Living in Darkness (Bloodbreeders) (29 page)

“You killed your little brother?”

Hearing it put that way, even though I knew it to be the truth, broke
my very core. I began to cry, holding my face in my hands as I slowly rocked back
and forth.

I felt not one, but all four of them crowd around me, but it was Ashley
that took me in her arms.

“I’m so sorry, Renee,” she said, rocking with me. “You’ve been through
hell.” She paused, and then added. “It’s
gonna
be
okay. We’ll help you.”

I sat up and looked as deep into her eyes as I could.

“You don’t know what you are saying.”

“Sure, she does,” Brandon interjected. “We stick together. It doesn’t
matter what you are... You’re our friend. You helped us, now we’re going to
help you.”

“So, let’s roll,”
Derek
said enthusiastically.
“That’s a damn nice car out in your garage.”

I wanted to say no, but I did need them, and I truly believed that they
needed me.

“Remember, it’s not my car,” I said, hating to burst his bubble, but
before I could finish, Bo pulled me to my feet, and proudly draped his arm over
my shoulders.

“It is now,” he said with a smirk. “So let’s get you to Burkett, and
back here as soon as possible.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do if we can’t find Martin,” I said.
“He’s my only hope of getting Garvin and
Tanda
out.”

“Now, I wouldn’t say that. You have us,” Derek replied.

I just smiled and nodded, but in my head, I
knew full
well
that if I took them to Cuba, they would be slaughtered. There is no
way a normal could stand up to my kind.

We all gathered supplies – blankets, pillows, and food for the little
ones. Bo had gone to the garage to ready the car, and fifteen minutes later, we
were headed for Burkett. Leave it do Derek to say something off the wall.

“Do we need to find you a fresh chicken or goat, Renee?”

I almost choked when he said it. I burst out laughing, and everyone
joined in except Derek.

“What?” he said. “She has to eat,
ya
know? What’s
so funny about that?”

“It’s the way you just blurt things out, Derek,” Ashley told him. Derek
threw himself back, crossed his arms over his chest, and pouted.

“Derek, I’m sorry I laughed,” I said, reaching over and patting him on
the knee. “You’re just too cute for words.”

“Really… you think I’m cute?” he asked perking back up, and once again
leaning forward on the seat.

We rode all the way to Brownwood Texas, with Bo driving, chatting idly
from time to time. Dawn was getting closer than I liked, so I told him to find
a cemetery as fast as possible. When we finally came across one, horror filled
my heart. Looking out across the graveyard, not one tomb was to be seen. There
was nothing at all to shield me from the harsh sun that was already changing
the night sky to a pale hue of dark blue. As we set searching, the sky was
getting lighter and lighter.

“If I don’t find shelter right now, I’m going to burn to death. I need
to get inside before the sun comes up,” I pleaded.

“There,” Ashley exclaimed, pointing out across the cemetery. “There’s
an old house.”

“Where, Ashley? I don’t see it,” Brandon cried. I could see they were
as worried as I was.

“I see it,” Derek hollered out. “It’s over there in those trees. You
see it, Bo?”

“Yeah, I see it. Set back,” he said, flooring the gas.

It appeared to be abandoned, but there were so many windows most of
which were broken, that unless it had a basement, it wouldn’t matter much. We
piled out of the car, as the sky became brighter. My skin was getting hot, like
normals
feel at the start of
a real
good sunburn, so I ran for it.

The little ones tried to keep up, but I had to hurry, and in one burst
of speed, they were left in my wake. All I heard was Derek say, “I
gotta
get some of that, did y’all see her?” Before long,
they joined me in the house. I slid to the floor, using the wall to brace me, as
well as to shield me from the rising sun.

“No basement,” I said sighing in desperation. “I’m afraid this may be
the end for me.”

“Don’t say that,” Ashley cried. “We’ll find something.”

Just about the time that I had come to grips with the thought of dying,
Bo ran through the back door, grinning from ear to ear. “There’s a cellar out
back, and enough wood to cover the entrance,” he said proudly.

“But what if there are snakes down there?” Ashley shrieked.

“Trust me, Ash, I’d much rather take on a snake than the sun right
now,” I said, getting to my feet. I looked at Bo, with gratitude. “Thanks. I
mean it.”

He looked at me, then turned and walked toward the back door. I
followed close behind.

When I reached the back door, my heart dropped. “Bo, that has to be at
least ten yards. The sun’s practically up, and I’m already getting weaker by
the second.”

With that, he picked me up, flinging me over his shoulder, while
Brandon covered me as much as possible with one of the blankets, and then
pushed us out the door, yelling,
“
Run.”

Not only could I feel my flesh being burnt by the daylight, I could
smell it as well. Within a few seconds, he had me in the arms of darkness. Bo
stayed with me as the other three covered the cellar doorway.

“Bo, I’ll be okay,” I said, trying not to let on how much pain I was
in.

“You’re hurt, and trust me, I’m used to sleeping in places like this,”
he said.

 
I smiled, knowing I was safe in
the comfort of these very special children. They knew everything there was to
know about me, yet they had showed their loyalty today by saving my life. I
smiled at the thought, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 23

“Good morning,” I heard as I slowly regained consciousness. “I mean,
goodnight. Well, you know what I mean,” Bo said, still sitting in the very
place he was when I fell asleep.

“Good evening, Bo.” I said. “You stayed with me the whole time?”

“Sure did,” he said. “But don’t worry, I was snoring.”

“You know you didn’t have to do that. Even so, it’s the sweetest ever,”
I said, as I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Aw, hey, it
ain’t
nothing
,”
he said, shying away. He pointed at my arm as if to change the subject. “You’re
hurt.”

