Page 18 of Reaper's Revenge
“It isnow,” she responds cryptically and leaves the driver’s side to stroll around the car.
I watch as she gets to my side, ripping the door open so it swings back at her. Anyone else would be in for a world of hurt with it bouncing back, but Veronica sticks her foot out behind her, easily catching it. She reaches inside for me, hands clasping on the first part she can grab and wrenching me out.
She yanks with so much power, I fall to the ground, nearly banging my head on the bottom of the vehicle. Rocks stab into me everywhere that my body meets the dirt driveway. My hands, knees, thighs, ankles, and butt all sting, making me wince and cry out. “Shit! Do you have to be so rough? Would it kill you to just ask me to get out and follow you wherever you want me to go?”
She smirks down at me. “I haven’t even begun to get rough with you yet. I don’t understand why Reaper was keeping you like this, so whiny and fragile.Boring!”She sings the word, then grabs for me again. I attempt to back away, but it’s no use. This could be my chance to run right now and hide somewhere, but she doesn’t allow me out of her clutches for long enough to even consider it, let alone make an attempt to escape.
“How did you run like that back there? And carry me? None of it makes any sense.”
Veronica shakes her head, dragging me to the front door, passing by various pots of mums in all different colors with fake pumpkins around them. “Stupid humans. Always with the same questions. Your kind are behind the times, sweetheart. I’m a vampire, and essentially, that makes me at the top of the food chain. What do we eat? Innocent, annoying women like you.” She huffs, pulling me inside and tossing me to the floor. “Now hold still a minute.”
I’m dumb enough to listen, hoping to save myself from her bruising grip, only for her to send a swift kick to my ribs. I scream, my arms moving to clutch my middle. “What the fuck!” I yell, tears clouding my vision. This woman is pure evil, and it’s infuriating that I can’t defend myself, but with her bruising strength, it’s futile as she tosses me around like I’m a rag doll.
“Had to make sure if you try to escape, it hurts.” She laughs, leaving me there, still clutching my side in pain.
She leisurely strides into the kitchen to the island that’s brightly lit up by multiple recessed lights. There are various decorative pumpkins and a napkin holder, along with a glass pitcher on the middle of the counter. She immediately reaches for the pitcher along with a wine glass. It’s the type you use for sweet tea, but it’s not tea in the pitcher. I can’t help but watch every move she makes, wary that she’ll inflict more pain on me. Her actions have been unpredictable from the moment I met her, so I’m afraid she’s about to make me chopped liver at this rate.
She fills the glass up to the top with rich, dark red liquid. Even being this far away, I can make out the color by how brightly the lights are in that room. A new sense of dread fills my stomach. The reality of my situation in front of me only makes the pain seem much worse.
I know she’s drinking blood…something inside just senses it. She truly believes she’s a vampire, and with her freaky speed and unnatural strength, it has me starting to believe it too.
I knew I was in a pickle, but this is bad. How in the hell am I supposed to escape from a living, breathing vampire? Is she even living, or is it true what they say about them dying first to become a vamp? She sure does look alive to me right now, as she gulps down that glass of blood like it’s the best wine she’s ever tasted.
My mouth waters, but I swallow it away, silently telling myself it’s only happening since I’m out of sorts, and not because I truly want to drink the blood she has. That would be insane and gross, and it makes no sense why the thought would come to me in the first place.
I clench my eyes closed a beat, trying to catch my breath and work past the pain in my ribs, along with everywhere else. I took a battering in the past hour, and my body is not happy about it in the slightest. This getting older crap is for the birds. I feel like I went to bed last night and woke up in the freaking Twilight Zone today.
With a sigh, I attempt to glance around carefully without moving my body at all. I take in my surroundings, cataloging everything as efficiently as possible, noting I’m on the living room floor. This is obviously not Veronica’s house, and I confirm as much when my stare falls on framed pictures of a woman and a man, appearing to be in their seventies. There are other pictures as well, with them and multiple other people. It looks like they have a big family, with four kids and a handful of grandkids. Their poor family, I feel bad for them losing someone who they undoubtedly love, by the way their expressions are lit up in the pictures.
