Submerging Inferno

by Brandon Witt

  The first couple of times, I would get excited, go to him, and begin talking—asking him if he was okay, what he needed. Soon, I simply just stared back.

  Once in a while, he would shout out, nearly causing me to have a heart attack every time. Soon, however, even that became commonplace.

  Before they went to Sonia and Brett’s house, my folks came over, not long after I’d gotten Brett to my place. I’d begged Mom to erase the memories from his mind, or at least make them far removed so he could face them easier. She handles the psyche much better than I. No sooner had she touched his temples than she pulled away, flicking her hands, having received a shock. It seemed, even in a comatose state, demons had power to protect against outside forces.

  Most of the first night was a blur. Having realized too late what Sonia’s room would show, I kept my focus on Brett, only taking in small aspects out of my peripheral vision.

  He’d been fairly easy to coax out of the bedroom and down the hall.

  Once we reached the entryway, however, he lost control. I don’t know if it was leaving the house that set him off, or if it was the picture of Sonia with a white dog by the door that he’d noticed.

  Without warning, he slammed his fist into the wall, turning the drywall into powder, and then he threw himself into the opposite wall and crashed into a hunched-over position on the floor, flames engulfing his body.

  I was helpless to do anything but watch as his clothes burned off and he convulsed over and over, crumbling further against the floor, retching violently, each spew devoured by the flames before it reached the floor. The wall behind him charred and smoldered, but I was able to keep it from being consumed until his energy was spent and he lay curled naked on the charred hardwood floor, tendrils of steam wafting off his skin.

  After hurrying away, I found his bedroom and grabbed some clothes out of the pile by his bed. It seemed his eruption had used up his resistance, and while he didn’t help, he didn’t fight back as I clothed him and then led him outside through the rain that had begun to fall and into my truck.

  He didn’t speak on the way to my place. I tried to explain the situation to Dad on the phone as quietly as I could. I kept glancing at Brett, unsure how I would handle it if he burst into flames again while we drove down the Five. He didn’t. He just sat hunched over, his forehead pressed against the window, his eyes wide and haunted, staring at nothing.

  He surprised me by not resisting as I led him out of the truck, into the house, and to my bedroom. I got him undressed and into bed.

  He lay there, a constant and silent stream of tears coursing over his face, soaking into the pillow.

  After my folks left to meet some of the others at Brett and Sonia’s house to start the cleanup process, I slipped into my sweats and cautiously got into bed next to him. As I slid over to him and wrapped my arms around his chest, forming myself to his back, I could hear Caitlin in my mind, screaming about lying with a demon who was going to use me as kindling.

  Though I couldn’t see his face, it seemed that, as long as I was holding him, the tears stopped and his breathing turned deep and slow, giving him what I hoped was a dreamless sleep.

  Sleep was the furthest thing from me as I waited for him to explode into flames and for the vampire to burst into the bedroom. Guilty for the pleasure I took, I thought back to our kiss in the truck, to the feeling I’d found something I hadn’t hoped for in a long time.

  I WOKE to a tapping on my shoulder.

  Groggily, I attempted to roll over to see the tapper better but found my right arm trapped under Brett. Carefully pulling it out from under his head, sharp tingles coursed through my forearm as blood rushed back into the veins. I shook it harshly as I turned over, then swiped some of the hair out of my eyes.

  Cynthia’s face was bright red, and her gaze was cast down, firmly not looking at her shirtless brother and the demon who had been in his arms. If it had been Caitlin, the flush on her face would have been from anger and disgust at such a sight. With Cynthia, however, it was much more likely from the intimate position she had found me in. Although older than me, Cynthia had always been shy, almost to the point of being handicapped. That predisposition had been magnified by an assault that happened to her. She hadn’t even kissed a guy, let alone been in bed with one, before the assault.

  I could only imagine how long she had stood there, trying to get her nerve up, before she managed to attempt to wake me.

  “Hey, sis.”

