|Chapter One|
My heartbeat quickened at the sound of Brendan's shovel hitting something hard. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a coffin, after all this place was full of dead pets. All of them laid to rest in little board coffins that their owner, Mr. McGowan, built from scratch with his own bare hands to show his appreciation and love towards them.
Helping my only friend dig up something in Mr. McGowan's backyard in the middle of the night was something I never thought I'd do in a million years. But here
" C'mon, Nessa. Stop being such a scardy-cat and help me dig."
I grabbed a shovel and started to dig too but stopped suddenly when my shovel struck something hard just like Brendan's did before, only difference was that my shovel sounded like it had hit something metallic.
" I think I found something!" I whisper yelled to Brendan.
He quickly rushed over to my side and vigorously started to uncover what was underneath the shallow earth with his shovel. I gasped as I saw what it was that he had uncovered. It was a flipping coffin, now as I said before this yard was filled with coffins for his dead pets. However, this coffin was far too big to be a pet's coffin. This coffin was big enough to fit a person! My eyes widened to the size of saucers at my sudden realization.
I quickly sneaked a peak at Brendan to see if he was just as shocked as I was but to my utmost surprise his reaction was the total opposite of mine. He didn't look surprised at all! It was as if he knew there was a person sized coffin even before he uncovered it. Guess I know now what he was looking for.
But Why? I thought puzzled.
I don't know why but I'm getting a feeling something is terribly wrong here.
"Hey!" The unmistakable voice of
Mr. McGowan shouted while using his flashlight to shine in both our faces. This startled us both. We thought he was asleep. After all it was a little after 11 and he always went to sleep exactly at 8 everynight. We know this because whenever he is going to sleep he always turn his lights off.
"What are you two rascals doing in my yard? Get out and scram or you'll get exactly what yer looking for!" His Scottish accented voice yelled furiously.
I couldn't help but think he was also warning us. I looked over at Brendan hoping he too caught onto the warning but of course, it fell on deaf ears. He just grinned at me then turned his attention back to the coffin, he then proceeded to use his shovel to knock off the gigantic, rusty padlock off of the coffin as if it wad nothing.
"Brendan, what are you doing?" I hissed out at him in question, " we have to get out of here!"
"Shut up, Nessa!" He hissed back.
Unbelievable! We could get caught at any moment!
Everything was all quiet now except for my harsh breathing. Mr. McGowan actually thought that we were gone. My attention was snapped back to Brendan and the coffin when I heard a creaking sound. He was opening the flipping coffin! I held my breath as he slowly opened the coffin, scared of what I was about to behold. Fortunately, I was wrong.
In the coffin laid the most beautiful sight my eyes have ever had the pleasure of encountering, in the coffin, there was a man! He was dressed in a black suit, black leather Italian shoes on his feet and black inkjet hair covering his closed eyes. Dust and debris were everywhere. From his beautiful soft hair down to his expensive looking shoes. I stood there frozen in my spot, mouth gaping and eyes as wide as saucers just staring at him. This was not what I was expecting.
I was expecting the repugnant smell of rotting flesh and the sight of maggots savagely eating away at the rotting flesh and what shocked me the most was that this man looked like he had just been buried, in fact, he didn't even looked dead. He just looked as if he was in a deep slumber.
Just by looking at him I could feel a sense of longing for him.
God! What the hell am I thinking? He's dead for crying out loud. I can't have a crush on a dead guy!
I shook my head to clear my head of all these irrelevant thoughts that were beginning to form. It worked; all those thoughts were replaced with the ones of being caught by Mr. McGowan.
"Brendan, what are we going to do if Mr. McGowan comes out again?" I asked him worryingly.
"Shh." He shushed me.
I sighed heavily.
"Can I see your hands, Vanessa?" He asked sweetly.
I furrowed my brows in confusion and pursed my lips thoughtfully. Should I really let him touch me after he just used his hands to open a coffin? I think not!
