Chapter 3:
Squall awoke with a start, his heart thumping in his chest and his breath coming out in rapid bursts. The dream. Who was that girl, the one running in his dreams? He wanted to help her, help her find what she was looking for, but whenever he tried to call out or move he found himself immobile and unable to speak. She looked so helpless and vulnerable. He had to help her, but he just couldn't. All he could do was watch. Watch and wait until she found what she was looking for, but she never did.
He got up and walked shakily over to the window. Peeling back the curtain, he peered out into the fog. Yes, night was falling.
Striding over to the fridge, he pulled it open and grabbed a couple of those weird plastic bags.
Full of....blood.
After he had satisfied his thirst somewhat, he swung his black trench coat over his shoulders and left his apartment, remembering to lock it before he left. If anybody found the blood...found out what he was...he didn't want to think about it. He was still thirsty though, but, then again,he was always thirsty.
He walked down the narrow street, furiously like the night before. He had to work tonight, and the hospital was about a half hour walk from his apartment. It wasn't too bad, but he had to make sure he left early enough to get back to his apartment before the sun rose.
Squall remembered when he had first been made into a vampire. He had thought vampires didn't exist, and all those rumors about them, like not having a reflection, were just that: rumors. How naïve he had been. Some of them were false, however. Like vampires being afraid of garlic; he had tested that one out on himself. And he had a refection, no matter what the legends said.
But he had found out the hard way that sunlight does affect vampires.
It had been morning and Squall had been getting ready to go to sleep when he saw a ray of sunlight coming through a gap in the curtains. After a couple of minutes, he had tentatively stuck his pale hand into the light, and experienced some of the worst pain he had ever had in his life, dead or otherwise. He was lucky that time, the sun had just risen and its rays weren't strong yet. If he had done that in the afternoon he probably wouldn't have a hand anymore.
Or worse.
He turned onto Baltimore Crescent, and stalked past fast food restaurants and banks. The night was young, and many people walked the streets; laughing loudly and hailing taxis. Some gave him curious stares. He could tell why. As far as he knew there were only a few other vampires in Deling, and he seldom met any of them. His pale skin must have stood out.
After walking for about half an hour he finally arrived at the hospital. He entered through the automatic doors and was blasted by air conditioning. The smell of antibiotics and sickness was overpowering.
"Evening, Squall."
The security guard, with a name like Gerald or Herald or something, glanced up from a stack of sheets on his desk and handed Squall a pair of keys.
"Second floor, Ward B."
Squall nodded and pocketed the keys.
"Have a nice night."
The security guard nodded and looked back down at the papers, his tongue between his teeth.
Squall continued his confident stroll towards the elevators, slipping between harassed looking nurses and feeble old ladies tottering outside for a smoke, their IVs wheeling along behind them. He impatiently pressed the up button, and stood with one hand on his hip and a bored expression on his face.
"Going up?" said a voice.
He cocked his head ever so slightly to one side to see the speaker. It was a short youth who looked around Squall's age, if not a bit younger. He had spiky blonde hair and an odd black tattoo in a weird pattern on his face. Squall briefly wondered how much gel was needed to make his hair defy gravity like that. He was wearing extremely baggy blue shorts, and a red jacket. He immediately struck Squall as someone he'd normally dislike. One of those over-enthusiastic and hyper-all-the-time kind of people. Ones that Squall would normally avoid, along with many others.
A look of annoyance flashed across his features. "We're on the ground floor. The only way to go is up."
The blonde giggled, as if Squall had made a joke.
"I'm Zell, by the way. What's your name?"
He extended his hand, an amused expression on his face. Squall stared at his hand for a second, before moving to accept the handshake. Squall felt Zell shudder as he shook Squall's cold pale hand. He allowed himself a small mischievous grin before strolling into the elevator, which had opened in the meantime.
"You coming?"
Zell seemed to snap out of his daze, and his grin returned.
"Hey, thanks!" he said as he strutted into the elevator and stabbed violently at a button with the number four on it. The button with the number two was already lit up.
"So," Zell said. "Where you from?"
"Here."
"I see. Do you work here?"
"Yes."
"Are you a doctor or something? Cause you don't look like one..."
"No."
"What do you do then?"
The elevator slowed to a halt, and the doors opened with a ding and a soft whoosh. Squall quickly got out.
"Uh, some other time then?"
"Whatever."
The doors slid shut again.
