Desperate (MxM)

Chapter 13

Lucky for Ash, Basil managed to find a credit card tucked into one of his pockets. He had no appetite but Ash had more than enough for the two of them. People were staring at them, probably because of their dirt-covered clothes and bodies but it didn't bother Ash one bit, devouring a cheeseburger two bites at a time.

"Hey, slow down, you might choke on your food," Basil gently warned but of course, he was ignored.

Ash was too focused on his third cheeseburger, taking sips of soda in between. It didn't seem that they just escaped a life-threatening situation. Basil then noticed a man two tables away from them stealing glances over at Ash. Basil quickly sensed that he was also a vampire. He didn't want to alert Ash so he just sat there quietly as he observed the man. 

Ash put down his burger, wiped his hands off, and in one swift movement, slit open his palm, allowing blood to flow out. His scent immediately filled the area. Basil tried to get up and cover Ash's wound as soon as possible but he was held back by an unseen force. Basil watched in horror as the man quickly turned feral and charged toward Ash.

People in the fast food were sent into a panic as the man ran at such speed and inhumane sounds came from his mouth. Basil tried telling Ash to stop but his mouth was shut. The man jumped onto Ash and it down on his neck, immediately feeding on his blood. Ash didn't flinch, he just sat there as the man suddenly detached from him and collapsed on the floor.

Blood-curling screams came from bystanders as they saw the event unfolding in front of them. Ash's wounds slowly healed as the man vomited blood all over the floor. Ash snapped his fingers and a shockwave blasted inside. Some of the bystanders quickly called an ambulance as they witnessed the man vomiting extreme amounts of blood while some just stood there confused. Basil could only guess that Ash erased their memories. 

Basil doesn't know how Ash is capable of doing so. Suddenly, Basil no longer felt restrained so he quickly got up and grabbed Ash out of the restaurant. Basil couldn't believe what just happened. Ash so confidently let a vampire attack him in broad daylight and in front of humans. Basil was furious, but he was more scared. He doesn't know who else had witnessed that or if Ash really did erase their memories.

"I didn't finish my burgers," Ash whined.

"That's what you're fucking concerned about?!" Basil snapped at him. 

Ash stopped in his tracks and pulled his arm away from Basil.

"That man was close to attacking a human. I did everyone a favor by letting him bite me and no one's going to remember it anyway," Ash said in an eerily calm tone. 

Basil took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. So much had happened in the past few days that he just didn't know how to deal with it all. Ash sighed and took Basil's hand in his and led him down the sidewalk. Basil didn't know where they were going but he let Ash lead away. After a few blocks of walking, they entered an area of abandoned homes.

Ash went into one of the empty houses with ease and closed the door behind him, He sat him and Basil on the tattered couch covered in dust. 

"This is where I used to live for a good while before finding the job at your manor," Ash said. 

Basil looked around and saw the walls were peeling, the floor was broken in so many places and there were only bits and pieces of furniture left, he meant that quite literally with a table with just the top laying on the floor with a mattress and tattered sheets beside it. The space was incredibly small. The windows were broken and one definitely could not stay warm inside during colder seasons. 

"How did you survive this?" Basil whispered under his breath.

"I don't know," Ash sighed. "We could stay here for a while, get some more rest before we go looking for others."

"No, we're not going to look for them. It's safer this way," Basil replied.

"How do you know they're safe if we don't know where they are?"

"I don't know. There's a lot of different places that they could be staying at and I'm sure they can keep themselves safe."

Ash just hummed in response, clearly not satisfied with Basil's answer. 

Basil sighed and pulled out his phone that he had hidden in one of his pockets. Basil let out a sigh of relief when he saw the phone was relatively unscathed and there was enough battery left to make a call. He dialed a number and after one ring, Joanne immediately picked up the call. 

"Basil! Where the fuck are you? Are you okay?" Joanne worriedly asked. 

"Sheesh, what a warm welcome," Basil whispered under his breath.

Ash sat beside him, leaning towards the phone so he could hear the conversation as well. 

"We're fine, we escaped out of my father's prison," Basil replied.

"How's Ash?" Joanne asked.

"I just said we're fi-"

Before he could finish, Ash snatched the phone from his hand.

"Hey, we're fine. Are the rest of you okay?" Ash asked. 

"Yeah, we're good. We're at 257. We should be safe here for now. We weren't attacked by anyone so I doubt that they would even bother going after us. Be safe, okay?" Joanne said. "Take care of Basil will you."

"Yeah, sure," Ash replied before the phone finally died. 

Ash sighed and handed it back to Basil.

"What did she mean to take care of me?" Basil muttered under his breath. 

"What does she mean with 257?" Ash asked.

"A bunker I made for them just in case something like this happens. It's hard to find and it's impenetrable. At least I hope it is. We never really needed to use it before."

"I'm sorry," Ash apologized.

"Hey, it's your fault. We're always just prepared for the worse, especially if you've been living in this world for more than enough time."

Suddenly, the crow entered the house through a broken window and landed in front of the two. The bird suddenly started belching until a medallion fell from its throat, rendering the crow lifeless. Basil stared at the crow in fear, knowing that his father had sent it. He looked at the medallion wearily but Ash didn't hesitate to pick it up from the floor. 

"What's this?" Ash asked.

"I think it's best we not touch it," Basil gently warned.

"Well, too late for that," Ash chuckled. 

Suddenly, the medallion started to emit a soft glow, causing Ash's body to become rigid and his eyes turned white. Basil tried taking the medallion away from him but his hand was shocked with a jolt of electricity when he touched it, causing Basil to flinch. Ash suddenly dropped the medallion, and the sound of the metal clashing against the wood floor echoed throughout the room. 

"Ash, are you okay? What happened?" Basil asked in worry as he took Ash in his arms who had now come back to his normal state.

"I saw something," Ash replied in a low whisper.

"What is it?" Basil asked.

"My future."