Chapter 90
The next day, Katelina was forced to confront reality. Jorick did his best to bundle her through the house quickly and outside, to where the silver car was still parked in the driveway. She stared at the vehicle with horror, but Jorick didn't seem to notice her reaction and climbed into the driver's seat. He shut the door loudly and she cried, "You can't be serious."
His voice washed through her mind, "Of course I'm serious. We need a car and, look, here's a car. Now get in"
"Stop that." She banged on the driver's window, until he wound it down. "I'm not riding in there."
Jorick sighed and she felt his irritation prickle her. "Katelina, we need to buy your food. I can walk to town and fetch it back, but since I can't fly it would take all night. Now, get in, so we can go."
"But-"
"Get in the car, or I'll leave you here."
Despite his threat, she knew he wouldn't really leave her there alone. He hadn't even strayed very far to feed that evening. However, she surrendered. He was right; they needed a car and here was a car.
She could feel his smugness the whole way to town.
***
The grocery store was a surreal experience. To see Jorick surrounded by boxes of instant meals and bottles of soda seemed wrong. Even worse, she felt like she didn't belong there. The lights were too bright, the floors too shiny, and the colors too vivid. It was like falling into a fairy tale world she no longer believed in; and that scared her more than anything else.
They spent the next two days cleaning up the house and doing laundry. Jorick handled the latter, because the blood splattered clothes made Katelina sick, so she helped him pick up from his tantrum. They had to sacrifice a blanket and one of the living room rugs to wrap Adam and Nirel's bodies in, but there was a silver lining. When they moved the rug they found an old ornate grating set in the floor. Katelina thought it gave the room personality, though Jorick wasn't interested.
When they were finished, the house looked almost bare by comparison and they were left with a pile of debris. They packed the broken furniture and the bodies into the car, then drove to the beach, where Jorick lit a bonfire and slowly burned everything.
Katelina stood between the fire and the ocean while Jorick fed one of the corpses into the flames. She looked away and thought about how desensitized she'd become. She should have been repulsed, or sickened, but instead she was just numb, like it was every day trash.
Still, the smell of burning flesh was as gruesome as it had been at Oren's mansion, and she backed away from the smoke. Jorick stoked the fire, then moved to her side and slipped an arm around her waist. "Why don't I take you back to the house? I have another load to get, anyway."
She nodded and Jorick dumped the other body into the bonfire before he joined her in the car. When they got back to the house, the first place she headed was the shower, and when she emerged, clean and free of the stench, Jorick was gone. She hurried towards the basement, where her clothes were. Despite the cold, she paused outside the secret room, held motionless by morbid fascination. The ruined door was gone and, when she got her nerves up, she stepped inside and flipped on the light. The room was empty, except for a lone chair. It sat in the middle of the floor, and faced the window and the dark brown stains that ran down the wall. The memories made her shudder, but it was with a certain sense of satisfaction that she noted the absence of the gilt framed painting.
Jorick returned later and casually buried the bones of the two vampires in the backyard. After a quick shower, he announced that it was nearly dawn, and led Katelina to the basement bedroom, where sleep soon claimed them both.
***
It was a nightmare.
Blood; there was blood everywhere. Her clothes were soaked with it and it stained her pale skin in smears of red. She sat on the floor, a body cradled in her arms. Hot tears fell from her eyes and her vision was so blurry she could barely see them.
"No," she heard an aching voice whisper; torn and raw. "Not again. God, not again!"
She'd tried to stop the bleeding, but nothing worked. She pulled them closer and screamed to the ceiling, a wordless howl of pain. She could hear their heart slowing and she knew they were dying. They were dying and it hurt so much! Her chest felt hollow and empty, stabbed through with something sharp, and she buried her face against their bloody neck. She could stop this, she knew how to do it. There was a way, but if she did it they'd hate her forever-
She stared down at the figure in her arms and counted their decreasing heart beats. How many more would there be until they stopped completely? Fresh, hot pain coursed through her and she knew that she had to do it no matter the consequence. She couldn't just watch them die.
She lifted her own arm to her mouth and bit into it. It hurt, but the pain was nothing compared to what she was already feeling. Dark blood ran down her arm and she pressed her bleeding flesh against their slack lips and forced her blood inside their mouth. A tiny trail leaked from the corner and ran down their chin; a miniature river. The sight choked her.
"I'm sorry," the voice whispered, heavy with unshed sobs. "I'm sorry." And then she opened her mouth and clamped it around their dying throat. She didn't feel her teeth slice through their skin, but she tasted the blood as it filled her mouth. She swallowed almost desperately, her mind seeking something in the connection; some spark. No, it couldn't be too late! It couldn't!
"You can't die, Katelina, You can't die!"
***
She woke, startled. It wasn't her dream, but Jorick's.
She rolled over and reached for him through the darkness. He lay still, trapped inside his dreams, his skin cold. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest as she tried to banish the bloody visions from her mind. She knew what it was; a nightmare about turning her, and it was something she didn't want to think about.
Jorick stirred next to her and she snuggled closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her in response, and she wondered if he remembered his dream. But, he was either too sleepy to notice her thoughts or else chose to ignore them. Minutes passed and then he gave his usual deep, shuddering breath that signaled he was truly awake.
"Good morning," she murmured against his skin.
"Good evening," he returned. "You're awake early."
She didn't mention the nightmare, but she knew it was present in her thoughts if he wanted to comment on it. In the meantime, she made a different excuse. "Because I'm hungry."
She felt his doubt, but he stayed silent.
