The Evil Within

Midnight Talks

Thank you again for being so nice! There goes the last part :) (most likely)
______________________________

Barnes drove us to the hospital. We arrived nearly at the same time as the ambulance since the inspector put on the siren and ignored every traffic light that he could find. The others were talking to me, but I didn't really listen. I couldn't get Lockwood's face out of my head, his shocked eyes staring at me. His blood running through my fingers. In fact my hands were still dark red and wet.
At the hospital Barnes barked at a few nurses until we were led into a waiting room with white plastic chairs, a table with a kettle and a few cheesy paintings of sunsets.
A blonde youth in nurse uniform with a clipboard came in, "Are you Anthony Lockwood's family?"
Holly stepped in, "Yes, that's us."
The guy frowned, "All of you?"
George rolled his eyes, "No of course not. His family is dead. Can you tell us how he's doing?"
Suddenly my vision blurred. I had a hard time concentrating on the nurse's words, he said something about blood. The neon light hurt my eyes, I could feel a headache coming on. My mind started spinning and I lost my balance. Then everything went black.

"Lucy?"
Light beamed through my eyelids. Squinting, I slowly opened them to see green plaid curtains and a TV on the wall opposite. A face hovered above me.
"Hey sleepy head! How are you?" George spread cookie crumbs over my pillow.
I was lying in a hospital bed, a tube in my arm. My head was still spinning, but the headache was better. It smelled clinically, like disinfectant, it made me a little sick.
"What happened?" my mouth was dry.
"You fainted. Low blood sugar, they said. When was the last time you ate?"
I rubbed my eyes, "I don't know... In the villa?"
"Lucy, that's about two days ago." he handed me a glass of water, "They said you might need some water."
I nodded, "Thank you. How long was I out?"
"The whole night. You were unconscious for an hour and then you slept like a stone."
Then it hit me, "Lockwood?!"
George shrugged, "Lost a lot of blood, it was critical. But he made it. Still knocked out though."
"Actually he isn't.", Kipps was standing in the door, "He just woke up, but he's on painkillers, so he didn't say much except that he wants to leave. The doctors want to keep him another night though. I mean, he does have a hole in his stomach."
I felt a sting in my chest. A hole that I had made.
"So, can I at least leave?"I asked, brushing hair out of my face.
"I'll go ask." Kipps left, not without sneering at George.

