V-Virus Infected 1

by Dahlhaus, Jacky

  “I could, you know. Duncan still loves me,” Sasha seethed back.

  “No, he doesn’t,” I said. The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.

  They both slowly turned their heads toward me. Before I could think of a way of making time go backward, Sasha raced forward and held me by my throat with one hand. My feet dangled in thin air. I flung my arms out for balance.

  “What do you mean?” she screeched at me. I couldn’t say anything with her hand tightly around my throat. I supposed my head turning the same color of hers made her realize I couldn’t answer this way, so she let me down enough for my toes to touch the ground and she lessened her grip. “Say it!”

  I balanced on the tip of my toes like a ballerina and managed to take a breath.

  “Duncan doesn’t love you. He loves my sister Julie,” I said through the pain of her still pinching claws.

  I saw Caleb grab Sasha’s free arm, but she yanked it loose and lashed out at him with such force that he fell. I thought Sasha was going to explode as her face turned an even deeper shade of red now. I had to act fast. Sasha could end my life at any second. Now that I was touching the ground and was more or less balanced, I managed to get my hands behind my back and tried to ignite the magnesium strip with the lighter.

  “You’re lying, bitch. You’re lying. Tell me you’re lying!” Sasha screamed, again and again, shaking me to and fro on the rhythm of her words. It was almost impossible to get the flame near the strip of magnesium in my other hand, but then I heard a sudden whoosh as it ignited. With no idea how long it would burn, I wasted no time and swung my arm forward, throwing the flimsy piece of metal, engulfed in a bright, white light, straight at Sasha’s face. The next moment, everything went into slow motion.

  I saw the ball of light bounce off her skin, and her whole body shook as if she were electrified.

  The light burned on my retinas as well, and my world went into the opposite of complete darkness. Engulfed in light and nearly blinded by it, I felt Sasha let go of my throat. Stumbling forward, I struggled to keep my footing. There was a dull thud as Sasha fell to the ground. When I looked at her, I could see the outline of her convulsing body only.

  Another outline raced toward me. Caleb grabbed my arms. Hard.

  “Why did you do that?” he yelled. There was a guttural rasp of despair in his voice. “This time I won’t let you get away.” He moved for my neck.

  Arching my back, I fought to get away from his face, his deadly teeth, but he threw his arm around me, preventing my escape. It was as if he held me in some perverse imitation of a loving embrace.

  How different this was from our first encounter. That first time I’d only felt exhilaration when he was close. His breath on my neck and his lips caressing my skin had sent ecstatic shivers through my body. Dreaming of the touch of his lips on my skin again, reliving that moment of lust and longing, was all I had thought about since.

  Now it was actually happening, I was paralyzed with mortal fear. His body was only a shimmer, but his closeness was ever more present and threatening. In my whole life, I had never been this scared.

  Without another word, he sank his teeth into me, his fangs piercing my skin and jugular in one go. The pain was excruciating. There was nothing I could do to stop him as he sucked at my neck, emptying my body of its blood. The world around me turned upside down, my insides were being sucked out, and while in a haze of pure light, I slid into darkness.

  Chapter 44

  When I regained consciousness, I was lying on the ground. Slowly rolling onto my side, I sat up and looked around. My vision still wasn’t okay, with everything being a few grades lighter than normal. My mind was dazed and for the life of me, I couldn’t remember a thing. I saw two figures run off into the distance. I turned toward a noise coming from the opposite side and saw a large vehicle with a huge, bright beam of light on top entering the schoolyard. The light frightened me, and I scrambled up to get away. Stumbling to the side of a building, I hid in the shadows, leaning against the wall. From the safety of the darkness, I could make out a shape hurrying toward me.

  “Kate,” the shape yelled. I recognized the voice as Charlie’s.

  Man, am I glad to see you.

  I began walking toward him. The earth began to drop from under me and saw Charlie now sprinting toward me. He caught me before I hit the ground, and my head flopped backward, exposing my neck.

  “Oh god, no!” I heard him say, just before I passed out again.

