Page 28 of Before We Burn

“You know, you’re smart, but god are you rude.” His response shocks me. I am being rude, but only because he hijacked my mission, slowed me down at every turn, and still has this idea that he is helping me. When I’m helping him.

“You aren’t meant to like me, Everett. You are simply here to get what you need and go back to the people you call family. That’s it.” I turn to look out my window, dismissing him and the conversation.

The slam of the door doesn’t surprise me, because his thoughts were screaming at me even if he wasn’t. Even when I tuned them out, they were there, knocking on my mental walls, forcing me to acknowledge them. Most of it was him complaining about me, but the rest of him was worried.

He’s taken into consideration that I haven’t fed nor rested. He knows I was injured before he woke and is wondering if that could be another reason my attitude isn’t great. He’s trying to find excuse after excuse for me, ignoring the fact I might just not like him.

I’m finally able to tune him out once the sun disappears behind a cloud, allowing me to pump the gas without getting roasted. I stand there for a moment while uncapping the gas tank, putting the old rust-coated nozzle in, starting to fill it.

There’s a car idling to my left. The windows are tinted enough I can’t see through them, but I hear their hearts as they pump blood through their body, their breaths heaving into the air, and their guns cocking. My fangs itch to make an appearance. At the wrong time, per usual, Everett walks out of the store, a smile on his face and a paper bag filled with whatever he felt like eating.

“This place has everything! Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve found—” I cut him off, pulling the nozzle out of my tank and closing everything up.

“Get in the car. Now,” I say, urgently.

Everett looks at me confused, my words not seeming to register, and I’m starting to think that military training was a bunch of bullshit.

Doors slam behind me, and footsteps move toward us. There are three of them, all armed and large by the sound of their hearts. “Get in!” I scream, and Everett finally finds some common sense and moves to the car, another argument already on his lips.

Knowing I only have a few moments until they’re on me, I open the back door and reach for my backpack, pulling out my knife in time to turn around and stab it through the fucker’s chin. Blood spews over my hands, my fangs growing as the black veins begin to show.

I rip the knife from his jaw and move out of the way before the other big bastard slaps me into tomorrow. I expected them to come out and start shooting, but I could’ve misunderstood their thoughts. Except, I mean, how else would you perceive a loaded gun?

I see the faint glow of the blue light radiating from the end of the barrel. Whoever reported back after the attack on the school made sure to tell whoever was in charge that I won’t go down with darts. They moved up to bullets, but their minds betrayed them. They’re not sure if even those will stop me. If they want to take me alive, they’re going to have to work harder, because I’m going to send them back to whomever sent them, letting them know Marzana—the monster in the dark and the reaper of hope—is back.

I quickly maneuver around them, their senses dull compared to mine. I didn’t even realize Everett had gotten out of the car and was fighting one of the guys. He’s holding himself well against him, so I continue my hunt.

My mark is searching for me, trying to find me in the shadows, doing what his training taught him. But his training never accounted for me or my skills. His mind is an open book, his fear at the forefront while his orders try to overpower it. I confirm they want me alive, but I can’t determine why. They made sure to give the errand boys just enough information to do something, but kept them completely in the dark of what their true mission is.

I spring out and grab him by his hair, forcing his head back. My fangs pulse with need as the thick vein in his neck bulges. I sink my teeth in as deep as I can.

This is the first time I’ve done this in a long time. It’s beyond messy, and blood drips down his neck and onto his clothes, wasting a decent amount of it. A scream sounds from inside the gas station as the cashier finally notices the massacre in her parking lot. Metal drops and locks click into place.

She’s smart; frenzies can start once a vampire feeds, especially when they’re as hungry as I was.

The man's body drops in front of me—drained, bloodied, and pale. The same way I probably looked when I was left for dead in the middle of a field, slowly transitioning into…this.

“Loui?” The voice sounds broken and weak.

I look up to see the man Everett had struggled with, eyes fixated on the lifeless body on the ground in front of me, and can’t help the smile that crosses my face.

I step over the lifeless body, my head tilted to the side as I take in his thoughts, hearing his silent pleas of disbelief as he realizes Loui’s not coming back.

“Pity, isn’t it?” My voice comes out as a hiss. “Take the bodies back to wherever you came from. Tell the people who sent you to stay out of my fucking way.”

The man moves quickly, dragging one body at a time, taking way longer than I would’ve liked. I have no choice. If I want to send a message, I need to see it through.

I catch a glimpse of my clothes in the reflection of the car window. I’m covered in dirt, blood, and probably even shit since I decided to stand behind a dying man. You learn not to do that in How To Feed: 101.

Never stand behind a human while draining. They can, and will, shit on you.

I sigh. My attention shifts to Everett who looks disturbed. His mind is silent, but his breaths are fast, and I quickly wipe my mouth with my sleeve.

Just before I can apologize, because that’s the decent thing to do, slow loud claps come from behind me. I turn around, ready to fight again, to find Connie standing there in a black dress that’s fit to her body and stops near mid calf.

A fashionable outfit to save some Bloodlings. Very Constantine-like.

“So, this is your human,” she says, casually. I look at the man driving off with two dead bodies in his trunk before turning to Everett.