" No, I don't think so. You probably have a million bacteria and germs on your hands right n-"
Before I could even finish my sentence within the blink of an eye he had thrown his shovel to the ground and had my right wrist in a harsh grip. I cried out and began to struggle but all my struggles were futile. He was so God darn strong. I sighed heavily and began to slowly relax in his hold after I realized he wasn't letting go anytime soon. However, as soon as I saw him dip his hand in his jacket and retrieved a knife, I lost it.
" Brendan, are you freaking insane? Let go this instant or else I'll scream and let Mr. McGowan come out here again and when he does, he'll call the police and when the police come, I'll tell them that I'm not here on my own free will. I'll tell them you forced me. Which is true. I didn't want to come here with you in the first place!" I whisper yelled at him with as much anger as I could muster in my voice.
My anger was quickly dissipated as I saw him wave the knife in my face in a playful manner and a smile adorning his face.
" Do that and this knife will get acquainted with your pretty little face," at this he pressed the knife onto my cheek hard but not hard enough to draw blood. " As a matter of fact, I don't have to even do that. If they come they'll find your hand prints all over the shovels. After all you were the one that brought them."
I whimpered in despair as I realized my stupidity. I should have known something was up. He was wearing gloves, whereas I wasn't.
" Why are you doing this?" I asked him softly. Tears slowly beginning to form in my eyes making my vision blurry.
He didn't answer me. Instead he dragged me closer to the coffin and held my left wrist over the man's mouth and used the knife to pierce my hand middle making a small cut. The knife went through my skin like butter. At first, I didn't feel anything but after a few seconds a searing pain shot through my hand. Inevitable, blood started to pool in the cut and when enough was gathered it began to run down my fingers and slowly began to drip onto the man's full pink lips. I tried to tug my wrist away but that only made him hold onto my wrist tighter. I bit my lip trying to hold in the scream that was dying to escape from my throat at the pain I was experiencing.
"Stop, please!" I begged him but the only thing that did was made him loosen his hold on me for a bit.
I looked up at him only to see him staring down at me. His hazel coloured eyes swimming with sympathy.
" Shh. It'll be over soon. I promise." He whispered softly then his eyes were on the man once more again.
We stood there for about five whole minutes. Watching. Him watching the man intently. Me watching how my blood was dripping onto his lips and at times in his mouth through the little small gap his lips made. After another minute in the insufferable tense silence a gasp of horror escaped my lips harshly. The man's mouth opened a little wider and his tongue slowly snaked out and swiped across his lower lip, collecting all the blood that was gathered there.
What the hell? How can a dead man even move his mouth muchless his tongue ? What kind of voodoo crap is going on here?
I nearly jumped ten feet in the air as Brendan's laugh of pure glee startled me.
Like what the actual hell? You just saw a dead man move and your laughing? It's was as if he wasn't surprised at all. He gently let go off of my wrist but I was too shock to move. My body was frozen in fright and if that wasn't bad enough. Brendan took out his phone, got down on one knee bowed slightly and the pressed something on his phone. Nothing happened.
Then all of a sudden the man's eyes snapped open to reveal beautiful sparkling sapphire eyes. A scream ripped through my throat at this. As soon as Brendan heard my scream he grinned and then winked at me and then pointed at the coffin. Signifying me that I was to look at the man. I gasped again and began to slowly walk backwards until I clumsily fell unto the ground on my bum. The man was sitting up.
Oh hell no!
Tears began to stream down my cheeks. So this is it? This is how I'm going to die? I'm going to die a 20 year old virgin. I didn't even get to have my first kiss. Now I'm going to die by the hands of my only thought to be true friend and the hands of a dead man. Mom always told me to stay away from him because he was bad news and boy was she right. Why did I not listen to her?
Mom, please forgive me, I thought with despair.
I was ripped from my thoughts when the man began to brush off the dust and debris off his clothes and out of his hair.
"Oh my God." I whispered.
Brendan stayed on his knee, eyes downcast, neck tilted to the side. Baring his neck to man.
