Chapter Fourteen (Alexander)
"Achoo!"
"I thought vampires didn't get sick." Mark said with a smirk as he bit into a Twizzler, ripping it in half with his teeth, grimacing as one caught on his fang and he tried to use his tongue to flick it off. I frowned, rubbing my nose about to say something about an irritation, but Amber spoke first.
"You know, they believe that in Japan, if you sneeze, someone's talking about you." She pointed out with a smile before sipping at her McDonalds drink, her legs crossed under the marble table we were sitting at outside. I averted my eyes, sipping the blood I'd slipped into my McDonalds cup. I glanced at Storm, who sipped his blood in a thermos silently, ignoring all of us as if doing that would make all our problems go away.
He was still angry and I didn't blame him.
"So, where are we anyway?" Mark asked, leaning over by Amber to look at the map that we had spread out on the table. The only lights came from the gas station slash McDonalds we'd stopped at about midnight. Amber leaned over to scan the map.
"We're here on this dot," She answered, placing her thumb on the map as she popped a french fry dipped in blood into her mouth, "It's not even a town. Just a rest stop, really. We're about half an hour away from Red Field."
"Speaking of red," Mark said, shaking his empty bag of Twizzlers, "Can we buy more of these?"
"Those aren't even healthy for you." Storm scolded, taking the bag and tossing it into a nearby garbage can. Mark rested his elbows on the table, his head in his hands as he pouted.
"It doesn't matter anymore, right? I'm a v... Uh, well, you know. Come on, please? Just one more bag and I'll stop asking for the rest of the trip." He promised, clasping his hands together under his chin. I was surprised to see Storm buckle down, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a five dollar bill that he handed to Mark.
Not wanting him to go alone, I followed at his heels as we entered the gas station and Mark went straight for the Twizzlers, only to pause and grab a small bag of Reese's Pieces. I raised an eyebrow, leaning on the shelf beside the candy to watch him search for more.
"You know, just because we can't get sick and die doesn't mean you can binge like that." I warned as he picked up a Hershey bar. Mark nibbled his lower lip before glancing up at me.
"It distracts me from wanting blood." He admitted. I blinked, lowering my arms and pushing off the shelf to look at him curiously.
"It does?" I asked. Mark nodded.
"And I don't want to use up what little we have, so I rather eat myself into a diabetic coma that'll probably only last like, two minutes." He replied brightly. I stared at him, surprised. I never thought I'd see Mark look so... alive. Before when he'd been human, he seemed almost... Well, literally dead, but also metaphorically. He was a zombie, stocking up on drugs and pot and enough cigarettes that I'm surprised he didn't end up with lung cancer.
"Well, if it helps, then go ahead." I said, admitting defeat. Mark smiled at me, but his smile melted and he dropped the candy to the floor. I frowned in concern.
"Mark?" I demanded. He grabbed onto the shelf and almost hit the floor, but I caught him under the arms as he panted hard for breath, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth.
"Everything all right over there?" The owner asked cautiously from behind the counter.
"He's just feeling sick. Where's your bathroom?" I asked. He pointed to a door in the back and I managed to help Mark to the bathroom where he slumped to his knees, gripping the sides of his head tightly, curling up into a tight ball on the floor. I shut the door and locked it, whirling around to drop to my knees beside him.
"Mark? What's happening?" I demanded, touching his back. Mark whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut.
"It hurts!"
"What hurts?"
"Everything! Someone's honking their horn too loud!"
"What?"
"Metal! It sounds like metal crunching against metal! It's so loud! Make it stop!" Mark wailed, covering his ears tightly as he curled up tightly. I cringed and put my arm around him, putting my hands over his ears as he shook.
What the hell was he talking about? What horn? What metal? I listened to the sounds around me, concentrating hard, but there was only the sound of cars pulling in and out of the gas station and the register chinging. I looked down at Mark, who panted hard for breath.
Was he remembering what happened before he turned?
We sat there for a while as Mark screamed into the floor for everyone to stop being so loud. He mentioned something about cars and I assumed he was remembering the death of his parents. Something inside me felt hollow at that and I put my arms around Mark tightly, holding him against my chest as he writhed in pain, covering his ears and digging his nails into his skin.
The pain seemed to slowly to subside until Mark was curled up against me, staring straight ahead at the floor. I frowned, tilting my head to look into his face.
"Mark?" I asked. Mark blinked and looked up at me.
"My parents are dead?" He asked, his voice cracking. I grimaced. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have someone tell you that twice in your life. I only nodded before Mark looked away. He didn't cry or scream or anything now, just sat there in silence.
"I'm sorry." I said at last, letting go of him as he sat in front of me, his legs bent and on either side of him, his hands on the tiled floor.
"Why? I didn't know them." Mark managed. I frowned.
"You did at one time." I pointed out. I winced as tears welled in Mark's eyes as he stared at the floor in horror, running a hand through his hair before clenching it in his fist.
