One In A Billion [Kalil's Coven 3]

CHAPTER 1 “Oh my god, Dani, I can’t feel my d**k!” Marshal shouted as he slapped his crotch area, sighing, “Oh, thank all that’s holy, it’s still there, it’s just so cold I couldn’t feel it.” “You are nuts, you know that, Marshal?” Dani said with a laugh. Marshal turned to Dani, “Hey, you may not have any interest in using yours, but mine… I have great plans for many blissful nights of mind-blowing sex.” “Not if it’s plans to join Zeke on Fifth Street.” Dani stated with a firm look to his best friend. Sighing, Marshal replied, “Dani, it’s f*****g cold out here and at this point, selling my ass on Fifth Street for a warm room and bed are sounding better and better all the time.” Dani took his thin ratty blanket and draped it over Marshal’s body. “There is no way I’m letting you do something like that, Marsh. It’s dangerous and you wouldn’t look at yourself the same ever again. Here, take this. It will help.” Marshal immediately tried to give the blanket back to Dani. “I can’t take your blanket, Dani. You need to keep warm too.” “I’ll be fine, Marsh. I doubled my socks.” Dani said, trying not to let his best friend hear his teeth chattering. “Prostitution isn’t on my top ten ‘I want to do this for a living’ list, but sleeping in a box, in a cold dark alley isn’t on it either. Maybe we should go to one of the shelters tonight. The temperatures are really dropping when it starts getting dark out. I think we’re in for an early winter.” Marshal said, covering him and Dani as best he could. Shaking his head, Dani replied, “You know we can’t do that, Marsh. Remember what happened the last time we went there.” “It’s hard to forget a man trying to eat you, Dani. I just can’t believe we have sunk so low in life. What did we do to piss off the gods that our lives have been s**t?” Marshal muttered. “I wouldn’t call it all a s**t life. We found and have each other. Not many in the system have the opportunity to have one consistent person in all their years in foster homes?” Dani said. “I love that you can be so optimistic, but honestly that s**t can get kind of annoying. Quit pooping on my pity party.” Marshal muttered. Dani laughed, then looked at his best friend and brother from another mother, “I really am thankful to have you in my life, Marsh. As much as I hate where we are right now, I’m glad I still have you in my life. I couldn’t go through all of this alone.” “I love you too, Dani and if I have to live on the streets, I’m thankful I have someone like you to go through this with.” Marshal said with a sniffle. “I’m also thankful we share a birthday, otherwise one of us would have been alone until the other turned eighteen.” Dani said with a sigh. Marshal shivered once more, snuggling closer to Dani. “I still think we should take our chances at the shelter.” “You know we can’t take the chance of that vamp man finding us, Marsh. I’m sorry.” Dani said. “Dani, do you ever worry that we’re going to end up like Old Man Charley, or Stink Bomb Bill?” Marshal asked, talking about two men known by all vagabonds like them. When Marshal and Dani had first been tossed out, they had been wondering around trying to figure out what to do. The first person they met was Old Man Charley. Dani and Marshal were passing a burger joint where a guy was tossing trash. There was a loud crash and this old guy grabbed Dani, pulled him roughly to the ground hissing, “Get down, boy. You want to die? Charley’s out there and he’s in a bad mood today. He’d sooner shoot ya than look at ya.” Dani had been confused when a lady pulled Dani out of the guy’s grip, “Stop that, Old Man Charley, you’re scaring the boy.” She brushed Dani off, saying, “Don’t mind him none. He ain’t mean like some of ‘em out here. His name is Old Man Charley and he tends to forget the war is over.” “Yeah, well, I know what I say. Charley will shoot first and not bother asking questions.” Old Man Charley said. “I thought you were Charley?” Marsh said in confusion. “He’s talking about the Vietcong soldiers, hun. Old Man Charley was in the war a long time ago and he ain’t never come back. Come on, I’ll help ya a bit.” Dani nodded, “Thank you, ma’am.” Giggling, she replied, “Ain’t no one called me ma’am in decades. Name’s Shirley. You’re new out here.” Turning to see Marshal standing there, she said, “You too. What’s two good looking boys like you doing out in a place like this?” “Foster family tossed us on our asses when we aged out. No money or any plans on what we should do, just too bad so sad…good luck.” Marshal muttered. “Oh you poor dears. The streets are no place for young good looking boys like yourselves. Come and sit with me. I’ll do my best to give you some pointers.” Shirley said, sitting on a bus stop bench. Shirley had told them about the different places to get food and the times to get there, as well as what shelters to