He lightly closed his eyes, heard the echoing sounds of the electric guitars sing harmoniously with high mournful cries, similar to that of the electric violins within his music.

His eyes drifted open, watched her gently come to an end to her fire illuminated dance. She quite possibly was the most beautiful image he had ever seen. She seemed to glow within that orange illumination. Her strawberry blonde hair bolder with deepened red tones and an almost silken sheen as it gently flowed within the breeze. She mirrored no image of someone who would receive death, her soft smile was deceptive to that tragic fact.

She was so full of life though death brewed inside her and prepared to steal that life. There was so much light in her blue eyes and throughout the features of her face but it was a light he knew would eventually dim and go out completely. What he wouldn't give to not be just a damned ghost, would've personally make certain her light would never go out. He felt actual anger knowing her fate. What he wouldn't give to have the opportunity to give her everlasting life.

As her thoughts once spoken, why hadn't she come before his death, why now?

He stepped forward, felt beneath the soles of his bare feet against the chilly sand. His hands reached then swiftly grabbed the sides of her face, she startled and gasped. He brought his lips against hers, obviously took her by surprise. He wished that dreamed immortal intimate kiss would have infected her, brought her one death then replaced it with eternal life.

He deepened his kiss, felt her finally respond after the surprise wore off. In a swift movement he brought her down against the sand before the heat of the bonfire. He felt that burning life inside her. He felt the passion but knew when the disease took its complete effect it would suck away that passion.

Hell, he once thrived to suck. Suck 'em dry and toss 'em aside like trash, that once was his immortal life's motto. Damn, did that determine he once was no better than a life sucking cancerous blood disease?

He had a revelation that typically he would never have had, not until recent. Amazing what being truly dead for a year had transpired that not even a thousand years of life had.

What the hell had come over him?

She was somewhat surprised my his abrupt and aggressive approach which was far more aggressive than the previous. But she didn't think too ill of it. She determined it was only natural, he being a true control freak seemed more understandable and suitable for what he really was. She did state she wanted him to continue with his natural ways.

Whoa, something surely flipped his switch and flipped it hard.

She barely caught a breath in attempt to keep up. She had a hard time to keep up with the bases being scrambled. First there was a graze of third base then he jumped over second and hit first base over and over and took a jump backwards and slid into second but not once did he head for a home run. The entire time he swung the bat and struck the ball out of the park.

Really, was she thinking of baseball sex metaphors when he was no damned teenaged guy?!

"Yes, my sentiments exactly." he agreed with her thoughts, stopped and looked down at her, watched her eyes snap open with surprise. He then commented, "How creative you are, you surely could come up with better metaphors concerning me."

"Wait a damned minute," she somewhat mumbled then asked with surprise, "You've been reading my thoughts all this damned time?"

"Did you think it just upped and vanished?" he asked with a curious tilt of his head.

"Um," she stammered and couldn't come up with any excuses why she assumed his minding reading ghostly skills weren't there. She shrugged, had nothing.

He waited but nothing. His eyes frowned then shifted and he asked, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" she asked, looked around.

"Hmm, nothing," he commented, "For moment there was nothing but peaceful silence."

Her eyes narrowed up at him. "Oh, you shithead," she grumbled with a grin then shoved her hands against his chest, "Get off me."

She pushed the heels of her feet into the sand and scooted back. She rose up onto her and stated, "You were stealing bases to damned quickly anyways." She continued to brush the sand off her backside as she giggled at her lame metaphor. She commented, "We've got all night."

He looked up at her with a smirk and determined she looked lovely with blushed cheeks. "Yes, but we could have a lot of fun all night as well." he commented with a sly lift of his brows then reached his hand to her, "Fun on repeat just like that song that's always in your head when you look at me."

Her mouth subtly gaped in response to his knowledge, "Oh, that's not fair," she whined, "You know what I'm thinking all the damned time when I haven't a clue what's going on in that ghost brain of yours." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Her mouth went to spout out another word but some odd light struck her in eyes, caused her to wince. Her head darted to the right and looked into an actual beam of a flashlight.

"Hey, what ya doing out here?" a voice asked from behind the beam of the flashlight which remained aimed on Rose's face.

Rose quickly looked down at Jerry and asked, "Did you?" She watched him slowly shake his head.

Jerry raised up on his feet while focused passed the bonfire.

Rose lifted her hand to block out the flashlight.

"What ya two doing out here?" the voice again asked.

She didn't know what to say or understand what was happening.

"Hello, did ya hear me?" the voice asked.

She recognized the accent, a typical north eastern accent, "Ah," she mumbled, "I, ah…" She looked to Jerry for answers.

Jerry looked just as confused as Rose.

Rose quickly asked Jerry, "What's going on?"

