B008GMVYA4 EBOK (17 page)

“I‘m fine, just tired” she lied.

His face warmed with her words.

“You’re late. I’ve been waiting” he said a little more
happily.

“Well, I didn’t think you were going to meet me after what
happened in the club” Madison frowned, turning to walk down the street.

He shot to the side of her in seconds. He was so fast she
didn’t even see him move until he was at her side.

“Look, about that. You’ve got the wrong idea, it’s not like
that” he said, matching her pace.

“So, what exactly is it like?” she asked a little too
sarcastically.

“It’s not like that! She wants it to be, but it’s not!” he
said, eyeing her expression.

Madison frowned in confusion.

“But you had your arm around her?” she said strongly.

“I’ve known her for a very long time. We…grew up together. I
think of Gabby as a sister – nothing more” he protested.

“But, she likes you?” Madison asked, feeling slightly
better.

“Yeah, well, I think so? But even so, she knows I don’t feel
that way about her and she knows nothing would ever happen” he said awkwardly.

“What do you mean, you think so?”

“Look. It’s complicated. I’ll tell you one day, just trust
me” he chuckled.

That was one thing Madison struggled to do with people,
trust
them
.

They walked side by side along the pavement; she allowed the
conversation to vary from interests and hobbies. They discovered they had the
same taste in music and even liked some of the same bands. They had more in
common then she had first imagined. The conversation was endless and relaxed,
flowing naturally with no silence and neither of them fighting for something to
say. Brendan liked to draw and ask whether he could sketch Madison sometime.
She accepted reluctantly, but she was intrigued to see his artistic side. 

“So… Madison, where were you running from on the night we
first met?” he asked, shifting the conversation to more serious conversation.

“There you go with the awkward questions again” she said
jokingly.

“Seriously?” he said a little more seriously, but still
continued to smile widely at her.

“Umm…well….Thatcham” she stuttered.

“Thatcham. Huh, that’s a nice place” he lied, a smile
stretched across his face.

Madison rolled her eyes and laughed.

“You’re a very bad liar, you know that?” she laughed.

Brendan laughed at her, his face directed down to the
concrete.

“Where were you running from when I first met you?” she
asked, trying to play him at his own game.

“I was on my way back from a business trip actually” he said
casually.

“Oh yeah, what sort of business are you in?” Madison asked
curiously.

“Umm…like the private sector. I kind of find people - hunt
them down if you like” Brendan explained.

“Really? Wow” she said a little stunned.

“I don’t want to bore you with the details. You may not want
to see me again, if I do that!” he smiled.

Madison blushed at his words. A tingling feeling spread
across her skin, the butterflies returned to her stomach flying wildly around
performing loops and swirls. The happiness Brendan shone on her began to fill
the emptiness once again.

They were approaching the hell house; the walk down the long
dark alleyway had taken no time at all while she was in Brendan’s company.
Madison hadn’t noticed one shadow threatening shadow or a single strange noise
while she was with Brendan. She felt safe with Brendan. He was her protector
and fought away the things that haunted her. With Brendan all the badness
melted away and she felt real again - human. 

Silence fell over them both as the approach the front gate
of the bed-sit. Madison wished the walk home was longer, she still had
questions for Brendan and wanted to hear every detail of his life up until the
point they had met.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Brendan said breaking the
silence.

“Umm… tomorrow? Not a lot. I probably won’t wake up until
lunch time, but that’s about it” Madison said eagerly.

“Did you want to do something in the afternoon?” Brendan
asked, becoming shy again.

“Yes!” Madison asked instantly.

She didn’t want Brendan ever leave her again, not now she
had him all to herself.

“Do you want to come in for a coffee?” she asked, suddenly
wondering whether she was being too hasty.

Brendan’s eyes moved from Madison towards the house, he
hadn’t examined it properly until he was confronted with the prospect of going
inside.

“You live here?” he asked a little shocked, his eyes
scanning every inch of the house. Madison was used to this reaction; everyone
who saw where she lived said the same thing. Faye had dropped her home one
night, which Madison soon regretted as Faye was completely stunned by the sight
of the bedsit.

