The Angel Cries for God

Chapter 2

Nicholas 

"Velore?"

He knocked lightly on the old wooden door but despite his gentle tap the rotting piece of wood creaked under the pressure and released it's grip on one of it's rusted hinges, snapping down like the crack of a whip. He frowned when the second hinge didn't take after the first and so with a loose tug he watched as the whole door clattered to the ground in a dance of dust and old chippings.

"Velore?" He called once more, stepping over the wreckage with ease. He knew he had heard her soft sobs coming from this room but in the moonless cover of night he could see not two feet in front of him. Hands out stretched, he felt his way through the almost pitch-black room, bumping into the occasional chair or two which crumpled to the floor at the slight touch. The house was not in the ideal condition. Almost three centuries old and abandoned for two, the house was like a stack of cards, waiting to crumble at any moment. It's peeling walls and hole-ridden roof were a sight to behold as one had to imagine how something in such a state of decay managed to keep itself from falling apart at the slightest wind or creak. 

Even as the man lifted his feet one after the other, he had the utmost respect for the builders of this bungalow. The floor made noises like a dying cat but it remained reliable under his weight; a miracle indeed.

"Veloooore?" His voice echoed as if he were in a cave and for a moment he wished he had senses like those of a bat, just so he could know where the hell he was going and avoid any painful toe stubs.

"Leave me alone!" A frail voice answered in response, laced with sadness and despair like icing on a cake. He disobeyed the sorrowful voice and headed in the direction of it, intent on finding the person who made such pitiful sounds.

The room was not big, he knew, and so he found her in no time. Her cries were hard to miss.

He knelt down beside the teenage girl, wincing as the floor decided to mimic the howls of his companion. Her body hiccuped with each suppressed tear, convulsing as if she were throwing up a stomach full. He touched her back with the lightness of a feather, yet the coldness of her skin quickly ran thick into his body, causing him to shake along with her.

"Go away!" She demanded, pulling away from his touch and scooting along the floor like a child. But he persisted, scooting right along with her so that he blocked her escape. She released her head from the cradle of her hands and glared up at the man before her, puffy green eyes rimmed with red. Her nose was equally red and she quickly swiped at it to get rid of any lingering snot.

"Nicholas," she hissed, tongue darting out to lick her lips like a snake, "go away!" She pushed at him with feeble hands, releasing another burst of ice-cold haze on his chest. He suppressed the shiver winding it's way up his body and locked her in a firm stare.

"We'll find him Velore," he cooed, reaching out to pat her back once more. "It shouldn't be too hard to find someone with his.....looks."

Velore wracked with another fit of sobs, breathing in air hungrily and spitting it back out in the form of a high-pitched whine.

"You don't understand, Nicholas!" She wailed. "You didn't love him like I did! You don't know how it feels to be abandoned by the one you love!" She buried her face in her hands again, curling up tight like a roly-poly.

Oh but he understood, he understood all too well.

"You can't sulk forever, Velore," he said softly, running his fingers through her thick, curly hair. It reminded him of when she was just a small child and the way her curls would stick up all over the place when she had just woken up. He felt a pain in his chest at the thought. She wasn't that little girl anymore.

"It isn't just that..." She sniffled, slowly raising her head to meet his gaze with wet eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it, eyebrows furrowing as she no doubt pondered her next choice of words. She cleared her throat with a brief cough and then sighed loudly.

"I did it again."

And even with that vague statement, Nicholas knew exactly what she was talking about. His blood ran as cold as Velore's touch and he wondered if his veins had frosted over. He licked his dry lips in a nervous gesture, eyes darting around the room even though he could see nothing through the veil of black.

"What about the meat I bought?" He whispered harshly, brain full of images of the past events that had caused him never-ending nightmares.

No, she was not that same little girl.

"It's disgusting, Nicholas! I can't survive on that stuff!" She shouted suddenly, fists balled up and banging on the floorboards with enough force he feared they would break any minute. "I need real food! I need human blood."

He felt the world spinning before him, felt the blood rush to his head and fill it to impossible levels, to the point of bursting! And for a moment, he wished it would, wished his head would explode and he wouldn't have to face what would be waiting for him in her room. The mangled form of some poor soul would be spread out on her bedroom floor, cracked open like a fortune cookie and leaking red, sticky juice that reeked and clawed it's way into his brain like some parasite. He couldn't do it. He couldn't face those twisted faces again, the glass marble eyes, the mouths crusted with their own insides like they had been squeezed from the bottom up. He would no doubt puke again, only adding to the horrible mixture of smells. The stench of his own insides mixed with the victim's would penetrate his entire being like a knife and no matter how much he washed or squirmed or wished that it would go away, it would linger it's sickly scent over him for however long he lived.

He swallowed hard.

Velore must've noticed his sudden panic because she clenched his arm tightly, her liquid-nitrogen skin steeling him away from the memory of bloodied rooms and rotten stenches.

"I was just so hungry." She practically pleaded with him, eyes wide and puppy-like, asking him to forgive her for the atrocities she had committed. "If it wasn't that man then it would be you." He shuddered at the thought of him lying amongst the numerous pile of bodies buried just outside in the yard. Would she shred him like she did the others? Or would she make an exception and kill him quickly?

Suddenly her grip on him seemed too forceful and he quickly pulled away, gathering himself and standing up in one, smooth motion. He couldn't face her penetrating eyes and frosty skin anymore. It reminded him too much of the past.

"I'll go clean it up, then," he stated simply.

It would be hard to face the room once more but it wasn't like he had any other choice. If he left it there the smell would creep into every crevice of the house and then he really wouldn't be able to escape it. He let out a shaky breath and started on his way to the room of horrors, bent on getting it all done as fast as possible. Maybe he would pass out this time.

"Nicholas!" He stopped in his tracks and turned towards the very peppy voice. Velore was smiling up at him from her place on the floor, where she had tucked her legs underneath her and had her hands folded neatly on top. Her cheeks were dry. It was like she was another person, completely different from the sniveling and broken girl just moments ago.

"You know I love you, right?" She batted her eyelashes sweetly and for a moment she did look like that little girl from long ago. A girl who could do no wrong, a sweet and polite girl who always put others before herself. He wanted to believe that she actually meant those words, that she did love him just as much as he did. 

But he knew it wasn't true.