Hybrid (Awakening, # 0.5)

Chapter 3

I lean against the door frame, astounded. I have absolutely no idea who this guy is, and he just shows up to my door of all doors along the street. A gust of cool air breezes past and he shivers, making me take pity on him. But not enough to let him inside of my home. He could be a crazy, unhinged ax murderer for all I know. That's always what gets the dumb girls in the horror movies killed, anyways. Letting a cute guy inside their home because he has a "flat tire" or something of the sort. And yet all he has said so far was, "Hi." So perhaps I could give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself- have been for as long as I can remember. So the least I can do is just make sure this poor guy's okay.

"Um, hi. Are you alright?" I ask,

"Can I uh..can I come in? Please?" He says.

This guy sounds completely shell-shocked. He looks traumatized like something terrible has happened to him just recently, like minutes ago type recently. So I say, "Did something happen to you? I have a phone, if you need to use it."

He just says, "I really just need to come in. I swear I'm not an ax murderer or anything. I'm not even from...around here." He shrugs hopelessly like I'm a lost cause. But this guy really seems genuinely in need of some type of help. I have been known to do worse things in my life, so I decide that letting him in would be the least of my worries right now. He looks like he couldn't even hurt a fly.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"My name is uh...Carter-," He looks a little to his left as if searching the air for his name. Which is weird. "Yeah, Carter. Carter...Donovan." Carter smirks a little like he's really accomplished something by telling me his name.

"Well, sure I guess," I chuckle.

"Sure...I can come in?"

"Yes, you may enter my home, Mr.Donovan."

I see a look of utter relief flood his beautiful features as he steps over the threshold. I'm glad I could provide this guy some sort of comfort, he really looks beat. I pull out a chair at the counter and gesture for him to sit down. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nice to have someone else in the house with me besides Eli and Delilah. Even if he's a complete stranger who appears to have secrets begging to be unearthed. 

I cross over the dining room into the living room in three long strides to the end table at the end of the sofa. I silently pull out the drawer and look down at the shiny silver of my small Magnum. It's always been there, in the exact same spot for a while now. It seemed like a good idea to have a gun since there's only us in the house. If anyone is capable of defending this household, it's me. And it makes me feel at ease to know that I have the exact means to do it. So if this Carter guy tries anything, I'll be ready for it.

I push the drawer closed and go back into the dining room. 

"Anything I can get you? Food...drink?" I ask

"Um..water is fine," He says with a weird edge in his voice. Okay, my adrenaline is kicking in. This guy is giving me the creeps. But I try to play it cool and go to the nearby cabinet and  withdraw a clean glass. Then I walk over to the fridge and pull out the Brita water pitcher and pour his water.

I walk over to hand him the cup and he seizes my wrist. I immediately draw back my knee and kick him hard in the groin. He gasps loudly as if the wind has been knocked out of him and that gives me just enough time to go back into the living room and go to the end table. But it's too late because next thing I know, I'm being shoved hard up against the wall with my wrists pinned on either side of my head. And I'll admit, I'm scared. Terrified.

"Looking for this?" He asks, taunting me with my own damn gun. How in the world could he have gotten to it first? That would require him to have known where I kept the gun and to have lightening fast speed to have gotten to it while I poured his water which took me altogether about 10 seconds...

"What are you doing," I say with a disgusted tone. "Get the hell off of me."

Just then, Elijah comes running downstairs - probably wondering what was taking me so long to get back upstairs and into bed. He really is an amazing dog, let me tell you. 

He sees what's going on and can probably read the look on my face which is dripping fear, and jumps up and bites Carter on the arm and he falls to the ground, releasing me. Now's my chance. I run over to the end table and withdraw the gun and draw in a breath in a last ditch attempt to slow my erratic heartbeat. And I shoot. I shoot Carter right in the head and he falls to the ground with a loud thud. I lean against the wall and sag to the ground in relief. But then a sudden wave of guilt and nausea wash over me. This was a stranger. One who I shouldn't have invited into my home, and I've killed him. He would have still had his life if it weren't for me even inviting him in. 

"Damn it!" I scream and kick the wall repeatedly. But then my outburst is cut short by the simple fact that there is no blood. Next thing I know, I'm grabbing the gun again as Carter groans and starts to get up off of the ground. The bullet wound that just minutes ago exited his brain, seals up like he was never shot. I aim it at him poised and ready to shoot him again and again until he dies. But it dawns on me then. An exit wound to the head....should have killed him. But instead he's getting up off of the ground and telling me, "Please...d-don't. That's very painful. Even to people like me."

"What the hell do you mean, people like you? You tried to fucking KILL ME! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you..again!" I yell with such venom in my voice.

"I mean vampires," He says. "And I can explain. Everything. Only if you'll put the gun down and let me."