" I'm sorry I took so long to find you, brother." Brendan said softly.
" Your brother? What kind of satanic shit is going on here, Brendan?" I shouted at him in question.
The man's eyes snapped towards me instantly.
Okay, so maybe that wasn't the smartest thing I have ever said or done in my life but trust me if you were in my position you would have done the same or even worse.
He sat there staring at me for a while and then scowled. He turned to Brendan.
"You have made a grave mistake to bring her here, Rayne" He growled. His voice hoarse from lack of use yet it held so much power.
Rayne? Why did he just call him Rayne? I furrowed my brows in confusion at this.
" I know brother but I was desperate. She was the only one I could think of with blood compatible with yours. " my traitor of a friend replied.
The man narrowed his eyes at Brendan.
"Why were you so keen to awaken me from my slumber? After all I went to rest willingly." He said his voice lack of emotion. " I should just put you to rest now for your incompetence." He growled.
Before I could blink the man shot up and was standing at his full length which looked to be about 6'7, his hands swiftly shot out and grabbed Brendan by the neck lifting him up off of the ground, brought his neck towards mouth and took a big chunk out of it. He then spat out the piece of flesh on the ground and sneered in disgust.
Bile swiftly rose to my throat and I struggled to keep it down. Why would he do such a thing? I tried to get up and stop him but all my limbs were frozen in place. My body wasn't obeying any of my commands to get up and flee this crazy scene straight out of a horror movie.
" Stop it!" I screamed at him but he didn't stop.
Instead, he just squeezed Brendan's neck until a loud sickening crunch and pop echoed through the silent night. A smile of satisfaction crossed his face but was gone within a second as if it wasn't there. He dropped the now limp body of what was once known as Brendan Wilson on the ground. Slowly he turned around and met my deep green forest eyes for the second time.
" You were also very foolish to allow Rayne to persuade you to come here tonight. Fortunately, you won't be meeting the same faith as him." He said slowly.
He then proceeded to walk towards me and then stretched forth his hand to me. Offering for me to take and help myself up off the ground. I just stared at his outstretched hand with a look of terror painted on my face.
"Come on, love. I don't bite," he smiled while flashing me his gleaming white teeth, " hard. " he added on smoothly.
I gulped and just continue to stare at him and his outstretched hand.
A look of hurt flashed across the man's face.
" Am I that revolting you can't touch me, little human?" He asked. Hurt thick in his voice.
My heart clenched painfully at this. I wanted to tell him I was scared but ofcourse my traitorous tongue refused to obey me. So, I just sat there, face pale from fright, mouth open and just pathetically staring up at him.
" I've done a lot of bad things in my times including putting my idiotic brother you call friend to rest but never in a million years would I think my punishment would be my own little girl finding me repulsive." He said.
My heart gave another painful clench. I ignored the feeling.
We stayed like this for a few moments until a look of realization crossed his beautiful face.
"Are you scared, little one?" He asked softly.
With as much strength as I could muster, I nodded my head yes.
" No need to fear me, little one. I would never hurt you. Now be a good girl and take my hand." He whispered softly trying not to scare me further than he already has.
Too late for that buster.
" Your not going to take my hand are you?" He asked amusingly.
I shook my head no.
He rolled his eyes and then picked me up off the ground by my waist and set me on my feet gently. I shivered. His hands were as cold as ice. Well, what did I expect? He wad dead after all.
"You're so tiny and light." He mused to himself with a grown on his face.
I looked down and began to blush furiously. No one had ever told me I was tiny or even light. It was always you're too fat or you need to loose weight or you need to work off some pounds. I was 5'3 and weighed 147 pounds and yes I'm overweight, hence all the horrible things said concerning my weight.
" I'm not tiny. I'm fat and heavy." I mumbled still blushing.
An inhumane growl left his lips.
" Care to repeat that, little one?" He asked dangerously calm.
And for the third time tonight my body froze in fright and refused to obey any of my commands.