"See you later!" Squall heard Zell call from behind the doors.
He strode down the long brightly lit hallway, passing a uniformed nurse here and there and skirting around feeble patients making their way to the bathrooms. The keys jangled in his pocket as he approached the janitor's closet and unlocked it. He pulled out his cart with the mops and brooms, sponges, floor cleaner, and toilet paper and wheeled it around the corner. He chose a piece of floor to work on and started mopping.
It was going to be a long night.
Rinoa turned over in her bed, trying to get some sleep. Her body was screaming for rest, but her brain didn't want to shut down. She was afraid of having the dream again. She wanted to know what it meant. She wanted to know what she was looking for in her dreams, but she dreaded the searching.
She knew she'd never find it.
Her thoughts turned to that horrible night eight years ago. She tried not to think about it, but her mind kept coming back to it. She had been ten years old, and her mother and father had divorced when she was young. Her father had been too controlling, and her mother, Julia, hated when people told her what to do. They were always yelling at each other, and eventually Julia left and took Rinoa with her. Rinoa was the world to Julia, and she would do anything to make her daughter happy.
As she thought about her mother, she noticed more and more how different she was compared to everybody else, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
She remembered it like it was yesterday.
"Good night, Rinoa. I love you. Always remember that." Julia said as she tucked the covers around her daughter.
"Good night, mommy."
A crash was heard from downstairs. A look of alarm flitted across Julia's face, and she whirled around to face the door.
Deep male voices could be heard from the stairway. Julia's eyes widened.
"Quick, Rinoa! Into the closet!"
Rinoa obediently sprang out of her bed and rushed over to her closet. She pulled open the door and got inside, and then closed the door again, leaving a small crack to see through.
Julia turned to face the door again, her chin up.
"Stay still, and whatever you do, don't say anything. Don't come out, no matter what."
Rinoa gulped and nodded, even though her mother couldn't see her. She was so scared.
Who were the men downstairs? What did they want?
The voices came nearer. They were at the top of the stairs.
The door flew open. Three men, powerfully built, were silhouetted in the doorway.
"What do you want?" Her mother said, calm and in control.
One of the men snarled.
"You know perfectly well what we want, witch."
Rinoa didn't understand what was happening.
"Please," her mother said "I'm not doing any harm. Let me live in peace."
The men laughed cruelly.
"You? Live? We never let your kind live. You don't deserve it."
The others laughed.
"Please..." Julia whispered.
"I've had enough of this," one of the men said, obviously the leader. "Get rid of her."
"No!" Julia screamed. "You don't understand!"
"We understand enough." He sneered.
The men advanced towards her, drawing their weapons.
"C'mon, witch. Aren't you gonna put up a fight?"
Julia, tears streaming down her face, shook her head. Her eyes suddenly turned scarlet, and a powerful aura radiated from her body. There seemed to be some kind of light coming from her. She hovered a few inches off the ground, white light pouring off her. Then, after a final blast of light, she fell to a crumpled heap on the floor, utterly exhausted.
Something in Rinoa stirred.
The men jeered and laughed.
"Is that all you got? We might as well leave her alone, she's so weak."
They chuckled amongst themselves, then grabbed Julia by the arms, hauling her off the floor. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"No! Please!"
She kicked, trying to free herself.
Rinoa watched in horror from the closet. Her mother had told her not to come out, but now she needed help. She didn't know what to do. What could she do to these grown men?
Something in Julia's body language told her not to help her.
Stay put.
Julia suddenly went limp, accepting her fate. The men laughed again, and dragged her out of the room.
Rinoa curled up in a ball in the closet and cried herself to sleep.
"She needs to be taken care of," a cruel voice spoke out in the darkness "and I want you to do it. She probably doesn't even know."
"Yes, sir. Are you sure about this?"
"Dead sure. I'd rather you not question my judgment."
The younger man nodded meekly, his long ponytail swaying on his shoulders.
"When do you want us to leave sir?"
"As soon as possible."
The young man saluted and left the office.
Another chapter down. Thanks so much for the reviews, guys! Extra thanks to Lady Riddle, who has been my motivation D And yes, Squall and Rinoa will meet either in the next chapter or the one...after....that....
Lazy Shatteredjade: I only double space because I find it easier to read, but that might just be me. And who ever said Squall was going to be at the party? I'll explain how he became a vampire and stuff in later chapters. Trying to keep things mysterious ... dun dun dun