Page 49 of Afflicted

“Tell me where the fuck she is right now.”

I hear a grunt from behind the door of the storage shed, and his eyes flicker to it for a second. He lifts his hands, surrendering. “Hey man, he said he wasn’t going to hurt her, he just wanted to have a little fun. She was up for it.”

I drop him and spin to the door, damn near tearing it off its hinges. The sight on the other side of it sends rage so violent through me that bloodlust sends my vision red.

Braun’s bare ass is between the peaks of Juliet’s knees, and her blood is running on the floor as Braun feeds from her.

Her hands lie limp on the floor beside her.

Braun turns and smiles at me, continuing to thrust into her. “Hey man, you want a turn?” Blood trails down his chin as he laughs.

I’m not entirely sure what happens next, because the bloodlust takes over for a moment. One second I’m in the doorway, then suddenly I’m standing there with Braun’s head in my hand, dangling from my fist by his hair. The other half of him lies at the far end of the room, bleeding out onto the cold concrete floor.

His face is still frozen into that disgusting sneer. He didn’t even have time to be startled.

I scoop Juliet’s inert figure up in my arms. She’s ice cold, her skin almost blanched white. I lower my mouth to her neck - I know it’s risky, but I need to do something - and run my tongue over the puncture wounds Braun left behind. The electric thrill of her blood hazes over me for a split second, but I take a deep breath to steady myself.

The punctures close over, but it’s not enough to just stop her bleeding. She needs blood, now, or she’s going to die.

I storm across the yard towards the clinic, unsurprised to find her traitorous fucking boyfriend has disappeared. The clinic is all dark, of course, but I let myself in and move to the cubicles. I place her on a gurney and run down to the supply chamber.

I pull out three bags of her blood and head back, setting up the needles, guiding them carefully into her veins.

Her lips are grey. Fuck.

I get the blood flowing into her, and wrap her in a warm blanket. I feel for a pulse. It’s weak, but it’s there.

“Come on, Juliet,” I say, taking her hand. “Come on, don’t you die on me.”

I see blood on my sleeve, and look down at myself, realizing I’m covered in what’s left of Braun. No time to think about that now. Her hand is so fucking cold, so small and limp.

I rub her arms and legs, trying to get the blood moving. “Come on, you don’t die today.”

I’m going to have a lot of explaining to do, but I don’t really care. Red seeps at the edges of my vision as I think of Braun, violating her, fucking raping her on the floor. I’m going to shred the rest of him when I can.

And her boyfriend stood watch. Her boyfriend fucking stood by and let that happen. He didn’t call for help. He just stood there.Useless. Fucking. Fuck.

I decide right then and there he’s going to die. I don’t know when. I don’t know how.

But I’m going to tear that limp-dicked fuck’s throat out. I’m going to roast his heart and eat it. Fucking fucker.

Juliet’s lips blush with pink, and her chest shudders as she breathes. I take her hand, and it’s not ice cold anymore. Not warm yet, but not icy with the promise of death either.

The minutes tick by, and she slowly gets warmer. After an hour, I change the bag of blood and give her a second. More explaining, but I still don’t care. We’re meant to keep the humans alive - this is part of that.

After two agonizing hours, she opens her eyes.

“Wh-what happened?” Her voice is so small, and she squints at me in the harsh light of the fluorescent bulbs overhead.

I lean forward and stroke her forehead, without thinking. “You’re alright. I’ve got you.”

She tries to shift on the bed and winces, her eyes widening with realization and memory. Her eyes clench shut, and she puts a hand to her face. “Oh my god,” she says with a sob, “that feeder, he - he…”

“I know, I know.”

She tries to curl into a ball, away from me, but the needle and tubes are in the way. “Where is he?” She asks, not looking at me.

“He’s gone.”

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