I was released shortly after. My legs were still a little wobbly, so George helped me in and out of the cab. Kipps went home and apparently Holly stayed for news about Lockwood. Usually that would have bothered me, but right now I just wanted to sleep and talk to no one.
In fact I ended up staying in my bed for another two days, because of course I had to get a migraine. I never had one before and it was awful. My head seemed to explode and contract at the same time, when I got up to go to the toilet, I felt like I was on a boat in a hurricane.
In the mean time Lockwood came home, but apparently he mainly slept as well. Holly sometimes brought me food, but I barely touched it, all I cared about was silence and closed curtains.
The third night I woke up with the headache was nearly gone. I still felt like I had been overrun by a bus but at least I could walk straight.
I looked at my alarm clock. 2:27 pm. Good timing, Lucy. I slowly, one foot at a time, got up and went into the bathroom. I switched on the shower and waited for it to get warmer, while I checked myself in the mirror. Wow, I looked like shit. Bags under my eyes, even paler face than usual, greasy disgusting hair. At least the hair I could fix.
I took off the sweaty oversized shirt I had stolen from George for the summer months. London was usually rainy, but summer was surprisingly hot. Which by the way was great when your head felt like it was about to crack.
I stepped in and felt water running down my back. After a while I turned down the heat more and more until it was freezing. I needed that right now, I wanted to clear my head.
When I got out I felt better already. With a fresh mind I wrapped myself in a towel, then I put on panties and a tank top. My tummy let me know that a bowl of soup and some toast wasn't enough for two days, so I stepped downstairs.
Everything was dark, just the ghost light from outside on the street caused little shadows in the kitchen. Everything looked milky and silvery, the tiles shimmered, so did the dishes in the sink. Apparently George had cooked soup, I smiled, yes, tomato soup, Holly had brought me some.
That meant... I opened the fridge: Jackpot, they had saved some!
I poured some into a bowl and put it in the microwave. While waiting I looked out of the window into the post-possession world. It looked so calm, so peaceful. You could almost say beautiful if it wasn't for the white transparent shape in a garden across the street.
"Can't sleep?" a voice behind me.
I jumped so much that I nearly slipped barefoot on the kitchen tiles. My hand grabbed the counter and in the last second I stabilized,then turned around.
Lockwood stood there, arms crossed, smiling. It was the first time that we met ever since I nearly stabbed him to death.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." it was his warm smile, the one I liked most.
"It's okay." I still dramatically held my chest.
He was wearing pyjama bottoms, but no shirt. Puzzled I realized that I had never seen him shirtless before, not
in two years. Not that his too tight shirts let any room for imagination, but it was still... Weird. My eyes fell on the huge bandage on the left side of his tummy. Oh. Also apparently his obsession for rapier training whenever he had some free time payed off. He was still quite skinny, but his arms were defined, just as his shoulders.
He snapped me back to reality, "I can't sleep either. Every time I close my eyes I see that poor woman crying in front of me. You?"
I raised my brows, "When I close mine I see you bleeding out under my hands."
He hesitated, "Yes... About that..." he came closer, "You did the right thing back there. It probably felt terrible, but you didn't have another option. Let's call it collateral damage."
I didn't look at him, "It's still my fault. If I hadn't stepped out of the stupid chain circle you wouldn't have tried to save me. Again. It wouldn't have possessed you."
"No, no, Lucy, please don't do that to yourself!" he shook his head, "Something would have happened eventually! We all knew that it would be dangerous, it's not your fault!"
I leaned against the counter, "Why does it feel so terrible then?"
He smirked, "Because you still stabbed your best friend."
I chuckled, "What makes you think that you're my best friend?"
"Oh... Well... I just..." he stuttered, "You know, I mean..."
I grinned, "Chill, of course you are."
I wished I had waited a little longer, he was just about to blush. I also had never seen him blush before.
He smiled, "Oh, okay. Er, there's something else. " he scratched the back of his head, avoiding my look, "About the stuff that ghost said..."
"He loved to talk, you'll have to be more specific."
He nodded, "Right. What he said about Holly. You know, I do think she's nice and pretty, but... I'm not... You know... In love with her."
I couldn't help but smile, "Shouldn't you tell that Holly?"
He bit his lip, "Oh yes, I did... I just thought you'd want to know...Sorry, you probably don't care." Now he blushed. So there was that.
I chuckled, "No, it's fine. Good to know."
He scratched his head again, eyeing me gingerly. I waited for him to say something, but he just smiled at me, flustered.
Suddenly I remembered my soup, I was starving. I turned around and took it out of the microwave. It smelled amazing, a little bit spicy. I opened up the cutlery drawer, when Lockwood suddenly grasped my shoulder and kissed me. Oh.
His hand wandered from my shoulder to my neck, his fingers tangling in my damp hair. His lips were incredibly soft and warm, also they tasted of peppermint tooth paste. I realized that I probably had terrible breath and right after that my eyes were still open which was really weird. I closed them as he took the bowl out of my hands, set it on the counter and pulled me closer, all without stopping the kiss. I wasn't sure what to do, but his arm around my waist felt pretty good.
My whole body tingled everywhere he touched me, his stomach pressed against mine, my fingers brushing over his pale chest. I could feel his heart beating fast against my hand, just like mine. He smiled into the kiss, his (unnaturally) perfect teeth shortly pressed against my lips.
This was pretty perfect regarding the fact that I had no idea of kissing, neither did Lockwood. Or at least I believed so. What if he did? Oh God, did he?
He stopped, "I can feel you over thinking." he whispered.
"I was just wondering if you have experience with this whole thing."
"How would I?" he frowned.
I shrugged, "You're a good looking guy. You tell me."
He examined me briefly, then he shook his head, "There is no one else but you. Even during the time you were gone."
I looked into his dark brown eyes that were partially covered by strands of his hair. He had this Bambi look, the one you can't say no to.
It was my turn to pull him to me. I kissed him, this time more confident. Everything was more confident. I had missed trusting him and now I did more than ever before. I would never let him go again.