C a p t u r e d

23: Selfishness

       

Chapter Twenty-Three- Selfishness

Selfishness

1.      Ignoring the resident serial killers: Ji and Paul.

2.      Though if you didn't ignore them, they'd probably kill you if you tried to stop them.

3.      Actually... Actually, maybe it's smart to ignore them.

  Have you ever had an ache in your gut? For no reason at all, just because?

  I sat down in the downstairs living room, lost in thought. Then that familiar ache began to creep up my chest.

  Visibly, nothing was wrong. My heart was still beating. Uzair and Hayden were still sleeping silently. My heartbeat was still secure.

  I stepped up to the two men, my footfalls long and quiet. In an instant Uzair's eyes shot open, and he was staring anxiously at me.

  "Laurie," he muttered.

  In a single instant, he untangled himself from Hayden and wiped the blood from his skin. Flashing a quick smile, he exited the room at such a fast pace I didn't even bother to run after him.

  Well, I didn't need Uzair right now. I needed the only one who hated this place as much as I did.

  Hayden.

  I had to get on his good side.... Or I could just guilt him.

  Fuck it. I was so done with being in standstill. I punched him on the shoulder and he opened one groggy eye.

  "Hey, Hayden. I could really use your help. Remember how you took me to Ji, which ended with me covered in your blood? Yeah, well, I could use a favor."

  Bam. Bam. Bam.

  My heart was a death metal band. I was in a horror movie.

  I have to admit, the first few minutes were scary. No, even worse- absolutely terrifying.

  Leaving Tyson's mansion was easy. Nam Ha had a set of keys in her pocket, she was still sleeping, and Hayden was lightning-quick. Tyson had teleported somewhere so he had no idea where we were.

  As usual, walking past Tysons' parental statues creeped me out, like they were watching our every move or something. But as the door creaked open, no one stopped us, and no one hovered outside.

  So we walked through the garden. Out the gates. Into the bustling vampire city.

  When we made it outside, Hayden's trembling hand pulled into mine. As we darted through the crowd, hungry eyes stared through me, but no one dared take a Donor from a vampire. Even a "special blooded" one or some shit.

  "You lied to me, Hayden," I mumbled.

  "Hmm?"

  "Before. You told me you stole Tyson's key, but you really stole Nam Ha's."

  Hayden's voice was rough and callous. "Yeah, well, Ji thought that kind of lie would help you go with us. Like it would be some kind of victory over Tyson if you went.... Yay."

  Hahahahaaa. Yay. I watched you die. You got your whole guts ripped apart.

  Don't get me wrong- I recognized sarcasm when I saw it. But Hayden was a ghost. A phantom. Even holding my hand with the hidden keys burning a hole in his pocket, he was lost in thought. He was hardly there at all, in fact.

  "What are you thinking about, Hayden?" I asked.

  "What do you think?" he retorted.

  Duh. Vampire. His mind must still be reeling. Any initial betrayal he felt had melted away to pure, cold silence. He still looked strange, like a Greek God dressed like a teenage rebel in his black leather jacket and dark clothes.

  And fuck.... Those godamn fangs...

  At least I could trust him. At least he was helping.

  That day, we circled the entire cave. Memorized busy streets. Avoided Ji's house. And last of all, we studied the guarded fences that lined every city wall. Looking for a way out, and finding nowhere.

  We were all prisoners here. Even the vampires.

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Mmmhmm. So. Thoughts on Ji and Paul. I'd love to hear them below.

Also, does anyone have any predictions?

Thanks for reading, your support is the greatest <3