The Vampire Slayer

Chapter 26

Maeve fought back by pushing him away. She slapped his face hard, yelled furiously, and ran toward the restrooms. She felt disgusted; tears were threatening to roll down her cheeks, and her adrenaline was pumping. There was a long line to the girl's bathrooms, which made her infuriating. She wanted some fresh air to grasp. Maeve then decided to head outside the club to relax.
               Outside the chilly midnight, the street was buzzing sounds, people everywhere, drunk or making out. Her inner fury was unsettling; she wanted to calm down. But, unfortunately, being outside without her coat didn't make things better for her matter.
                She walked away from the crowds into a dark quarter. It was eerie quiet yet comforting somehow for Maeve. Although her gut feeling came back, her tingling senses were on guard.
               Unexpected sucking and chewing noises were coming from deep inside the dark pathway. No light was glowing through there; either way, Maeve was brave enough to step closer.
              Suddenly, two red eyes glared at her; the Nosferatu Vampire shrieked loudly enough to make her hair stand right up. Maeve took a step back out of fear. Still, something inside her came out. She couldn't hold it in, taking control over her once again.
             "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me." Maeve's voice was steady, strong, and deep. The bible verse came out of nowhere.
              The red eyes disappeared, and a splashing sound became familiar. She widened her eyes, petrified of a similar experience she had encountered. Nevertheless, she didn't get as messy as the last time. Standing speechless, motionless at the pitch-dark pathway, she was trying to comprehend the situation.
           Her eyes started to adjust to the darkness; she witnessed an old lady on the ground, ripped into pieces with blood everywhere. She had a pink dog leash in her hand, although no dog was nearby. Beside the body was an old Nokia phone, which Maeve picked up and called 911.
           After describing to the police the situation, she stayed there because she was a witness, although she had no idea how to tell them about the Nosferatu vampire. For a couple of minutes, she thought long and hard about how to describe the scene.
           A sudden whimpering interrupted her thoughts; she turned her head against the snowy pathway at the trash can. Behind the trash can was a tiny black and white head coming through. Maeve stepped slowly against it. The puppy, shivering, whimpering, hid again.
         "Hey, little one, everything is going to be alright." She said with a calm and caring voice tone. The puppy peaked its head again, staring at Maeve, and started sniffing into the air. It stepped slowly at her; Maeve crouched down, offering her hand.
          The puppy looked up at her with its big sweet black eyes. It licked her fingers, melting Maeve's heart. She always adored dogs and wished she had one; however, she never got one due to her parents working hours; the dog would probably be alone the rest of the days, which wasn't ideal.
           Maeve touched the silver collar. She lifted the nameplate, and it said: Michaela. On the back of the nameplate was the year and date she was born.
"So you're six months old, Michaela," Maeve said, patting her head. Michaela got excited hearing her name and became playful, jumping from side to side.
           Maeve understood what breed Michaela was, a border collie, her mother's favorite dog breed. Tears in her eyes came through; she hugged the puppy near and dear.

Rashidi didn't expect that their night out would end like this. Iason grabbed Acalan's neck, choking him by staring infuriatingly into his eyes. Rashidi was behind Iason, trying to talk some sense into his best friend's actions in front of the masses. Maeve's gang was shocked by the scene, how Acalan kissed Maeve, and how Iason stormed against him when she left. Even though the girls wanted to check on their friend, Rashidi prevented them from not to. He needed backup because Iason wasn't listening to anyone.
             "Mr. Jason, stop your hurting him, please!" Soojin shouted. Brianna and Patricia tried to remove his hand from Acalan's neck, yet failed poorly. Acalan was turning blue; his eyes were fluttering. Rashidi, trying to reason with Iason, suddenly and desperately pushed him hard enough that Iason fell to the ground beside Acalan.
              Acalan was lying on the ground, coughing vigorously, catching deep, shaky breaths. Iason hopped on him, fists hard, beginning to hit him on the face unstoppable. Blood was everywhere; people were startled and amazed by the fight, circling them to take a better peek. Acalan was trying to fight him off by hitting him on the ribs. Nonetheless, Iason didn't even wince.
              Rashidi grabbed his friend from behind, pulling Iason away from Acalan. When Acalan got up with a busted and bloody lip, he attacked Iason and took him down on the ground. Then, he punched Iason's face, grinning and laughing like a madman.
             "Do you like it now?" Acalan mocked him over and over again. Punching him every time he stated that sentence. Finally, Rashidi, frustrated trying to stop this hot mess, pulled Acalan away from Iason, and the girls screamed at them to stop with this nonsense.
             Police officers stormed inside the club, and people ran everywhere, hiding away from the police. Maeve strolled casually into the chaos staring at both men. Iason gazed at her with starry eyes, and so did Acalan.
             Maeve crossed her arms, giving them a displeased facial expression, looking down at both the men. Observing the awful aftermath, with bloody faces, ripped clothes, and blood on the floor. She then glanced at her friends and Rashidi himself, who was motionless after her sudden and boldly arrival.
            "Mr. Naeem, do you have a car?" She asked with a poker face. He nodded, taking a quick look at the men on the ground meanwhile being arrested and leaving the club. Her friends and Rashidi were standing there staring at Maeve suspiciously and awkwardly.
            "Can you lift us back to the college?" She asked after a long while. Rashidi tried to read through her emotional state, yet she was hard to grasp, which reminded him of his buddy, who was also full of mystery. It hit Rashidi right there that she and Iason have something in common.
           "Before we go, are any of you allergic to dogs?" Maeve glanced through the group; they all shook their heads, confused by her question. Then, she smirked, strolling outside the club as if nothing had happened, as if she wasn't bothered by the chaotic scene, a scene that began because of her.
           Stepping outside the club, Rashidi noticed Maeve reaching for a border collie pup and picking it up. Far beyond the quarter, he saw police officers, ambulances, and detectives informing people to step away due to a murder investigation. Rashidi furrowed, peering through the area that was being investigated, although the girls were waiting for him to show them where his car was parked. He ignored the frenzy that was going on and followed them toward the parking lot.
            All the girls hopped inside his fancy white Audi sportscar, which was squeaky clean outside and inside. His students were gazing interestedly at the car quietly. He had Egyptian-related keychains hanging on his rear-view mirror, a pyramid, and an Ankh. Rashidi started to feel uncomfortable, having too many curious eyes looking at his belongings. Also, the fact that these girls were his students made it embarrassing. Maeve confidently sat in the passenger seat with the puppy in her arms.
           "Please wear your seatbelts," Rashidi said and suddenly felt guilty leaving his buddy with the police; nonetheless was relieved that nothing terrible had happened to the girls. Although driving through the streets, his head started hurting; he did get punches here and there by attempting to stop the two nincompoops from fighting.
            The drive to the college was quiet; no one was talking, and everyone was looking outside the streets passing by the city and houses. The puppy was in Maeve's embrace, not moving nor making sounds. It seemed scared, exhausted, and observant. Finally, however, the puppy calmed down with Maeve's pats. Yet, all Rashidi could think of was Iason, probably fuming in a prison cell. Nevertheless, Rashidi felt that Iason deserved to be locked up for a short while.