love bites ~fransykes~

1

1962

"Mother! Drive me to the diner will you?" I call out, grabbing my thick woollen sweater and pulling it over my striped shirt. I push my feet into freshly polished black shoes before delicately removing the Beatles record from where it was previously spinning on the record player mother bought me for my eighteenth birthday last week.

As I walk out my room, the smell of freshly baked cookies wafts through the air, making my mouth water. Mother was never into baking until father was gone; lost to the war like so many other men his age, leaving his pregnant wife and young son to fend for themselves. The wounds of the war still scared deeper than trenches across the country, though mother insisted it could not be mentioned between these four walls.

I pass by Jude's bedroom before the stairs, the bright yellow walls glowing obnoxiously through the ajar door. Peeking through, I spot my sister sprawled out across her bed, fluffy socks raised in the air as she twirled the spiralling cord of the telephone between her fingers, a smile across her lips painted with red lipstick. Looking at her I see the same features staring back; clear blue eyes that our father gave us, unruly brown hair, and thick eyebrows.

"Josh! Stop spying on me!" She groans, looking up at me through the door. I roll my eyes with a smirk, enjoying her frustration the way siblings always do, as she stomps over to the door and slams it harshly in my face. I chuckle, turning away from the door and finally heading downstairs.

In the green painted kitchen is mother, hair curled up in rollers as she expertly sliced carrots into a steaming stew bowl on the stove, her front covered by a frilly apron. She looks over at me, her dark eyes highlighted by bright blue eyeshadow and thick mascara, and smiles slightly at my presence.

"Joshua, why do you always chose when I'm cooking to go to the diner?" She tuts, placing her hands on her hips, knife and carrot still in her grasp.

"Please, ma. There's a dance on tonight." I beg, making sure to do the smile that always makes her give in. She sighs, and that's when I know I've won her over.

"Alright then." She says, reaching over to turn off the radio that's playing her favourite drama show. "But you're going to have to learn to drive soon, young man. And you have to take your sister with you too."

"Ma."

"Don't give me that. She's been studying all evening, that girl deserves a break." She says, clearly unaware that Jude is doing anything but studying right now. I huff, leaning on the doorway in frustration as Jude bounces down the stairs.

"You're not leaving the house like that." I tell her, pointing down to her tight plaid skirt that hardly reaches her knees, along with a purple shirt showing off her exposed shoulders. She rolls her eyes, ignoring my words as she slips on some shoes with brass buckles.

"Shush, Josh, it's not the 50's anymore. All girls my age dress like this now." She says in a matter of fact tone.

"Fine, but stay away from any boys." I warn her, walking out the door with mother and Jude fast on my tail. We clamber into the beige leather seats of the dark green car, Jude riding shotgun so I can lay out across the back seat, eyes watching the darkening sky through the open top roof.

Johnny Cash and Elvis fill the silence as the car sores through the suburbs and onto the highway towards town, the familiar city blurring into greens and blues. The stars emerge before my eyes as day falls into night, the air becoming so crisp that I pull my sweater more around me.

Suddenly, the car jerks and swerves, the wheels squealing loudly against the uneven tarmac beneath us. We flying through the air for a second before crashing back down with a thud, the cars around ours honking in protest. I sit up, startled, only to find my vision blinded by white light.

Instinctively I pull my arm across my aching eyes, not even noticing the sound of Jude's screams as a red car spins uncontrollably towards us. My heart stops, my blood turning cold. I watch powerlessly, paralysed by fear, as the red car collides into ours, taking the breath out of my lungs as we leap away from the impact, flipping through the air towards the pavement lining the boulevard. My ears ring. Screaming. So much screaming. And yet I can't move.

And then we hit the floor. And suddenly everything is silent. Jude is silent. Oh, god. With all my strength I force my eyes open, my face buried in the concrete that is now stained a dark burgundy with my own, hot blood. With a groan I push my weight onto my elbows, my body screaming in agony. Feeling as heavy as a tonne of bricks, I push my tired legs across the floor and through the smashed maze of glass covering the floor. Bright moonlight burns my eyes, but I ignore it as I clamber to the front of the car, withering from the deadness of my own muscles.

I spot my mother first, her face a bloody contortion of wounds. Her chest unmoving. I can hardly recognise her anymore, limbs mangled in impossible positions that make bile rise in my stomach. With tears in my eyes, I force myself to look away from the horrific scene, instead stumbling towards Jude whose brown hair is matted and wild.

Holding my breath, I slowly pick up her delicate head, my fingers grazing the wound pouring with blood that is jagged across her face. Her skirt is ripped now, her shirt stained by the muddy concrete. I feel across her chest, praying to god to find a heart beat. Something. Anything. I need her to be okay.

And then her eyes twitch, flickering half open and gazing up at me. I sigh in relief, pushing her limp body against what remains of the car before removing my sweater and wrapping it around her cold skin. She smiles hazily at me, her once rosy cheeks now drained of colour. She needs help. I need to save her.

With every ounce of energy I can find within my battered body, I raise up onto my knees and finally onto my numb feet, shuffling defiantly away from then wreck. I need to find someone to help her. And with that motivation I scream into the night as I stagger into the nearest alleyway, collapsing in a heap as my legs suddenly give way to my exhaustion.

"No." I groan, trying to get up again, my fingers scraping against the wall as I try to push myself back up again. But gravity pushes me down, leaving me no choice but to fall to the floor. I breath fast, suddenly aware of the rapid rhythm of my own blood pumping.

And a face appears, invading my vision as they lean down across my broken body that's quickly failing, her blue eyes fading into an enchanting yellow as she grazes her soft hand over my neck. Her touch is as cold as ice and almost ghostly, but for some reason calmness flows through my body with a single touch of her fingertips.

My vision fades to black, and when I gain conscious once again she's leaning even closer now, tongue grazing across her lips that are beginning to part into a sinister smile, showcasing fangs as sharp as blades. I want to scream, but my tongue is too heavy in my mouth to make a sound, and my windpipe suddenly feels constricted like a python is squeezing it shut.

"Now, child, this may sting a bit."