Tainted

Chapter 12

The feeling of discomfort courses though me as I watch the area we drive though grow more dark and dirty .

I stare out the window and grimace at the sight of all the litter and homeless people plunging needles into their arms .

The air smells of burnt wood lit with gasoline . Definitely not good signs of a well kept area .

The car comes to the stop and the driver quickly climbs out the car and rushes to open the door for Vincent and I climb out soon after.

Smoke and smog hangs above us and odd smells whiff past you and make you question what's causing such a foul stench . The buildings are all covered in dirt with broken windows and makeshift curtains made with old sheets.

Vincent doesn't seem fazed by any of this , probably accustomed to this area .

Vincent pulls me into the building in front of us and kicks the door open .
"Damien Im here for my package !" Vincent calls .

I gaze around the room and cringe at the walls with flaking paint and the floors are covered in all sorts of dirt .
The air is humid and heavy which brings a weight to my chest and I cant help but cough .

"In here !" A deep voice calls from somewhere in the building. 

"Follow me my Love." Vincent calls and begins walking down a hallway.
I rush to catch up with him, not wanting to be left alone in a place like this .

We eventually walk out into a big room packed with boxes and odd looking objects . A tall man with dirty blonde hair stands in front of us , dragging a wooden crate out from under a table . A dirty apron is tied loosely around his waist and thick white gloves cover his hands.

"Who's the cutie with you?" The man asks and sighs while he wipes the sweat off his forehead and smirks at me as his eyes run down my body .

I feel Vincent's hold on my hand tighten as he slightly pushes me behind him. "This is my apprentice . Dont speak to her please. "Vincent says sternly and takes a step forward,  letting go of my hand in the process.

The man chuckles and shakes his head as be crouches down and digs through the crate . "Dont worry Boss , I have no interest in her . I've got a woman of my own back home . "

"Is she your wife ?" I cant help but ask but instantly regret it as Vincent turns and shoots me a deadly glare.

"No . Fiance. We're planning to get married next fall." Damien explains and pulls out a light wooden box with a lid screwed onto of it .

I watch as he hands it to Vincent who nods and pulls out a wad of cash and hands it to him. "I wish your marriage good luck." He says and turns around and begins walking away .

"Bye !" I wave and send Damien a smile before turning and following Vincent .

"Good to meet you Dollface!"he calls after me and I cant help the smile on my face .

He isn't at all what I thought someone who makes paint out of blood would be like.

"See. Wasnt too scary was it?" Vincent chuckles as we leave the building.

"The place is scarier than the man. "I laugh and hop in the car after Vincent. "That went quicker than I expected ."

Vincent shuts the door behind him and he thrusts the box in my direction with a grin as the driver pulls off and begins the drive "home".

I take the box in my hands and rest it on my lap , thinking he would like me to hold them so that he doesn't have to . "Open it."he encourages with a glint in his eye.

I stare wide-eyed at the box on my lap and shake my head . "I am not looking at this ...vulgar material." I refuse.

"Do it." His voice drops and his tone deadly . I stare into his mischievous eyes and give in , not wanting to put myself in another dangerous situation .

My fingertips graze the bare wood of the box , sharp splinters catching on my skin as I dig my fingers under the lid and pop it open. Lifting the lid , I notice roughly ten tubes of paint delicately placed on wood shavings as if they were the average high quality paints . They dont appear any different than what I've used at school.

The one key detail that I take note of is that every tube is a shade of red . No other colors. 

I wonder if Vincent realizes that synthetic paints can achieve the same look for his works that these ...biohazards do .

"See. Like I said , you need to trust me. "Vincent chuckles and begins tapping the leather surface of the seat. 
"So far I've been nothing but trustworthy and you have yet to trust me. " he shakes his head and clicks his tongue making a "tsk tsk " noise.

I close the box and hand it back to him in frustration. "Maybe try looking at this whole situation from my perspective. "I suggest and fold my arms across my chest and gaze out the window .

I miss my old life . I miss not worrying about being murdered by a psychotic mad man.

A tight grip around my wrist pulls me forcefully to the other side of the  car seat so that I'm pressed right up against Vincent . His arm wraps around my shoulder and he pulls me against his chest as he strokes my head . "Now now Love . I do as much as I can to keep you happy but when you say hurtful things I cant help but get mad."he hums.

The soft stroking of his hand caressing my hair would be quite comforting if it were under normal circumstances.  However his dangerous words and the tight grip he has causes me great discomfort. 

"Sir I forgot to mention that Miss Fantomhive requested your presence at the Estate later on this evening . "The driver speaks up "she said that theres an urgent matter you need to attend to."

Vinecnt sighs , his grip around me loosening as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "Not that wench again . "He mumbles and pulls on the hem of my trousers. "Pick me up at four this afternoon  "he says loudly to the driver.

"What could she want?"I ask softly.

"I dont know and dont care."he sighs.