Madeline Fenton stood on the sidewalk, blinking in surprise at the face that peered out at her from the long, black limousine.
"Vlad…why…what…?" She pointed half-heartedly in the direction she'd come from, and scratched her head.
"I was in town, and decided to drop by for a visit…" he paused for a second. "So…are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Why did that voice send shivers up her spine?
Brushing the thought away with a shake of her head, she couldn't help but sigh. "Jack and I…well…we got in a fight." It was all she could do to not cringe at the new wave of emotional pain that washed over her with even that simple explanation.
Vlad's eyes dropped, and he stared blankly at the sidewalk. "I'm so sorry," he whispered softly. She didn't see the gleam of success in his eye.
Maddie shook her head and waved her hand in what she hoped looked like non-chalance. "Every couple has their problems," she forced a smile. Vlad looked up with a stern look at her words.
"Maddie," he said slowly, "it took me years to realize you would never love me, but that doesn't mean that I don't know you still. You wouldn't have left without a good reason.
"Now, why don't you tell me everything, and we'll see what we can't do fix it."
She shook her head. "I don't feel like discussing it right now."
Just as she finished speaking, the heavy clouds overhead broke, and started to pour buckets of water.
"Very well," Vlad nodded and stepped out of his car, umbrella in hand. "At least let me give you a ride to where you're going." Despite the rain, she hesitated. Here, the man that had only months ago asked her to leave her husband for him now stood ready to help her get back on her feet. Something just seemed too convenient for him…
She couldn't help but study him suspiciously. He hadn't been this nice since college—well, not this sincere in any case—but he seemed honest enough. Still, she knew how looks could be deceiving.
Finally, the rain dripping down her Hasmat suit got to her, and she nodded, stepping into the limousine. She didn't see his triumphant smile as she disappeared inside, or she might have re-considered due to the glowing, red eyes.
xoxoxox
Danny sat in a booth-like table outside a convenience store, soaking in the early-morning sunlight as he crammed one of three energy bars into his mouth, trying not to get too many crumbs on the map laid on the table before him.
"Looks like we make a left here, at this intersection," he wiped his hand on his shirt, and pointed to a place in the middle of the map. "Then we head strait East."
The cashier eyed him through the open door, as he talked to thin air, and received no answer she could hear. She had begun to wonder about this kid. He'd arrived alone, in a gas-station at least half a mile from the nearest house or motel, and he liked to talk to himself as if he were two people. Not to mention he had asked her how to bet to another state, when he obviously wasn't even old enough to drive.
To say the least, he creeped her out. To say the most, she was about to call the cops…although she didn't know what she would say to them.
"Hi, there's this kid here, and I think he's insane, although he doesn't seem dangers at all." She shuddered. There was just something about him…
She couldn't say she was sorry to see him go, although he did seem nice enough, even if her hair stopped standing on end only after he left the store and walked out of view around the side of the building.