Morals Of Vampire {#3}

Part 9

[Part 9]

Vanda was ninety percent convinced that the date was a total failure, and that she might have very well ruined the atmosphere of the night by her storytelling session. At least, she was ninety percent sure when Kay was in the washroom.

Now, Vanda was ninety five percent sure, because Kay had returned to the table, downed the rest of his wine –and hers –and hurried her to the counter where he paid fully in cash, not bothering to take the receipt, before taking her outside in a dead run. Her fitting dress and heels for the date wasn't suitable for a run, but no amount of protesting from her seemed to make a difference to Kay as the man ignored her, taking her firmly by the hand and running through the cold streets. Winter was about to roll into the States, and the back of Vanda's mind told her that perhaps it would have been a better idea if she brought a coat along.

Still, she had expected Kay to at least be some sort of a gentleman to offer his suit jacket. So far, he hadn't, and didn't seem about to considering how he hadn't even turned back to look at how she was doing stumbling after him through the entire journey. Eventually, Vanda learnt that protesting was making no difference, and so kept silent as Kay led them through a series of streets, eyes focused on front. She had constantly looked back, but there had been absolutely no sign of anyone chasing them, and thus couldn't understand why they were running like their lives depended on it.

"Kay!" She tried once more, voice high with worry and cold. Had the man really been so disturbed that she had had a bad childhood? Vanda had gotten a sense that the man had wanted to be a listening ear to her grievances, but maybe her past was too dark for him to deal? But it didn't seem right. He seemed like a vampire who had gone through worse than what she'd said.

"We need to get as far away from that restaurant as possible. Preferably at the other side of Washington. Preferably out of the country. Preferably not even on this continent." Kay's reply was cold and a little scared, which made her –in a chain-like reaction –also a little scared. All the while Kay had been a confident, strong man who seemed to know his rights. Everything he didn't know; he had breezed through with a whole load of self-assurance.

"What are we running from? Why away from the restaurant?" She still stumbled to catch up behind him, but at least Kay was answering her as they continued to run at top speed.

"The walls were closing in. We overstayed the welcome, and it was uncomfortable." Kay's answer was hauntingly serious, and Vanda took a second look at the cold expression on her date's face, to make sure he wasn't joking around.

"Okay, we're outside already. We don't have to go out of the country, definitely not out of the continent. I'm not going anywhere." Vanda said firmly, frowning. If the man was so afraid of the restaurant all of a sudden, then why hadn't he already teleported them both somewhere else? Why was he even running?

"Okay." Kay answered, nodding as if he accepted her refusal to go out of town. "But at least a little further. One more street."

The bargain was strangely so innocent that Vanda caved, following the man in a dead run all the way down another whole long street before they stopped at a corner. Neither of them were struggling to breath, but Vanda carefully adjusted her heels again so that she didn't risk spraining an ankle if they started running again.

"I'm sorry." Kay's head was bowed when Vanda looked up to see him leaning against the corner of the empty street. "Over the years, I developed conditional claustrophobia. I've become so needy for freedom that if I stay in an uncomfortable situation for too long, I get paranoid about places. I get convinced that the walls are closing in, and if I don't run, I'll end up shackled and caught somewhere forever."