by A. Giacomi
Alex and I take a seat on the sofa next to Cam. Officer Han begins our meeting while Officer Gomez stares us down with a look of repulsion. If she didn’t like us before we opened our mouths, we sure as hell didn’t stand a chance of her liking us afterward.
“I am Officer William Han, and this here is my partner Officer Martina Gomez. First off, I wanted to let Cam know that we are still doing everything in our power to find the people who dug up your parents’ graves. It’s an absolutely appalling crime, and we won’t stop until we find them.”
“Officer Han, how do you know that there is a ‘them’? What if it was just one person who dug up my parents?”
Officer Han shakes his head in response to Cam’s question and then continues. “There is no way a single person could have done that so quickly. They would need to be the Incredible Hulk to dig up all that dirt and carry the bodies all by themselves. Now for the second piece of business, we got an anonymous call earlier this morning about checking out Cam’s previous place of residence for some suspicious occurrences. The person on the phone wasn’t very specific, but I figured we should go over and check it out. I thought it might be connected to the grave site somehow. Officer Gomez and I went into the house and didn’t find anything.”
I want to jump up and ask, “But did you check the basement?” but I obviously can’t say a word.
Officer Han becomes more serious when he asks his next question. “Do you three have anything further to add to the investigation? Is there anything else you want to tell me?”
I feel he knows something more. He is hoping we will admit to it and save him some trouble. We glance at each other and shake our heads; there is nothing we want to add willingly.
Officer Gomez stands and scowls at us. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell us anything?” She stares right at Alex when she says it, which makes Alex tense. “You see, we traced the call from this morning, and funny enough, it led us here.”
Dammit, I thought they couldn’t trace a short call.
I can see Alex sweating; she is agonizing over how to explain the call. I hope she has a good answer because I sure don’t.
Officer Gomez continues her scare tactic. “I really hope you wouldn’t lie to us. That’s a crime in itself, and it really wouldn’t benefit Cam.” She pauses for effect and then continues the mental assault. “Unless, of course, one of you ladies committed the crime? That would be a good reason to lie, but I can’t see you two committing a crime like that, so I really do expect you to tell me the whole truth about who placed the call and why. I understand people do stupid things sometimes…”
She is really starting to make me mad. I feel a vein pulsing in my forehead. She isn’t going to like me when I’m angry. How dare she suggest that we would take Cam’s parents as some stupid prank? I am boiling, literally. I feel so hot that I think I might faint, and this isn’t a good time to faint; it would seem like an omission of guilt. I try to stay quiet and calm myself down. If I get too angry, I don’t know what will happen next. I’m pretty sure if I eat a couple of police officers, someone will come looking for me eventually. They don’t usually let cop murders go unsolved.
Alex sighs and begins speaking. I am a little afraid of what might come out of her mouth. “I placed the call. I’m sorry I lied. I only did it because I didn’t want to seem like a snoop. I had gone over to Cam’s place the other day and heard strange noises coming from inside the house. I knew the house wasn’t occupied, so I thought I would notify the police.”
Not a bad story actually. Good job, Alex!
My blazing elation is quickly extinguished when Officer Gomez continues. “Why did you make the call at four a.m. this morning? Why didn’t you call right after you left the Jackson residence?”
Alex looks baffled. “I don’t know. I didn’t really think about that. I just called because I thought it would be beneficial to your case.”
“It didn’t occur to you that it would be most beneficial if you called it in right away?”
Before the situation escalates further, Officer Han steps in. “Okay, Martin, cool it. I don’t think they had anything to do with this. I think they were only trying to help.”
Thank you, Han Solo. Someone had to tell this bitch to back down.
“We’ll be on our way now. Please call us if you have any further concerns or leads. We will take what we can get. There wasn’t much evidence left at the grave site.”
We thank the officers as they take their leave. Officer Han shakes my hand, but Officer Gomez only gives us a cold stare before walking out the door.
She has every reason to suspect us. I know she is only trying to do her job, but I still want to rip her face off. I can tell she is going to be watching us very closely from now on.
CHAPTER THIRTY
ALEX
As soon as the officers leave, I give Eve and Cam a look of relief and then start laughing like a lunatic. Cam smiles back, but Eve looks ill. She leans against the wall for support.
“Eve, are you okay?”
Her forehead is beading with sweat, and she’s mumbling. Before I can get over to her, Eve slides to the ground. Her collapse triggers Cam into action, and he’s by her side in a split second. He lifts her off the floor and brings her upstairs to my room.
She is so warm to the touch; I fear she may burst into flames.
“Cam, why is she burning up? What should we do?”
He looks stumped and walks out of the room.
“Cam? Where are you going?” I whisper after him.
He comes back a moment later with a cool wet towel and places it on Eve’s forehead. She lets out a sigh of pleasure. Thank God that gives her some relief.
We sit waiting for Eve to snap out of it.
***
Half an hour goes by before Eve begins to make slight movements showing her return to wakefulness.