"I'm asking ya the same thing, young lady." the man with the flashlight stated, "This here is a private beach and yar trespassing."

Rose lifted her arm and pointed at Jerry, quickly she asked, "You see him?" The real question she had. What the hell was going on?

Wait. Rose's brain scrambled, the guy saw her too. Wait. She tired grasp what was happening. Her mind raced, it was a dream and neither one of them brought the guy into the dream.

"Yeah, I see him and I see ya too, missy." the man stated then quickly aimed the flashlight at Jerry, "Ya and yar friend need to vacate before I call the cops." The flashlight beam shifted back to Rose's face.

Jerry tried not to fathom the idea but it was too tempting. His lips formed into that all too familiar crooked grin as his eyes focused on the fire illuminated tubby fellow holding the flashlight. He smelled it, the scent mingled in the salty air. He smelled that all too familiar scent that only true living blood emulated. The temptation to test such an unlikely concept grew. He felt the distinct growth of his fangs brush the inside of his lips.

The man brought the flashlight back to Jerry's face. He gasped, witnessed Jerry's eyes glow against the bright light. "What the hell," he stammered.

Rose looked to Jerry, his focus was directed on the man. It couldn't be possible, she tried to tell herself. She saw the consuming red in his wide eyes and the sneer form over his lips. Her breathes grew heavy and heart pounded. He couldn't possibly do it, she desperately tried to convince herself, it was all in her head, not real.

Her eyes frowned and lowered with scrambled thoughts. She woke that morning with a bruise on her neck, not punctures, but an ominous bruise exactly where he had bitten. Her eyes lifted then flinched, Jerry wasn't there.

She suddenly startled, heard the man let out a loud squeal. Her wide eyes focused as the flashlight beam darted erratically from side to side over the height of the bonfire's flames. Strange muffled gurgles sounded over the gentle crashing of the waves.

It wasn't happening, she denied in her head, he couldn't or could he?

She stumbled backwards, heard a muted thud sound from the other side of the bonfire then her eyes watched the flashlight beam shine outward toward the shore. Her wide eyes focused on that beam of light as her mind raced in desperation to convince her it was a dream or had it truly become an actual nightmare.

"I gotta wake up," she mumbled through a shaky breath.

Her eyes finally blinked the moment the flashlight beam was briefly blocked then her eyes focused on Jerry's bare feet as they pressed down into the sand and moved in her direction. She repeated with a mumbled whisper, "I gotta wake up."

Her eyes grew wider and slowly shifted upward as he continued towards her. She again startled with a stumbled backwards step, her eyes caught sight of an actual trickle of blood as it glistened at the corner of his satisfied smirk.

"You are beyond gifted, Rose." Jerry stated, the rush of the kill rekindled.

Her eyes widely focused on that crimson trickle, "I gotta…" her voice was barely audible as she slowly nodded, "Yeah…wake…wake up." She felt panic begin to set in.

"You said you wanted to help me," he commented then lifted his hand. He wiped the pad of his thumb up the trickle of blood then stated in question, "Well, the help was stumbled upon, wasn't it?" He sucked the blood clean from his thumb.

Then he finally took notice of her fearful expression and stated, "I had to take the chance, Rose, and I'm damned glad I did." he grinned then commented, "That little fat man sure hit the spot." Oh, he felt that old spark just burst into a full on flame the moment he tore into the side of the man's stubby neck and tasted the flows of heated blood.

"You're a damned miracle, Rose." he stated then commented, "You're my miracle and I refuse to let my miracle go." then he firmly confessed, "I have a suspicion that things might just work out for me now that I have you."

Oh, all those psychotic ballads had come back to bite her in the ass. All those morbid romantic love ballads mocked her with the depths of their real meanings.

He stepped forward.

She again startled then stumbled backwards and lost her balance against the thick sand. She dropped down onto her rear and blankly stared forward. Wait, she quickly thought, she wouldn't be around too long because eventually that disease would take its course and she'd be out of commission.

"Oh, don't you worry about that." he commented on her thoughts.

Her eyes blinked, his legs were directly into front of her.

"If we managed to solve one problem then I'm positive we'll find the solution to yours." he said then frowned and asked, "Well, it's mine as well, wouldn't you agree?" then he confidently stated, "Yes, we'll solve our problem together."

She squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted out of there, away from the evidence of the unbelievable. She felt the breeze die, the salty aroma disappeared, and the sound of the waves faded.

(Author)

Okay the next chapter coming up. Yeah, I extended the intimacy more. Basically the first time Jerry and Rose hooked up, the only thing that was penetrated was her neck with his fangs.. other means of intimacy were performed... So, next chapter the intimacy is upped a notch and then some. Which means... yeah... that... :D

FRIGHT NIGHT FOREVA!