go to and which to stay away from. She explained that if there were no beds how to make a proper shelter and ways to keep warm when the days became colder. When she finished, Shirley looked at both him and Marshal, “I know things can get rough out here, and I know it can get really scary, but it’s important to remember that you have nothing left to your lives right now except each other and your self-worth. Don’t let me find you on Fifth Street or I will kick both your cute asses.” “Fifth Street?” Dani asked. Nodding, Shirley replied, “That’s hooker alley… Men and women. I don’t know if you’re gay or straight, but that street is not the place for you two. You boys need to find jobs and get on with your lives quickly. The longer you stay out here, the harder it will be to do that.” “We’re gay, but not looking to sell ourselves for money.” Dani quickly replied. “No one ever intends to become a prostitute for a living, but cold nights on the street can change a mind fast. I’m just saying, once you go down that road, you are keeping yourselves there. It’s hard to get out of it when you finally have money coming in to eat and sleep under a roof.” Shirley stated. Then her eyes saddened, “Like Zeke. I warned him, but he didn’t listen. He’s been hooking for over two years now. So sad. Such a sweet boy… lost to the streets.” Standing up, Shirley said, “Well I gotta go. I’m in the mood for steak and All Beef is getting ready to toss out their goodies. I want to get there while some of the stuff is still warm. Remember, get to the shelters early, so you can get a bed for the night. Oh… and stay clear of Stink Bomb Bill. He’s harmless, but there is a reason for his name.” The idea of the homeless shelter was great, at the time. However, Dani and Marshal figured out early on that there were some really crazy people living on the streets and those same people were the ones that slept in the shelters. Yes, lots of people talked to themselves, but when you sat and watched them have full blown conversations and even arguments with themselves, it could be scary… especially when you were barely eighteen years old. During the day, that was fine, but at night, those kinds of things would freak anyone out. They had made a routine with an eating and sleeping schedule rather quickly. They did their best to look for jobs, and at first they were both sure that this life would be a distant memory soon, however, time after time they were turned down for one job after the other, because both Dani and Marshal had been unable to finish high school when they were kicked out of the system. Things were bearable, for a while, they had each other, meals to eat, and a place to sleep, but then that day happened. The day that Dani and Marshal learned that things that go bump in the night really did exist. Marshal and Dani were in the food line when a freakishly large man with straight greasy black hair walked up behind them. Something about him made Dani uneasy. Dani did his best to ignore the guy, but when he leaned over, seeming to sniff at Marshal, Dani turned to the man, snapping, “Back off.” The man’s dark eyes seemed to darken even more. He drew back his lips, hissing, “You have no idea who or what you are messing with human. I suggest you back away now while you can still breathe.” Dani gasped when he saw the sharp fangs touching the man’s bottom lip. The line drifted forward, but Dani couldn’t seem to get his feet to move with everyone else. “Is there a problem?” One of the workers asked. Startled by the question, Dani turned to the volunteer, then back to the scary fucker, then back to the worker once again. “Dani, are you alright?” Marshal asked. Swallowing the lump of fear he had in his throat, Dani looked at the lady, “No ma’am everything’s fine.” Getting through the food line, Dani and Marshal found a seat, but Dani didn’t take his eyes off the scary guy who sat at another table. “Dani, what the hell is wrong with you?” Marshal asked. Dani looked at Marshal, whispering low enough so no one could hear, “I think I just met a vampire.” Marshal turned to look in the direction Dani couldn’t seem to turn away from. “He’s eating. Vampires don’t eat.” “Yes they do.” A young man said sitting next to them. Smiling, the guy said, “Hi, I’m Zeke.” Marshal held out his hand, “I’m Marshal and this is my BFF Dani.” “What do you mean a vampire can eat? And how do you know they even exist?” Dani asked quietly. Shrugging, Zeke replied, “I’ve been on the streets for over a year and a half. Trust me, you learn a lot… especially when the sun goes down. Vampires, shifters, and hell, I’m sure other paranormals are not only real, but walk amongst us all. I work on Fifth Street and I have a regular that’s a vamp. He told me that although they need blood to survive they also require food. He also said that they walk in the sun and he likes to drink holy