“Welcome back to the land of consciousness,” I say softly.
“What happened? Did I faint?”
I nod. “Yes you sure did, and you were burning up.”
Cam comes over to her, his eyes still filled with concern. “Eve, when was the last time you ate?”
She looks at him sideways. “Last night. Why?”
He runs his fingers through her hair. “No, you dunce. When was the last time you really ate?”
He is referring to Eve’s new favourite food, people.
Cam continues. “Eve, I think you need to feed regularly. If you don’t, it seems to affect you. It may even kill you.”
Eve shakes her head frantically. “No, I can’t, Cam. I don’t want to! I don’t want to be a monster.”
I know Cam has a point; she has to feed to survive. I hate the idea of her eating people, but I also can’t stand the idea of losing her.
“Eve, you should listen to Cam. Tonight we are sending you out to feed. I really think you should stick to eating criminals, though. Not as many people will miss them.”
Eve looks shocked. I think I shocked myself with that comment.
But hey! It is some sort of solution.
We all laugh uncomfortably.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
EVE
That night, Cam and Alex pretty much shove me out of the house. With their permission, I feel oddly less awful about my new eating habits. I look back at them in the doorway as I make my way down the street; these are the only two people who love me regardless of my secret. I’m sure other people will try to destroy me if they know what I really am. I often have nightmares about a town of people with torches chasing after me screaming, “Kill the beast!” As if I am Frankenstein or something. I am still me in my heart; although un-beating, it is still in the right place.
I walk the dark streets with my senses ablaze. Anything wicked will be my next meal; drug dealers, thieves, gang members, or murderers, they wi
ll be my tasty conquest tonight. I drool at the thought. I decide to head to a biker bar on the outskirts of town; there are usually a bunch of low life’s there. I may even get to test my powers if they decide to pick a fight. I rather enjoy that aspect of my infection. Powers are a definite perk.
When I arrive at the bar, there are a bunch of biker guys out front. They are rather large, with long beards and leather outfits. I quickly realize that I do not adhere to the dress code. I am wearing jeans, my brown fall boots, and a pretty pink blouse.
Pink? I really didn’t think this through, did I?
Next time I will remember to stick to all-black attire. The men out front watch me as I make my way to the front entrance of the bar. They whistle at me, and I pretend not to hear them.
The inside of the bar is packed. There are many girls in trashy outfits and many more men in leather. I stand out like a sore thumb. I bite my lip, trying to conjure some courage and continue towards the bar. I am painfully aware of all the stares I’m getting.
“Bartender, I would like some whiskey, please.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have added the “please.” That makes me seem too delicate.
He raises an eyebrow at me but pours the Jack Daniels all the same.
I chug it and ask for another. The bartender laughs, amused by my stupidity, and pours some more. I take my time with this one. I sip it and observe the bar. Everyone seems like scum in here, and it makes me hungry.
As I continue to observe, a tall man covered in tattoos enters the bar, and everyone goes quiet. They appear to be afraid of this man. People clear a path for him as he makes his way toward the bar. It looks like people jumping out of the way of a speeding vehicle.
He is the one I want. I lick my lips.
He strikes fear in others, so he must be up to no good.
He sits at the bar and orders a beer, and by “orders” I mean that he yells, “Beer! Now!” and the bartender passes him one with trembling hands. I raise my glass to the heavily tattooed man and throw back the rest of my whiskey.
This gets his attention, and he makes his way over to me.
“Hey honey, what’s your name?”
I didn’t think of an alias beforehand, so I give him a version of my own name.
“I’m Eva. Who are you?”
He smiles a wicked smile under his perfectly groomed mustache.
Who even wears mustaches anymore?
“You don’t know me, huh? Well, that’s probably better for you. Around here, they call me Luci. It’s short for Lucifer.”
I want to roll my eyes and hurl at the same time—that is so lame—but I’m positive someone with that kind of a nickname must have earned it.
“That’s quite the nickname. So are you going to buy me another drink? I’m all out.” I turn my glass upside-down as an indication of this fact.
He looks intrigued. He likes me. I guess he likes his women rude. Luci asks the bartender for the entire bottle of Jack, and he places it in front of me.
I throw my glass onto the floor. “Guess I won’t be needing that.” And I begin to drink straight from the bottle.
Luci laughs and claps with delight. I think I’m in his good books now.
I finish the whole bottle of Jack and pretend to be drunk. I can’t really get drunk with this whole healing deal, but I still remember how drunk people act.
“C’mon, Luci, letzz go outside, juss you ann me.” I slur my words perfectly.
People whistle, thinking we are heading outside for something more enjoyable. Little do they know, this will be the last time they will ever see Luci, and I’m sure I am doing them a favour.
I grab Luci by the collar and pull him outside. He doesn’t mind; I guess he also likes it when his women play rough.
“Letzz go out back. Itz more privacy.”
He laughs as I try to get words out and agrees to go around back.
When we get there, he kisses me ferociously. I automatically think, yuck, but hey if this is how I can catch my food tonight, then I’ll play bait.