  ***

  When I came to for the second time, my hearing returned first. I heard someone crying.

  “No, please no. Please, god, no.”

  What’s the drama?

  Then I became aware of the sensation of movement, as if I were on a boat.

  Strange.

  I opened my eyes and reality returned. I was lying on the ground. Charlie held my upper body, rocking me back and forth in his embrace.

  “Charlie,” I said.

  He stopped rocking me. When he looked at me, I saw his red eyes and tears streaming across his cheeks.

  “Charlie,” I said again, smiling, and I lifted my hand to his face. His long stubble felt wooly underneath my fingertips.

  Charlie took my hand and kissed it.

  “I’m so sorry, Kate,” he kept saying. More tears rolled over his face.

  His presence was so soothing, and it made me happy. His crying confused me, though.

  Why is he crying? What is he sorry for?

  I blinked a few times, trying to get my brain into gear, then moved to get up.

  “Are you okay to walk?” Charlie said.

  “I don’t know. I think so.” He helped me up. I needed a few seconds to get stable.

  “Let’s get you out of here fast,” he said, “the army’s here.”

  We began moving further into the shadows, and instinctively I knew Charlie was taking me home. Suddenly, my brain processed what Charlie had just said, and I stopped.

  “Shouldn’t we go to the army then?” I asked him.

  Charlie looked at me as if I’d asked him why pigs couldn’t fly. I didn’t understand his reaction.

  “Let’s get you to your place for now.”

  I accepted his decision and didn’t think more of it. I let him guide me to wherever he wanted me to go.

  As Charlie directed me through town, I realized he also hadn’t taken me to our newly acquired car. I wondered why, but then figured I was in no state to drive. Still having no clue as to what was going on, I concentrated on moving forward step by step. We must have been walking for about five minutes when I heard a car drive up behind us. Charlie had heard it as well and pulled me into the shadow of a house. The car stopped where we were, and the door swung open.

  “Charlie, Kate, get in,” a hushed voice said.

  I couldn’t believe it. It was Harry. Charlie turned me around and walked me to the car. I was so tired; I could hardly keep myself upright. Harry opened the doors in the back and helped me get in. I thought it was a station wagon, but there were no seats. I didn’t mind. I lay down on the floor, desperate to nap. The windows appeared to be heavily tinted, so I knew I’d have no problem getting to sleep. I became aware of the presence of someone else in the back of the car. Charlie talked to this other person, with a terrible nasal voice, as he climbed in beside me and gave directions to Harry on how to get to my house. It wasn’t far and before I could drift off completely, we arrived. The back door opened again, and Harry pulled me out. I tried to hang on to the inside of the car in vain. I was annoyed they didn't let me have my nap. Lifting me in his arms, Harry carried me inside. I liked being in his arms. It felt so much more comfortable than the car. His body was warm and soft, his arms strong. I put my arms around his neck.

  When we got inside, however, he laid me on my bed and left me.

  Finally, they are letting me sleep.

  I heard them close the curtains, and not long after, I heard a woman’s voice. I now recognized it as Rho
na’s—it was her nasal voice. She must have been the other person in the car. I drifted off, happy the band was back together.

  Chapter 45

  I must have drifted off for only a short while as I didn’t feel rested when I woke up. Someone touched my neck. It scared the hell out of me, and I flung myself to the other side of the bed against the wall, unable to go any further. I heard Charlie say my name and try to calm me. I took a deep breath and took in my surroundings. It was a strange scene.

  Harry sat on the edge of my bed with gauze pads in one hand and a brown bottle in the other. It looked as if he was about to drug me with chloroform. He watched me with a concerned look on his face.

  Rhona stood in the doorway, her red lips a beacon to my eyes. I couldn’t read her expression.

  Moving my head along, I noticed Charlie. He was on the bed on his hands and knees, one hand moved onto my knee. Part of my brain wanted me to smile, but the other part was too frightened to let me.

  What are they doing in my bedroom?

  All eyes were focused on me.

  “It’s okay, Kate,” Charlie said, “We’re trying to help you.”

