Bite Shift

6

Rhys drove a silver Honda Civic. It was actually pretty new and I was surprised how clean it was inside.

He left messages with a couple doctors and administrators that he had fallen very ill and needed to go home. If anyone needed blood, the supervisor would come and basically be Rhys for the night. Chances were, no one would even notice he was gone.

Monica was worried but had told me to please get home and try to feel better. "Oh honey, I hope it's not C-Diff or something bad like that. I definitely hope you weren't contagious while you were up here working with me!"

I sent a long text message to my ex explaining that I had become ill while working, we thought it was the flu, and I was being admitted. I knew no one would come to check on me because he and my daughters are all scared of germs and, therefore, terrified of the hospital.

Then, Rhys scooped up a backpack from under the desk, flipped off lights in the blood bank and casually walked out of the hospital. I followed behind, still trying to wrap my head around what had occurred in the last thirty minutes. I chose to lay out in the back seat of his car and struggled to put all the events into order.

Spaghetti-Music-Attack-Rhys?

Music-Attack-Spaghetti-Rhys?

Spaghetti-Attack-Rhys?

No matter how I lined it up, the truth kept repeating. Attack, attack, attack... you were attacked and Rhys saved you. You were attacked.... you were dying.... Rhys saved you. Rhys stopped you from dying. Rhys.

The road underneath changed to rock and the bouncing started to lull me to sleep. Don't sleep, Kate. If you fall asleep, you may die. Why did I think that?

"We are here".

I sat up and couldn't help but chuckle. Rhys lived in a cute blue cottage with a white picket fence and big flowering trees on each side of a long porch. On the porch, two rocking chairs sat. I spun around slowly and couldn't see a neighbor in any direction. Just fields in the moonlight.

Rhys looked puzzled. "Why did you laugh?"

I met his gaze. "Well," I took a deep breath. "We all thought you lived with your Mom."

It was his turn to laugh. "Nope. Sorry. Just me, the owls and a stray cat."

He went to the trunk of the car and pulled out a cooler. "I promise, you're safe here." With that he started down the path leading to the porch and the front door. On each side of the stone trail, flowers were planted. I wasn't certain of the type, but they were purples and blues and they smelled like candles from those expensive stores that rich housewives love to shop at.

As I stepped onto the porch, a hoot from the tree to my right confirmed that owls do, in fact, share this space with Rhys. I shook my head. If you told me at midnight, I would finish the shift at Rhys's fairytale cottage in his old concert tee, I would have laughed in your face and asked you to share whatever you were smoking.

The front room was a small living area with a long brown corduroy couch, accented by a burnt orange pillow on each side. At the left end of the couch, a small fireplace sat dark, ready for a chilly night to make it a necessity. The tan carpet was plush and I had the sudden desire to take off my shoes and feel it under my feet. I just knew it was soft enough to sleep on. The coffee table in front of the couch had a single remote and a book. I snuck a quick glance and saw that the book was "The Shining". Oh boy. Reading a scary book, out here in the middle of nowhere, Rhys was tougher than anyone thought. When I turned around, a large walnut cabinet sat to the right of the door I had walked through. The TV must be hidden in its closed doors.

It's either a TV or the bodies of the girls he convinces to come back here alone.

Oh, stop it, Kate. Why would he save you just to kill you?

I don't know, Kate, why do psychos do anything they do.

Jesus, Kate, you have to stop fighting with yourself in your head. You are clearly the crazy one!

"Kate?"

I jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to face him. He had been silent the whole drive and I could tell something was really bothering him.

"I am going to show you to the bathroom. Why don't you shower off the blood and dirt? There is a robe in there. My room is to the right. Open the drawers and take any clothes you want. You'll want to be comfortable for what I am about to tell you."

"Geez, Rhys. You make it sound so serious. It can't be that bad! I mean, I am alive!"

"Oh, Kate." He put his head down and seemed to decide not to say what he was about to say. "We will talk after your shower, okay?"