A Month Of Kaider

Twenty Seven: Blood And Water

Cinder stares.

It looks like a place that should be kept beneath some kind old worn out cathedral or in fraying picture books from the past.

The stone ceilings are just high enough fit them to walk but Wolf would have had to bend over. The walls are stone, the remains of white paint peeling off them. The floor is damp, not wet but certainly not dry, if the squelching of their shoes is anything to go by.

The place is lit with one line of faded yellow lights on the ceiling, meaning that you can't see more than a few feet ahead. Despite there being no rain, the smell of petrichor haunts the air, accompanied by the cold breeze that seems to flow in no set pattern.

"What is this place?" she asks.

"Blood bank," Kai replies tonelessly.

Instead of being shocked or recoiling like any ordinary human being probably would have, she frowns and asks: "Where's the blood?"

Kai almost chokes on his own laughter, his eyes shining with amusement.

"You'd be surprised," Kai says mysteriously, winking.

Cinder just makes a face, rolling her eyes; of course Kai wouldn't just give away secrets, even if they don't deserve to be kept.

"Come on, we have to hurry." Kai increases his pace with ease but Cinder struggles to match it, wondering how he can walk so fast without slipping.

"Do you come here often or something?" Cinder asks.

"I used to," Kai answers. "What has made you so inquisitive all of a sudden?"

Cinder shrugs, letting the silence wash over them.

They carry on walking until their path becomes increasingly colder, both of them shivering.

"I'd love to offer you a jacket but I don't currently have one in my possession," Kai admits.

Cinder glances worriedly at his shirt, then back to her hoodie, and bites her lip.

"Don't even think about it," Kai warns, "I am much more suited to the cold than you are."

"Says who?" Cinder fires back at him.

"Says the way you're shivering more than me despite wearing a hoodie," Kai murmurs softly.

"Shut up," Cinder mumbles reluctantly.

The two of them carry on in silence until they get to an old wooden door that, by all known scientific facts, should have rotted away into nothing by now.

Fortunately, the door still stands.

Kai shuts his eyes for a minute before simply knocking.

Cinder stares at him in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Calling upon the vampire."

"What do you mean?" Cinder questions. "Have you gone mad?"

Kai shrugs, knocking again. She notices that his knuckles scratch against the wood on the door and the skin starts to bleed lightly.

"Kai!" she exclaims, taking his hand between hers.

"Vampire, Cinder, of course he's going to draw out the blood."

"Kai, vampires aren't real," Cinder snaps. "Did you hit your head?"

Kai only gives her a small smile in response, kicking the door because Cinder hasn't let go of his hands.

Cinder almost falls backwards in shock when the door actually swings open and a tall, pale man narrows his eyes at them, only to then stare at Kai in utter shock.