Undead Love.

I want that Human.

The two women watch as Keenan runs off into the trees, he moves like an animal, sensing everything around him.

“Launa, Sam knows.” Lydia reports hesitantly.

She looks to the girl wrapped in the bed sheets and sighs. “How?”

“I have no idea.” Lydia answers immediately, protecting herself from Launa’s wrath. “He told me last night.”

“Alright, get that disgusting animal, Warren, out here.” She orders.

Martin leans over the toilet and retches. Painful coughs follow and he tries desperately to catch his breath. Jessica tries to comfort him and to help but he waves her away and screams to be left alone.

“Dad, what can I do?” Jessica begins to panic, he has been this way all day and soon she will have to leave for work.

“Nothing! I don’t need anything!” He wipes his face with a wet flannel and sits up straight, breathing heavily. His body shakes and sweat drips down his brow.

“Let me help you, please.” She begs.

“I don’t need you, Jess! Leave me alone! I didn’t need your mom’s help and I don’t need yours.” Martin spits at her. Jessica steps away from him, shocked. Her mother had died from stress and overworking because she had had to care for him.

“How could you say that?” She whispers, tears forming in her eyes. “How could you say that?!” She screams at him now.  Her father is still shaking and leans over the toilet again, holding his stomach.

“Leave me alone.” He mutters spitefully.

She grabs her car keys and runs from the house, tears wetting her cheeks now. She jumps into her car and drives from the house quickly. She tries to compose herself, the tears blurring the road. She knows where she is going, she goes here whenever things at home become too much for her.

She stops the car and gets out. She looks around herself, she is in a graveyard. It is quiet and empty, no mourning family members or birds chirping in the trees. The sun has just began to make its way down  and the sky is darkening as she makes her way towards a gravestone close to the gates of the graveyard. She finds the stone and sits in front of it, crossing her legs and hiding her face in her hands.

Engraved on the grave stone is the name ‘Samantha Routen.’

“Hey mom.” She whispers, still hiding her face. “You should have heard what he said, mom. It was awful.” She looks up to the stone and wipes tears from her face with the back of her hand. “I miss you so much; I need you back, mom.”

She hides her face again when she hears someone behind her, not wanting to be seen crying. She listens as someone stops beside her and curiosity gets the better of her. She parts her hands slightly and looks to her left. A dog looks back at her.

She lets her hands drop to her lap and looks into the black eyes of the dog. It is a boxer with light brown fur, a black snout and a white marking on the top of its head. It’s scrunched up nose twitches and it shuffles closer to Jessica.

“Hello, where did you come from?” Jessica strokes the dogs back and scratches between its ears. The dog has no collar and she can see that the fur is dirty and knotted.

“Don’t you have a home?” She asks the dog, it barks and rests its two front paws on her lap. She checks her watch and looks back to the dog. “Come on, boy.” She stands and smiles as the dog stays at her heels. “You can come with me.”

“Bye mom.” She whispers and blows a kiss to the gravestone.

While she works Jessica leaves the dog out in the staff parking lot. It is a normal, calm night in the pub and the time goes quickly. She is surprised that the dog is still there when she leaves at midnight; it has sat by her car patiently throughout her six hour shift. It runs to her, tail wagging, and rubs against her legs.

She crouches down and hugs the dog. “My dad will like you, I think.” She smiles when the boxer barks and jumps excitedly. She unlocks her car and opens the back door for the dog to jump in but it is staring at the trees, its nose twitching curiously. It barks and she watches as a doe walks from the trees, into the parking lot. The dog continues to bark and the doe does not seem fazed. 

Jessica watches with confusion as the doe and the dog stare each other down and then shock crosses her face as she sees the shadow of a large creature move behind the doe. It takes a look behind it and without warning bounds back into the trees.

“What was that?” She speaks to herself and moves towards the trees. The dog moves in front of her and nudges her legs, pushing her back to the car. It jumps into the back seats and waits for her to climb in behind the wheel.

“You’re right.” She closes the door behind the dog and climbs into the driver’s seat.

The dog jumps out of the car and looks up at the house. “This is your new home.” Jessica throws her arms out and smiles proudly. She crouches down to stroke him again but is distracted as she looks up to the porch. The front door is open and she can see her father’s wheelchair on its side. She runs to the house and picks up the chair. The back rest had been ripped to pieces and the cushion had been thrown across the room, it appears to have been bitten.

“Dad?” She calls but there is no reply. “Dad?”

She runs into the kitchen and screams at the scene she is met with. Her father is led in a pool of blood and visible on his neck are two fang marks. She drops down on her knees beside him and feels for a pulse but finds nothing. She is in shock and does not know what to do; she turns to look at the dog that is sat by the front door, watching the scene. She rocks back and forth on her knees and begins to call for help.

“Help me, please!”

Blood everywhere...

Her father’s dead body in her arms...

So alone now...

But everything is okay as she looks into the stranger’s eyes. She smiles calmly and introduces herself. “I’m Launa Michaels.”

Launa will make everything okay. She sways from side to side like a snake. “Go to bed, Jessica.” Launa whispers. “I’ll take care of him for you.” Jessica feels as if she should object but she doesn’t. She stands and makes her way up the stairs.

“You didn’t tell me you were going to kill him.” Keenan snaps. He stands up from the doorway and makes his way in to the kitchen. He does not bother to hide his nakedness. “I thought this is what we wanted to avoid?”

“Be a good dog and clear this mess up for me will you?” Launa points to the dead man on the floor with a bored expression.

“I don’t have any clothes.” Keenan points out.

“Well, when you have cleared up the mess you can go and find some clothes, can’t you?” She retorts.

“Why did you do your stupid snake trick on her, I thought we wanted her to remember.” He asks her.

“She will remember, she will remember that she saw her father’s body and evidence that a vampire had attacked him. She won’t remember us.”

“I still don’t understand.” Keenan continues. “I thought you wanted me to keep her away from them, won’t she go running to Sam now?”

“Of course you don’t, pup.” She rolls her eyes. “Do you think she is going to trust vampires after what she has seen? Sam is nothing to her, a stranger, a customer in her pub.” Keenan shakes his head. “A murder.”

“Where are you taking the Human?” He gestures to the body on the ground.

“I’m going to give Sam and his friends another visit.” She replies with a wink. She drags the man’s body across the kitchen and out of the house and Keenan watches as blood is smeared further across the floor.

“A little more cleaning for you, pup.” Launa calls over her shoulder. As Keenan hears her car drive away he sighs, irritated.

“Woof.” He speaks sarcastically as he grabs a mop.