The Last Corvus (completed)

Ch. 24 Isadora

Chapter 24

Isadora

Somewhere in the distance I hear Winna let out a whoop and then footsteps hurrying towards me. I look down from my contemplation of why the ceiling tiles are square and not, say, triangles and notice her in front of me. She holds her hand out to me and I take it, collapsing into her arms. She strokes my hair, reminding me of my mom so much that, in addition to everything else, makes me cry.

"What happened to you?" she asks. "Last I saw, you were in the infirmary. Then the lights went out and I felt a breeze go past me. Was that you?"

I nod, not really knowing whether it was me or not. Probably was, I was running fast enough that I might possibly create a breeze. A small one at least, but, given that there aren't any air currents here, she'd probably have been able to feel it. Funny; I don't even remember seeing her. "He kissed me when the lights went out."

"Oh. Really?I can't see him doing something like that. He's generally much too gentlemanly for that. But then again, everyone knows what he thinks of you." She sees my confused look and continues with a small chuckle, "but apparently not you. Even Edgar, and he's rarely coherent enough to remember anything. Wait. We are talking about Linden, right?"

"Of course it was Linden," I say, like, duh. Who else would it be? The only other guys here are Dr. Jones (but he's married), Henry (I keep forgetting he's dead, and at my own hand, er, throat), Phillipe (we don't even speak the same language), and Edgar (but I've only heard mention of him twice, let alone actually met him). Is there anyone else I haven't met? The Complex is so large, what I've seen of it, at least, that it could comfortably house nearly a hundred people.

There's a buzzing behind me and we move out of the way just as the elevator doors open, revealing a twenty-something-year-old guy pushing what looks like an ice cream freezer cart. Who is this? He isn't a vampire; his light brown eyes make that obvious. Plus, I can faintly hear his blood pumping, see the pulse in his throat. It's steady rate is too quick to be a vampire.

Blood.

The sound, the smell; faint, seductive, enticing. My throat scorches, flaming as he smiles tentatively at us and steers the cart down the hall.

Winn watches him go and then turns to me, "that's Walter. He's John's great neph..." She grabs my chin, turning me towards her in confusion. "Why... why are your eyes grey? Are you alright?" I barely pay attention, pulling myself out of her grip, more occupied by Walter's receding back. It's so much brighter now, all the details of, well, everything are so much more refined, as if a filter's been lifted from my eyes.

Without thinking I spring at him, sprinting the length of the hall before he can turn around. He squeals as I push him against the wall, hands on his shoulders. I snarl and his eyes grow round as saucers. He panics, squirming; jerking, sending a shock up my arm and making me snap my mouth closed, my fangs snapping against my bottom teeth painfully.

I taste blood; I must have bitten my tongue. It tastes SO good. The revulsion I feel of wanting blood, even my own blood, wipes away whatever blood craze I was in, making me panic and let go of Walter. "I'm... I'm so sorry. I have no idea what just happened," I try to explain but he's already run around the corner, leaving the cart behind.

Blood, even my own, seems to quench my thirst and calm my throat. I can think again. On that note: WHAT THE?! I need to get out of here! Now! I run back to the elevator (taking only a second to do so; super speed has it's advantages) and press the up button, ignoring Winn. Unlike last time it opens and I step inside, turning to Winn and answering her perplexed stare with a shrug as the doors close.

There's another car next to Linden's as I step out of the elevator. I take that back. It's not a car, it appears to be an emergency vehicle. Is that Walter's? Oh, Walter. My throat, and my heart, aches to think about him.

It's already dark outside and I decide to run home instead of hijacking Linden's car. I doubt he'd like that very much. I use my newly over-developed sense of sight to find the warehouse door's latch. It's locked, but the window right next to it is cracked. That's not very safe, people. Whatever. I crawl out and close it behind me, bursting into a run until I get to a populated street. Somehow I know to turn right, but should I continue running or walk to the next empty street?

There aren't that many people walking around, I could run by and, apparently, give them a nice breeze. Yeah, I'll do that. The farther away I can get- the faster- the better.

I turn toward home... and falter. What am I thinking? I can't go home; I've moved out, the neighbors would call the cops if they thought someone was inside in the dark. Now that I think of it, I forgot my keys in my room in the complex. Wait, I know where the garden shed's spare key is. Yeah, that'll work.

I walk past an alley and a bum steps out, leering at me, an empty bottle of cheap whiskey dangling from his fingers. "Hey, Baby," he slurs, "you look lonely. Want some company?"

Some far away part of my brain answers for me, "and you look scrumptious. Want to join me for dinner?" Stupid human. He looks almost excited; he has no idea what I'm talking about. I smile, my fangs glinting off what dim light there is, and I take an involuntary step forward. Toward his pumping, tender, succulent heart.

Mmmmm.

NO!

I'm not doing this again! I mentally slap myself; hard, and slowly come to my senses. Did I really just refer to that hobo as a 'stupid human'? Three days ago I was human... or, close enough. I thought I was human. His face contorts in disbelief and I leave him, probably thinking that his near-death experience was just an alcohol induced dream, in my dust.