Hush (Venom Epidemic, #1)

Chapter 08 - New Mission

Katrina woke up with a start. She looked around her unrecognized surroundings with a confused expression. She was about to shout in when Fleur's hand clamped around her mouth.

"Shhh! Don't scream!" she brown eyes warned with a hush.

Katrina looked around the car and finally, her eyes landed on the driver. "What the hell happened?" she demanded to the stranger and her friend. "Who brought us here? How did we get here? I – we were–"

"He saved us," Fleur answered to her questions with a thankful gaze at Cruise, who had glanced back. "You fainted. Don't you remember? I got the keys to your house though ... and food. He followed me back to where you were and helped us! Kat, Cruise can take us to a safe place!"

"Cruise?" Katrina asked hesitantly, looking at his side profile.

"That's me," he confirmed. He smiled back at her but didn't receive one back. A smirk left his lips as he turned his attention back onto the road. There were already on the motorway. "Not a cheery one, are you?"

Katrina cleared her throat. "Erm, thank you very much for saving us, but we can take it from here now. You can drop us off over there, where the next intersection ends. I know this area. So you don't need to worry about us strangers."

Cruise slowed down the car to a stop and turned the engine off. He turned around, as much as he could, and threw Katrina an incredulous look. "You think you know what's really happening out there," he challenged. "You won't last a minute without my help."

"We can handle it, we've done it this far," she reasoned. "And never mind you being able to help us, I've already addressed that and even thanked you for it. God knows who you are and what you'd do with us!"

"Listen Kitty-Cat–"

"Katrina."

"Whatever, Kitty-Cat," he ignored her, and received a frown. "I doubt I'd be stupid enough to rape or kill either of you when the rest of the world is in difficulty right now. Not that I would in other circumstances and I'm not that kind of guy, be rest assured for God's sake!" His eyes were as stony as the cold boulders against crashing waves of the sea at night.

Katrina felt slightly embarrassed by her outburst and stayed quiet. She crossed her arms in front of her and leant back against the seat. "Sorry," she mumbled after a paused and blinked up at him. "Thank you for your help. We appreciate it. You went out of your to protect us when you could have left us to be eaten" – She heard Fleur whimper beside her – "by those Blood-suckers."

Cruise smiled faintly and nodded curtly. "Good. Now that the confusion has been clarified, shall focus on getting out of here?" he asked.

Fleur screamed when a grotesque body slammed against her side of the window. It was burning in places and smoke was coming out of it. The red eyes were disgustingly jutting out of the skull as it screamed in blood-lust."

Fleur pushed herself away from it and was glad that the window wasn't cracked. "Oh mon Dieu!" she cried out in her native language as she saw more coming at them. "Ils sont là! Commentsur ​​terrepeuvent-ils nousvoir? Lotd'entre eux!Oh mon Dieu, ainside nombreux!"

Cruise stepped on the accelerator and the tires screeched in protest. "Ne vous inquiétez pasMademoiselleFleur," he replied to her, as the sports car raced forward.

"Oh, my God – that was so close!" Katrina exclaimed whilst looking out behind them, watching the blood-suckers unsuccessful attempts at catching them. Her heart was still hammering in fear and adrenaline when she turned back around. "Fleur are you alright?! And what on earth were you both rambling on about?"