The next part startles me; Luci puts his hands at my throat and begins to choke me. He’s no longer interested in kissing, and by the look in his eyes, I can tell his intent is murder. He squeezes and squeezes. It’s painful, but I don’t fight him, and I eventually black out.
When I come back, I am angry as hell. My hunger has peaked, and there will be no stopping me now. I open my eyes slowly to find Luci smoking a cigarette looking mighty pleased with himself.
I get up, and as he turns to look at me, the cigarette drops out of his mouth.
“No, that’s not right. I killed you. You weren’t breathing. You had no pulse. You’re dead.”
Luci looks as scared as a spooked pup.
“Oh, I’m dead, trust me. I just don’t stay dead.”
I think I hear him scream like a little girl before I tear his throat open, but I can’t be sure. I am too focused on how delicious he is.
I leave the body behind the bar. Luci’s blood is still pouring out everywhere, making a rather large puddle. I might not have finished my meal, but I made a good dent in it. I think people will be hard-pressed to find a body in that mangled mess. I don’t feel badly about any of it.
I wipe my dripping mouth in satisfaction and make my way home in the shadows.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CAM
It is the middle of the night when the door to my bedroom opens. In the frame of the doorway stands Eve.
How did she get in Alex’s house? And why is she in my room?
She approaches me without a word. There is blood dripping down her face. I sit up to see if she’s okay. I rub her face and find that it’s not her blood. Thank God!
“Eve, what are you doing?” She still doesn’t speak. She comes closer to my face, and her lips touch my cheek. Her breath is warm, and I lose all sense of my surroundings. Her lips find mine, and I stop caring about the blood on her face. I just want her to kiss me until the end of time.
She pulls away, and I snap out of my dreamlike state.
My eyes open, and I find myself making out with my pillow. I am such an idiot that I slap the pillow in my face a few times. Eve will never kiss me like that; she never even agreed to date me. I thought I was over her; I convinced myself time and time again that I don’t love her, that I don’t dream of a future with her. I am one sad sack of shit. I’m pretty sure Eve thinks of me as a brother and nothing more.
I get out of bed and decide to wash my face. My dream has left me a bit sweaty; I need to snap out of it.
As I rinse my face in cold water, I find my mind flooding with thoughts of Eve. I remember the first day I met her; I swear she shone as I asked her where one of my classes was. She was kind and funny. I loved her immediately.
She made me part of her family, she made me a priority, and yet she didn’t love me like that. I always had an ounce of hope that she would love me back someday, but things have changed. How can we ever be together now? She ate my father, she eats people in general, and I can’t forget the most important obstacle: she is dead.
Even with all these new horrifying realities, it doesn’t stop me from loving her. I wish I can tell her all this, but I am much too focused on keeping her safe. We don’t know what this Azrael Virus is capable of. I may lose Eve altogether, and that thought is more horrifying than anything else.
I go back to my bedroom after freshening up. The moon shines through the window, and I am drawn to it. I have loved looking at the stars ever since I was little. Constellations are my favourite things to study.
As I look up at the sky, I hear a rustling below. My mind immediately rushes to my father. Is he back? Now might be the perfect time to end this nightmare. I look around the room for something to use as a weapon. I spot a hockey stick in the corner. Perfect! I grab the stick and head do
wnstairs and out the door.
I hold the hockey stick in front of me like a spear, readying myself for any attack.
I hear the rustling noise again and head towards the sound. My heart is racing; I’m not sure I am ready for this confrontation. Can I even really kill my father? I guess I will find out.
I stab the hockey stick straight into the rustling bushes. A rabbit runs out. I think we are both badly startled. I sigh with relief. I guess I overreacted.
I turn to head back into the house, but before I can take a step, something slams against my temple, and I collapse to the ground.
I can taste the dew on the grass; I must be face down on the lawn. I am slightly coherent, but everything spins, and I have to close my eyes. I feel someone dragging me away by the ankles. There is a screeching laugh, and then everything goes dark.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
ALEX
The next morning, I head downstairs and notice that Cam is not up yet. That is strange; Cam is an early bird. I am shocked that he isn’t already here dressed and ready, having some breakfast.
I pour some cereal and milk into a bowl. I’m sure he’ll be down soon. I turn on the TV and watch some cartoons as I finish my cereal.
After twenty minutes, I still don’t hear Cam shuffling about. I decide to go upstairs and check on him. I knock on the door. “Cam? Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey.”
I wait a few seconds, but there is still no sound. I decide to be a snoop and slowly enter the room. I call his name a few more times, but once the door is fully open, I notice that there is no one here. Where has Cam gone?
I check around the house a few more times with no luck. I head outside and check around the yard. Maybe Cam wanted some fresh air? I notice something on the front lawn and move closer to get a better look.
There in the grass is a single green sneaker. Cam’s green sneaker. My heart starts racing; Cam wouldn’t go anywhere with one shoe. I run back into the house and call the only person who will share my anxiety.
