Bloody Red Roses

Chapter 5

So, basically Arcaelus just locked me back in here with a bottle of water to keep me alive. I'm surprised he didn't serve it to me in a doggy dish.

Not a single word about where he was going, or how long he would be. Just locked me in here and threw away the key.

I really hope he didn't throw away the key...

I'd spent the last God-knows-how-long pacing this small room, trying to come up with some escape tactics. With no success, I should say. This room was inescapable. The whole house would probably be inescapable.

I twisted the lid off of the water bottle and downed most of it's contents before sitting down heavily on the bed and just staring blankly at the wall for a long time. Eventually I started to drift off and crawled under the covers before falling asleep.

***

Extremely girlish giggles coming from the other side of the door unfortunately woke me up.

The thick doona was suffocatingly hot on top of me, making me feel like I was in a sauna. I freed my legs from where they had became tangled in the sheets and kicked until the doona was a pile at the end of the bed. My skin felt flushed and sticky with sweat.

I grabbed the water bottle from where I had placed it beside the bed before I had fallen asleep and chugged the last few mouthfuls, getting an extreme urge to pee in return.

"Oh God," I muttered, squirming to find a position that was comfortable. No luck.

Brilliant, so far I have found my colleagues dead, been knocked out, watched a warehouse burn down and was kidnapped by a blood-thirsty lunatic who would probably eat me before the end of the day. And now I was going to wet myself. Life couldn't get any better.

The giggles came from outside the door, catching my attention immediately. Someone was here? Arcaelus had said that I was free to wander around while he was here, and I doubted he'd leave a girl in his house alone. Well, one he hadn't kidnapped at least. Was he here?

I got up and quietly walked to the door, hesitating with my hand on the doorknob, listening.

The giggles still floated through the heavy wood, though now the were broken up by an occasional moan.

Eww. Did I really want to walk out into that? If I wet myself he'd probably kill me for ruining his carpet anyway, with no opportunity to be embarrassed.

No, I thought, if I wet myself he'd keep me alive just so that he could make fun of me for it. He seems cruel enough.

In the end I decided to take my chances and make a run for the bathroom.

Carefully I turned the handle and it turned all the way without stopping. Unlocked, thank God.

Holding my breath I pushed on the door as silently as possible - and froze.

The door swung open to reveal a shirtless Arcaelus laying on his back on the couch. An extremely young looking girl, wearing nothing but a g-string, was perched on top of him, holding him down. Arcaelus must have decided to play along or else he would have thrown her halfway across the room already.

At the sound of the door opening Arcaelus' eyes flicked over to me, looking extremely annoyed. The girl glanced my way also, her pale blonde hair falling over her dazed-looking gem blue eyes set in her youthful face. My eyes fell down to her neck, where there were bloody twin-puncture marks over where her artery would have been. Blood ran steadily from the wounds, making two slick scarlet trails down her neck and over her breast.

No wonder she looked so out of it.

Blood was smeared around Arcaelus' mouth. His eyes were the scarlet of fresh blood.

And yes, he was visibly pissed at the interruption.

I made myself look away from the disgusting scene before me, mumbled an apology that even I couldn't make out and made a mad dash for my bathroom.

The door shut with a slam behind me, the loud bang seeming to echo off of the walls. My eyes were immediately drawn to the large mirror opposite the door, where my reflection stood, leaning against a door for support, with an almost unreadable expression on her face.

Silently I moved to the toilet, flipped the lid down and sat on it as if it were a seat. I stared at the wall across from me for a few moments, fighting the tears that pricked at my eyes, beforing finally giving in.

I don't know how long I cried for. It could have been moments or hours for all I know. I didn't even know exactly what I was crying about.

Maybe for the hopelessness of my situation. Maybe for that young girl out there. Or maybe it was because that I knew that soon, whether it be in a few days or a few hours, I was going to end up like her; barely conscious and dependent on the bite.

Eventually I got myself together and used the bathroom for it's correct purpose. I splashed water on my face when I was washed my hands, trying to disguise the obvious red splotches on my face.

It took a while but I convinced myself it would be better to get it over with, walked over to the door and pulled it open.

Arcaelus was leaning against the door frame, obviously waiting for me. I tried to ignore him and slip past him but instead I ended up smacking into his chest.

Taking a deep breath, I brushed hair out of my face and looked him in the eye. "So, is your friend still here?" I asked, my voice only cracking slightly.

He watched me for a long time before answering. "I asked her to leave."

I nodded, like I really gave a damn, and couldn't resist being slightly sarcastic. "What's her name? She seemed nice?"

"Her name is Linda, but that's not what you really want to know, is it? Go ahead and ask me."

"How old is she?" I blurted without thinking. Not exactly what I had been planning on asking but not a bad start either.

The slightest frown formed on his lips. "She's 19. Why on earth would you ask me that?"

I shrugged trying not to be embarrassed. "She just seemed really young. Kinda around 15-ish."

Out of all the things I had said to him in our short time together, this had to be the one that shocked him the most. "Memory," he said quietly, "I'm an evil, bloodsucking vampire, not a pedophile. Give me some credit."

You know how sometimes in life there are these really serious moments that you just can't take seriously? That was this moment. I literally doubled over laughing, bent at the waist and clutching my sides. Arcaelus didn't say anything though I could feel his eyes on me.

I laughed until I couldn't breathe and then I laughed some more. Finally I got enough control to straighten up and face Arcaelus again, though I was still giggling.

He shook his head, an exasperated look on his face. "Why the hell was that so funny?" He asked me.

He turned on his heel and walked into the kitchen, still shaking his head at me.