"I-I don't remember them. I don't even remember what they looked like. I just... remember being in pain. So much pain... I remember the car accident. The car that came at us from the next lane over. He just... tore right out in front of us. I remember sitting there and I know someone was smiling at me, but I couldn't see anything else, but his smile... I think... He was my dad. He was smiling at me just seconds before the car hit us head-on." His voice trembled and my heart ached. I wanted to reach out and comfort him, but I knew that was the last thing he wanted.
He just wanted to tell me about what happened and I let him. I sat there quietly as Mark recounted the way he snapped back in his seat, getting whiplash as he was thrown forward against his seatbelt. His head slammed into the front seat and he remembered grabbing the seat, glass cutting into his hands.
Tears fell down his cheeks steadily, but he vigorously rubbed them away, taking deep breathes.
"I don't understand," He wept, "I don't remember them. Why can't I remember them? I remember how they died... Why not them?"
"I don't know, Mark," I admitted honestly, risking to reach out and touch his shoulder, relieved as he looked up at me sadly, "But, don't worry. If your memory of this came back, maybe your other memories will slowly start to come back too."
"I don't even know if I want them to," Mark sniffled, wiping the back of his hand on his cheek before sniffing again and looking at me in pain, "It hurts when they come back. I don't want to remember those things. I don't want to remember pain. I don't want to remember people dying." I didn't say anything for a while, just watched him calm himself down. We rose to our feet as he splashed his face with water and I went to pay for his candies.
I stood by the door, waiting for Mark to come out as another customer walked in and almost bumped into me. I blinked and looked up, going still at the sight of the black haired man with piercing blue eyes.
"Sorry about that. Are you hurt?" He asked, his French accent thick. I stared at him and slowly shook my head, watching as he went to the back where the beers were. Mark was just coming out, brushing his fingers under his eyes as he came up to me.
"Are we leaving now?" He asked, sniffing one last time. I frowned, glancing past him at the guy at the freezers before nodding. I took his hand and led him outside where Amber and Storm were waiting by the Jeep.
Something felt wrong. There was a foreign scent that clung to the air, making it thick. I glanced at Mark to see if he had noticed, but he seemed totally oblivious. Maybe it was just me, I figured as we went to the Jeep.
"I thought you said just Twizzlers." Storm muttered as Mark and I climbed in the back, opening the bag of candies. Mark blushed, sticking a Twizzler in his mouth as he spoke.
"It's buy one get one free candies. Don't get your panties in a bunch." He replied defensively before chewing the Twizzler up. Storm rolled his eyes, sitting back in his seat as Amber started the engine and Storm made a comment about no more stops at gas stations. Mark snorted, leaning forward with his cheek against the seat, peering up at Storm.
"If we're supposed to get married, you're not gonna act like this all the time, are you? Because I like candy." He pointed out. I didn't say anything, just slumped in my seat against the door as Storm sighed.
"I'm just watching out for you." He answered, making me glance at him. He saw me watching him in the rear view and immediately looked out the window as Mark sighed, then paused to study Storm's serious expression. Mark frowned and scooted up closer, reaching between the two front seats and taking Storm's hand. Storm blinked, his eyes widening in surprise for a moment before he looked at Mark, who smiled.
"We'll be fine. Don't look so serious." He said softly. I blinked and looked at Amber in the rearview as she looked back at me, her eyebrows lifting in amazement. I looked back at Storm, who melted slowly and leaned back on the seat, squeezing Mark's hand in his.
"I hope so." He said quietly. Mark smiled. I was surprised he recovered so quickly from the incident in the gas station, but nonethless relieved. Then I remembered the guy at the gas station. I frowned, leaning back and looking out the window to think.
It had to be him that gave off the aura. Something about him didn't feel right.
"Ugh, how rude," Amber said aloud, making us glance at her as she maneuvered through the traffic on the high way, "This asshole is totally riding my ass." I frowned and glanced behind us at the Silverado that rode up behind us with tinted windows. I started to look away when I saw the look on Mark's face.
The color had drained away, his eyes wide as he stared straight ahead. Storm noticed that Mark's grip on his hand had loosened, making him look at Mark in concern.
"Mark?"
"Drive faster." Mark managed, suddenly looking up. Amber raised an eyebrow.
"You know, I'm all about speed and breaking the laws, but right now we can't afford to get--"
"Drive faster! Now!" Mark cried, letting go of Storm to lean between the seats for the wheel.
"Mark, sit down!" Storm exclaimed, grabbing Mark and pulling him back just as something bumped the back of Amber's Jeep, sending us all lunging forward. Amber's eyes went wide as she looked in the rear view mirror, pushing harder on the gas.
"How did you know that was going to happen?" I demanded, sitting forward and gripping the handle on the door. Mark was shaking badly, still leaning between the front two seats.