  “Hi, Finn.” Her soft brown eyes glanced up to meet mine before focusing back on the floor. “I wanted to let you know that everything is done at his house.” She made a timid gesture toward Brett’s back.

  With a glance back to make sure Brett wasn’t awake, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and bent down to pick up my shirt and slip it over my head as I stood. I motioned toward the hallway. “Come on. I don’t know how much he can hear, but just in case….”

  Cynthia followed me to the hall, leaving the door cracked behind her, finally able to look me in the face.

  “Why didn’t you call to tell me? You didn’t have to come over here.”

  She gave an insubstantial shrug. “I wanted to check on you in person. I was worried. I wanted to know that you were okay. You and… Brett.”

  Before I could comment about her using Brett’s name, she rushed on. “So, are you okay? We couldn’t find any sign of his roommate.”

  “Sonia.”

  “Yeah, Sonia. There was nothing besides blood. Everywhere.”

  “That’s what I figured. If he had left a body to find, the vampire would have made a spectacle out of it.”

  “It looked like she must have put up a huge fight.” She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. “I can’t imagine what she went through—and to think she didn’t even know anything about vampires. To her, it must have been like getting attacked by a nightmare. Do you think the vampire…?”

  I didn’t have to ask what she meant. When I’d been able to pull my thoughts away from Brett, that was all I thought about. “Let’s pray not. I’m gonna assume the best.”

  “Are you going to mention the possibility to Brett?”

  I shook my head and draped my arm around her, pulling her close as she reached up to wipe tears from her eyes—always the most sensitive one in the family.

  It didn’t surprise me that Cynthia had felt the need to come over. Despite the family being overly cautious with her, she really did have a deep core of strength, and she was always fiercely loyal to her family. Especially me. Caitlin and I had always fought like cats and dogs, Christina and I always had the most fun together, but it was Cynthia and I who were the closest. Maybe because we were the two youngest, or maybe because in some ways we were the most alike. She had always been my confidant, and I had been hers.

  “You’re probably right, but still, to think of her having to fight for her life in her own home, never knowing what was going to happen to her.” She suddenly wrapped her arms around me, pulling herself in close. “Are you truly okay?”

  “Of course, Cyn. We didn’t even see the vampire. We got there after it already happened. We were never in danger.”

  “What about Brett?” She pulled herself away and took a small step back to look up into my face.

  “He’s not responding. I stayed up with him most of the night. I didn’t even realize I’d fallen asleep until you woke me up. He hasn’t responded to anything. I guess it might be shock or something. He’s completely shut down.”

  “Do you think you’re safe here? If the vampire can find Brett’s house, why couldn’t he find yours?”

  That thought had been on my mind the night before as well. “I’m not really sure how he found their house. My best guess is that he’d been stalking Brett for a while before he attacked him the other night. I’m sure we’re fine here. There’s no way he can know where we are. If he’d been watching when we got to Brett and Sonia’s house, he would have tried to kill us then.” I wasn’t completel
y sure that was true, but it was what I had decided made the most sense.

  “I think it would be a better idea if you came back to Mom and Dad’s. We are safer if we all stay together.”

  “No, we’ll be fine, sis. Really. Besides, I can take care of myself against a vampire.”

  She gave me a skeptical look.

  “Well, between Brett and me, I’m sure we could do some major damage. Maybe even kill him.”

  “I doubt that. Even if that were true, Brett’s nowhere near able to fight a vampire as he lies there sleeping.”

  I couldn’t argue with that logic, so I didn’t bother. “We’ll be fine.”

  Cynthia started to protest, but I cut her off. Some of my thoughts from the long night lying wide-awake next to Brett came back to my mind like a compulsion. “I have a favor to ask.”

  Her brows furrowed as she somehow sensed she wasn’t going to like my request. “What?”

  I cleared my throat, knowing I was about to test her to the limit. “I need to go do some stuff for a while, and I was wondering if you could stay here with Brett. I don’t want him to wake up by himself.”

