The Parasites That Live in The Cracks

23. Is The Freedom Real This Time?

Bree

  It must be daytime now because I felt warmer and the vampires were silent. I haven't slept at all, but I had done a lot of thinking and tried to free my hands and wished to the skies that Jamie or Chayton were here to help me, though I didn’t know to what extent they could be trusted.

  I tried pulling my hands free again, but by now my wrists were sore and I wouldn't be surprised if they were cut a little. No closer to getting out, anyways...

  I heard a snapping twig behind me and jumped, then froze. I felt breath on my ear then a soft whisper. "We're gonna get you out, but we have to wait until the evening so we have limited vision on our side. Just leave your wrists alone now they look awful and don't get yourself killed." Then Jamie was gone.

  I waited... and waited... and waited... I was excited for the evening but I had no idea when that was, not with a bag over my head. This bag was unnecessarily thick and all around was pitch black.

  I had plenty to think about though, despite my current position what I thought about most is how the heck Jamie and Chayton decided to work together instead of killing each other.

  After a while, I felt cooler and I could feel mosquitoes biting me. It was extremely frustrating to not be able to slap the mosquitos off...

  It must be evening by now... Yup, cricket sounds. I really should've tried harder to sleep, since I'd likely be up all night now. Hopefully, adrenaline would get me by long enough to escape. 

  I heard a loud howl from behind me and then silence. After a minute there was a loud snapping of branches, or bones; what must've been Jamie leap out of the bushes behind me. There was a lot of yelling, pounding footsteps, and even a scream. The footsteps then ran the opposite way, into the woods.

  I felt hands on mine as soon as Jamie and the vampires left, gently untying the ropes. I tried to relax, knowing that I'd be safe in a few minutes.

  Right as my hands were almost free, there was a snarl and something knocked Chayton away.

  Now I was very frustrated, I had to do something! But I couldn't see... Why couldn’t he have taken off the bag first?  Maybe I could get my hands loose now?

  I desperately tugged at the ropes, they were a little looser but still tight. I could hear the sounds of fighting, but couldn't tell how it was going.

  After I heard a grunt of pain that sounded too much like Chayton, I'd had it. I yanked as hard as I could on the ropes and winced at a popping noise as a jolt of pain hit my right wrist. But the ropes came off. I held back a hiss of pain and took the bag off my head with my left hand.

  I turned to see Chayton and the red-haired vampire on the ground clawing at each other. They both were covered in bruises and bite marks, but at least Chayton was on top.

  I got up, careful not to touch anything with my right hand, which looked disjointed and felt like it too. I held the bag in my left hand and walked over to them, both unaware that I was free, and kicked the vampire lady in the back of the head.

  She growled and flew around, giving Chayton a chance to tackle her and pin her down. She bit his hand and a black liquid spilled out.

  So I stomped on her face. And her teeth snapped off. It was oddly satisfying, in a twisted, evil way. Was Mom right about my being a psycho? Did I truly not mind hurting others?

  “You really should stop doing that…” Chayton told me quietly.

  “How come? It seems to help, she’s not even struggling now. It stopped that other vampire from attacking me too…” I mused. She wasn’t even thinking of fighting back now, it seemed.

  “Because breaking teeth both puts vampires at a lower rank than humans, who are considered like livestock, and makes it so that they’ll age like humans but won’t die unless they’re killed by another vamp or supernatural creature. Wanna know what it’s like to be five hundred?” He informed me before adding, “So that’s why it subdues them so much. They’re scared and depressed, it kinda sucks the fight out of them.”

  “Oh…” Was all I could come up with to say. Here I was, ruining more lives in horrible ways. Maybe there was a reason I was in prison, huh?

  We tied her up with the bag over her head as I had been, and then Chayton reached for my hand to take me to his hideout. He took the wrong one though, and I jumped back with a whimper.

  "What? Are you okay?" Asked Chayton, confused and worried.

  "Yeah... I just hurt my wrist." I said and held it out a little.

  Chayton scowled. "Who did that? You sure it's okay?"

  "I did it, I yanked on the ropes too hard. And yeah, it's okay. Now let's go before everyone gets back!"

  Chayton didn't look convinced, but he picked me up and sped off with inhuman speed until we reached a little tree-house.

  "This will keep me safe?" I asked skeptically, noticing how tiny and flimsy it was, with no fences or anything protecting it. It even looked a bit rotten in places; would it even hold the both of us?

  "Yes, it's safe. It's a little magic, no vampires except me can get in. It has this," He pointed to a bluish-gray line a foot behind us, "That’s like a force-field, it'll keep everyone out. And the inside is much nicer than the outside, I promise."

  We walked inside, and he was right. It wasn't even possible actually, definitely magic. The inside was a large room painted charcoal gray, with a spiral staircase that went both up and down, and was decorated with dark red and black velvet furniture.

  "Wow..." Was all I could say. Chayton chuckled and led me to the staircase. He took me up a floor and we were in a clean, white room that I guessed was like a mini-hospital. He sat me down on a comfy chair and examined my wrist. It was swollen and slightly bruised, not to mention all the skin the ropes had rubbed off.

  "That doesn't look okay..." He said disapprovingly. It did hurt, I admitted. A lot actually. But I was good at hiding stuff, I'd be fine.

  "This is going to hurt... But it'll feel better after. Okay?"

  "Okay." I squeezed my eyes shut.

  I felt his hands on my wrist, then he moved it quickly into place. I gasped at the sudden stinging and instinctively opened my eyes quickly.

  "Sorry! That's it now." Chayton assured me.

  I nodded, breathing heavily. My vision had started dancing with black spots and nausea turned my belly.

  "Are you okay?" He asked, looking concerned.

  "I need to lie down..." I replied weakly.

  Chayton picked me up gently, cradling my hand, and went up another floor and placed me into a soft bed.

  I closed my eyes and murmured thanks, then let the darkness carry me away.