The Immortal Blood

Chapter 18

Adam had passed a hand over his face checking the time, exhausted: it was two o'clock in the afternoon, and he still had not eaten.
He had spent the morning at work, trying to do something useful while waiting for the evening to come, when Todd would pick him up: since Cloe and the girls left, the house had become a disturbingly quiet place, causing him a lot of trouble sleeping, not to mention the nightmares about Vernon, who woke him up all the time with bouts of cold sweat.
He had yawned, going down the stairs of the studio to get a sandwich at the corner truck. "Adam"; had called him a voice from behind, making him turn instinctively around. Vernon Foley was there, standing on the sidewalk staring at him.
"Fuck!" He cried, awakened by a surge of adrenaline. He had retreated towards the door but Vernon had been faster, coming like a train on him: he had said nothing, just grabbed him by the neck, pushing him into a parked car. A passer-by cried out in terror, asking for help, but the vampire still didn't let go.
Adam had attacked him with all the force he had in his body, hitting his arm, but it was like oppising a stone wall.
Vernon bent over him, turning his head to the side to uncover his throat. He had bitten him with frightening brutality, a blood spurt ending up on the bodywork and the sidewalk below. Adam had managed to free one hand, searching frantically for the belt of his trousers where he always kept one of the silver knives hidden.
He had grasped it in his fist and had cut into Vernon's neck, who had emitted a choked scream, ruining to the ground, defeated.
Adam hadn't just stood by and watched, he had launched himself back into the studio, taking the stairs four at a time and hiding the bathroom. He had composed Todd's number with such trembling fingers that it took him three attempts.
"Hey, I was just leaving," said the vampire, unaware.
"Todd. . . " Adam had called him in a broken voice, unable to form a meaningful sentence.
"What happened?!"
"Vernon. . . he's here."
"I'll be right there! Don't get out, don't move." He had closed the conversation, leaving Adam alone in an ocean of terror.

Todd raced at full speed with his Porsche through the city in a blind rage and panic. They should have been less naive. . . less stupid.
"Adam!"; He had screamed, plunging into the studio, where a couple of his colleagues were taking care of him. He was injured, luckily not in a serious way, even if his shirt was half smeared with blood.
"I'm fine." He told him, in an obvious state of shock.
"What the fuck happened?!"
"Could you give us a minute? Thank you." Adam had dismissed the other lawyers, continuing to press a towel on the bite between his shoulder blade and neck. "Vernon was. . . waiting for me outside the door. I was an idiot, I shouldn't have left without checking, but I was tired. . ." his eyes had fallen shut, his expression crushed.
"Hey, it wasn't your fault! It was that fucking asshole! And it's my fault, too. I shouldn't have left you alone. I'm a fucking idiot. . ."
"Yeah, pretty much" the blonde had joked, shivering from head to toe. Todd had placed one hand on his knee for comfort, preferring not to overdo as not to frighten him further.
"How did you. . . ?"
"I had a knife on me. Since you told me about the silver, I never leave it. I hit him in the throat, and he let me go."
Todd had to contain himself once more: that boy had serious balls, so much that maybe he should have borrowed them. "Do you want me to take you at the hospital?"He asked him, concerned.
"No, I'm fine, I'm just. . . fuck, I've never been this frightned. . . in my life. . ."
"That's understandable. Your colleagues?"
"Ah, they. . . they'd like to file assault charges, but I stopped them from doing so. I don't want Cleo to know, she'd come back here, and. . ."
"No, of course."
"Yeah, listen, could you, uh, walk me home, instead?"
"Sure, but you know you can't stay there. Not after today. . ."
"No, no, I just want to get some things before. . ."
"I don't think it's a good idea, Adam. We'd better disappear, at least for a while."
"I understand. All right, then. Give me just, um, a minute to set."
"Okay. I'll wait for you in the lobby."
"Good. See you later."