My perusal doesn’t stop there as I take in all the furniture. There’s an old couch with an Afghan strewn across the back, a set of fluffy chairs that I’d bet rock and recline, two side tables with lamps, and underneath a basket full of magazines and books with another basket full of yarn. I bet the couple sat there in the evenings, one knitting, while the other rooted through magazines, spending time together.
This home has an open concept, so I can see into the dining room as well. There’s a massive pine table with about ten chairs placed all around it. I squint, peering at the middle. It looks like there’s something in the center of it, probably one of those tiered tray thingies full of seasonal decorations. I can’t really tell in my position; I can only see the edge of it. I bet if they were close enough to town, they’d be one of the houses handing out all the good candy for Halloween.
My stare pings back to the kitchen. The pitcher is now a quarter empty, with the wine glass left behind. She was thirsty, and that’s pretty terrifying to consider.
The kitchen is your standard farmhouse set up with hanging shelves, exposed beams, lots of jars filled with canned food, and a couple of cast-iron pans. A window is over the large farmhouse-style sink, with a basket of fruit next to a bread container, and a paper towel holder on the counter. It’s pretty clean, which tells me the lady in the photos took great pride in her home.
One important thing I notice is that Veronica’s nowhere in sight. I quickly confirm as much by glancing at the hallway that I’m sure leads to some bedrooms and bathrooms. Do vampires pee like normal people? If so, I hope she falls into the toilet and needs a shower to give me some more time. I doubt it’ll happen, but I’m not above wishing petty stuff to happen to her at a moment like this.
The kitchen is right there…Meaning knives must be in one of the drawers. I quickly run my gaze along the countertops once again, stopping on the block full of knives right next to another decorative pumpkin. These people apparently love fall, I realize as I take in the fake leaf foliage all over the place.
The knife block is exactly what I need!
My elbows burn as I pull myself across the living room carpet. I’m attempting to remain low and out of sight, in case Veronica happens to pop back in. I have no idea where she went. I didn’t see or hear her leave the room, but I’m not allowing this opportunity to pass me up.
I continue to low crawl while my side screams in protest, refusing to allow it to keep me from possibly escaping. I eventually make it around to the side of the couch, only to gasp in shock. My body slams to a halt as I cringe at the sight before me. I had nearly crawled right into a body lying on the floor!
I lean up, realizing it’s not one, but two bodies. The homeowners, I suspect, appear pale and dead, but also bore an uncanny resemblance to the folks in the pictures. Somehow, I knew she’d killed them, but I was hoping for the best. Apparently, that’s not the case here, and I need to take this at face value. The woman is not afraid to kill people, and I’m undoubtedly the next one on her list. I need to pull myself together, garner any amount of strength I can muster, and get the hell out of here.
“Stupid, stupid human,” Veronica mutters as she comes back into the room.
I instantly freeze up, turning my head and closing my eyes so it looks like I’ve passed out as well, in case she checks on me.
She moseys around the kitchen and the dining room for a few seconds before becoming silent and pausing her perusal. A beat later, she huffs, continuing to talk to herself. “Of course, this one passes out. She’s weak.” Veronica pauses long enough to take a drink, and I concentrate on breathing slowly, even though I was shocked as shit by the body I stumbled upon.
She continues, still on a tirade. “I should’ve snapped her neck in front of Reaper. He has nerve, thinking I’d allow him to court this human. He’s lost his touch if he believes I wouldn’t eventually come through town to take a peek in on him. Then, when I found this little tart covered in his scent, and him following her around like a lost puppy, not owning her will as a powerful vampire should, I had to step in.” She sighs. “Unbelievable, the mess he’s creating for himself. We don’t mix with the humans; we drink their blood and kill them. Silly man.”
This woman is batshit, and I have no idea how I’m supposed to escape her if she’s in the same room. Not to mention, I have no idea where I am, as she’s brought us out to the sticks somewhere. Not only do I have to get away from her, but I have to find the key fob to one of the vehicles because there’s no way I can walk far enough to get the help I need. My ribs hurt too badly to outright run, so it’s out of the question at the moment.
