In Love With a Vampire

Chapter Thity-Five

Jim



I do not recall it all too well. Maybe it was because of the excruciating pain or the fact that soemone who looked a lot like Seth shoved a fistful of pain meds in my mouth but when I woke up, my leg was covered in a grim-looking bandage and it did not hurt as much anymore. A sigh of relief escaped my throat when I was able to pull myself up and sit semi-upright. It was then that I heard the shallow breathing next to me. The shallow breathing that I had not heard before. When I angled my head to view whoever was beside me, I went numb.

“Jim, how are you feeling?”

I rapidly blinked, trying to take in the sight of Donna lying still in a make-shift bed next to me. She was so pale, not a sign of life in her, except the breathing. My mind reeled back to the events that had occurred but all I managed to conjure up were flashes of my leg being yanked off by a beast.

“What happened to her Aunt Lory?”

No answer came. Still, I could not peel my eyes away from roof girl. I could not control the fear that was swiftly growing in my belly. After every few seconds, I shifted and perked my eyes, waiting to hear if she was breathing.

“Is she going to be okay?”

When an answer still did not come, I had to forcefully tear my eyes away from roof girl. The first thing I saw was the large purple bruise on my aunt’s face. There were strands of dirty blonde hair trying to cover the ugly discoloration but they were not doing such a good job. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, dry blood caked her knuckles. The image of my father choking her appeared in my mind. I stretched my arm, and beckoned her to me, she did not move. When she spoke, her voice was low and raspy.

“I’m so sorry you were pulled into this…so so sorry…”

I shook my head, closed my eyes, and tried to gather my thoughts. So many things had transpired, so much hurt caused. But none of that mattered, not even my pressing questions. What I wanted to know, what I needed to know, is whether roof girl was going to be alright.

“Tell me whether she is going to be okay…”

At that moment Maria emerged from the shadows and made her way slowly towards roof girl. Her red hair looked damp, she too looked pale. She did not make eye contact with me, in fact, her gaze was resolute on roof girl. When she finally reached her friend, she sank down beside her and began stroking her face.

I felt a tug in my heart, I wanted to touch her face, I wanted to feel her skin against mine and make sure that she was going to be okay.

I could not lose her as well.

“Somebody better f*****g answer me right now! Is she going to be alright?”

I was heaving. I pinned my elbows against the thin, uncomfortable mattress and lifted my upper body so that I was staring straight at Aunt Lory. I noticed that there was a hand resting on her shoulder; the man from the party, the man who had the orange scarf.

“Look kid, the truth is that we do not know…she might live and she might…she might not.”

Poignant silence filled the room as everyone averted their gazes from each other. It was at that moment that I noticed Seth’s presence and my father’s as well. The former was standing at the edge of the living room, eyes on his feet, one leg shaking while the latter was on the ground, bound by thick ropes, tape draping his mouth. My father was facing me, his eyes empty. I swallowed, how could he have no emotion at a time like this? Did he not see me with an injured leg? Did he not see the girl lying next to me, the girl who might…die? Had he really choked my aunt or had that been a hallucination? I averted my eyes from my father to my aunt. The large man from the party had pulled her in for an embrace, she was trembling, crying silently.

“There must be something we can do…I can go back home, inform her father…maybe there is a cure that was hidden from the rest of us…”

“She doesn’t have much time Maria…By the time you come back, she would have…”

The large man’s voice broke off, tears were clogged in his throat. When my eyes found his face once again, tears were freely flowing from his eyes.

“So that’s it? We just wait for her to die?”

A moan escaped from Maria’s direction. I watched as Seth made his way to her. He tried to engulf her in a hug, she pulled away.

“We can’t just let her die…There has to be something! Wait, why are we not in a hospital? She needs to see a doctor!”

No one moved, no one responded. Anger began brewing in the pit of my stomach.

“Has this man roped you into believing some self-healing spiritual bullshit Aunt Lory? Roof girl needs to go to the hospital and if none are you are willing to get her there…”

I mustered all my strength and used it to attempt to leave my makeshift bed. A groan escaped my throat as I moved my lower body, somebody dashed towards me.

“You need to stay put or you’ll open your wound-"

“She needs a hospital Aunt Lory! She needs to see a doctor, she is barely breathing and and…”

“And you’re scared that you’re going to lose her? Look around the room, we are all scared.”

I tried to even my breath, I tried to calm my thoughts, I tried to listen to my aunt’s words and make sense of them but I just did not understand. I couldn’t understand.

“Why are we not in the hospital Aunt Lory? What is going on?”

I watched as Aunt Lory averted her gaze. I watched as she opened and closed her mouth successively trying to formulate the right words. While she was doing this, I stole a glance at roof girl; it was as if life was slipping away from her by the second.

“Please Aunt Lory, we have to give her a fighting chance…”

Aunt Lory was about to speak when muffled sounds emanated from the floor. I angled my head to look at my father and for a moment, I felt guilty that I had not demanded his release. The muffled sounds persisted. The large man let out an annoyed sigh and approached my father. Once he reached him, he crouched and yanked the tape from my father’s mouth. A moan escaped my father’s throat at the violent act.

“Finally…thank you for doing it so gently by the way…”

The large man grunted, he looked as if he wanted to trample him. He looked as if he could trample him.

“I have the cure, if you want to save the girl, you must free me first.”