I had forgotten. I pulled back the sleeve on my shirt, and what was
revealed was not what one would expect. In the place where
normals
would have had charred remains of flesh, my skin was fresh and pink, smooth
like a baby. I couldn’t say the same for the shirt.

“How can that be?” Bo asked in amazement. “You were all but on fire!”

“My kind, heal very fast,” I said, slapping my bare arm. “See, it
doesn’t even hurt anymore.” He was staring at me with a strange expression on
his face.

“Bo, are you okay?”

“I want to be like you, Renee,” he said, his face as serious as I’d
seen yet.

“Never,” I jumped up, and fled the cellar so fast that wood flew in
every direction as I pushed my way out.

“Renee, wait. Please,” Bo called after me. “I’m sorry.”

I was out of sight within seconds, hidden by the vast amount of trees. I
ran for what seemed like forever, finally stopping when I felt I was alone.

“Why would he say something like that?” I asked myself. “It’s crazy. After
everything I told them, how could he say that?”

I cried, leaning against a tree wondering what I had done by telling
them the truth, when I heard them calling my name in the distance.

“Renee, please, where
are
you?” Derek
hollered.

“Renee, I’m sorry,” Bo called out with sorrow in his voice.

Then I heard Brandon, and his statement sent shivers down my spine. “He
only said what we’ve all been thinking.”

“Please come back, Renee,” Ashley called out, the sorrow undeniable in
her voice. “We need you.” Despite what damage the truth may have caused, I knew
ultimately she was right.

“I’m here,” I called to them, starting back their way.

The first one I saw was Bo. He hadn’t yet seen me, because he was
wiping tears from his face, muttering over and over again, “I’m sorry, I’m
sorry.”

I couldn’t stand it. My heart went out to them all.

“Bo, I’m here,” I said. “I’m sorry I ran off like that. You just
shocked me a little, that’s all.” He ran to me like a child to its mother, and
lifted me off the ground in a big bear hug that I will never forget.

“I’m sorry, Renee. It will never happen again, I swear,” he said, tears
still streaming down his face.

“No, Bo, I’m the one who should be sorry,” I said, giving him a hug of
my own. “I panicked, but I promise to hear you out from now on.”

“Renee,” Ashley screamed, running full speed to me. “I thought you left
us! Bo told us what he said, he didn’t mean it...”

“Yes, he did,” Brandon interrupted. “We’ve all been thinking it.”

“I can’t, Brandon. You’re just children,” I said. “You don’t know what
you are asking.”

“We
ain’t
stupid,”
Derek
sputtered. “We know the risk. We talked about it all day.”

“I’m sure you did, Derek, but I hate what I am. I would much rather be
like you,” I said.

“And that can’t happen, right?” Bo said. “But we can be like you. Then
we could be a real family.”

I looked from one child to the other, baffled by what they were
suggesting. I shook my head, and continued. “Look, we shouldn’t even be talking
about such things.” I started walking back toward the house. “Burkett’s only a
few miles from here, so let’s go.”

“What if this Martin
ain’t
anywhere to be
found,” Brandon said sidestepping to keep up with me.

“What difference does that make?” I asked, not hesitating in my stride.

“A lot, if you want to help your friends in Cuba.” That stopped me.

“Listen to me, Brandon,” I said, turning to face him straight on. “This
means death,
real
death. I would have to drink you dry, feed you my
blood, and only hope that it would work. I may be a lot of things, but crazy is
not one of them.”

“All I’m saying is to think on it,” he said. “Don’t just blow us off. You
may not have wanted this change, but we do. This world
ain’t
been nothing but shit to us.”

“Yeah, and doing what you ask means you would never know if the future
could have been better.” He started to say more, but I held my hand up to stop
him. “Enough, Brandon, alright? That goes for all of you. I don’t want to talk
about it anymore.”

They all stared at me as if wanting to press on, but they didn’t. I
breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Now, let’s get on to Burkett.”

I was emotionally drained from all this talk of madness. We drove in
silence, and I was grateful. I didn’t need more worries on top of all my other
problems. We were now close enough to see light’s glowing through windows of
the small houses on the outskirts of Burkett, and from what I could guess, only
about three miles or so from the cemetery. My heart was back in my throat, and
it felt like I would faint from the anticipation that rushed through my body.

As we approached the entrance of the cemetery, I told Bo to stop.

“You guys stay here,” I said. “I need to do this on my own.” They said
nothing, and Bo slowly pulled the car to a stop. I got out, closed the door,
and took a deep breath.

I started walking, until I stood in the very place that I was brought
when this never-ending nightmare began. I remember watching Martin move the
stone door with ease, and the way he bowed for me to go first.

I shook off the memory, and started moving the stone door. Dear God,
Please help me find him
.
The door was heavy, but more awkward than
anything. I had it moved far enough to slip in, but once I was inside, I
realized that despite my superior vision, it was just too dark in the crypt to
see. I would need matches to light the candles that were here before. I heard
the little ones talking, and it was obvious that they had moved closer. I
waited until I heard the dry grass crunching under their feet, then said, “Does
anyone have matches.” They all jumped, startled by my hearing their approach.

“I do,” Derek said.

“Stupid, you’re supposed to be quiet,” Bo said, slugging Derek in the
arm.

“It’s alright,” I said. “I already knew you were there. I could hear
you walking. Well, how about those matches?”

“Sure,” Derek replied. “You want me to bring them to
ya
... in there?”

I went to the opening, and stuck out my arm. When I felt his hand touch
mine, I grabbed him, and yanked him into the crypt and he started screaming.