Bite, p.19
Bite, page 19
She stares at me in shock as she softly asks, “You’re going to bring my mother flowers?”
I nod while replying, “Of course I am. My mother always told me never go to a woman’s home for the first time without bringing her flowers. It’s only polite.”
Gina smiles and while tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear she says, “She likes daisies.”
“I’ll remember that.” I lean forward to kiss her and once I feel her heart beginning to race, I pull back and murmur, “Enjoy your visit with your mom and I’ll see you later. I love you Gina.”
“I love you too.”
I watch her go inside and once I see her go inside, I head home. The drive takes no time and as soon as I enter, they are all standing around in the living room waiting for me. Charlie rushes over to me and with concern he asks, “How’s Gina?”
I let out a deep sigh as I reply, “She’s okay. I took her to her mother’s house so she’s safe.”
“I’m glad to hear that brother.”
I look at Joseph and with a smirk I say, “Kind of messed up back there huh?”
He cringes and he runs his fingers through his long hair as he responds, “I know I know. I should have left some blood but I couldn’t help it. Even though she was a bitch, her blood was delicious.”
“You’re lucky no one saw you with her or it would have been our asses,” David says sarcastically.
“Lay off him David. He did the best he could,” Evan says defensively. “Besides, if anyone suspected Joseph, Sam or Charlie would have told us after seeing it in the cops’ thoughts. We’re fine.”
“But he has to learn how to control himself if we’re supposed to cover these things up. How many animals do you know bleeds a human dry?”
Evan growls, “I said back off David. Remember he did this as a favor for Sam and Joseph did the best he could. Do you think you would have done better?”
With his fangs visible and eyes glowing red with anger David replies, “Much!”
Before a fight could erupt, Charlie yells, “Enough,” and uses his shield on both of them which sends them howling in pain.
After a moment, David recovers and in a rage he roars, “The next time you use that shit on me, you better burn me to a crisp!”
My brother doesn’t even flinch as he bluntly responds, “We don’t have time for your petty bickering. We have to make sure the police are positive it was an animal that killed the girl and Joseph is in the clear. So if you’re done with this bullshit, why don’t you make yourself useful and go out and check!”
Charlie is always so calm when we have our little spats but for him to use his shield on any of us (which can send a shock or burn a vampire up completely), we knew he was angry. Evan and David both apologize and David goes out to see what the word is with the police. Joseph begins to feel guilty and I go over to him to give some reassurance.
“Joseph, it’s okay. You did the best you could,” I say to him.
He winces at my words and says, “I should have stopped so it would have been more believable. I totally screwed up.”
I pat him on the shoulder while I say in a reassuring tone, “It’s fine Joseph really. If David feels that the police are becoming more suspicious, he’ll take care of it.” He nods and I give him an encouraging smile. I then start to unbutton my shirt as I say, “Well I guess I better change so when Gina calls, I’ll be ready.”
“I guess I should do the same. Heaven knows what could be on this suit,” Charlie replies with a wicked grin.
I just roll my eyes and rush up to my room to change. Fifteen minutes later I come back down to the living room where I find Joseph staring out the window. I sit on the couch and flip on the TV but I’m not really paying attention to what’s on the screen. I know Gina is at her mother’s but I’m anxious not being with her. I want to know if she’s alright. I can imagine seeing Stacy was too much for her and I desperately want to be the one to comfort her but I will just have to wait while she spends time with her mom. I knew it was a good idea to let her spend time with her mother since she’ll know what to do to make Gina feel better. So no matter how much it kills me, I have no choice but to wait.
Over an hour has passed and I’m growing restless. Just to give my hands something to do, I absent-mindlessly grip a pillow so hard that it becomes twisted up out of its original shape. Damn, Charlie is going to kill me for ruining his expensive pillows but I’m too worried about Gina to care. I know I am being ridiculous for behaving like this but every moment she’s not with me feels like pure torture.
Just then I feel the tension rolling off of Joseph and Charlie is by his side in a flash. He grips his shoulders and frantically asks, “Joseph, what is it?”
He tries to calm himself but he answers in a shaky voice, “Something’s wrong.”
“Tell us Joseph.”
“I got a bad feeling. I’m sensing something is going to happen.”
I’m in front of him in an instant. I don’t hide the apprehension in my voice as I urgently ask, “What’s going on? Is something going to happen to Gina?”
“I’m not sure. I can only sense when something’s wrong Sam. I can’t pinpoint who’s in danger or what the danger is. I just get this feeling that’s all. And I feel something really bad is going to happen.”
I just nod as my way of apologizing. Joseph can’t control the uneasiness that hits him and unfortunately he doesn’t have the ability to pinpoint exactly what the cause is. We only use it as a warning and to be on alert. There’s only one person that can give me a direct answer and I immediately turn to Charlie and before I could ask, he says, “Let me take a look.”
He looks off at nothing in particular and I pace while I wait for him to find a vision of whatever is associated with Joseph’s concern. He looks for Gina first and since he has trouble reading Gina’s mind like me, it is taking him longer to focus. After a few minutes, I see his expression change and I know he finally found the vision related to Joseph’s feeling. Evan appears by our side to also wait to hear what Charlie is seeing. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, he begins to explain what he sees.