“Umm…yeah, but only until I can afford something better”
Madison said embarrassed.

““It certainly is something else” Brendan laughed.

“I know it’s a house of hell, but it’s all that I could afford!”
Madison said defensively, feeling slightly offended.

She knew the house was awful, but she also felt a little
defensive of the hell house – it was her hell house. It was her temporary home
and she had made her room as homely as possible. The house may have a variety
of different smells, not all of them pleasant and her house mates might be a
little different, but Madison had gone attached to her small four walls.

Brendan didn’t reply - he stared at the house suspiciously.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to come in” she said finally,
disappointed at his reaction.

“No. Coffee sounds great!” he replied.

Madison smiled, opening the garden gate and wandered up the
garden path – Brendan in toe. She pulled her keys from her handbag and climbed
the doorsteps, unlocking the front door. Madison had the opening of the front
door down to a fine art now, forcing it slightly with her shoulder as she
twisted the key. A gust of wind caught the front door from Madison’s loose
grip, causing it to fly open and bounce of the wall.

She grabbed the door before it could bang against the wall
again and pulled her keys out - she turned smiling weakly at Brendan. Brendan
flashed a look of concern at Madison but she ignored it, placing one foot
inside the entrance. Brendan grabbed her arm, his grip tight - catching her off
guard. She turned to look at him and frowned in confusion, she smiled trying to
shake off his grip.

“Don’t go in there!” Brendan said erratically. He scanning
the hallway and staircase frantically, his eyes cautious and darted around
wildly.

“What? Let go of me” Madison replied, half laughing trying
to make a joke out of it.

“I mean it! Why don’t we go to my place? I have a great view
of the city, I would really love for you to see it” he said demanding at first
and then little more casually – playing down his concern.

“But, we’ve just got here? I thought you wanted Coffee?” she
asked confused.

“I’ve changed my mind” he said angrily, tugging on her arm.

“What?! Is it because of the house? I know it’s bad, but
I’ve really done a good job with my room” Madison said defensively.

“No, it’s not because of the house. I just want you to come
with me” Brendan said trying to pull Madison back down the steps forcefully.

She struggled in his grip, digging her heels in - not moving
willingly

“What are you doing? Let go of me!” she shouted, starting to
get panicked.

“No!” he shouted.

Madison stared at him in shock; his face was panicked like
hers. His eyes full of worry and anticipation as if he was waiting for
something terrible to happen. Her heart began to beat fast, a ball formed in
her throat and panic erupted in her mind sending her senses into chaos.

“What’s your problem? Why are you acting like this?” Madison
shouted at him.

“I’m not. Look, if you come with me I’ll tell you” he said
firmly, his eyes still darting around the inside of the house from the open
door.

“Tell me now!” she demanded.

“No. Come with me first!”

“If you can’t tell me, I’m not coming with you!” she hissed.

Madison tried to take a step back up the concrete doorsteps.
Brendan tightened his grip around her arm, she whimpered in pain. Tears formed
in her eyes, fear creeping slowly in. Brendan had seemed so nice and
gentlemen-like to begin with, she hadn’t expected her night to end like this.
She was confused and panicked. Brendan had been fine up until the point she had
asked him in for coffee. His reaction to the house had instigated this behavior
or it had been something he had been planning from the beginning. Madison
didn’t really know Brendan and no matter how much good she thought she saw in
him, she couldn’t excuse the possibility that everything he had told her
tonight could be a lie and part of a sick game to lore her in.

She couldn’t think straight, she wanted to trust him but his
behavior had become too violent and unpredictable. She continued to struggle
against his grip; letting out shallow pleads and sobs. His grip tightened,
digging in his fingernails so she couldn’t wriggle free. Her skin burned from
his fingernails tearing her flesh.

“Madison, please. Don’t go in there” he pleaded.

“Let go of me” Madison struggled.

“Madison, please!”

“Let go. You’re scaring me. Please, just let go!”

