Chapter 32

Mitch put on his trench coat, made sure his knife was secure and opened up his window, the cold night air hitting him hard but it felt refreshing instead of bitter like it would normally. He looked down and knew he wouldn't suffer any injury from a fall this high up. He stepped up and pulled the curtains close mostly and jumped. He landed on his feet and ended up crouched. He didn't feel any pain and stood up. He took a deep breath and recalled the scent of the blood he had tasted, his mother's blood and he felt a pull. Mitch started walking towards the pull but soon was jogging and then sprinting. The wind rushing through his silver hair. He started laughing, feeling more free than ever in his life. He noted he had been sprinting for about 5 minutes straight and he didn't feel any fatigue at all. Quite the opposite, he felt invincible.

It took no time at all before he traced the blood's scent to a house. He was behind a tree near the front of the house and recognized a couple other scents. Nathan, Erin and Melissa... Found them... Mitch heard in his mind. He noticed there was only one car and he smiled and formed a plan. In a flash he was in the back seat of the silver volvo, the car had been unlocked. He was laying down in the back where people's feet would normally go and pulled out his phone and called Melissa. Mitch heard a phone ringtone go off in the house.
"Hello?" Mitch heard Melissa's voice say sleepily.
"It's Mitch," He said.
"Mitch... I'm.." She started.
"Can you meet me at the gym?" He asked, cutting her off.
"Of course, I wanted to talk to you," She said rapidly.
"I'll be there soon," She said before hanging up. Mitch took a deep breath and did his best to control his beating heart. Hopefully she wouldn't notice him and he could get the drop on her. About a minute passed before Mitch heard the door to the house open and close softly. It sounded like she was sneaking out, perfect, Mitch thought. Mitch remained perfectly still and silent as Melissa got into the driver's seat and started the car and traveled towards the gym. Mitch felt the thrill of the hunt over him, but he forced the feeling down.

After a few minutes of driving Mitch sat up silently and at on the edge of the back seat. Melissa came to a stop sign and Mitch reached over her shoulder and wrapped a hand around her neck from behind and she didn't notice until she felt his hand on her pale, porcline skin. Mitch felt claws grow out over top of his nails, a few inches long, pointed, razor-sharp and dark colored and felt his fangs grow slightly. Melissa stiffen and Mitch's other arm wrapped around her stomach.
"Drive," Mitch whispered in her ear, he was pressed against the back of Melissa's seat, his arms holding her in the seat. He felt Melissa shiver. Mitch's voice still sounded like himself though.
"Mitch," Melissa breathed.
"Don't talk, just drive," Mitch ordered and his grasp on her throat tightened. She started driving without another word. Mitch noticed that Melissa didn't have a pulse. He hadn't expected her to have one and it all but confirmed what he had suspected since Rebeca had told him about the Kindred, that she was one. She pulled into the empty parking lot of the gym and turned the car off after parking.
"So... what happens now?" She asked.
"If you wanted to choke me... All you had to do was ask..." she trailed, her voice low. Mitch tighten his grip and his claws dug lightly into her skin, thinly drawing blood. The scent hit him like a ton of bricks but kept his composure somehow. Plan. There was a plan he told himself.
"Out of the car and walk into the woods. Don't try to run. I will not need to run after you anymore," Mitch told her and let her go. Realizing just then how tight Mitch had been holding her.