“I see her walking. Not too far but near a house. There’s a stray dog. It’s wild and big. It chases her and then it…”
He trails off and I feel my rage growing. I growl, “Was it a dog for sure or was it a wolf?”
He looks off again to recheck the vision and then he says, “No I was wrong. It is a wolf.”
Evan adds, “There have been a lot of wolf sightings in the area lately.”
“They’re not safe in the wilderness anymore since people are hunting them down and they’re migrating to where humans live,” Joseph adds.
They continue to talk but I’m too enraged to hear what they are saying. I start pacing back and forth and I didn’t realize that my growling got louder until Charlie grabs me by the shoulders to keep me still. I see myself in his head and I see my eyes are flaming red and my fangs are out. I cringe but I want to get to Gina before she gets hurt. Charlie is trying to calm me but he checks the vision again to see if he can get any more information. Maybe I am overreacting because if Gina is out walking along the main street a passing car will scare the wolf away and she will be safe. I start to completely relax until Charlie gasps and without completely coming out of his vision he yells, “Sam you have to go now!”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I fly out the front door and race towards the woods. Evan has to quickly run to my car so he could follow me but I don’t bother to slow down so he can catch up with me. Gina is in danger and if I have to risk exposure, I will rescue her. And I don’t care who or what gets in my way.
Who’s Afraid of the
Big Bad Wolf
(Gina)
Despite what happened at the gruesome scene that is fresh in my mind, it is nice being with my mom. It feels like forever since I’ve spent time with her since I moved out and today I feel like we’re actually bonding now. After I moved in with Tiffany, it took a while for Sara and me to get past the rough patch so we can be on good speaking terms again. And after seeing Stacy all mangled and bloody, I knew Sam was right about me coming here. I have to remember to thank him later.
We have coffee and talk about anything but Stacy. I start telling her more about Sam (while keeping out the sex part) and she seems pleased that I’m with someone who makes me truly happy. She is even looking forward to meeting him when he picks me up and asks what he would like to eat so she can have him over for dinner. I manage to fumble through that answer since I wasn’t sure exactly what his favorite meal was aside from beef very rare and tell her to fix whatever she wants and Sam will love it. Things are going well and we’re enjoying each other’s company until she gets a call from the hospital. There was a terrible accident on the highway and they need her to come in since a lot of people from the crash are coming in and they are understaffed. I hate that she has to go since today is supposed to be her day off but being an ER nurse puts her on call twenty-four sever so I understand. When she gets herself dressed, I walk with her out the door and wave goodbye as she drives off to the hospital.
I know Sam told me to call him so he can pick me up but I know he needs some rest so I decide to walk home instead. There is a chill in the air and I can almost taste the snow that is ready to fall but the cool weather doesn’t bother me. The walk is only about twenty minutes and it would do me some good to get a little exercise plus it will give me some time to think.
I can’t get over how similar Stacy’s injuries were to my dad’s. The police are calling it an animal attack and I even heard a cop mention Harry’s name and how that happened to him. At least that’s what everyone keeps telling me but I know what I saw when my dad died. It was not an animal attack like the reports stated; I know I remember seeing a man hunched over him and somehow cutting him even though I couldn’t recall a knife or blade of any kind in his hand but I remember vividly seeing blood trickling down my father’s neck. Thinking about it more I didn’t think an animal attacked Stacy either. She had a cut on her wrist as well as her neck being mauled. Her body was a horrible grey color and I’m pretty sure I heard the coroner say almost all of her blood was gone. I even go as far to wonder if maybe we have a serial killer on the loose since the wounds on Stacy and my dad were the same. What kind of creature drains a body entirely of its blood? It might not be a serial killer at all but what I didn’t know. What if I’m right about my theory? I know I’m reaching since vampires aren’t real but I’m desperate to make sense of the situation and if I’m ever going to get any peace I need to find answers.
I keep walking while I’m thinking and I get near the woods that act as a park in the summer especially for the teenagers who like to get lost in the surroundings so they can make out. I smile at the thought as I walk towards them since I can cut through walking on the path that will take me closer to home. I can’t wait to get lost in here with Sam and I start to imagine what it will be like; the two of us lying under the trees, him on top of me with his lips pressed against mine. It will be nice to be close to him with the wild flowers around us and the birds singing in the trees as we make love and I wrap my arms around myself as I enjoy my little scenario I’m creating in my head. I’m so caught up in the fantasy that I almost miss the low growl that is coming from my left.
I slowly turn and at first I focus on the pair of yellow eyes that are looking right at me. I blink and see they are attached to the body of a full-grown grey wolf. “Shit,” escapes my lips and I try to think of what to do in this situation. Do I play dead? Do I try to scare it away by screaming? Do I wet my pants and hope that it couldn’t believe I just peed myself and it would start laughing at me?
