Vicious (6 page)

“Hi,” I replied uneasily.

That’s all I could think of to say? I had to say something else. Think of what Eric would say.

“Um, I noticed you were low on your drink, and I’ve sort of finished mine. Can I buy you something else to drink?”

She didn’t break her gaze with me, which made it awfully difficult to breathe evenly. Then, much to my relief, she smiled slightly with a curious hint to her face.

“Well, you could, but all I am drinking is water, and I believe that it is free.”

I smiled back at her. “Well, I can at least be your water boy and get you a refill, can’t I?”

“Sure. That would be nice.”

Success. But her name. I needed to learn that at the very least.

“If I’m going to be your water boy, I don’t think it’s too much to ask your name.”

She seemed to tense a little, and I worried I had gone too far. I was never good with the small talk, flirty stuff. The name thing must have been too fast for her. Thankfully, my paranoia cleared when she relaxed.

“Anna.”

“Grant,” I said in return.

“Nice to meet you, Grant.”

“Likewise. Let me go get us those drinks.”

I practically bounced over to the nearest hole at the bar and ordered one ice water and one beer. I thought a beer was better than a Hand Grenade at this point. The syrupy Hand Grenades were leaving a tacky feeling in the back of my mouth. I took the drinks, tipped the bartender way too much and walked back over where Anna was standing. The only problem was she wasn’t standing there anymore. She was gone.

My shoulders slumped with disappointment as I looked around for her but found no trace. I guess I had crossed a line with her when I asked her name, if that had been her real name at all and not some made-up one she’d given to get me to go away. I frowned noticeably and wondered if the guys were watching this.

Suddenly, someone’s hand was on my shoulder, and I spun around to see a girl who was definitely not Anna. She had that same exotic look about her though, and she was gorgeous like Anna was. However, where Anna’s skin was pale and flawless, this girl’s skin was dark chocolate and perfect. She had long braided black hair that flowed around her like small ropes when she moved, and her eyes were a rich amber color with a dark ring of black that lined them. She reminded me of a cat or some other wild animal that happened to be wearing a purple tank top and jeans.

“You’re looking for Anna?”

Her voice was a little deeper but still lyrical, and the smile she flashed me was intoxicating. Her question seemed more like an accusation than a question.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She cocked her head to the side with a curious expression and gracefully moved out of the way of two stumbling drunk people without even looking at them. She even moved like a cat.

“Well, I got her this drink.”

“Let me guess. Water?” She said this as she looked at the drinks I was carrying in each hand.

“Yes.”

“She’s such a stiff.”

“Excuse me? Do you know her?”

She suddenly looked me in the face again as she gracefully avoided a stumbling, drunk patron. Another big smile crossed her face.

“You are curious about her, aren’t you? You’re looking for her?”

I blushed and looked down at my beer instinctively and took a quick drink. This conversation was getting a little awkward, and the way she was looking at me made me feel uncomfortable, even violated.

“Well, don’t worry, drink boy. I know Anna. I’m a friend of hers, and she just went to the restroom. She asked me to come find you and tell you so.”

Good, so she didn’t ditch me after all. I felt relieved but slightly uneasy by the presence of this new supposed friend who was still staring at me. Something about her gaze unnerved me to no end.

“Oh, thank you.”

“Sure thing. Anna wanted me also to tell you to meet her in the other room. It’s not so crowded there. I bet you can tell she is not that into crowds.”

I thought about her unique appearance and the way she stood away from the crowd off in the corner of the bar.

“There’s another room?”

“Yeah, it’s what you would call a chill room. You kind of only know about it if you know about it. That sort of thing. But I can show you where it is. Most of these old bars have them for the locals.”

Something felt a little wrong. Why was she being so helpful and what was this chill room? Did this mean that Anna and this girl were locals?

“I don’t know,” I said, wavering.

“Oh, come on. I’m about to go back there myself. I was hanging out there when Anna came back to tell me she was going to the restroom and to come get you. She’s a little shy or else she would have told you herself.”

“Well, I guess so.”

“Great. Follow me.”

She grabbed the hand that was holding Anna’s water and led me around the corner and through a back hallway. Something still felt odd and a little dangerous about the situation, but another good swig of beer and the thought of seeing Anna again propelled me farther. Soon, no one else was around us, and she opened a beat-up door with a thick metal handle at the end of the corridor.

The girl yanked me quickly through the door, and much to my surprise, I found myself outside instead of in some local bar chill room. She had led me out into a back alleyway that cut in between bars. There was a thin line of putrid water creeping along the old cobblestone pathway, and the only company we had were a few dumpsters smelling of filth and vomit. The walls were high and close together around us, and there was no one anywhere to be seen. The night air hit my face fast as she pushed me forward with strength that a girl her size should not possess.

I dropped the drinks, and the glasses shattered against the stone ground as I used my hands to brace myself against a nearby dumpster. She slammed the door quickly, and I heard it click as it locked. I knew I was in danger, but what could this girl do to me? I was easily six foot one, and I worked out at the campus gym often. She looked to be barely five foot six and was almost as thin as Anna.

I turned around to face her, but I barely got a glimpse before she was right on me. She moved impossibly fast. It seemed that one second, she was at the door, and the next she was right in front of me with her hand around my throat. I sputtered and coughed as she shoved me effortlessly into the wall behind me. As soon as my back hit the wall, she was on me again, pinning my arms and shoulders against it. I struggled against her, but I couldn’t move. Why was she so strong?

She looked into my eyes for a moment and a wide, sinister grin spread across her face. I watched as the black rims in her eyes bled easily into the amber until her entire iris was black and frightening. At the same time, she opened her mouth wide in an insane-looking smile as her canine teeth elongated into two sharp, pointed fangs.