  I frowned.

  Why would I need help?

  “You’ve been bitten, Kate, by Caleb. We need to tend to your marks,” Charlie said. He watched every move I made, his body tense and ready to move away from me.

  Then the images came flooding back. My meeting with Caleb and Sasha, their arguing, my big mouth, Sasha grabbing me, the white light … and Caleb biting me.

  My hand went to my neck. It was sticky, and my neck felt sore. Moving my hand into my view, I saw the redness. As my fingers touched my thumb, one at a time, I smelled the blood.

  Holy shit, this is real. This isn’t just a bad dream.

  I kept looking at my blood. It was stopping me from getting my mind to work.

  “Kate, Harry needs to have a look at your neck,” Charlie said again.

  “Oh, okay,” I murmured, and moved back toward Harry. Still not fully appreciating the situation, I understood I had to let him do what he needed to. I trusted Charlie. I trusted Harry.

  Harry tended to my wounds and finished by sticking Band-Aids on my marks.

  “They’re looking good, no tears,” he said to Charlie.

  Rhona gave a packet to Harry, who took out two pills and handed them to me. Rhona passed a glass of water, and Harry told me to take the pills. I looked at the little white tablets in my hand.

  “They’re painkillers, for the pain of your fangs dropping,” he said.

  Crap.

  I finally realized what was happening. It felt like sinking into a pit of tar with no way out but down. It was like the core of my being was being pulled into hell.

  Do I still need to breathe?

  Without another word, Harry packed up his stuff and left the room taking Rhona with him. He closed the door behind him.

  After I took the pills, I sat up, leaning against the headboard, and looked at Charlie. He still sat on the bed, watching me.

  “I’m so sorry, Kate.”

  There was a sadness in his eyes that was indescribable.

  Why does he keep saying that?

  I was the cause of his sadness, and I should be the one to say sorry for making him feel this way. He didn’t need to say sorry to me. I was the one that was stupid and dumb and immature. I was the only one to blame for the mess I was in.

  “Why? This isn’t your fault.”

  “Yes, it is. I should have stayed with you,” and he cast his eyes down.

  “Look,” I said, “I started this mess. I’m the one who’s sorry for dragging you along with me.” I leaned forward and put my hand on his shoulder, our faces now very close.

  He looked up at me again with those sad eyes. They were stripping my soul, baring my guilt. I couldn’t keep my thoughts inside me anymore. I threw my body back against the headboard.

  “Oh, how could I have been so stupid to think Caleb loved me?” I cried out.

  My hands went to my head, and I wanted to pull my hair out. I wanted to cry, but there was nothing there. It was as if Caleb had sucked all the essence out of me, and what was left was an empty shell, a hollow person. I curled up into a ball, trying to hide. I didn’t want to face Charlie with my shame.

  He moved to sit next to me and put an arm around me.

  “We all have our silly moments,” he said.

  Without making eye contact, I put my arm around him and laid my head on his shoulder. We sat like that together until we fell asleep.

  Chapter 46

  I must have had a nightmare because when I woke up, I was upset. My mind had had some time to mull the whole situation over, and I felt sad, angry, and frustrated. I’d spent the last few days living toward a climax. I had expected to find love and be loved.

  Instead, Caleb had treated me like a nobody, a floozy. All the love I had saved up for him had gone unanswered, but the love was still there. I had so much love to give; it was almost like it was spilling over from my body.

  I turned my head and saw Charlie sleeping beside me. Charlie, who had been there for me from day one of this hellish nightmare. The jester who had shown me in so many little ways he loved me, and all I had done was reject him. Still, he had risked his own life for me to find Caleb. Why would he do that for me? Was I really so stupid to have missed what was there all along, right there in front of me? Was I really such a cliché?

  I had always liked Charlie. He was funny, sincere, and reliable. His presence made me happy. I couldn’t say why; it just did. Lately, there was also a tension of a sexual nature between us, something I couldn’t deny. I had more feelings for Charlie than I cared to admit. I had refused to believe it was love at the time but now realized the truth. It hadn’t been love at first sight, but what we had was definitely love.

