As we got back to our place, Chica barked happy to see the five of us, but when she saw how Mark looked, she immediately stopped barking and whined.
"It's okay Chica." Mark assured her. "Daddy's okay!"
"Mark, I can't get this wounds to stitch up!" Amy stated. "They keep bleeding through!"
"Well, just keep trying!" Mark demanded.
"I've tried!" Amy exclaimed. "Nothing's working! I'm sorry Mark, but we need to get you to the hospital!"
"I'm not going to a hospital!" Mark shouted.
"It's either that or you die Mark!" Amy shouted back.
"GIVE ME THE DAMN THING!" Kathryn intervened. "If I can stitch him back together, no hospital. But if I can't, we go to the hospital! No more arguing!"
Everybody stayed silent as Kathryn began to try and stitch Mark's wounds. Mark looked over at me.
"How're you feeling kid?" Mark asked me.
"I feel okay." I responded. "I guess still a little shaken up from that ghoul trying to attack me."
"Were you nervous at all or anything?" Mark asked. "Afraid?"
"Not really no..." I said, "I felt more adrenaline induced than anything."
"Then maybe it was your scent that caught him off guard." Mark explained. "Usually ghouls attack humans if they have good scents. If not that, they attack the most scared."
"Humans have scents?" I asked.
"They can smell your blood and depending on what type of blood you have, they could consider you their next meal." Mark explained.
I nodded. Of course I knew that. I'm the type of ghoul who doesn't care about blood types. If there's a human and they smell good, I go after them. I don't study what type of blood they have.
"A-And why are you afraid of going to a hospital?" I asked.
Mark sighed, "It's not just because I had to watch my parents die in one, but every time I go there, there's always an innocent victim dying from being attacked by a ghoul. Sometimes they're kept alive for research, almost like torture. I can't bear to witness anything like that anymore. Which is why I rely on you guys to try and patch me up so I don't have to."
"Well..." Kathryn interrupted. "I hate to admit it Mark, but I've tried my best and you're bleeding pretty heavily."
"Well keep trying!" Mark exclaimed.
"Mark I can't go any deeper with the stitching and you're bleeding out!" Kathryn explained. "If we don't take you to a hospital now you're going to die!"
Mark was silent for a minute. But Amy, Kathryn and Tyler didn't like the silence. So without letting him give an answer, they grabbed Mark and began forcing him outside and into the car. I went over and helped to A's Mark began screaming and yelling at us. Finally, they got Mark into the car.
Amy looked over at me.
"Hey, would you mind staying and looking after Chica?" Amy asked.
"Sure." I nodded.
Amy smiled as she headed into the car. I watched as the car pulled out of the driveway and drove off. I then headed back inside, where I immediately heard Chica growling at me over in the corner.
"Don't worry Chica." I kept assuring her. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
I walked over to her and reached my arm out so I could pet her. But before I thought I could finally pet her head, she bit the side of my hand and I screamed in pain.
After a few moments I decided to give it another try.
"Chica, don't worry girlie... I'm not going to hurt you. I don't hurt animals like you, and I won't hurt your friends." I assured her.
I grew nervous as I was finally able to pet the rest of her head, but as soon as I did. Chica closed her eyes, as if she was enjoying it. She then laid down and I gave her belly a rub. I smiled.
"Good girl! Good girl!" I smiled.
---
A few hours later, I looked up as the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. I then heard the phone ringing. I didn't know the number but I answered it anyway.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hey Ethan, it's Tyler!" Tyler responded.
"Oh hey!" I exclaimed. "How's Mark doing?"
"They got him patched up and everything, but they're having him stay there until late in the afternoon." Tyler explained. "But I'm going back to the house until then if you don't mind."
"No, not at all." I responded.
"Alright, see you then!" Tyler said.
---
After Tyler had gotten back, we let Chica out for a little bit and we sat and watched the morning news. One of the news reports was that the ghoul we caught earlier had escaped.
"It escaped?" I asked. "How could it have escaped when it was basically dying!"
"Beats me." Tyler shrugged. "But I'm pretty sure it won't go far with the condition it's in."
"I guess not." I said.
I suddenly felt my stomach growling and my mouth watering. I was hungry. But I wasn't hungry to where I could simply eat human food and get away with it for an hour before I had to vomit it back up. I needed to eat.
I looked over at Tyler, suddenly turning away from him as soon as I looked at him.
No... I'm not doing it. I need their trust if I'm going to stay here. But his scent... I wish I could have a bite or something... no... I have to resist.
Tyler looked over at me.
"You okay?" Tyler asked.
"I-I'm fine." I stuttered. "I'm just... hungry."
"We've got food in the fridge." Tyler told me.
"I-I know." I responded.
Tyler looked over at the TV and sighed before standing up. He raised up his hands to the side, outstretched as if he wanted a hug.
"Alright..." Tyler said. "Come at me."
"Wait, what?" I asked confused.
"Ethan, you don't need to hide your secret anymore." Tyler explained. "I know what you are."
My eyes widened and my heart began to race.
"No... no you can't!" I said. "How do you know already?"
"I've known Mark for a long time, and even though he may not know it, I know things better than he does." Tyler explained. "And the very first moment you came in through that door, I knew you were a ghoul. I could read you, you were nervous of us finding out your secret. But you hid it pretty well with everybody else."
"D-Do you know that was me that killed the criminal?" I asked.
"Yeah." Tyler nodded. "I knew you snuck out in the middle of the night too. Even before Chica barked."
My heart was racing, I almost felt like crying. This was it for me. I was going to be exposed no matter what. If I didn't devour Tyler now, he would tell the others, but if I did devour him, everybody would come home to a bloody scene and a missing person, me. They would know right then and there.
Suddenly, Tyler spoke.
"Don't worry, I won't tell them." Tyler assured me. "Consider this an act of trust. If you can feed on me without completely killing me, then I can trust you and I won't tell the group. If not, then I guess they'll all know."
"I don't want to hurt you Tyler." I said.
Tyler smiled, "here..."
Tyler without any hesitation took his shirt off. His bare skin exposing his scent even more, I covered my mouth and nose, trying to resist.
I then noticed a large bandage wrapped around his right shoulder. He then unwrapped the bandages, showing a huge piece of skin ripped off. It looked like a ghoul had gotten him.
"I got this a few weeks ago trying to fight off another ghoul." Tyler explained. "He almost tore my entire arm off."
Tyler then looked over at me.
"You can have some if you'd like." He assured me. "I'm giving you permission."
Suddenly, without any hesitation, I tackled him to the ground, immediately biting down on his skin, tearing off some of his flesh with my teeth and sucking up some of his blood.
"Ethan! ETHAN!" Tyler screamed.
I immediately let go of him. His blood running down my lips. I went wide eyed and my heart raced as I saw blood on the floor along with Tyler moaning, grasping onto his shoulder.
He suddenly laughed and slowly sat up, looking at me. Although I wasn't smiling, I was regretting everything.
"You're a lot stronger than I thought you were kid!" Tyler smiled.
"No..." I choked. "I-I almost killed you."
"Ethan, I--" Tyler spoke.
But I didn't listen. I knew I had to get out of there. Without any hesitation, I made a run for the door. I could hear Tyler screaming my name and telling for me to stop, but I didn't.
Finally, I got out of the house and ran away, not turning my back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just FYI, this isn't a Tythan story. None of my stories are like that, I don't ship it XD
More to come soon!
~Jackir30