Dark Blood

Chapter 1

"Goddammit."

Kara was jolted with adrenaline when her phone suddenly buzzed to life in the cup holder, breaking her concentration. The last thing she wanted to do was get distracted on the highway. Especially in Florida, the drivers are beyond terrible. She quickly glanced at the caller ID.

"Ugh," she sighed. "How many times have I told him not to call me while I'm driving."

After waiting for the ringer to silence, Kara decided to give technology one more chance. The last time she tried this was highly frustrating and resulted in her swearing at her phone. Overall, nothing got accomplished.

"Hey, Siri!"

The familiar two-tone ding sounded. Alright, so far, so good.

"Text Numbnuts."

Another ding. "What would you like me to send to Numbnuts?" asked the insistent, robotic voice.

Just to be safe and prevent another pointless rant, she decided to annunciate her words very clearly, to the point of ridiculousness.

"I. Am. Driving. Back. To. My. Apartment. Period. I. Will. Get. Back. To. You. When. I. Get. There. Period."

"Would you like me to send?"

"Yes please."

A second ding indicated that her message had been sent successfully. Sighing with relief, Kara quickly reached down and shut her phone off.

"Well done, Siri," she thought. "You've redeemed yourself for the time being."

The rest of the drive passed uneventfully. It was late afternoon when Kara finally pulled into her small apartment complex. She parked, grabbed her backpack, computer, and guitar case, and exited her car with a weary groan. Slamming her door shut and locking it, she yawned and had a good stretch, straining her fingertip skyward and breathing in the hot, humid air. Summer was nearly upon them, and that pool in the courtyard would be calling her name within the next few weeks. Readjusting her bag, she made her way into the front lobby.

It was modest, warmly lit by old-fashioned shade lamps, slate grey couches, dark leather recliners, and a glass coffee table covered in magazines. There were two sets of wooden stairs directly across from the entrance on the far left and right of the room, leading up to the residential floors. The check-in desk was to the left of the door, kind of shoved in the corner. Behind it, an average-looking guy with messy light brown hair, a sharp nose, and high cheekbones was flipping through a wrinkled fashion magazine.

"Hey, James," Kara said cheerily, raising a hand in greeting as she passed.

James folded down the corner of the magazine, peering at her over the top of his black tortoise glasses. "Hey, Kara," he smiled, "Meet any cute boys today?"

She rolled her eyes, begrudgingly dragging her feet to a halt. Every time he asked that a long yet enjoyable conversation typically ensued.

"No, of course not. Speaking of which, how's your man?"

"Same as usual," he shrugged. "We're going out tomorrow to celebrate our year and a half anniversary."

"That's awesome! I'm happy for you."

Despite the incessant teasing and well-intentioned lectures about putting herself out there more and not being afraid to take chances, Kara was genuinely happy that James had such a steady and easygoing relationship.

"Well thank you," he said, putting down what he was reading. He propped his elbow on the arm of the chair he was in, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. "Any plans for the weekend?"