  I had no doubts Charlie loved me back. He’d spelled it out for me in the motel room. He couldn’t have been any clearer. I hadn’t wanted to choose between him and Caleb then, but even after I had chosen Caleb, Charlie had still continued to stand by my side. I hadn’t seen what I meant to him, who he really was, what he really meant to me.

  All of a sudden, emotions washed over me like a tidal wave, and I kissed Charlie softly on his cheek. He opened his eyes, looking pleasantly surprised. His reaction made me smile, and I kissed him again, this time on the lips. As with the first kiss, I had closed my eyes while kissing and now hesitated to open them, afraid of Charlie’s reaction. When I did open them, I saw him smile. I was so happy I could cry.

  Charlie propped himself up on his elbow. He brushed some hair out of my face, moved his hand under my chin, and leaned closer to kiss me more intensely. I put my arm around him, never wanting to let go of him again. I had finally found my fairy-tale prince to give all my love to.

  His kisses were soft and sweet, and he ran his fingers through my hair. It fueled my passion, making blood flow into private places, arousing me. His every touch made my skin tingle, and goose bumps rippled over my body. All my senses went haywire. It felt like I was getting drunk with love, and it made my passion become less romantic, harder, more urgent.

  “Kate,” Charlie said in between his kisses, trying to get my attention. “Kate …”

  I didn’t reply. I kept kissing his face, my hands going through his hair, over his back, moving to the front ...

  “Kate, no,” Charlie said again. He grabbed my hand and stopped kissing me back.

  Tears began to flow over my cheeks. I wanted to make love to Charlie so much.

  Why are you saying no? I want you, Charlie. Isn’t that what you want as well?

  I continued to kiss him.

  Charlie pushed me away from him.

  “Kate, I can’t do this,” he said, “not like this.”

  In an instant, the passion that was flowing out of every single pore of my being turned into anger, from top to toe. It was like somebody had pulled a switch. I yanked myself from his grip, grabbed his arms, and flung him from t
he bed. I had no idea where the strength came from, and I didn’t care. Looking down on him, I could smell his fear. It made me feel amazing. My eyes went to his neck. I could hear his jugular calling out to me.

  Drink me, drink me!

  Charlie’s pupils dilated. A split second later, he scrambled up and ran out the door. Instantly, I was up and on his heels, chasing him into the living room. I craved his blood more than I had wanted anything in my whole life.

  Rhona had been lying in Harry’s embrace on the couch. They both sprang up when Charlie and I dashed into the room. Harry was still taking in the situation as Charlie grabbed a chair and held it between him and me. Rhona, however, seemed to know exactly what was going on. She threw herself in front of me.

  “No, Kate!” she yelled. “Not Charlie!” She pushed me away from him, throwing me against the wall.

  My pulse thumped in my head as my anger redirected itself from Charlie to Rhona. I scrambled back up, lunged forward, and pushed Rhona. She fell back toward the window, clutching at the curtain in an attempt to stay upright. It tore from the rod. Light flooded the living room. As sun rays fell on Rhona’s skin, she went into a seizure. The sight was horrible and yanked me brutally out of my rage. I just stood there, watching her move erratically, and I blinked against the light, feeling stupid.

  Harry was the first to act. He moved Rhona away from the window, out of the sun’s rays. He then tried to put the curtain back up again. Seeing him struggle, I got out of my shock and moved to help. Charlie grabbed a cushion from the couch and put it under Rhona’s head to stop her from injuring herself. To my relief, Rhona's seizure ended as soon as the light was blocked from the room. Harry lifted her up and laid her onto the couch.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I cried, standing in the middle of the room. Charlie had gotten up from the floor, but stayed clear of me, watching me like a hawk. Nobody could feel lonelier than I felt that particular moment.

  Running into the bedroom, I threw the door shut behind me and flung myself onto my bed. I wrapped my arms around my knees, rocking myself to and fro. Tears streamed down my face again.