water if it has lots of ice with it.” “Holy s**t!” Marshal gasped. “Scared the s**t out of me when he bit into me for the first time, but I have to tell you, it’s the best orgasm I’ve ever had in my life.” Zeke said with a laugh. “You’re the Zeke that Shirley told us about! I thought I knew that name.” Marshal said with surprise. Smiling, Zeke replied, “Shirley… nice lady, sad that she’s on the street, because she has a b***h for a daughter. Shirley’s home was taken out from under her and she didn’t have the money to relocate. Instead of offering her a room to stay, her daughter said her husband refused to live with a mother-in-law. Ask me, no man or woman should be able to come between a mother and their child.” Dani and Marshal spent the rest of their meal talking to Zeke. He was a great guy and they discovered they had a lot in common. It helped take Dani’s mind off of the scary vamp man from earlier, and when Dani looked up he was gone. Marshal and Dani had left and went job hunting until it was time to go to the shelter. They were signed in and had just finished dinner when Dani noticed vamp man walking into the bed area. He looked towards Dani and then Marshal, and Dani didn’t like the gleam the fucker had in his eyes. “Marshal, we need to go.” Marshal had already lain down and closed his eyes, “What?” “We need to go.” Dani hissed. “Dani, we can’t go. The doors have been locked already. Remember, no one in or out after six. Now go to sleep.” Marshal muttered. Sleep refused to come, but Dani did his best to pretend that was exactly what he was doing. When he heard a gurgling sound, Dani did his best to squeeze his eyes tight, knowing what he would see if he opened them. However, it was like when someone shouted, “Don’t look down.” The first thing the person did was look down. His eyes opened of their own volition. Dani watched as vamp man pulled off the guy he had been feeding on and the old man’s lifeless eyes stared right at Danny. Vamp man then started making his way towards Marshal’s bed. He was whispering some words that Dani couldn’t hear, but f**k if every bone in his body didn’t scream “This is very bad!” “Do something!” “Stop him!” Dani was scared shitless, but there was no way he was about to lie there and just let Marshal be killed by a vampire. Dani screamed for all he was worth, causing everyone to wake up. Vamp man looked at Danny, smiling wide, “You can’t keep him from me forever.” Then took off out of the fire exit door setting the alarms off in the shelter. “Dani?” Marshal asked, anxiously gripping Dani’s arm. Dani blinked back to the present, looking at Marshal, forgetting the question his best friend had even asked. “Huh?” “I asked if you ever worry we’re going to end up like Old Man Charley or Stink Bomb Bill?” Marshal asked once more. Dani thought about Stink Bomb Bill, it hadn’t taken them long to learn who he was. He and Marsh had been coming out of the bathroom of the corner gas station after cleaning up to go out job hunting when Dani ran smack dab into one of the worst smelling men he had ever had the displeasure of smelling. It was so bad, Dani had gone back inside the bathroom and cleaned up all over again. Shaking his head, Dani replied, “No. I worry that we’ll end up like Zeke. We can’t let that happen, Marshal. If we go down that road, Shirley’s right. We’ll never get out of here and live the lives we want to.” “I know, but… I… Dani, I just want…I’m just cold and tired of living like this.” Marshal said in a defeated tone. “I know, Marsh. I am too, but we can’t lose ourselves to temptation that will cause us to lose ourselves, and as for the shelter idea, you know we can’t. We’ve seen the same guy at the other two shelters in the area. You know as well as I do that he’s looking for us.” Dani softly reminded Marsh. “But, maybe he’s stopped coming for us, or maybe he gave up the search. I mean it has been three months and we haven’t seen him around. Dani, I don’t know if I can keep doing this. I’m tired of being cold and hungry. I just want a f*****g life!” Marsh snapped. Dani sighed bringing Marsh closer to himself, doing his best to rub some heat into his friend. “Me too, Marsh and we will. We just need to have faith that we will get those jobs we applied for today? The manager said he’s willing to interview us tomorrow at the coffee shop. All it would take is a lucky break and we can get ourselves a small efficiency and begin to really live our lives like we want.” Dani replied. Marsh snorted, “Like someone is going to hire two guys that have zero experience, no high school diploma, and wash themselves in gas station bathrooms.” “Don’t be so pessimistic. Our time will come and we’ll be okay.” Dani insisted wishing he could believe the words coming out of his mouth. Truth be told, Dani had given up any hope for a better future when they had hit the six month mark.