“No! Madison, please!” he shouted.

His finger nails dug in deeper, a sharp pain shot up her arm
causing her to yelp.

“Ouch! Brendan you’re hurting me” she whimpered, trying to
praise his fingers away with her free hand.

Unwillingly Brendan released his grip realising his panic
was causing her physical pain. Madison leapt into the house and slammed the
door on Brendan twisting the lock on the inside.

“Madison. Madison, please I’m sorry” Brendan shouted through
the door.

The door shook from the impacted of one of his fists.
Madison whimpered a single tear spilling out over her right cheek. She gripped
her arm in pain from where his clutch had been. She was scared and hurt by how
Brendan had acted towards her for no reason. She jumped as his fist impacted
with the door a second time, backing away from the door; she turned sprinted up
the stairs ignoring Brendan’s pleas.

“Madison. Open the door. Please Madison, open the door!”
Brendan shouted, his voice becoming more panicked. 

As Madison reached the top of the staircase it fell silent -
Brendan had gone. She stared down the staircase towards the door but there was
no sound. The silence scared her more than angry Brendan had, she spun back
around to head towards her room - Bernie stood before her. She jumped and
steadied herself from falling backwards down the staircase. Wiping the tear
away quickly she stared up into Bernie, his expression was just as angry as
Brendan’s. His breath was heavy spraying a cloud of fowl breath over Madison’s
face. His eyes fiery, darting around the corridor and the staircase in the same
manor Brendan had. 

“What are you doing bringing a Vampire here?!” Bernie spat.

“What?” Madison said not sure whether she had heard him
correctly.

“You heard him!” Rich shouted from Madison‘s side. He had
appeared from nowhere, in his normal attire of no shirt and tan trousers.
Rich’s eyes were narrowed to stare at Madison, a bitter anger spread across his
face  She had never heard Rich speak before, his deep, bitter, harsh voice
unnerved her. Madison didn’t know what to say, she stared at them blankly. Everything
was surreal, the manner in which Brendan had acted and now what she was being
accused off. Madison could safely say that this was the strangest night of her
life and she wasn’t sure whether to laugh hysterically or run and cry.

She shook her head in confusion, continuing to stare from
Rich to Bernie blankly.

“What?” Madison stuttered.

“Don’t play dumb with me!” Rich threatened, shaking a fist.

“What the hell are you going on about? Has everyone taken a
trip to the crazy farm today?” Madison shouted, losing her temper.

“Don’t mess with us, Madison. We’re not the type of people
you want to play games with” Bernie thundered.

Madison had never seen Bernie angry before, she stared at
him in disbelief. She was completely clueless.

“He knows where we live...” Rich cautioned Bernie.

Their eyes met. Slowly, but simultaneously their eyes
shifted over to Madison. They had both came to the same conclusion, although
Madison had no idea what this conclusion was she imagined it wasn’t a good one.
Panic erupted through her; it flared stronger in her than it had when Brendan
had tried to force her out of the door. Only now did Madison contemplate that
maybe Brendan had been right?

Rich took a step closer to her. Her heart thudded against
her rib cage, a ball rose up into her throat. She swallowed hard, her eyes
becoming blurry with fear.

“You brought a Vampire to our house! He knows where we
live!” Rich spat, an accusing finger pointed at Madison.

“I…I didn’t? I don’t know what you’re on about?” she said
fearful.

Rich was so close to her face she could smell his sour,
revolting breath.

Her senses took over and urged her to run. Madison turned
quickly to sprint back down the staircase, but before she could place one foot
onto the first step - Rich grabbed the same arm Brendan had dragged her by. He
held her tighter then Brendan had, his fingers pressed down on her muscles
causing her sever pain.

“Let go of me!” Madison screamed.

Her fear and panic was more heightened then it had been when
Brendan had grabbed her. Even as Brendan persistently attempted to drag her out
of the door, a part of Madison knew he was good and meant well, but the other
much larger part of her couldn’t perceive the situation any further than face
value. But there was something really threatening and dangerous about Rich,
making her fear more real.