She did as he asked and they both walked into the woods, for about 5 minutes they walked in silence before Mitch told her to stop. Melissa turned around and faced him. She was wearing a dark red T-shirt and black skirt, her eyes were a pretty blue color, her dirty blonde hair up in a ponytail.
"Mitch..." She trailed, seeing if he was going to cut her off but continued when he didn't.
"No amount of sorry can make up for my part in what happened to your parents," She said finally, choosing her words kept himself under control and asked.
"What happened to my parents? I want to know everything," Mitch told Melissa who took a deep breath.
"Are you sure? Nathan is a very sick individual," Melissa told him.
"Actually... I have a few questions first. First who is Nathan to you?" Mitch asked Melissa who was silent for a few seconds.
'Nathan... Nathan is a very bad person. He murdered my parents a couple years ago and made me into this," She said, indicating herself with her hands. Mitch's eyes widen a bit.
'How did he do that/" Mitch asked her.
"I don't know. I can't remember anything about that night after he killed my parents," Mitch was silent for a bit.
"What is Erin's deal?" Mitch asked, realizing he knew next to nothing about him.
"Erin is my brother, my actual brother. He was Changed the same night as me. He is nice but not strong, he is weak willed, he is still very much under Nathan's control," Melissa told him.
"Control?" Mitch asked.
"We were under some sort of compulsion to do everything Nathan asked of us. I still feel it but I can fight it but Erin... He can't," Melissa's voice cracked and she looked away from Mitch.
"Can I ask you something?" Melissa asked and Mitch nodded.
"How did you take care of Ralph and Jessica? Nathan was sure you would have to kill them or inform them as to what was happening," Melissa asked. Mitch bit the bottom of his lip and decided to take a chance.
"I was able to alter their memories. I can make people do what I want. Like how Nathan has control over you but I can do it at will and I haven't met anyone who could resist yet," Mitch explained and Melissa's eyes lit up a bit. Gotcha.
"Do you think... You might be able to alter my memories and that might break Nathan's compulsion?" She asked, hopeful. Mitch's face was blank.
"Maybe.. But... I would need a few things from you," Mitch said.
"Anything," She said, steel in her spine.
"I would need your help to take Nathan down," Mitch said.
"Done," She said without hesitation.
'If I can help you,I will want to do the same thing to your brother. He might fight but I want your help,"Mitch continued. Mitch nodded her head.
"I can do that," she told Mitch.
"And..." Mitch looked away before turning back to her.
"I need a drink. Nathan does not get to see the next sunrise," Mitch said, Melissa nodded. She walked up close to Mitch.
"How do you want to do this?" Melissa asked. Mitch produced his knife.
"Oh!" She cried, jumping back a little.
"Awww... No fun?" She asked with a smile.
"I have a girlfriend. You are shameless aren't you?" Mitch asked.
"I know and yep," She said.
"Arm,' Mitch told her. She held up her arm and Mitch took a hold of it.
"This is going to hurt," He warned her before drawing the knife over her arm, making her wince and she tried to pull away her arm but Mitch kept hold of it. He saw blood pool over the cut and Mitch brought her arm up to his mouth and started drinking.

It felt like fire running through his mouth and down his throat. It didn't exactly burn but it felt amazing and a part of him wanted to use his fangs and not on her arm... but he suppressed that feeling. This was not for pleasure, this was for survival. Mitch drank deeply for the first time since his change and he felt the hole his thirst made in him diminish with more and more blood but he released Melissa's arm and took a step back.
"You were thirsty..." She trailed and looked up at him with smoldering eyes. Even without his fangs his feeding caused pleasure.
"Ok..." Mitch trailed, feeling better, much better.
"Melissa... Come to me," Mitch said, power infusing his words. And Melissa's back stiffen slightly and he walked over to him.
"Wow... Such power," She trailed. Mitch stared into her eyes and she stared into his. He fell into her eyes and into her mind and let Michel direct him as to how to dismantle Nathan's compulsion. It was more difficult and through than simply altering memories and it took some time but after about 10 minutes Mitch broke his gaze from Melissa and he was confident he had broken what was left of Nathan's compulsion.

"Wow..." She trailed and blushed.
"I'm sorry if it was invasive," Mitch apologized. He didn't know exactly how she was feeling but he could've guessed having another person in your mind, messing with it. Even if you invited it, must have at the least been weird and more likely unnerving.
"It's ok. I feel different. I think it worked," Melissa told Mitch, who nodded. "I think it did as well," Mitch agreed.
"Only one way to find out though," Melissa told Mitch who pulled out her phone.
"His compulsion worked over the phone before," Melissa told Mitch. She dialed a number and Mitch choose not to listen. After about 30 seconds she hung up and turned to Mitch.
"He told me to come home," She said with a smile.
"And I don't feel like I have to!" She said with a even bigger smile.
"Thank you so much!" She told him.
"You are welcome," Mitch said, quietly.
"I know what happened. I saw it while I was getting rid of Nathan's compulsion," Mitch told her. Melissa's smile disappeared and she looked at him.
"And?" She asked.
"And... Go get your brother and I will do the same for him," Mitch told her.
"I'll be here," Mitch said.
"He might not go easily and you won't be able to ambush him. His power is a sort of Danger Sense," She explained.
"If you can get him here then I will deal with him without unnecessary pain," Mitch told her and Melissa nodded and before she turned around.
"While you were... In my mind. I caught of glimpse of yourself," She told him.
"A little of that old saying about when you stare into the abyss and abyss stares back," She explained.
"What did you see?" Mitch asked. Curious.
"A kind, considerate young man but ambitious, with a dark streak and the power to get everything you wanted... Your life will be full of temptations. I saw your life will be tougher than anyone else who would've been in your position because you will try to do the right thing... but... the temptation will always be there. Looking to take you from the path you know you must follow,"She told him. Mitch nodded his thanks and she left him in the woods.