I screamed in terror. This couldn’t really be happening. Struggling to release myself, I fought against her, but it was like struggling against steel. I tried to put my hands up to block her, but she lunged to bite down on my neck hard. I yelped loudly, but no one heard. My body hurt, tingled, and instantly went numb in submission. I was helpless to move or pull her off of me. Even if I had tried, I knew she couldn’t be moved. I felt the blood start to drain from my body and was helpless to stop it.

Somewhere in the distance, I could still hear the raucous din. It was faint but audible, and through the din of human noises, the sound of a band playing a contagious song broke through. I recognized it as everyone else did, and I heard everyone cheer and begin to dance to “When the Saints Go Marching In”. I listened to the song and the muted laughter as I felt the life slowly drain from my body with every pull she took.

Chapter Eight

Grant

“Stop that now, Lea.”

I heard the bell-like voice, but the reality of who owned that voice wasn’t clear until I felt the sudden relief from the numbing stab in my neck. Suddenly, I could move again, and I was alive, alert and being thrown off to the side.

I hit the cobblestones on my side with a hard thud and instantly grabbed for my neck. Blood was still oozing from it, and the reality of the attack was made all the more clear when I looked up to see Anna with her tiny white hand gripped tightly around the dark girl’s neck. The girl kept grasping for Anna’s arms in an attempt to free herself, but Anna seemed to have the upper hand.

I remembered how strong the girl had been when I had tried to struggle, and I was all the more confused to see Anna holding her own against her. She seemed so small, especially compared to the wildcat she was wrestling. The girl’s eyes were still that horrible black, and she bared her fangs and growled with the struggle at Anna. Much to my horror, Anna’s gorgeous blue eyes were now black as well, and when she parted her lips, I could see she had her own set of fangs that sparkled white beneath the red lipstick. It wasn’t until she emitted her own low growl in response that I truly got scared and inched backwards a little on the ground. Neither girl noticed me.

“You know the rules. We agreed to them, Lea.”

“What’s it to you if I drain this blood bag?”

The strange thing was that even though Anna had a good grip on the Lea girl’s neck, she must not have been squeezing very hard because the wildcat seemed to be able to speak without choking or gasping for air.

“You know the rules. We agreed, and this one has done nothing wrong.”

“Maybe, maybe not. You don’t know his past. Or do you?”

Lea broke free then and punched Anna in the face. She barely winced and retaliated with a hard kick to Lea’s stomach. They struggled again as Lea tried to make a break for it only to have Anna catch her hands and pin her against the wall with an impact that would have knocked the breath out of anyone else.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I figured he must be your little pet with how he fawned over you, looking all doe-eyed and lost.”

“I just met him tonight, but he’s done nothing wrong.”

“So why were you following me then, Anna? You were tailing me. I saw it, and then this lost puppy came searching for you, so I figured he belonged to you. What? You don’t want to share?”

“You know it’s not like that.”

They struggled again as Lea tried to break free and almost did, but Anna held her up against the wall. I could tell this was beginning to take a lot of effort to hold her in place, and the impossibly fast-paced struggles were becoming more and more frenzied to the point where their movements began to blur together.

“Yeah, then why were you following me?”

Anna paused for a moment, and I thought she might loosen her grip a little as she began to look thoughtfully at Lea. She seemed to be contemplating something unpleasant or difficult to express. I thought I saw her face soften, but lucky for me, Anna’s hold did not waver.

“I need your help,” Anna said very slowly through clenched teeth. It was as if each word was a little painful for her to utter. I gasped at the thought of Anna siding with this monster for anything. What would become of me if she did?

“What?” Lea seemed just as surprised as I did. Her black eyes looked shocked, and I thought I saw some of the amber start to return in them for a moment.

“I need your help,” Anna repeated a little faster this time.

Lea looked even more shocked the second time, but soon that shock changed into rage, and the black overtook her eyes completely again.

“It’s a trick,” she yelped as she exploded out of Anna’s grip, and they began to struggle again so fast I could barely keep up.

At one point, Anna had Lea by the throat. She threw her until Lea hit the wall hard, losing her sandals in the process. Lea got the upper hand a few times by getting in some punches to Anna’s face and stomach. One of these punches tossed Anna on her back against the dumpster.

I began to back away slowly by scooting with my hands across the floor. I tried desperately not to make any noise that might arouse their attention. I could not count on anyone to save me but me right now. My left hand was still over my neck, and I used my right hand to help move me. Pretty soon, morbid curiosity overtook me.

It must have been poor judgment due to loss of blood, but I did it all the same. I had had my hand against my neck since Lea released me, and I could feel the hot liquid begin to pool inside of it. I don’t know why I did it, but I took my hand away from my neck and looked down to see the damage. I held my hand out and saw it was covered with my own blood. The sight was terrifying and surreal, like a horror film.

Instantly, I heard two gasps come from the struggling girls, and I looked up to see two set of black, hungry eyes locked upon my bloody hand. Lea made a move for me, and I was sure that I was done for. Thoughts swirled in my head of shark-attack footage where just a few drops of blood sent hungry sharks into a feeding frenzy. Well, there was a gaping wound in my neck and a swimming pool of blood in my hand to drive the animals wild. I braced myself against the attack, but none came.

I opened my eyes to see two black knee-high boots standing in front of me. The sight came as a quite a surprise. I looked up to see Anna facing away from me, her white hands set firmly on her hips. She was in between me and Lea, who was crouching on the ground like a cornered tiger about to lunge at some prey. Lea looked at me hungrily and snarled viciously at Anna.