This will be deleted soon - The Wrong Hope *Complete and Free*

19. A Little About Guy

Sally-Anne

Year: 1983 31th of July after dark - still Sunday, Summer.

“Why don’t you just leave me in here?” I didn’t look at him when I spoke.

By the time Guy came to get me out the trunk I was absolutely miserable. Having had all day alone with my thoughts, contemplating the vileness of my existence I didn’t want to get out of the trunk. I didn’t want to sit next to Guy in the car and have him treat me nice, he was probably just pretending anyway so that I would give him the vault but that didn’t matter to me, I would give him the vault regardless, I didn’t deserve anyone to be nice to me. This small atonement would not be enough and anyways I didn’t want to make it harder on Guy when he had to kill me after.

“Sally-Anne I don’t want you to stay in the trunk, I want you to sit upfront with me and keep me company.” Guy said in a cajoling manner.

“But I’m a monster, I’m a disgusting vile monster and I don’t deserve to sit in the front.” I tried not to sob as I said it out loud.

“Enough with the pity party and get out before someone sees.” He said evenly.

“Shut the trunk and no one will see.” I snapped back.

“Christ Sally-Anne stop being a child and get the f**k out,” He grabbed my arm and started dragging me out of the trunk. “I'd rather have you in the front where I can deal with you. What’s going to happen if I get pulled over by some cops, eh? You think they going to gloss over me having a young girl in my trunk?” He was angry and he was right. I'd worked myself into such a state I could hardly think straight. I moved with him instead of against him as he dragged me to my feet before leaning against his chest sobbing.

“Sorry, sorry.” Stiffly he put his arm around me and patted my back. I sobbed more; I was making this hard on him. “I don’t mean to be so much trouble.” I half whispered.

Guy let out a big sigh and moved back a little to look me in the face.

“Hard day in the trunk, hey?” He said kindly, giving my shoulder a rough squeeze. He looked genuinely sorry for me. I could smell the soap on his skin and his hair still looked a little wet, he had also had a shave. It made him look younger but somehow less kind, perhaps because you could see the sharpness of his chin. Certainly a little more handsome, his blue-grey eyes were more alert and the bags under his eyes had diminished.

“How old are you?” I blurted out. He gave me a look of surprise before grabbing his head one hand either side and swaying a little.

“Are you ok?” I asked, instantly alarmed.

“Yup, just trying to get the world to stop spinning after you did a 180o on me.” He said all matter-of-fact. I couldn’t help but giggle at his silliness. “We doing question time again then?”

I nodded and followed it up with an eager please. He rolled his eyes.

“Okay then, get in.” He said, resigned, shoeing me to the front of the car. “Over 4 hours of driving still to go so these better be good questions”

“I don’t think I have four hours of questions.” I looked at him wide eyed over the roof of the car.

“Uh huh...” Guy gave me side eye as he lowered himself into the driver’s seat.

“So how old are you?” I asked a little more calmly, the question was already out there so I decided to continue.

“I'd get you to guess but I got a feeling I might be insulted. 36.” Guy started the engine and pulled off, eyes on the road.

I opened my mouth to ask about the sun when something else occurred to me.

“Back at the Diner when you were talking to Jo about me being ‘sick’ you seemed to know a lot.” He looked a little confused, and for a moment I considered dropping it, but I was both curious and worried so I pressed on, “You know a lot about cancer. Is someone you know sick? C-could I maybe help them? You know with, um, my blood? Like your arm?” I got quieter and quieter as I spoke watching his face, seeing the pain surface, I shouldn’t have said anything.

“That’s mighty kind of you to offer Sally-Anne. ’ppriciate it.” Guy spoke sincerely, a single tear trailed down his cheek. “It was my Dad, died four years back. Yes Vamp blood would have healed him, no he wouldn’t have taken it. Stubborn bastard thought it was wrong, wouldn’t sully himself with such ungodliness. He said ‘Boy, if God wants me dead then I’ll be dead. His will not mine’ when I suggested it.”

“He hated Vampires that much?” I felt bad for Guy, it must have been really hard to watch his Dad get sicker each day knowing he could be cured but wouldn’t do it.

“Nah, he was a mighty fine Hunter but he wasn’t in it for the Vamp hate, he saw it as doing God’s work. It was for God that he wouldn’t.” Bitterness crept into Guy's voice as he spoke.

“But you drank mine, so ... you don’t believe in God?” I asked quizzically.

“Look at you all philosophical this evening. Believe yes, care no, never seen Him do anything for nobody. I do what I got to do, look out for number one, ya know.” His voice got harder as he spoke and I got the feeling that the topic was closed.

“You said the sun would burn me.” I changed topics. “What do you mean by that? Will I burst into flame or turn into ashes? Is it immediate or does it take a few minutes? And does it have to be direct sunlight or just the day time? How does...”

“Slow down, hold your horses Sally-Anne, total chatterbox tonight.” He gave a deep chuckle. “You got it all worked up to be some dramatic spontaneous combustion! Not that exciting. You ever touched poison oak?” He asked, taking the on ramp back to the I-40E.

“Once.” I nodded.

“It’s like that, it itches and burns and blisters at varying pace depending on the amount of sunlight you’re exposed to. Duration and strength of sunlight are key factors, continuous exposure will eventually result in death. The body will repeatedly try to heal itself but while still in the sun the damage will continue to occur, eventually the sun will damage the body faster than it can continue to heal and the heart will become exposed, be destroyed by the sun and kill the Vampire.”

At some point in his explanation I had covered my mouth in shock. When I didn’t say anything he gave me a quick amused look before snapping his eyes back to the road.

“Y-y-yyou’re not going to do that to me, are you?” I swallowed, feeling suddenly afraid of this man I had handed my life to.

“No. I promise I’m not going to do that to you.” He sounded genuine but a seed of doubt was growing. I remembered that when I was dying from the poison he had appeared to enjoy watching me die. I gave a small sigh. It didn’t matter any which way – I deserved it, I told myself; however he chose to kill me. I didn’t want to know what he actually had planned so I didn’t ask; secretly I hoped it would be quick.

“Why is it that only I can open the vault? I don’t know a code or have a key or anything.” I asked, changing topics again. This didn’t seem a good one either. Guy appeared to be struggling to find the right words to explain it or contemplating not answering, I wasn’t sure which.

“It’s warded.” He said finally.

“Warded? Like a spell?” My brows furrowed as I wondered if that meant what I thought it meant.

“Yup. A Spell.” Guy said with no follow up.

“Does that mean there are,” I whispered the last word, “Witches?”

“Yes Sally-Anne, there are Witches and you don’t need to whisper.” He whispered the word ‘whisper’ mockingly. “They can’t hear you.”

The topic appeared to be open and I was more than intrigued, as Guy drove through the night I lost track of how many questions I asked about Witches. There were a couple that Guy passed on as ‘Witches weren’t his area of expertise’ but it didn’t matter, I was fascinated.

“Right Sally-Anne goin ta need ya to put a pin in those questions for now, got to pull in for gas. Stay in the car and keep quiet, not expecting many people to really be around at this time but you know the yarn if anyone be asking.” Guy reminded me but he sounded relaxed.

“What time is it?” I tried to look at his watch.

“1:23am.”

“How much further?” I asked, worried. While I had promised I would give Guy the vault I was not in a hurry to get to the house, to revisit the pain I had caused there.

“Hour and a bit, we’ll be there in plenty of time to get everything sorted before sunrise.” I could see the gas station up ahead. Just over an hour left to go, I hadn’t realised so much time had gone. I was going to have to ask the hard questions and soon...