Anarameha

Chapter 17

Ana read through the documents, her life in a few pages. Photos of her as she walked around. There was even a photo of the building. The scratch marks on her window were clearly made by this guy. She wondered if he had made it into her apartment. The alarm hadn't been set off. Ana reviewed the footage, fearing that he had made it in. She hadn't thought about checking it yet, too distracted with other things.

The camera showed someone walking along the path, glancing around to check the area before trying to jimmy the window open. She couldn't see his face but knew it was the private detective. Something stopped him.

He must have heard a noise and left. Ana walked past the place ten minutes later.

"That was far too close," she murmured.

She couldn't believe how easily the private detective had found out everything. Ana had tried to be careful. She left the past behind, but it seemed as if it was right behind her. Which is precisely what Garlet said. No matter how far she ran. No matter what she did. It was always there.

With a heavy sigh, Ana returned to the file sitting on the counter. She planned to burn it. Then there would be nothing left to connect. No shredded strips of paper to tape back together, no ripped up pieces that would form a puzzle. Just ashes.

Opening the vents, Ana flicked the lighter. The information began to burn and the smoke filtered up through the vent. When it was nothing but scraps in the tiny sink, she waved away the smoke and shut off the vent.

Ana was tired of the day. It was emotionally draining and heavy on her mind. Looking over her shoulder more than she usually did was proving to be just as tiring. Deciding it was time to say goodnight to the world, she grabbed her bedclothes and wandered into the bathroom.

The shower was refreshing, even if she hadn't spent the night running around the city. Dressed in a tight camisole and her shorts, Ana climbed into bed and let the cat out.

"Go home, you crazy thing."

The cat sauntered away. Ana shook her head with a smile on her face as she closed the window. Then she laid down and stared at the ceiling. The lethargy was gone, replaced with a mind that was now refusing to shut down.

Not far away, a vampire was escaping what was fast becoming a deadly situation. There was never a thought in his mind that he would become involved in this. Jiro wasn't about to blame Ana for it. He'd rather pin the information on the vampire that was now dead. She couldn't defend herself, but even if she could, Jiro wouldn't want to hear it. There was nothing that Marama could say that would change his mind. He was angry at her. She'd caused a lot of damage, and Ana's life was at risk. Now his life too.

Jiro had never walked as fast as he had, at some points running. It wasn't always easy to do that in the crowds. It also made him stand out, which he did not want to do.

He didn't want to drag Ana into this, but he didn't know where else to go or who else to turn to. Jiro could not remember his life before becoming a vampire. He had no idea if he had family or friends.

When he reached the entrance to her apartment, Jiro stopped. There were a lot of humans hanging around the entrance. They were talking, laughing, and it appeared as if they were hanging out. The sight of them reminded Jiro that he hadn't fed.

Hunger burned as his mouth grew dry. The thought of a meal made Jiro salivate. This had to be fixed before he went to Ana's apartment. He would not inflict his hunger upon her.

Turning, he climbed the staircase and searched for a victim to pick off. Preferably somewhere dark so that no one would see him and close to a dumping point. There were always drop points to be found. The problem was that not all of them could be used by a vampire without being seen by dozens of windows. All of them could potentially have many, many eyes behind them.

It didn't take him long to find the perfect situation. Jiro entered the small courtyard area with a narrow dump point and walls surrounding the area. No windows for many levels. This was one of the supports for a building that was home to the more affluent in the levels above. The government hollowed the area out and tried to create parks made of walls with no views. A few plants to pretend it was a garden, benches to sit and contemplate the dreariness of it all, and an odd version of a trash can in the centre. It was all that Jiro needed in his location.

Searching for someone to lure in wouldn't be that difficult. Wait for a human to come close, a quick grab, stifle the screams, bite them, and it's done. There was always someone around. It was the bonus of living in a city that never went to sleep. No matter how many people kept a standard day and night routine, there would always be a large percentage of the population that did not.

Jiro's wait would be longer than he expected. He anxiously paced the path in front of the courtyard and wondered if he'd picked a terrible place. After all, it was a dark and dangerous hole. It was poorly lit. There was no escape except for the one entry point.

Jiro heard footsteps, seeing one of the people hanging out in front of the apartment doors walking towards the courtyard. Slipping into the darkness, he waited for her to walk past and then ensured that she wasn't being followed. Jiro didn't want to be in the middle of taking her life when a partner or friend appeared.

He watched the woman for a few minutes. She was having a cigarette while walking around the area. When she flicked the lit cigarette into the drop point, Jiro shook his head. There were many things that it could incinerate if it landed on something on the way down. He wondered if it would set fire to whatever was in the dump.

Before the woman got too far away from the hole, he moved in swiftly. Her eyes widened, but it was too late. A hand went over her mouth. His fangs tapering in, Jiro leaned into her neck and bit down hard. Fed for another night, he would leave here and seek safety with Ana. At least, he hoped that she would take him in. Maybe she might know of somewhere he could stay. That would be just as acceptable, although Jiro would like to take the opportunity to get to know her better. His hopes were high, and with a bit of luck, they would not be squashed.