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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
song: lullaby — the cure
Rachel trudged behind Kai, her footsteps heavy against the creaking wooden floor of the abandoned house. The air was thick with dust and mildew, the smell clinging to her clothes. She shoved her hands deeper into her jacket pockets, her voice low but clearly frustrated.
"This is like... the third abandoned building we've searched," she muttered, her eyes flicking around the decaying walls. "And still nothing. Are you even sure they're a... what did you call them?"
"Nightwalker," Kai replied, his tone clipped. He was ahead of her, moving with purpose as his flashlight swept over cobweb-covered corners and broken furniture.
"Yeah, that," she said with a sigh, kicking aside some rubble.
Kai didn't bother turning around. "I'm sure. All the attacks happened at night, and always on campers near the forest. They've gotta be hiding somewhere dark during the day."
Rachel rolled her eyes, glancing at the boarded-up windows that barely let in slivers of gray light. "Well, we've already searched that creepy warehouse near the forest, crawled through the sewers, and now we're in yet another house. When's this going to end? When you said we were going to hunt a vampire, I thought it would be... I don't know, more exciting."
Kai paused, turning just enough to give her a look over his shoulder. "Do you ever stop complaining?"
She shot him a glare, her lips twisting into a smirk. "Do you ever stop being annoying? Yeah, same thing."
Kai smiled continuing to walk, flashlight casting long shadows against the crumbling walls. "You're the one who wanted to keep an eye on me."
Rachel opened her mouth to fire back, but her gaze shifted to the cobweb-covered staircase looming ahead. She wrinkled her nose. "And you should be paying me for it."
"I'm thinking of a few ways I could," Kai said, his voice low and teasing.
Rachel didn't need to see his face to know he was smirking. She rolled her eyes. "Well, you might not get the chance. I'm gonna die of boredom first."
"Boredom, huh?" Kai paused at the foot of the staircase, turning to face her. "You think hunting a vampire is boring?"
"Right now? Yeah, kind of. I was expecting a lot more... I don't know, action? Dramatic entrances?"
Kai grinned. "Nope. Just rotting wood and the faint smell of dead rats."
"Great," she muttered, making a face as she followed him up the stairs. "Exactly the kind of ambiance I was hoping for."
Kai chuckled softly, clearly amused. "I'll get a cape and fangs next time. Would that help?"
She tried to hide her smile. "Ha-ha hilarious. And there won't be a 'next time', by the way."