  She stared at me, her mouth hanging open. “Are you kidding?”

  I shook my head.

  She closed her mouth and licked her dry lips. Her hands trembled as they played with her long hair. “Stay here with Brett? In the bedroom?” Her voice went high and cracked.

  I nodded.

  I could tell her mind was whirling, darting from one hideous possibility to the next, then her narrowed eyes rose to mine. “Wait a minute, where are you going?”

  I shrugged. “I just need to get out of here for a while. It’s been a long night, and I need some fresh air.”

  She gave me an exaggerated eye roll. “You’re gonna have to do better than that. There’s no way you’d leave him just to go get some fresh air.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re up to something.”

  I should’ve known better than to try to pass it off so casually. She knew me better than that. However, there was no way she’d let me out of her sight if she knew what I really wanted to do.

  I let out my breath, like I’d been caught and was giving up the truth. “I want to go get some personal stuff for Brett. We left everything at the house, so he’ll need everyday items when he wakes up—toothbrush, deodorant, all of that. That way it will all be ready for him when he wakes up.” I couldn’t suppress a twinge of guilt. I hated lying to her.

  Cynthia narrowed her eyes, as if trying to see through me. If anyone could, she’d be able to. “I can go to the store and get whatever he needs. That way you don’t have to leave.”

  “Please, Cynthia.” The pleading in my voice wasn’t for her benefit. It was real. “I need to get out of here for a bit. I’ve been lying here feeling completely helpless.”

  With a sigh, she nodded. “Fine.”

  “Thanks, Cyn!” I wanted to go check on Brett and give him a kiss before I left, but didn’t want to give Cynthia any time to change her mind. Instead, I pulled her close for a quick kiss on the cheek and took off before she could offer any more objections.

  The drive to Encanto would normally have taken a little over forty minutes, but thanks to low traffic and not caring about speeding tickets, I made it in less than half an hour.

  A GUY I’d dated right out of high school had lived in the Emerald Hills portion of Encanto. The relationship had started off well enough, but after a couple of months, his true colors started showing through. Jake had been charming at first but had turned jealous, controlling, and a bit abusive by the end.

  I thought I’d never have any reason to be thankful for the time I’d spent with him, but it was to him that my thoughts drifted the night before as I lay by Brett, trying to figure out what options we might have besides waiting to become the vampire’s next infusion.

  The majority of the time I spent with Jake had been at his house. Most of my memories of Encanto revolved around the hot tub on his back deck, which was where we ended nearly every night. It had great views of downtown San Diego and the Coronado Bridge. I was young, and at the time it had all seemed romantic.

  However much I liked to pretend that I had no idea what Jake was really like at the beginning, I never took him home to meet my parents. I’d known what they would say. Jake never had any qualms about “persuading” humans to do what he wanted. He rarely paid for any of our dates, instead compelling people to believe he’d already paid. While I was never fully comfortable with it, there was a certain thrill to watching him use our powers in ways I’d never seen before.

  Jake took me to The Square toward the end of our relationship. I lasted less than an hour before I made him leave. He had torn me up and down for that—he thought I was ready, thought I was tough enough, thought I’d loved him enough. Manipulative asshole.

  The Square was in one of the rougher parts of Encanto. When he first described it to me, I was desperate to go. He told me stories about werewolves and vampires and other witches all living and partying out in the open. The thought of a place where supernaturals could gather, unafraid of what the Vampire Cathedral would think, was intoxicating.

  It lived up to its name, bringing to mind photos I had seen of town squares in the Midwest. One square block—each of the four sides facing what looked like an old courthouse. For the most part, it resembled a ghost town, save for the multitude of bars. You could feel the evil in the place. There were humans everywhere, drawn by free drugs and alcohol. Most of them looked homeless, but here and there were high-school-age kids who had come to party. Whether or not they realized those around them weren’t typical people, I wasn’t sure. Maybe they were too engrossed in the thrill of the place to notice until it was too late, or maybe they just didn’t care.

