How To Be Human

How To Track Someone Down

Chapter 14 : How To Track Someone Down

For the rest of the night, I didn’t sleep in the bed with Warren. I grabbed an extra blanket and two pillows and camped out on the floor. It took me a very long time to actually fall back asleep. I was afraid I might have another nightmare…or memory.

I woke up around eight the next morning. Warren was already awake. He was sipping some coffee and watching the news. I could tell from the bags underneath his eyes he never did fall back asleep after what happened. I climbed onto the chair next to me and simply just watched Warren.

I didn’t want to turn him back into a vampire after that. That was only one thing he did to one person; what did he do to all the others? How many more were there? He murdered people. Not only men, but women, and children, too. He’s been alive for more than 300 years. Who knows how many people he’s butchered.

He was dangerous when he was a vampire. If he stayed human, he’d age, and grow old. He wouldn’t be as dangerous. He would die, just like all the rest of us. He wouldn’t be able to harm another person ever again. I think it would be better that way.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Warren suddenly snapped, gripping his coffee mug tightly.

“Like what?” I said quietly.

“Like I’m a monster,” His voice got quieter, quieter than mine.

“Why did you do it?” I whispered. “Why did you kill those people? They didn’t deserve it - ”

“I know,” He yelled. The veins in his neck were standing out now. “I know they didn’t deserve it! I know what I did was wrong! That I murdered an entire village at least ten fucking times, I know! I - fuck - ” He stood up and hurled the coffee mug at the wall. It exploded into tiny pieces and fell to the floor. The coffee dripped off the wall and onto the floor. He was breathing heavily and glaring at it.

He knew. He had to live with it every single day of his life. He had to deal with the guilt of murdering people each day and still wear the smirk that covered it all up. I watched him as he sat back down. He was still tense and I was making it worse.

“I’m sorry,” My voice wasn’t going any higher than a mouse’s squeak. “I shouldn’t - I shouldn’t of even said anything. I’m sorry for bringing it up.”

Slowly, his head turned towards me. The stare he pressed to my skin made me want to shiver. “Why the hell are you apologizing? I’m the one who made the mistakes, kid, not you.”

“We all make mistakes,” I said faintly.

“Not as big as mine,” He replied. “Did…Ryan say anything to you?”

Ryan. Ryan Caine. Warren’s best friend. That was the guy in the memory, that was the guy that was talking to me. “Uh…yeah.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that you should be killed,” I paused, “…and that I should bring you to him.”