"The same thing happened. The car crash. Someone was tail gating my father too, just before he crashed! Keep an eye on the road! Don't look away! There's another one coming!" He ordered when Amber started to look at him as if he were insane. I grimaced as Storm stared at Mark, then looked past him at me.
"He's telling the truth." I announced and explained the situation back at the gas station, making Storm glare at me.
"You didn't think to tell us before?" He demanded. I scowled.
"I didn't think it was totally relevent or the fact that the guy would come after us in a truck two times bigger than our car!" I snapped angrily.
"Everyone just shut the hell up!" Amber ordered, his voice making even Mark sink back in his seat, staring at her in surprise. Amber hit the gas harder, making us almost hit the wind shield as she zoomed past several cars and a semi.
"I need to concentrate! Lemme know when he's gonna ram me and someone needs to keep an eye out for a second or third vehicle!" She ordered.
"I got the rear." I said, turning to see the Silverado dodge past the semi, speeding up to get closer. Amber quickly jerked us to the right. She kept her foot on the gas pedal, her eyes locked on the road in serious concentration.
"There!" Storm announced, pointing toward another Silverado that was zooming down the other side of the highway. Amber smirked, gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes.
"All righty, assfucks, let's see what you got." She seethed and swerved into the left lane, right in the path of the Silverado on the other side of the highway.
"What're you doing?!" Storm demanded in dismay.
"Shut your face and watch how ladies deal with assholes like these!" Amber announced. Mark squirmed in the back seat until I took his hand. He looked at me quickly, then ducked against my chest as the Silverado on the other side tore off their lane and right into ours. At the same time, Amber jerked us to the right.
My eyes widened in realization as I snapped my head in time to see the Silverados crash into each other, head on in an explosion. Hot flames screamed through the air, leaping onto other cars, causing them to swerve and a couple to flip over.
"Hang on!" Amber shouted as the Jeep teetered toward the ditch. I gasped and ducked down, wrapping my arms around Mark instantly as we huddled close. The Jeep drove off the side of the highway and flew into the ditch, just narrowly missing a giant oak before we plunged fender first into an ice cold pond.
"Get out!" I heard Storm's voice yell from the front. I jerked my head up just as the front of the car filled with water and Amber kicked her door open, scrambling out into the cold water. Mark grabbed onto me, gasping for breath.
"Mark, calm down! You're going to hyperventilate!"
"I'm a vampire! I can't hyperventilate! Get me out of here! Get me out!"
"Hold on! Grab onto my sweatshirt!" I ordered. Mark obeyed and clung to the back of my sweatshirt as the water engulfed the entire front seats. I grabbed the door handle and shoved the door open, quickly wading out and taking Mark with me. We managed to scramble out onto the shore of the pond, soaking wet to the bone and cold as hell.
Mark and I huddled together, watching Amber and Storm work frantically to salvage anything in the Jeep.
"Son of a bitch!" Amber cursed aloud, making us frown. Storm withdrew with our cooler of blood, struggling against the water and his soaking clothes as he made it to the shore where Mark and I stood. Amber came trudging out angrily, throwing her hat in the water. She came onto the shore of the pond, looking up where smoke and fire grasped at the cloudy sky above.
"Fuck you, assholes! I hope you burn in Hell!" She yelled hatefully, then whirled around.
"At least we're alive." I offered, but Amber wouldn't have it as she kicked at the water, splashing it toward her now half sunken Jeep.
"Not only did it take me years to get that stupid tin can of a vehicle, but all our stuff is in there! We only have enough blood to last us two days! Two days! What're we gonna do after that?! Drink from hobos?!" She fumed, then kicked at the mud on the shore a few times, going on with her rant. I sighed and glanced at Mark, who shivered while his teeth chattered.
I wanted to do something to help him, but Storm was ahead of me and put his arms around Mark from behind him, holding him close. Mark's teeth ceased their chattering as he tilted his head to look up at Storm, who avoided his gaze as he scanned the area.
"We can't stay here," He said at last, gripping Mark to him tightly as Mark put his hands on Storm's arms, "They might have had someone watching to make sure their plan worked. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. This forest should lead us right into Red Field, but it'll take us about a couple hours. Moving will heat us up and hopefully dry off our clothes." I looked at him, then nodded before I looked at Amber, who stood knee deep in the pond, frowning at us.
"Come on, Amber. You did a great job," I added, watching her blink, "You saved us a dangerous car chase and put on a nice fireworks display. It's distraction enough for us to get away." I held my hand out to her. She stared at me for a while, then sighed and came clomping out of the mud, taking my hand as I helped her out.
We turned to Storm and Mark. Storm had Mark's hand gripped in his tightly before he nodded and picked up the cooler with his other hand, beginning the trek through the woods. Amber and I followed close behind as we heard sirens screeching in the distance.
The whole way, I couldn't help, but think...
What else is Zephyra gonna throw at us?
And would we be lucky next time?