Midnight Falls

16: Carl

She’s gone. She’s gone, she’s gone, she’s gone, she’s goddamn gone! That settles it. I should have never trusted a vamp. Uncle D was right. They are cold. They are calculating. They are monsters.

“I can’t believe you!” I yell, running. Where I don’t know. Wherever Arianne is, I guess.

“You can’t believe me?” Victor spits back. “What the bloody hell did I do?”

“You didn’t tell me she would be here and you had me take my eyes off Arianne!”

“I knew as much as you!”

“Just do your thing and find her!” 

“I can’t!” 

“Can’t or won’t?” I shoot back, glaring for a moment before returning to my mission. I had to find her. I can’t lose her. I can’t.

“Can’t! There’s too many people here!” I scoff and roll my eyes, looking into each aisle we passed. “Carl, whether you believe it or not, I want to find her as much as you do!” I ignore him and continue running, asking anyone who’ll listen if they’ve seen a little girl with big bouncy black hair and dark skin around. Most said no.

“Just like a vamp to lie to me about having a coven!” I say finally, not thinking much about my words.

“I don’t have a damn coven!”

“So who was that orange haired girl that distracted us so the others could take Arianne?” He stops for a moment, seeming to be taken aback by my question.

“An old friend,” he finally answers, but it’s in such a tone that I don’t like it. I really don’t like it. I hate my screwed up feelings.

“She seemed like more than that!” I surprised myself with how much bitterness was in my statement, but I ignored it. Instead I go back to looking for Arianne. Victor seems to want to counter, but doesn’t. Likely reading my mind to tell how pissed I am at him. Pretty soon a security guard noticed my distress and rushed to me. When he did, I quickly explained the situation, he spoke in his walkie-talkie and said some police lingo I couldn’t understand.

“Fellas,” he said afterwards. “I know how stressful this situation is, but the best thing for you two to do is-”

A loud blaring sounded and I had to cover my ears. There were intermittent flashing lights as well. Victor put his arms around me, seeming like he was concerned, as the security guard pushed us towards the exit. Then a rush of people running caused him to leave us alone as he tried to calm the crowd. Victor pulled me into a nearby aisle and sheltered me from the people running.

“W-we have to-” I start, trying to speak over the overly loud blaring alarm, but he stops me.

“There’s no fire,” I barely hear him say. I can tell I’m looking at him with confusion because he clarifies for me. “I’ve been in burning buildings before. The scent is all wrong.” He looks down at me, studying my face. The sound is becoming too loud for my ears; pain shoots through my head.

Without a second thought, Victor’s arms wrap around me again, strong but gentle. Wind rushes past us, and I have to keep my eyes and mouth shut. I shouldn’t, but I curl towards Victor’s cold embrace. It’s comforting, in a way.

“Stay here,” Victor tells me as we stop, his voice coated with worry. “I’ll find her. I promise you that.” I don’t know how I could tell, but it was genuinely the truth. I just knew it. By the time I opened my eyes he was gone and I was standing in the back of the parking lot behind the huge crowd of people running out. 

I couldn’t even thank him.