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Chapter Eleven (Charity's POV)

I felt betrayed. Actually, I didn't know what I felt. Everything was wrong and out of place. I could barely even remember what had happened back there. There was blood. A lot of blood. And Louis... There's no way he would ever...

Kia and I were still in our dresses. On the sofa, I sat clutching my arms as I stared at our blank television screen. My head throbbed. All that blood. I started feeling woozy again so I laid myself down into a fetal position on the couch and closed my eyes.

I heard the thump of Kia's determined footsteps walking all around the flat. Her heels were clicking furiously. She was keeping herself busy by spreading garlic at every entrance. The windows, the doors, the cracks in the walls... She had come to the conclusion that our dates had been vampires, which I thought was insane.

"You're mental, Kia."

"I know what I saw. They were eating that woman. Just like the zombie was right before they ripped off his head with their supernatural vampire strength," Kia said as she vigorously shook more garlic onto our kitchen window seal.

"He wasn't a zombie. There's no such thing." I heard her slam the bottle of garlic down on the table. I imagined she had her hands on her hips.

"You were there, weren't you? How would you explain his disgusting skin?" She had a point. It was peeling off in places and a really revolting color. But he couldn't have been a zombie. They were only in movies and television programs. And Louis had ripped off his head...

"A really bad infection?" I guessed. Kia sighed.

"It looked just like Murray's skin before he and his mum disappeared. Except more severe..." A moment passed, then Kia picked up the garlic again and bent down to spread it by our front door. Then she suddenly stopped. "Charity. I gave Liam my mobile number." I sat up and we looked at each other, eyes wide.

There was a sudden knock on the door and Kia let out a small yelp and fell backwards, spilling the garlic powder everywhere.. My heart rate quickened. Kia stood up and looked through the peephole. "It's them. How did they bloody find us?" She whispered. Another knock sent Kia away from the door and closer to me on the couch. We heard Liam and Louis's muffled voices outside the door, and I started to panic. I got off the sofa and walked over to where Kia was standing.

They knocked again. "Go away! We know what you are and we are armed with garlic and wooden stakes!" Kia shouted at the door. More muffled whispers.

"Um, Kia, we don't have wooden stakes." I said, confused.

"Well, yeah, but they don't know that." Kia whispered back. I looked at her.

"We can hear you, now let us in so we can explain what all happened back there," I heard Louis shout through the door. He sounded desperate.

"Damn it," Kia said.

"We know you must be scared but we promise we will explain everything if you please let us in. We won't hurt you," Liam said.

Kia and I looked at each other and I shook my head. She got the message.

"No way, sunshine," Kia yelled back at them. "You ate a human being! And you expect us just to let you in? You're both monsters! Vampires!"

"Right. Okay. I've had enough of this rubbish. We're coming in." Our door suddenly opened in one blow. Splintered wood and part of the lock flew at me and Kia and we screamed. The sopping wet shapes Liam and Louis stood in the doorway and cautiously walked in with their hands up in surrender. Liam shut the door as best he could behind them.

"Get back!" Kia said with a shaky voice. She was holding garlic in her outstretched hand, attempting to ward off the boys.

Louis chuckled. "Love, that doesn't work on us. It's just a myth."

"I told you they weren't vampires, Kia! They're cannibals!" I glared at Louis

"Oh, well, what a relief! Let's just let them into our flat and offer them tea and crumpets!" Kia said sarcastically.

"Oh, we're vampires, all right. But please.. Just let us explain-" Liam began. But he was cut off by a loud booming voice coming from outside and a startling, loud knock on our door.

"Open up! This is the police, and we have witnesses who claim to have seen you leaving the scene of a murder!"

We all stood there looking at each other in panic. I started mumbling to myself and pacing to keep myself calm. "It's okay, we've done nothing wrong. We just witnessed a horrific crime. We are the victims. We've done nothing wrong. The people who actually murdered that poor girl are in our flat. We've done nothing wrong. We've done nothing-"

"Charity, snap out of it!" Kia grabbed my shoulders. Louis was frantically looking around while Liam turned his attention back to us.

"Listen, you need to trust us. Things will get a lot worse for all of us really fast if you don't. We don't have much time. Things are changing." He then looked back at the door, which was about to be knocked down a second time by the police.

"We are going to bust down this door if you do not show yourselves immediately!" The loud voice bellowed. The world stood still.

"Things are changing," I repeated in a whisper. Someone had said that before. Terrence.

"Kia, they're right. We have to listen to them."

A look of outrage dawned on her face. "What?! Are you joking?"

"Ladies, we really need to move." Louis shifted his gaze from the door to us. Then he turned to me and held out his hand. "Do you trust me?" A drop of rain water slid off of his hair and down his nose. His eyes shimmered like the sea.

"Yes," I breathed. I took his hand. It was still wet from the rain.

"Charity!" Kia screamed. "Charity Baker, you are mental!"

I turned to her. "Kia, Terrence said this would happen. He told us to stick together. If you can't trust them, at least trust Terrence. And your best friend. Please."

Kia looked at Louis, then Liam, and finally at me. Her face was pleading and confused. She closed her eyes, and sighed. When she opened them again, she finally spoke.

"Okay."