Red Dyed Eyes (Dead Blood Series: Book 1)

Chapter 13

 After the funeral Ivy kept her emotions in like the soldier she was trained to be. When she got inside she went to her room and laid down without bothering to change or see anyone. She curled up into a ball, holding her knees to her chest.  Just then, there was a knock on her door.

 "Ivy are you ok?"Andy asked quietly from behind the door. Ivy got up and answered.

 "I just want to be alone." Ivy said. Andy came in and wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt tears well up in her eyes, but pushed them down and took a deep breath.

 "I just can't believe this.  That was my family, my blood.  I was going to become one of them.  A-a monster..." She drifted off, lost in sadness and panic. Andy picked her up bridal style and set her on the bed.

 Laying down next to he said, "But you didn't become a monster, and you are here. You have friends and a sister, and not to toot my own horn, but me too.  This is a new start." Ivy scooted closer to him and nestled her head into his chest. "We may not be perfect but we're family, and no monsters will ever change that." he said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

 "How do you always know exactly how to cheer me up?"

 He shrugged.  "It's a gift."

 Ivy say up and kissed his cheek, smiling at him. Andy put his hands on Ivy's hips and kissed her softly. His lips sent electricity through Ivy's whole body, enticing her to deepen the kiss. She pressed her mouth against his firmly, their lips moved in sync with each other. Andy ran his hands down, caressing her gently. In response, Ivy moved her hands under Andy's shirt, feeling his muscles. She grazed his hips and pulled him closer. They made out passionately, and Andy pulled away only slightly to look at her.

 She opened her eyes. "Is there something wrong?" Ivy whispered. Andy stared at her, absolutely beaming.

 Ivy giggled. "What?" she asked playfully.

 "I love you." he said, gazing at her in complete bliss. Ivy froze; she didn't know what to do and she lay there staring at Andy blankly.

 "I love you Andy." she said. She had decided to say it to prevent any hurt feelings, but as the words left her she realized they were true. They laid on the bed with their foreheads together, wrapped in a spaceless embrace. Andy kissed her and they quickly returned to their make out session. Running her hands down his body, Ivy began undo his belt.

 Again Andy broke their kiss. "Wait wait, are you sure about this Ivy?" he asked her.

 Ivy looked at him. "I've never felt this way about anyone else in my life. And even though it's still a little early, I've never been more sure about anything in my whole life." Andy kissed Ivy's neck, making her moan, and things escalated from there.

 About a hour later Andy had left her to go take a shower and get some sleep because the night was almost over. She had been wearing his batman tee shirt when he left, so she slipped on some black pajama shorts and climbed into bed. Smiling, she drifted off to sleep.

•••

 Ivy stood in a long room full of endless darkness. She was standing along one of the end walls, which were free of doors, windows, or anything hanging. She frantically ran her fingers along them, searching for a seam or crack that may create a way out but found nothing.

 Suddenly she heard a faint whisper behind her. "Ivy, Ivy." a familiar voice called out but she couldn't quite place it. She cautiously walked down the hall, holding her hands up in a fighting stance.-"Ivy...Ivy!" The voice cried out more loudly this time. It was Andy and Ivy stopped, lowering her guard.

 "Ivy!" he screamed. She bolted down the hallway, pushing her legs as fast as they would go. When she reached the end of the hall there was a tall window that let in a faint glow of moonlight. Outside was Andy, his hands pressed against the window calling for Ivy, and a look of panic on his face. She ran to him and put her hand on the thick glass.

 "Ivy!" he called again in panic, looking past her. Ivy turned and saw a roar of bright orange flames coming toward her. She folded her hands together and began to bang against the glass. The flames engulfed her and she felt the most intense pain she had ever felt in her whole life.

•••

 Ivy shot up in bed, shaking and drenched in sweat. She immediately began to cough and realized that the room was filled with thick black smoke. Flames were crawling along the two opposite walls and grew as they reached the door and began to spread.

*****

 Kat was awakened by the roar of flames and breaking glass. She quickly grabbed a small black box and secured it into the back of her shorts. She scrambled for the door as her bed caught fire. She ran down three burning hallways as they became engulfed by the fire.

 When she turned down Ivy's hallway she saw Andy heading her way.  "Kat what's going on?" he shouted at her. A large beam crumbled and fell between them, nearly missing Andy.

 "I don't know but you need to get out of here!" she yelled at him.

 "I can't leave her! Ivy's still in there!"

 "All the more reason for you to leave!"

 "But-"

 "If you leave now you can both still make it!" Andy looked at her through the haze and ran back the way he came.

 Ivy's door was almost complete on fire so Kat reached and pulled the door off its hinges with her mind. Rushing in, she saw Ivy smashing the window with the butt of her large hunting knife. Ivy turned and shared a look of panic with her sister. Kat made her way to the window and both girls rammed the thick glass, pressing all their weight against it. Ivy gave it one last ram and the glass shattered. Kat and Ivy jumped and rolled out the window, running for the forest and away from the wreckage that was once their home.

 Kat looked back and saw eight black figures standing with torches, watching the house burn as the sun peaked over the horizon.

*****

 Ivy continued to push on, searching somewhere for her and Kat to hide. They came upon a small cave near a brook miles into the forest. Running in it, the sisters collapsed to the ground attempting to catch their breath. Ivy looked over at her sister with sadness. Her left leg had been burned in the house but it had already began to heal, leaving her skin pink and raw. Both girls had been singed by the sunlight and their skin smoked in small red patches where the sun had especially irritated it.

 A tear rolled down Kat's cheek and Ivy moved over to her and wrapped her in a hug. Kat cried and Ivy tried and failed to calm her. She wanted to tell Kat that everything would be okay but couldn't.  She didn't know what would happen to them. Everything seemed hopeless.  The life that Ivy had just grabbed hold of was slipping through her fingers.