  My final straw was when I noticed what I thought were two guys making out by the restroom in the corner of a bar. When I took a couple of steps closer, the man facing me raised his head. His eyes shone red, and blood covered the lower part of his face as he snarled in my direction. The huge, gaping wound on the boy’s neck was the kind from which I knew he wouldn’t recover.

  I WASN’T sure where The Square actually was, but I was fairly confident that if I found Jake’s house, I would be able to locate it without too much trouble. My only real concern was that it would be a wasted trip. I wasn’t sure whether The Square had any activity during the daylight hours. If not, I had no idea where to turn.

  I’d decided last night that I had to find the vampire. Take the fight to him. Well, not so much a fight—I knew which one of us would win in that scenario. However, if I could find where he slept, the outcome might look a little different. I wasn’t entirely sure if vampires did sleep during the day. Did they sleep buried in the ground? In coffins? Surely not.

  Vampires hadn’t been a huge part of my education—at least not your run-of-the-mill vampires. The Vampire Cathedral had been the only real exposure I’d had, and that hadn’t been extensive either—especially since they could be in the sun, and thus obviously didn’t have to sleep all day. My education didn’t help me at all.

  Of course, there was the issue of what I was going to do once I found him. While I probably could defend myself enough to not get killed, that was about all I could boast, despite what I tried to tell Cynthia. What was I going to do if I knew I couldn’t kill him on my own? Ask him nicely to leave my boyfriend alone? Boyfriend? I guess it would have to be “leave the hot guy I kissed alone.” I shoved that train of thought from my mind. That was the last thing that would be helpful.

  There had to be something more to this that I was missing. That we were all missing. It was true vampires loved to torment and decimate their victims before they finally killed them. Play with them until the vampire got bored. But that was only if it was easy, not if they had to go to all this work. Plus, that didn’t make sense with Brett. He wasn’t your normal vampire victim. He was part demon. Even vampires weren’t brazen or stupid enough to play cat and mouse with them, at l
east not more than once. There could be a chance it was all to get revenge for burning his face off, but that didn’t feel right either. And, honestly, did it really matter why? All that mattered was that the vampire had made his intentions very clear, and neither Brett nor anyone around him was safe until the vampire was either dead or had his attention focused on other things.

  I almost missed Jake’s house. It was the fire hydrant that caught my attention. Someone had painted it a yellow and lime-green camouflage motif. I’d forgotten about it, but it stood out like a beacon on the otherwise nondescript street. Jake had hated it and always said he was going to repaint it one day so he’d have something less distracting to see from his front porch. Just like everything else he talked about, it seemed he never found the gumption to do anything about it.

  The house seemed drab and worn down. While it wasn’t falling apart, a shroud of grayness seemed to have descended on it. Whether it had always looked like that, or it was my perception of who lived there, I wasn’t really sure. Not knowing if it was still Jake’s house, I kept driving down the block. The last thing I needed was to see him, especially when I was in a vampire-fighting kind of mood.

  After pulling up to a curb a few blocks away, I put the truck in park and cautiously got out. My nerves were on edge. I felt a little stupid to be so jittery with the sun shining so brightly, but I couldn’t help continuously glancing around me, unsure if I was checking for tagalong vampires or for Jake. An amused smile crept onto my face as I pictured some old woman watching me from her curtained window as she saw some crazed Hispanic man wandering down her street. Of course, considering Jake might still live here, it probably wasn’t anything she wasn’t already used to.

  I figured I’d be more likely to find The Square on foot than in the truck. Jake and I had walked from his house. It seemed that if I let my feet take control, they might just lead me in the right direction.

  After ten or fifteen minutes, I realized my plan wasn’t working. I was fairly certain I had never been this far east before. I started back in the direction I had come, trying to determine when things began to look familiar again. I wasn’t going to do Brett any good if I spent all day walking around Encanto checking out the different neighborhoods and alleyways.