Of course I pick the wrong choice and start running. And out of all places, I run deeper in the woods. I should have ran straight back to the main road but the wolf was blocking that direction so I have to keep running deeper and deeper through the trees. I hear its vicious growling getting closer and I try to tell my feet to pick up the pace. I trip once but unlike those idiots in the horror movies, I pick myself right up and keep going. I feel my hand stinging and quickly glance to see that I have a deep gash in the palm of my hand. That makes me run faster because I am afraid the smell of my blood will do nothing but excite the wolf more.
I come across a cluster of trees and after quickly scanning I realize that I’m trapped. This is the section of the woods where the potheads (including on occasion my girl Tiffany) come to hang out because it’s so far away from the main road that cops won’t smell the smoke. I know I’m royally screwed now. The trees are close together and I won’t be able to squeeze my way through. Even someone who is bone thin would have a problem getting out of there. I think about climbing up one of the trees but the cut on my hand makes it difficult to grip anything so I have to come up with another choice. I’m thinking…
My thoughts are interrupted when I hear the wolf approach where I am and as I turn around to face him, I swore it has a pissed off look on its face. Running for my life had got him mad; my bad. Now I’m trapped here with a ticked off wolf and I desperately think of what my options are to get out of this alive. The only idea I get is from a movie I saw awhile back and I start searching the ground for a large stick so I could spear it like Leonidas did in the movie 300. If he was able to do it then it should be a piece of cake for me. I mean how hard could it be right?
The wolf’s growl grows louder and I know I’m running out of time before it pounces and chomps on me. It inches closer and I feel the tears begin to well up as I figure this is the end. There is nothing but pure hunger in its eyes and when it lands on my body nothing will stop it from killing me. I think of my mom and my friends but the majority of my thoughts are of Sam and the tears spill over as I say my silent goodbyes. The wolf positions itself getting ready to strike and I back up against a tree waiting for my death. It howls one more time and begins to charge towards me. I close my eyes and open my mouth to scream but no noise comes out so I just stand and wait.
I stand there waiting and it feels like forever. My eyes are still closed and I wait to feel its teeth tear into my flesh. But that’s the thing; I’m still waiting. I know it was charging for me but why hasn’t it reached me yet? In moments like this does time really slow down to prolong the inevitable? I slowly open my eyes to see what is taking it so long and let out a gasp.
The wolf, which once was menacing and growling, is now cowering away. Its face is a portrait of pure fear. I can’t fathom how its mood did a complete three sixty and why it was suddenly so afraid. My gaze is locked on the wolf and I slowly look directly in front of me. My mouth drops further in shock. Right in front of me is Sam who is protectively crouched down glaring at the wolf. He holds his stance while staring directly at the wolf and it lets out a whimper before it finally runs away. Sam keeps his stance until he is sure the wolf is gone but it appears that he is struggling with something as his body jerks a little. I stand frozen in shock waiting for him to move and finally he straightens up and faces me.
“Are you alright,” he asks in a hurried tone.
I don’t know what to say and I have to strain to hear him since when he spoke, he barely opened his mouth. I look at his eyes and I swear I see traces of red in them and as I continue to stare, it looks like they are turning back to their normal color of bright gold. Whoa am I seeing things? Did his eyes just change color?
I’m so absorbed with my thoughts while still staring at his eyes that he gently put his hands on my shoulders and whispers, “Gina, are you alright?”
“I’m…I’m fine,” I stammer while briskly nodding my head.
Sam studies me for a second and annoyance suddenly spreads on his face. “No you’re not. Where are you hurt?”
I’m confused at his question until I remember my hand. How did he know I was hurt? I hold it up and mumble, “I cut my hand when I fell while running.”
When I hold up my hand that is still bleeding, he cringes and once again it appears he is struggling with something. He quickly collects himself before he says, “Come on, let’s get that cleaned up.”
“Alright,” is all I could say as I follow him. We walk in silence and I’m relieved when I see the main road and his car. He helps me get in and as soon as he starts the car, he quickly opens the windows. He then gets out to go to the trunk and returns with paper towels. “Here, use this to cover your hand until I can get you to the house so Charlie can take a look at it.”
I just take them and press a few sheets against my hand, which makes me wince in pain. He glances at me nervously but I smile to let him know I’m okay. He doesn’t say another word as he drives and I stare out the window more confused than ever. Is Sam angry with me? A big stupid dog nearly mauls me and he’s pissed at me? I set my mouth into a tight line and I tell myself as soon as we get to his house, he and I are going to have a very long talk on how it’s not cool for the boyfriend to get angry when his girlfriend is nearly killed. Ugh boys.
Minutes later, we arrive at a huge house that is surrounded by nothing but trees. We drive up along a long driveway and it seems the closer we got, the bigger the house appears. We finally reach the front entrance and he stops and helps me out the car even thought I try to let him know I’m fine. He leads me inside and I gasp at how beautiful it is. All the furniture is classic and it is obvious that none of them are from this century. There are paintings hanging throughout the open space that range from classic to modern and a chandelier in the foyer that’s as big as Tiffany’s car. The fireplace looks big enough that I can stand straight up in it and I peer through a set of glass doors that leads to a backyard where I see a huge Olympic size pool covered for the winter. I can’t believe Charlie lives here. I’ve never seen anything like it.
