Mermaids and Vampires

14: Fallout

~~~~OLIVIA~~~~

As I get closer to the house I can hear shouting. Adam's heavy voice booms through the walls of the building, creating a reverbial hum.

I wait by the back wall, not wanting to go in until the air clears. The screaming dies down and a quick thud follows, ending with the clatter of broken glass hitting the ground.

My heart hammers.

I hear a door slam shut and all is silent.

Twigs snap beneath my feet as I creep up to the back door. I turn the handle, slowly pulling the wooden door open. As I step into the kitchen my eyes fall on Auron. He's hunched over the sink, running water, his hand touched to the side of his face. Adam and Charlotte are no where to be seen.

"You're his, honey." Auron's voice startles me.

I look back to him. Now facing me, I can see that his left eye is darkened. Blood drips down his cheek in steady streams from small cuts.

"Your face is bleeding." I say, grabbing a cloth off the counter on my way towards him.

Glass crunches under my feet as I walk over it.

I press the cloth to Aurons eye, wiping the blood as it falls.

He holds out his right hand revealing a large gash across his palm.

"Crap." I wince at all the blood, "Give me a second, I'll check the bathroom for gauze."

"We don't have any." His voice stops me, half way to the door.

I stare at his hand, red liquid drops rhythmically from it to the ground.

"My clothes," I say, rushing out of the room.

On my way to the bedroom I run into Adam in the hall. He's got a bag with him, and he's heading for the front door.

"Don't you ever forget your place." He breaths, before backhanding me across the face.

I inhale sharply at the flash of pain.

He brushes past my shoulder and when I open my eyes he's gone. His footsteps fade away and I hear the front door close.

Tears well up in my eyes, but I push them down.

Moving into the bedroom, I find my bag.  

I return to the kitchen with a white overpiece, made of thin cotton material. Jabbing a knife through it I shred it into a long thin piece.

"Can't believe he did that." I mutter, grabbing Auron's hand and shoving it under the running water.

He winces at first, but quickly eases up.

"I know," he replies, "I'm a little shocked myself."

He takes his hand out of the sink, opening his fingers to reveal his sliced palm.

I pick up the long piece of cotton.

"You don't have to wreck your shirt." He mutters.

"I know how much blood means to a vampire." I smirk, taking his hand and laying the fabric over it.

The crimson seeps through, layer after layer. I turn his hand over, wrapping it tightly.

"I know you feel pain," I continue, "Much more intense than humans."

"It'll never kill us." He says.

I tuck the end of the loose fabric under another layer to hold it in place. Picking up the cloth, I return to his face, pressing gently on the bleeding cut beside his eye to make it stop.  

"Because your kind is made to suffer." I lower the cloth, "It's a price for immortality."

I step back from him, listening to the sound of the glass crunch again. The counter, sink, and kitchen floor are covered in blood. There's even some splatter on the wall.

"Nevertheless, The offer still stands." He says, barely above a whisper, as he walks past me on his way to the back door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to quench my thirst." He steps out, leaving me in the messy kitchen alone.