The door creaked open and she made her way in. There he lay on the bed, the covers totally scrunched at the bottom of the bed, leaving him uncovered and nude. "Sir, you should cover up. It is cold." She tried her best not to stare at his exposed body strewn across her bed.
"I got warm." His voice raspy and deep, the way he sounded was different from before. "Would you like me to help you dress?" Charlotte implored as she searched through a trunk full of clothes. She looked back at him, he nodded. She pulled out a pair of house slacks and a shirt. She laid the clothes next to him and helped Grady sit up. "Ok we are going to put your pants on first." He hummed. She put each foot into each leg of the pants. "Stand up, lean on me." He stood, his muscles seemed to ache and shiver violently. He held tightly to her. Charlotte pulled his pants up his long spindly legs, reaching around him the best she could. Grady looked down over her shoulder. The smell intoxicating, his stomach growled at the aroma radiating from her, it was sweet and exhilaratingly fresh, the smell of flesh. He lowered his head, letting his lips skim across her skin, he shivered harder, he took another whiff of her scent, and again it sent chills down his spin. "Oh man, you really must have taken a hard turn up in those mountains. You are shivering like crazy." Her hands returned to the front of his pants, she tied the strings comfortably in a nice knot, he watched her, his arms slung over his shoulders, "Well, time for the shirt." She smiled up at him and helped sit back down on the edge of the bed. "Arms up," She wiggled her eyebrows for comic relief. She fitted the shirt over and down. "There you go all clothed, do you feel fit to walk around?" He looked at her, the exhaustion still there. "I don't really know." She sat down next to him, "Let us try. Let me be your crutch." He nodded. Charlotte took up his arm around her shoulders, "Up." She could feel Grady's body shake violently as he did he best to stand up straight, Charlotte could not believe how tall he was, he seemed to be over six feet tall. "To the door now, ok?" It was a slow process but at least he was making progress.
They stepped through the door. "Hey. Izzy! Take a look!" Izzy bolted up, jaw dropped, "How?" Charlotte giggled. "As my mom, and her mom, and her mom's mom would put it….. IN YOUR FACE!" Both laughed in amusement. Izzy turned her attention to Grady. "So how are you holding up?" He licked his lips, moistening them. "Better." He replied the best he could. He was already getting wheezy. "The couch, you are getting tired." Both girls took each arm of the man and helped him down. "Well…. I hope the storm is letting up because we don't have much food left to last the next two weeks." They all turned their attention to the window. "It looks like we got our wish, just lightly snowing." Charlotte nodded, "Yup." Izzy stood up and grabbed her coat and stuffed on her boots. "Where are you going?" Izzy looked back at Charlotte, "Well im going to take a quick ride down to the A and P for a little something to put in our fridge since the weather is down for the evening."
With a click and a small slam, Izzy was out. We listened for her car, it pulled out of the drive way and out into the street. For such a large car, it was quiet. "I hope she is going to be okay." She sat next to Grady looking at the door, almost staring through it. "Should we go back to your room?" He nodded.
Once in his room, he was laid down, with the covers high over his shoulders, but then a doorbell rang. "Wonder who could be there?" She whispered. Charlotte left the room and hurried to the front door.
She opened the door to see an elderly man with grey hair and droopy eyes. "Oh Fredrick! You are here! In the middle of a storm." The man smiled and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Well Missy, I am here. I just came to check up on you." Charlotte smiled and hugged him, "You sweet, sweet man." He chuckled.
"Fredrick?" He looked up at her, he clearly was decrypted and shrinking from age, which made him shorter then her, he always would tell stories of when he was younger, how handsome he was and how tall he was. She seen photos and scrapbooks with him in them, she had to agree, he was handsome. "Yes?" The man replied. She put a hand upon his shoulder. "A man came to my house, he was sick, frost bitten in the hands and ears. Fredrick, he was part of that group that went missing in the mountains." His eyes rounded, "Let me have a look." Charlotte showed him the way.
She stuck her head in the door. "Hey, a friend of mine would like to meet you, is that alright?" He nodded. She opened the door wider. The man walked through, as fast as he could with the weight of old age tugging at his heals. "Hello." Grady nodded. Charlotte noticed his eyes darkened again. "Charlotte may this fellow and I be alone?" The old man implored. She nodded and exited.
"What is your name, please?" Fredrick asked, his hand resting on his crucifix. "Oh dear, scared are you, I have seen you before, Fredrick Coonleir. You are retired reverend of the church." Replied Grady. His voice was piercing, not deep and warm any more. It still had its raspyness to it. Fredrick cocked his head, "How did you know that?" Grady chuckled. "You are not normal, not human, not anymore."
Charlotte sat on the couch waiting for the old man to come out and be gone or at least come out for some tea or coffee. It was taking a considerable amount of time, and it was pushing over at least a half hour. Damn people and their damn conversations! Charlotte giggled at this thought. It was silly and uncalled for but what ever.
She stood and stumbled over to the kitchen which was just about three steps from the living room. Charlotte poured herself a small glass of water. It was cold just like outside, it also had that iron taste to it. It was vaguely disgusting. As she put her lips to the glass, a horrible sound emitted from the room occupied by the old man and Grady. It was ear piercing. It was a screech louder than any human can expel from their bodies.
Charlotte quick dashed to the room. She slammed the door open to see one of the most horrific sights she had ever seen.