Blood Thirst

Chapter 7 Searching

Jessie's POV

After Rhett left a few days ago to look for Link, I drove over to the Neal's house. I ran up to the door and knocked. I knew Christy was a wreck and so were the kids. I had to bring them back home with me, we would help them. The door slowly opened and Lily appeared. Her face was tearstained and the always present smile was gone.

"Oh honey, it's going to be okay," I said and wrapped my arms around her.

She remained silent. She led me into the house and to Christy. She was sitting on the couch staring into nothing.

"Christy, hey, it's me, Jessie. I want you guys to come to my place until Link's back. Will you?" I asked gently.

She kept staring, but nodded slowly. I smiled and brought Lily, Lincoln, and Lando out to the car. Christy slowly walked out to it and sat down in the front seat. The car ride was silent except for the sound of Lily crying. Lincoln looked depressed and Lando looked confused, but sad.

"Mommy, where are we going? Is Daddy coming home soon?" Lando asked.

"We're going to Locke and Shepherd's house, baby. I don't know when Daddy will be home," Christy said, fighting back tears.

She really was a mess. I pulled into my driveway and hopped out. I helped Lando out of his car seat and he ran into the house. Christy, Lily, and Lincoln walked over slowly. They went in. I sighed. It was hard seeing them so upset. At least Lando was alright. He didn't understand that his dad was missing. They didn't tell him that.

Once I got in, I dialed Rhett's cell.

"Hello," he said. His voice was deeper than usual and he sounded groggy.

"Hey sweetie, I brought Christy and the kids over here. They're devastated. They're almost like zombies they are emotionless, except Lando, but he doesn't know. How are you doing? Have you seen any sign of him?"

"I'm doing not that great. I haven't seen any sign of him. I've been looking all over California, and he's just not here. I can't give up. I promised I would find him. Jessie, I'm scared. I mean, what if he's dead. What would I do? I just... I don't know. I've lost all hope of ever seeing my best friend, my blood brother, again. I wish none of this ever happened. I wish life were back to normal. I was perfectly happy, why did it have to change?" Rhett said. He was crying.

"Oh, sweetheart. I wish it never happened either. Believe me, I'm beyond worried about him too. He means more to you than to me, but I still love Link. He's like an older brother to me. If you don't find him soon, please consider calling the cops. You can't keep this from them forever. I mean, they probably have a better chance at finding him than you do," I suggested.

"No Jess, if I tell the police and they find him, they'll lock him up or kill him. He's part vampire now. They would take him away and experiment on him. They would hurt him or even kill him for scientific research. I will not let that happen. I'm going to find him and find some way to turn him back. I won't let him be hurt," Rhett said firmly.

I sighed. "Please, be safe then. I love you so much, Rhett, and miss you. I just wish you and Link were home," I said starting to get teary eyed.

"I love you and miss you and the kids, Jessie. Tell them I love them. Talk to you later," Rhett said and hung up.

I put the phone in my pocket and sighed. He was right about Link. They would take him away. I just wanted them to be home. I wanted everything to be normal again. Why was this happening to us?

Rhett's POV

I was at a gas station filling up my tank when someone said, "Rhett? Oh my gosh? Is that you?"

I turned around and saw a young woman run up to me. She was wearing the GMM hoodie. I put on a fake smile.

"Hey, how are you doing?" I asked.

"Great. And you? You don't look so good, is everything okay?" she asked with a worried look on her face.

"I'm alright. I'm going through some personal issues right now, so I don't look the greatest, but don't worry, everything's fine," I lied.

She put her hands on her hips and sighed.

"I know you're lying, but I won't pry. I'm sorry and I hope everything gets better soon. Take care!" she said and gave my a hug.

I smiled. A genuine smile. "You too!" I said as she drove off again.

I took a deep breath. I was actually feeling sort of happy again. I paid for the gas and drove off. As I drove, something hit me. Not literally, but a thought. What if Link wasn't in California. What if he somehow got even further than that. I decided to check the next state, Arizona. I texted Jessie telling her that's where I was headed. I'm going to find you, Link. Even if I have to search the whole world, I will find you.

Link's POV

I opened my eyes and groaned. I turned to look at my beautiful wife, but she wasn't there. I suddenly remembered what had happened. I was at Trixie's apartment, on her couch bed. I sighed and looked at a clock. 3:24 AM. I had to go, I couldn't hurt her. She was sound asleep. I left her a note.

Trixie,

Thank you for your help. It is greatly appreciated. Please don't look for me. For your own good, just forget about me. Thank you, you saved my life. The only way I can repay you, is by leaving. Thank you again.

Link

I sighed and put it on the counter in the kitchen. I walked out of the apartment and down the stairs. I went into the lobby and saw a man at the front desk. He frowned when he saw me.

"I didn't see you come in. What are you doing here?" he asked gruffly.

"Um, I was just leaving. I was badly hurt before and one of your tenants brought me in and cleaned me up. Have a good night," I said and turned away.

"Stop, why are you leaving so early in the morning?" he asked and crossed his arms.

"Well, I wanted to leave. I just woke up now, so I decided to go," I said.

I didn't like this man, he was prying too much. He sighed and gestured for me to leave. I quickly did so. I walked out into the cold air. I rubbed my eyes. I probably looked horrid right now. I started walking. It was so cold.  I walked over to a window, my clothes were torn up and I looked like a mess. The man must have thought I was homeless and was squatting in his building. No wonder he was asking all those questions.

 I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, it was so cold. I guess I should try to clean myself up and get a job. If I was never going to go home, what reason was there to live on the streets. I could start a whole new life. No, no I can't. I could be recognized or I could attack someone unintentionally again. I had to lay low. Stay away from people as much as I could. A car slowly approached. I kept walking, ignoring it. As it approached me, it stopped. The door opened and someone ran out of it. I didn't look, but I could hear everything. I started to feel dizzy. I put my hand up to my head and leaned against the wall. I slowly slid down and kept my eyes tightly shut. It sounded like someone was speaking, but it was muffled by my heartbeat. My head was throbbing. My shoulders relaxed and I slumped to the ground. I opened my eyes slightly and saw a person in front of me. I couldn't tell what he or she looked like. I closed my eyes and fell unconscious.