She is right partially... You have the power to match your ambition. What ever that ambition is. Your current course is not good. The things you do... Invading other's minds and shaping them as you see fit. These are not good, but they are right, not in a vacuum but in context... Saving Ralph and Jessica from knowledge and pain they did not need. Releasing Melissa and soon her brother Erin from their compulsions. What your going to do to Nathan... Your parent's tormentor and countless other people's tormentor. Not the good thing, but the right thing in the circumstance. It was the most Michel had ever talked to Mitch at one time. He sunk to a crouched position with his back against a tree. He heard his phone go off and check the ID. IT was Rebeca and Mitch answered.

"Hey angel," Mitch said casually.
"Where are you? Are you ok? You scared the shit out of me!" Mitch heard her cry into the phone, her words frantic, she must have been freaking out.
"Hey baby. I'm ok and I apologize for not letting you know I was going out," Mitch answered her, mostly.
"What are you doing?" Rebeca asked Mitch, sensing his not quite deception. Mitch paused for a moment.
"Rosa told me you looked like your going to murder," Rebeca told him and Mitch took a breath before telling her everything that had happened tonight thus far and what he planned.
"Mitch... I know how your feeling. More than anyone else who would tell you that. But please, stop, do not pursue this yourself." She told him. He was taken aback and felt anger well up in him, more than he expected.
"I can't Rebeca. I need to do this for myself, and I won't be alone," Mitch countered.
"I know you won't be alone technically, but you don't know Melissa or Erin, not really," She told him.
"I've been inside Melissa's mind, I think I know her at least a little bit. For the first time in years she is free and she wants vengeance," Mitch replied.
'I can understand that but do you really know that she won't use you or put you at risk in order to enact her brand of vengeance?" Rebeca asked and she did bring up a valid point but Mitch was committed to this being the best and most direct option.
"She stands a better chance with me helping her out rather than using me," Mitch told her.
"Honey... I'm just worried for you. I don't want anything to happen to you... I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt..." She trailed and Mitch could feel she was on the verge of tears.
"I know your just worried for me and I worry for you while Nathan is around. If he destroyed my parents to get to me... I fear he might try to hurt you," Mitch explained and it was true. He did worry something terrible would happen to her... She was really all he had left.

"Huh?" Rebeca said on the other end of the phone, right before Mitch heard the simultaneous sounds of breaking wood in the distance. Shattering glass close by and Rebeca scream in his ear.
"Rebeca!?" Mitch cried.
"What's wrong hun?: Mitch got up from his crouched position and started sprinting to the gym. From there he could find his way back to Rebeca's house.
"Honey, talk to me!" Mitch cried into the phone. He got to the gym and made his way to Rebeca's house. After a few seconds he heard the phone get picked up.
"Hello Mitch," Mitch heard a cold, fluid tone of Nathan on the other end of the line.
"Nathan..." Mitch trailed, hate with every sylible.
"Whooo I could feel the frost from here... listen, come back to Rebeca's house and I'll have a present for you waiting here and I'll call you later. Do tyry and make it quick. Me and Rebeca are going to have some fun while your gone..." Nathan trailed before hanging up the phone.

Author Notes: Hey guys sorry for the huge cliffhanger there. I will warn you guys I am getting close to finishing this story. Two to Three more chapters I believe. I will say that I never really expected to finish one of these stories I started but I'm glad to be close to finishing one. So Please leave a review if you have something you want to share. PM me if you have questions, comments or suggestions you don't want to share. Follow the story if you want to get updates sent to your email and favorite the story if you liked it a bunch and intend to read it again. I'll take suggestions on where to go next for updates but if I don't get much or any feedback I do have a sequel to this story in mind. Also after I am finished with this story, I will be changing the name and summery. I did not want to do it in the middle of the story and have some people confused as to why they have a story they didn't follow sent to their email. Have a good day and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far.