He and Soren lead Dylan, Emma, and Autumn into the house. The smell of pine and snow and blood fills the air, and as they head into the kitchen, Emma asks, "Why does it smell like blood?"
"I mean, we are vampires, so since we drink it ..." Soren says.
Darwin smiles at Emma. "It smells like blood because we have some stored away."
Autumn walks over to the stairs that lead to the upstairs of the house. She sniffs, then turns back around and shakes her head.
"Why does it smell like fresh blood from up there?"
Darwin feels the color drain from his face. He looks at them.
"I don't know," he says softly. "Can you check, Soren?"
Soren nods and heads up the stairs. The kitchen falls silent and Darwin looks at the others. Autumn is by the fridge, Dylan is in the doorway, and Emma is pacing back and forth.
Soren comes down, and the scent of blood is heavy on him. It is only when Soren reaches the ground that it becomes obvious why. He is now covered in blood, and as he sits down at the kitchen table, blood trickles down from his hands.
"Soren? Are you okay?" Darwin asks.
Soren nods. "It isn't mine. It's someone else's.... there's a lot of blood in the hall, I slipped in it, which is why I'm now soaked. I was scared, I didn't want to go in there by myself."
"I'll go look," says Autumn.
"No," Dylan says, stepping between her and the stairs. She looks up at him, but there is no anger or malice there, just concern and care. Seeing this, Darwin notices how her shoulders relax and she moves to a more relaxed stance. Dylan's effect on her is quite obvious to Darwin, but he wonders if Dylan himself notices it.
"Dylan, somebody has to go," she says.
"That'll be me," he says.
"Why not both of you?" Darwin suggests, trying to nudge them towards some alone time together.
"No. I'll go," Dylan says. He does not wait for a response, he just heads up the stairs. Moments pass, and then he calls for Emma and Autumn to come up. Darwin watches them go. He then turns to Soren.
"Are you alright, boy?"
Soren nods. "I just got scared when I fell."
Darwin nods. But he doesn't buy what Soren is saying. He doesn't press the issue though. They just wait for the others to return.
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Lifeline (Chills Fanfic)
FanfictionAutumn has just begun her life as a vampire, and now, she's been thrust into a world she does not know. Dylan has been a vampire for a long time. When their paths cross, and Dylan is faced with the choice of whether to save Autumn or not, he does, a...
