Along came Reid

11. A Rock and a Hard Place

By the time morning arrived, the horrendous screeching of the horde of deaders devolved into pathetic groans and senseless wails. Jamie awoke to Barron licking her cheek with far less enthusiasm that she was accustom to. With a grunt, Jamie sat forward regretting instantly that she slept upright for the entire night against a concrete wall.

"Morning Barron." she mumbled, as she groggily wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt, wincing at the soreness in her back and limbs. Barron gave an encouraging airless bark before stepping back with his tail wagging weakly. Jamie's heart warmed at the sight. "At least one of us feel better." she noted with a weak smile, trying not to focus on the bandages wrapped around his ribs.

With a great stretch and a sleepy yawn, Jamie stood and meandered towards the balcony. Her spirits plummeted when she saw just how high up she was along with the multitude of deaders still beneath her. Her attention moved to Barron who weakly limped to her side. It was obvious that he'd be unable to take on any journey in his state. Especially not with a horde of this size in the area.

Jamie inhaled deeply in an attempt to lessen the stress of her dilemma. Her efforts were wasted when she heard the glass door slide open behind her.

“Morning bean.” greeted Reid as he stepped out onto the balcony. Jamie's eyes shut as if she were in pain. Part of her wanted to believe that if she didn't turn around that he'd just go away. Subconsciously her arms moved to hug her chest while her fingers tentatively moved to prod the bandage at her neck. It hadn't been a dream. This was real. Reid was a vampire.  

“I brought you a little something special.” Reid announced. Jamie heard the distinctive clink of silverware and ceramic as Reid placed a meal atop the glass patio table. Whatever he'd made smelled heavenly; her nose detected butter, bacon and apples. Despite the growl in her stomach, Jamie decided she wasn't hungry.

“Where are we?” Jamie asked, keeping her focus on the deteriorating city skyline. Many of the buildings featured broken and dusty windows with a few having vines growing wildly along the lower edges of them.

“At a hotel." Reid answered with humor in his tone. Jamie's eyes shut again. Even when facing hard circumstances, Reid still sounded like everything was a joke. Some part of her wished she could just laugh everything away, but Jamie knew she couldn't lie to herself. "I thought it was best to camp out here until we get everything sorted out-”

“Reid, there's nothing to sort out." Jamie declared, her arms tightening around her chest. "I’m going home. Please, tell me where I am.”

“Bean, I’ll take you home, but don’t you think we need to talk first?”

“There’s nothing to talk about. Reid you're a vampire. You drink blood. Whether now or in a year, you’ll want to drink my blood." Jamie paused, swallowing hard and praying for the courage to continue. "That- that's not okay with me, therefore..." Another pause halted her words, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. "Therefore, Reid I...I'm not okay with you."

Reid stepped forward, the gritty concrete softly scraping against his shoe as he moved."Bean-"

"Don't!" she interrupted, her shoulders tensing. "Stay there. Don't come any closer."

An air of sadness drifted between them and all was silent except the distinct sound of Reid inhaling and the muffled cries of the deaders below. "Alright." he murmured placatingly. "I'll stay here, but you've got to face me. I don't want to have a conversation with your back."

Deciding that his request was fair, Jamie sidestepped to face him. Rather than face him fully, she only turned her shoulder, keeping her arms tucked around her; though rather than hug her chest, they crossed tightly in silent protest. "Reid, I don't want to talk to you."